cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biomimetic nanolithography and its application for biosensor chip fabrication

ABSTRACT Various nano-structures and complex patterns have been fabricated by top-down or bottom-up approaches, which have own strength and weakness. Here we combined the top-down a nd the bottom-up fabrications to take advantages on both strengths. We demonstrated that two different ways of the top-down/bottom-up combination could be very effective for the future nano-fabrications. One way is to assemble nanometer-sized building blocks into the device configurations such as electronics and sensor. Our strategy is to use those functionalized peptide nanowires, which can recognize and selectively bind a well-defined region on antigen-patterned substrates, as building blocks to assemble nanoscale architectures at uniquely defined positions, patterned by AFM-based nanolithography. The second method of the top-down/bottom-up combination is to pattern mineralization peptides with nanolithography and grow metals along the peptide lines. For example, when an Au-mineralizing peptide was written in the line-array, the biomineralization yielded monodisperse Au-NPs along the peptide lines. We were also succeeded to grow and pattern semiconductors at room temperature as precursors were patterned with dip-pen nano lithography. This crystallization was induced by energy gain from the shape change caused by DPN. Then, hydrophobic-hydrophilic pattern that mimics protein-binding sites in nature could be patterned by DPN and this pattern geometry can induce the attachment-detachment switching of proteins. At last, the electronic pathogen sensor chips will be introduced as another example for the DPN application. Here the DPN was applied to attach single cell at a time on transducer surface, which una mbiguously determined the single cell detection limit of the sensors. Keywords: Biomineralization, Biomimetics, Dip Pen Nano lithography, AFM, Patterning, Bionanotechnology
Autonomic impairment in painful neuropathy.

Objectives: 1) To determine the degree and distribution and quantitate the severity of autonomic impairment in painful neuropathy (PN). 2) To assess the role of autonomic testing in evaluating PN. Methods: The authors studied 92 patients with PN (60 women and 32 men, age 56.9 ± 12.4 years) using: 1) autonomic reflex testing (ART), Quantitative Sudomotor Axon Reflex Test (QSART), cardiac–vagal, head-up tilt, and surface skin temperature; 2) autonomic symptoms questionnaire; 3) nerve conduction (NCS) and laboratory studies; 4) quantitative sensory testing; 5) skin biopsy; and 6) Composite Autonomic Symptoms Score (CASS) scale to grade ART results from 0 (normal) to 10 (autonomic failure). Results: Autonomic involvement in PN had characteristic features. Main symptoms were pain, secretory and skin vasomotor signs, hypertension, and impotence. ART results were abnormal in 86 (93.5%) (CASS p p p p p p Conclusions: Autonomic symptoms in painful neuropathy are predominantly cholinergic and form a unique constellation of features that are distinct from other autonomic neuropathies.
Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Split Nitrogen Applications in Soft White Winter Wheat

Nitrogen use efficiency (grain weight per unit of N supplied from soil or fertilizer) can be reduced by overfertilization, suboptimal yields, and N losses. Nitrogen is typically fall-applied in eastern Washington for soft white winter wheat (Talcum aestivum L.) production, and is therefore subject to overwinter losses or accumulation in deep soil layers. Increasing grain protein levels of soft white winter wheat have been attributed in part to excessive N application rates and high residual N levels. Spring N applications were evaluated over four site-years as an option to all-fall applied N for reducing N inputs and improving N use efficiency, thereby allowing producers to mainlin productivity while controlling grain protein. Five to six N rates ranging from 0 to 140 kg ha −1 for the all-fall N applications were compared with fall-spring split applications of 134 to 140 kg total N ha −1 . Nitrogen was applied in the spring by topdressing (TD) or with a spoke-wheel point-injection (PI) system. A 15 N experiment was conducted at two locations during the second year to quantify N uptake from fertilizer and soil N. High preplant residual N conditions resulted in limited responses to added N. Nitrogen use efficiency was 26 to 44% lower in the 140 kg ha −1 fall-applied N treatments than in the zero-N control. Reduced N use was related to N losses from the system and to decreased N utilization efficiency (grain weight produced per unit plant N). Spring-applied N, with point injection or topdressing, maintained or increased N use efficiency compared with equivalent all-fall N rates of 134 and 112 kg N ha −1 . More 15 N-labeled fertilizer (7-16% more) was recovered with a split N application than with fall-applied N at the same total rate of 112 kg N ha −1 . At maturity, 68% of plant N was from soil sources with a split application, compared with 80% with an all-fall application. These results suggest spring-N applications with point injection or topdressing can improve fertilizer N recovery and N use efficiency over preplant applications in dryland winter wheat
A solid-state image converter

An EL-PC image converter has been designed to convert the near-IR radiation obtained from light-emitting semiconductor diodes into visible radiation. In addition to wavelength conversion, a quantum gain was also obtained. High contrast ratios are shown to be dependent upon photoconductor capacitance. Concentric, noncoplanar electrode structures have been utilized to achieve photoconductor capacitance values several orders of magnitude smaller than those of a corresponding EL element. Data are shown describing the intensifier operation as a function of applied voltage and frequency. The input-output transfer function shows operation over three orders of magnitude of input intensity. Peak optical gains of 150 are reported.
Ignition potential of the 585-nm pulsed-dye laser. Review of the literature and safety recommendations.

background The 585-nm pulsed-dye laser is the treatment of choice for many port-wine stains. The risk of accidental flash fires occurring with the pulsed-dye laser is considered minimal. Recently, however, there have been several reports of unwanted ignitions. These cases all share two features: 1) oxygen delivery by face mask, and 2) the ignition of a hair-bearing surface. objective We report a case of a laser-induced fire that occurred on a non–hair-bearing surface in a patient who was receiving oxygen by nasal cannula. The mechanisms, risk factors, and guidelines for the prevention of pulsed-dye laser-induced fires are presented. methods We reviewed the literature regarding the safety of pulsed-dye laser use. results Pulsed-dye laser-induced fires can occur on non-hair-bearing regions and in patients receiving oxygen by nasal cannula. conclusion Precautions should be taken to prevent pulsed-dye laser fires regardless of treated region or method of oxygen delivery.
Subjectifying quality of life as a medical rehabilitation outcome

In the literature of health-status assessment, it has been argued that quality of life has distinct meaning only if it is conceptualized and assessed according to a subjective perspective. This paper applies that viewpoint to the conceptual components of disablement and to assessing subjective well-being (i.e. subjective quality of life) as medical rehabilitation outcomes. The definition and measurement of subjective well-being are discussed, and its correlates for people generally are reviewed. Findings for people with disabilities are summarized, and several substantive and methodological issues are highlighted that require additional investigation.
Automated chart review for asthma cohort identification using natural language processing: an exploratory study

Abstract Background A significant proportion of children with asthma have delayed diagnosis of asthma by health care providers. Manual chart review according to established criteria is more accurate than directly using diagnosis codes, which tend to under-identify asthmatics, but chart reviews are more costly and less timely. Objective To evaluate the accuracy of a computational approach to asthma ascertainment, characterizing its utility and feasibility toward large-scale deployment in electronic medical records. Methods A natural language processing (NLP) system was developed for extracting predetermined criteria for asthma from unstructured text in electronic medical records and then inferring asthma status based on these criteria. Using manual chart reviews as a gold standard, asthma status (yes vs no) and identification date (first date of a "yes" asthma status) were determined by the NLP system. Results Patients were a group of children (n = 112, 84% Caucasian, 49% girls) younger than 4 years (mean 2.0 years, standard deviation 1.03 years) who participated in previous studies. The NLP approach to asthma ascertainment showed sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and median delay in diagnosis of 84.6%, 96.5%, 88.0%, 95.4%, and 0 months, respectively; this compared favorably with diagnosis codes, at 30.8%, 93.2%, 57.1%, 82.2%, and 2.3 months, respectively. Conclusion Automated asthma ascertainment from electronic medical records using NLP is feasible and more accurate than traditional approaches such as diagnosis codes. Considering the difficulty of labor-intensive manual record review, NLP approaches for asthma ascertainment should be considered for improving clinical care and research, especially in large-scale efforts.
Proton storage in the periphery of zirconium(IV) porphyrinogen.

The reaction of zirconium(IV) porphyrinogen with water yields a dinuclear complex in which one μ-oxo ligand bridges two ZrIV centres, and two protons are bound to the alpha carbons of two porphyrinogen pyrroles. The reaction establishes the utility of the porphyrinogen macrocycle as a storage site for protons as well as electrons.
Scintillation Studies of Organic Compounds in a Supercooled Molten State

When the crystals (obtained by crystallization from certain solvents) of a number of low‐molecular‐weight organic compounds (11 derivatives of 2‐phenylindole and two derivatives of p‐quaterphenyl) were melted and recooled to room temperature, rather stable nonrecrystallizing, supercooled melts were obtained. The consistency of these at room temperature varied from rather viscous oils to rigid glasslike masses. Their stability also varied over a wide range; from one day to at least several years.The response of these amorphous, pure scintillators to excitation by energetic electrons was measured relative to a standard liquid scintillator solution (gas‐free, 3‐g/liter PPO—toluene solution) which was assigned a value of 100. The very stable (at least several years) and rather rigid melt of 12,23,32,43‐tetramethyl‐p‐quaterphenyl exhibited a relative response of 92. The supercooled melt of N‐isoamyl‐3,2′‐ethyleno‐2‐phenylindole showed a relative response of 125 and remained amorphous with a consistency at room...
A Numerical Model of a Hail-Bearing Cloud

Abstract A numerical model of a hail-bearing cumulus cloud is presented. The model is one-dimensional and time-dependent, and it employs extensive parameterization of the microphysical processes. The raindrop and hailstone size distributions are assumed to be exponential at all times. Cloud droplets are converted to raindrops according to Berry's parameterization of the autoconversion process and are accreted by the raindrops according to Kessler's formulation. Raindrops are frozen at a rate consistent with Bigg's freezing equation, and the hailstones so formed then accrete raindrops and cloud droplets. Ice crystals are not allowed by the model, and for consistency, then, it is assumed that the cloud droplets do not freeze except when accreted by hailstones at temperatures less than0C. The melting and evaporation processes are modeled, and their impact on the results is explored. The results of five test cases are presented. The sequence of cases is designed to illustrate the effects of the presence of ha...
The Association of Oral Contraceptive Use with Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D Levels

Objective: This analysis was conducted to compare wintertime 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels of young women who did and did not use oral contraceptives (OC).Methods: The subjects were 66 Caucasian women aged 20 through 40 recruited from the Boston area. Plasma 25OHD was measured in February or March and again 1 year later. Other measurements included height, weight and vitamin D intake from diet and supplements.Results: The initial mean 25OHD level of the 26 OC users was 41% higher than those of nonusers before adjustment for age and vitamin D intake (83±40 (sd) nmol/L compared with 59±22), and 39% higher after adjustment (p=0.003). Five women who discontinued OC use during the year following their initial measurement all had decreases in their 25OHD levels (mean change was −25.5±17.7 (SD) nmol/L), whereas levels in women whose OC use or non-use was constant did not change.Conclusion: OC use increases circulating levels of 25OHD, and should be considered when interpreting values obtained for clinical e...
Ready-Mades: Ontology and Aesthetics

I explore the interrelations between the ontological and aesthetic issues raised by ready-mades such as Duchamp’s Fountain. I outline a hylomorphic metaphysics which has two central features. First, hylomorphically complex objects have matter to which they are not identical. Secondly, when such objects are artefacts (including artworks), it is essential to them that they are the products of creative work on their matter. Against this background, I suggest that ready-mades are of aesthetic interest because they pose a dilemma. Is there really an object, a sculpture, that is distinct from its matter, a urinal, which object is created merely by the artist’s choice of the urinal? Or are we dealing with a case in which an artist passes off something, a urinal, as if it were a sculpture, even though it is not one?
Is the effect of wounding on leaf senescence due to ethylene

Abstract Wounding delays the loss of chlorophyll (Chl) that normally occurs when oat ( Avena sativa L.) leaf segments are held in the dark. There was a continued increase in ethylene production during the senescence of the control segments; in contrast, ethylene production by the wounded segments, although it increased by a factor of 2–3 times, reached its peak in 48 h and then dropped sharply to below the basal level. Added 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) caused a very large increase in ethylene production in both control and wounded segments, but it increased the rate of Chl loss, though only marginally. Aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) inhibited ethylene production by both control and wounded segments and this did decrease the Chl loss, but only in the control segments. In the wounded segments, AVG antagonized the Chl-retaining action of the wound. Since wounding delayed the loss of Chl and yet caused a moderate increase in ethylene production, we conclude that the ethylene production by senescing oat leaves is not the main controlling influence in the wounding effect. The data also throw doubt on the causal participation of ethylene in normal Chl loss by these leaves in darkness.
On coalition formation in simple games: A mathematical analysis of Caplow's and Gamson's theories☆

Abstract In this paper, we propose a theory of coalition formation in simple games. The process of coalition formation is modeled as an abstract game. Two solutions of abstract games, the core and the dynamic solution, are used as the predictions of our model. Two classical theories of coalitions in sociology due to Caplow and Gamson are reformulated in a more general and mathematical setting. These theories are then analyzed using the techniques of our theory.
Catching the common cold.

The structure of a minor group human rhinovirus in complex with a receptor fragment reveals how the ligand-binding repeats of LDL receptor family proteins bind to these viruses and also suggests a preferred mode for partner recognition by these repeats.
Effects of certain cadmium species on pure and litter populations of microorganisms

Cadmium inhibition of microorganisms was found to be bacterial and chemical species dependent. E. coli inhibition was a function of the cadmium-ion concentration irregardless of the presence of citrate, a chelator for cadmium that it could not metabolize. Whereas with a Pseudomonas sp. able to metabolize citrate, cadmium inhibition was a function of both the cadmium ion and the presence of citrate. With no citrate, inhibition of this organism occurred only at relatively high cadmium-ion concentrations (above 10(-4) M); when citrate was added to the same cadmium-containing growth medium, inhibition was observed at a 1000 times lower cadmium-ion concentration (i.e., 10(-7) M). This observation is contrary to the classical understanding where a chelate reduces the toxic form of a metal allowing increased growth of the organism. The species of cadmium also differentially inhibited the Douglas fir letter respiration and nitrogen-fixing community activities.
Controllability and stability in the self-serving attributions of sport spectators.

Spectators often attribute their athletic team's victories to internal causes and its losses to external causes (e.g., A. H. Hastorf & H. Cantril, 1954; R. R. Lau, 1984; L. Mann, 1974). This self-serving attributional pattern is most common among fans with a strong psychological attachment to their team (D. L. Wann & T. J. Dolan, 1994). The authors examined the relationships among identification, game outcome, and controllable and stable attributions. Their 1st hypothesis was that high-identification fans after a victory, compared with high-identification fans after a loss and low-identification fans after either outcome, would be more likely to exhibit self-serving attributional patterns by attributing their team's successes to controllable and stable causes. Their 2nd hypothesis was that high-identification fans would be more likely than low-identification fans to attribute their team's successes to internal causes and its failures to external causes. U.S. college students high and low in identification first watched their university's men's basketball team win or lose a contest and then completed measures of identification and attribution. The results confirmed the hypotheses.
Rossby waves and two-dimensional turbulence in a large-scale zonal jet

Homogeneous barotropic beta-plane turbulence is investigated, taking into account the effects of spatial inhomogeneity in the form of a zonal shear flows. Attention is given to the case of zonal flows that are barotropically stable and of larger scale than the resulting transient eddy field. Numerical simulations reveal that large-scale zonal flows alter the picture of classical beta-plane turbulence. It is found that the disturbance field penetrates to the largest scales of motion, that the larger disturbance scales show a tendency to meridional rather than zonal anisotropy, and that the initial spectral transfer rate away from an isotropic intermediate-scale source is enhanced by the shear-induced transfer associated with straining by the zonal flow.
A graphical method to evaluate vacuum expectation values of products of creation and annihilation operators

A graphical method for the evaluation of vacuum expectation values of products of creation and annihilation operators, is presented. This method is an adaptation of Danos’ switchyard technique to the particular case of strings of only creation and annihilation operators and is easier to use and more transparent than Wick’s theorem.
A MODEL FOR EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION PROGRAMS

A statistical model for the evaluation of the effectiveness of motor vehicle inspection programs in reducing highway crashes is presented. The model is based on the assumption that the waiting time between highway crashes follows an exponential distribution. Since highway crashes are relatively rare events, it is assumed that the length of the study period is such that censoring occurs. Under these assumptions, maximum likelihood estimates of the mean waiting time [theta] until a crash for the non-inspected (inspected) vehicles is obtained and the corresponding test statistic is derived. As mechanically-caused accidents are but a small part of the overall accident picture and since inspection should only affect this portion, sample size requirements are investigated for various combinations of [theta], [Delta] (increase in average time until a crash due to the effect of inspection), L (length of study period), and [alpha] = [beta] (probability of Type I error equalling probability of Type II error). For reasonable [Delta], the sample required is indeed sizable.
Substance use by hispanic and white non-hispanic pregnant adolescents: A preliminary survey.

White non-Hispanic and Hispanic adolescents aged 17 years and under n= 81) who delivered in San Jose, California area hospitals during a 6-week period were interviewed within 24 hours concerning their use of cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol during pregnancy, and a number of background, social support, and psychosocial factors. Before 12–16 weeks of pregnancy, each of the substances studied was used by over 50% of this population, with 53% smoking cigarettes, 51% smoking marijuana, and 58% consuming beer or wine. Most substance use ceased after 12–16 weeks of pregnancy. There were no significant differences between ethnic groups in substance use. Multiple regression analyses showed that cigarette smoking decreased when social support was provided by the adolescent's partner and it was higher if parents smoked and/or used alcohol p<.001. Parental substance use, combined with lack of social support, was also associated significantly with marijuana use p<.001, explaining 30% of the variance. Use of birth control prior to pregnancy was related to beer and wine consumption p<.05, explaining 16% of the variance. Active inclusion of members of the adolescent's support network in pregnancy care, and initiative by educators and clinicians in discussing substance use, may accelerate its cessation. Ethnicityrelated behavior change strategies may be of little relevance to adolescent substance use during pregnancy.
Effect of Cr(III) impurity on the growth kinetics of potassium dihydrogen phosphate and triglycine sulfate crystals grown from aqueous solutions

The experimental results of the influence of Cr(III) impurity on the growth of structurally and chemically different crystals of technological important materials: potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) and triglycine sulfate (TGS), are presented and discussed. It is found that the effect of an impurity on the growth kinetics of structurally two faces of a crystal can be different.
In vitro inhibition of midgut microsomal P450s from Spodoptera eridania caterpillars by demethylation inhibitor fungicides and plant growth regulators

Abstract The demethylation inhibitor fungicides diniconazole, propiconazole, and triadimefon, and the plant growth regulators uniconazole and pachlobutrazole inhibit microsomal cytochrome P450s from midguts of Spodoptera eridania sixth-instar caterpillars. The I 50 values for O-demethylation of methoxyresorufin in microsomes from caterpillars fed a diet containing 0.2% pentamethylbenzene (PMB) for 3 days ranged from 0.3 to 130 μ M , For N-demethylation of p -chloro- N -methylaniline in microsomes from caterpillars fed a control diet, i.e., without inducer, the I 50 s were from 33 to 857 μ M . There were no consistent differences in inhibitory efficacy between fungicides and plant growth regulators. The induced isozyme(s) catalyzing the O-demethylation was more sensitive than the constitutive isozyme(s) catalyzing N-demethylation to inhibition by the compounds. Inhibition of both activities was mixed, indicating the presence of more than one isozyme catalyzing each reaction. Both substrates and all inhibitors used formed complexes with oxidized microsomes and caused type 2 spectral perturbations. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting with an antibody to a Drosophila melanogaster P450 isozyme of microsomes from control and induced S. eridania also indicate the presence of several P450 isozymes; at least three, which may be P450s, were induced. Two of the control isozymes and three of the isozymes in microsomes from PMB-fed caterpillars cross-reacted strongly with the antibody.
Upward closure and cohesive degrees

It is shown that the degrees of unsolvability of sets having almost any sort of immunity or cohesiveness property studied in recursion theory are closed upwards. From this it follows that every degreea witha′≧0″ contains a cohesive set.
Haciendo posible lo imposible: análisis y discusión de un caso real

En los ultimos anos se han realizado investigaciones -especialmente en la Universidad de Michigan- sobre los efectos de un enfoque basado en las fortalezas y en lo positivo en el desempeno de las organizaciones. El libro Making the Impossible Possible, escrito por investigadores de esta universidad, y que no cuenta con traduccion al espanol, aplica la teoria desarrollada sobre las organizaciones positivas en el analisis de un caso real de desempeno extraordinario, el desmantelamiento de la planta de armas nucleares de Rocky Flats en Colorado, EE. UU. El libro sirve como referencia para exponer los principios del liderazgo positivo y del desempeno extraordinario, y compararlos con las opiniones y teorias de otros autores sobre liderazgo, encontrandose multiples coincidencias. El caso de Rocky Flats demuestra que el desempeno extraordinario es posible.
Pattern recognition studies of curie-point pyrolysis-gas chromatographic data from materials important to agriculture

Abstract Chemometrics (the application of statistics to chemistry) utilizing pattern recognition techniques is shown to be a rapid and efficient method for the analysis of complex pyrolysis-gas chromatographic data from genetically different, but morphologically similar, bio-materials important to agriculture. Two different studies using various multivariate pattern recognition programs are presented. In one study, SPSS-X (Hierarchical Cluster Analysis) and FCVPC-87 (Fuzzy c-Varieties Pattern Recognition) were utilized to develop a technique for discriminating honey bees ( Apis mellifera spp.) based on non-morphological characteristics. In the other study, CART (Classification and Regression Trees) and FCVPC-87 were used to evaluate pyrograms from accessions of big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ) for chemical features (pyrogram peaks) that correlated with palatability of the sagebrush to sheep. In addition, FCVPC-87 was employed to evaluate the pyrograms for the discriminating chemical features responsible for these differentiations.
Religion and Civic Engagement: A Comparative Analysis:

This study examines the relationship between religious involvement and civic engagement in a comparative, cross-cultural perspective. Using data from a 1996 survey of 3000 Canadians and 3000 Americans, the study assesses religion's relative contribution to civic engagement in the two settings. The study reveals that both religious tradition and, more important, church attendance play an important role in fostering involvement in civil society in both countries, even after controlling for the effects of other factors generally associated with fostering civic activity among members of society.
Comparison of canine ECV measurements derived from CMR: bolus injection vs. slow infusion of Gd-BOPTA

Background Myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) fraction [1], derived from pre- and post-contrast cardiac T1 measurements, is an emerging biomarker of diffuse cardiac fibrosis. The major benefits of ECV over post-contrast cardiac T1 is that the former is less sensitive to confounders such as contrast agent type and dosage, specific delayed imaging time, renal function, and magnetic field strength. Recent studies using inversion-recovery (IR) based T1 mapping in control human subjects[2] and patients[3] reported that ECV measured with a bolus injection of contrast agent agrees well with ECV measured with a slow infusion of contrast agent. It is unknown if this approximation holds in canines which are frequently used in preclinical research. We sought to compare canine ECV measurements derived from bolus and slow infusion protocols. Methods
Interpolation theorem for quasi-periodic sampling

An interpolation theorem for quasi-periodic samples is derived from the central-slice theorem. Examples of reconstructions from quasi-periodic sequences of samples are shown and compared with reconstructions from periodic samples.
Antithrombotic Assessment of the Effects of Combination Therapy With the Anticoagulants Efegatran and Heparin and the Glycoprotein IIb-IIIa Platelet Receptor Antagonist 7E3 in a Canine Model of Coronary Artery Thrombosis

Background There is a paucity of data regarding the antithrombotic pharmacology of the drug-drug interactions between the newer anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents. In this investigation, we have...
Organization of spinal motoneuron dendrites in bundles.

Abstract In the spinal ventral horn of the mature cat and monkey, most motoneuron dendrites show high degrees of organization along the rostrocaudal axis. Horizontal sagittal sections of Golgi-impregnated cord indicate that the majority of these dendrites are organized in densely packed bundles. Each bundle consists of dendrite shafts from neurons of different motor cell columns representing different functional groups. It is suggested that these dendrite bundles, utilizing both synaptic and extrasynaptic mechanisms, constitute subcenters for the integration of motor output.
Wilms tumor presenting with abdominal pain: a special subgroup of patients.

Background: Although significant progress has been made in the management of children with Wilms tumor, two major controversies still exist: the extent of radiographic evaluation necessary before surgery and the role of preoperative chemotherapy. This study sought to determine whether patients with Wilms tumor who presented with abdominal pain defined a special subset of patients who might require a more extensive preoperative work-up and neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Observations on the diagenetic behaviour of arsenic in a saline lake: Pyramid Lake, Nevada

We present, to our knowledge, the first dissolved arsenic (As) data from the pore waters of a closed-basin, saline lake, Pyramid Lake, USA. The As concentrations first decrease across the sediment-water interface to values below lake water concentrations and then rapidly increase to values as high as 5.85μmol L−1 at a depth of 15 cm. This maximum value is reached at the top of the sulfate reduction zone. The profile suggests that As is remobilized in the suboxic and anoxic zones of the sediments and is reprecipitated near the sediment-water interface under oxic conditions.
N-methyl d-Aspartate Channels Link Ammonia and Epithelial Cell Death Mechanisms in Helicobacter pylori Infection

Background & Aims Helicobacter pylori infection is a risk factor for gastric cancer. Ammonia/ammonium (A/A) is a cytotoxin generated by H pylori that kills gastric epithelial cells. We investigated whether A/A cytotoxicity occurs by activating N -methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) channels, which results in Ca 2+ permeation and epithelial cell death. Methods Gastric epithelial cells were cultured to confluence and then incubated with A/A and NMDA channel or cell signaling antagonists. Cells were incubated with wild-type H pylori or mutant strains that do not produce A/A. Changes in intracellular Ca 2+ were examined in living cells by confocal microscopy. Biochemical and histochemical techniques were used to examine the relationship between A/A-induced cell death and intracellular levels of Ca 2+ . Results A/A increased Ca 2+ permeation in gastric epithelial cells; the increase was blocked by NMDA receptor and cell signaling antagonists. Wild-type, but not mutant H pylori , also caused extensive Ca 2+ permeation of gastric epithelial cells, which was blocked when NMDA-receptor expression was repressed. Ca 2+ that entered cells was initially cytoplasmic and activated proteases. Later, the Ca 2+ was sequestered to cytoplasmic vacuoles that are dilatations of the endoplasmic reticulum. Inositol-3-phosphate–dependent release of Ca 2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum and protease activity damaged mitochondria, reduced levels of adenosine triphosphate, and transcriptionally up-regulated cell death effectors. Expression of the NMDA receptor was altered in stomachs of mice infected with H pylori . Conclusions A/A affects gastric epithelial cell viability by allowing excessive Ca 2+ permeation through NMDA channels. NMDA channels might thereby regulate cell survival and death pathways during development of gastric cancers associated with H pylori infection.
Image-based display of activation patterns derived from scattered electrodes

Presentation of electrophysiologic data, such as activation patterns, can take many forms, the most common of which are hand or machine-drawn isochronal maps. The authors present an image-based method which provides accurate matching between electrophysiologic data and the anatomic sites from which the data were derived. This method is linear, simple, and straightforward to implement, and presents results in a format which is easy to understand and interpret. >
The need for continued investigation of lung cancer risk in coal miners.

We thank Taeger et al 1 for their comments on our manuscript that focus on a central question raised by our study,2 that is, ‘Is there a lung cancer risk in US coal miners?’. We disagree with the author's suggestion that emphasising the lung cancer excess in the abstract is inappropriate. We saw a positive and significant excess of lung cancer in our overall SMR and in the exposure-response analysis with coal mine dust. These effects were strongly significant in the last decade of follow-up. Although we did see an irregular exposure-response in categorical models, this analysis is far less powerful than the …
Changes in the Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Content of Potato Tubers During Growth, Maturation and Storage

SUMMARY— Kennebec and Red Pontiac potatoes were analyzed for fatty acids at intervals during growth and maturation of the tubers and subsequent storage at 4°C. During storage linoleic and linolenic were almost the only polyunsaturated acids present, but during growth and maturation considerable amounts of unidentified polyunsaturated acids were found. The percentage of polyunsaturated acids in the dry weight of tuber decreased to a low value near harvest time and remained near this value throughout the 6.3-month storage period, except that the value in Pontiacs stored 19 days was somewhat high. The percent of polyunsaturates in the total fatty acid fraction also dropped to a low value during growth and maturation but increased somewhat during storage. For this reason it may be better, when practicable, to make dehydrated products from freshly-harvested rather than from stored potatoes. Potato dice contained as much polyunsaturated acid as the tubers they were made from; potato flakes contained somewhat less. In both products the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid fraction was the same as for the tubers. NO off-flavors were noticed when samples were reconstituted. Apparently little or no oxidation took place during the processing.
Induction of NF-kB-like transcription factors in brain areas susceptible to kainate toxicity.

Administration of kainate (KA), a glutamate receptor agonist, to rats causes neuronal damage in the CA1/CA3 fields of the hippocampus and in the pyriform/ entorhinal cortex. Reactive gliosis also occurs and activated astrocytes upregulate their expression of a large number of molecules. Since NF-kB transcription factors are involved in cellular responses to diverse pathogenic stimuli and have been shown to be induced in astrocytes in vitro in response to cytokines and growth factors, we investigated their possible involvement in the changes in gene expression subsequent to KA-induced lesions. Immunoreactivity to the p65 subunit of NF-kB was markedly increased in non-neuronal cells 2 days after KA administration (8 mg/kg i.p.) in the areas of selective neuronal degeneration. This increase was not observed 3 h or 1 day after injection, but was still present 7-10 days after KA injection. By gel mobility-shift assay, a protein complex binding to the kB consensus sequence was found to be induced by 2 days after KA, which correlated with immunohistochemical findings. This NF-kB-protein complex seemed to be localized in reactive astrocytes, as indicated by the morphological similarity of NF-kB-positive cells and reactive astrocytes stained with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibody, and the parallelism between the time course of NF-kB induction and appearance of gliosis after KA treatment. Double immunocytochemistry experiments demonstrated the colocalization of NF-kB positive cells and reactive astrocytes. Our results suggest that activated NF-kB in astrocytes participates in delayed and long-term responses of glia to injury.
Antenna-environment multiple scattering in reverberation chamber measurements

High-resolution synthetic aperture measurements in a reverberation chamber revealed the presence of multiple scattering between the scan antenna and the measurement environment. Casting the scan antenna-environment multiple scattering as an error term with respect to a fictitious non-scattering scan antenna led to a quantitative and measurable lower bound on the scan antenna-environment interactions. Numerical simulations of this lower bound for infinitesimal dipoles in a rectangular cavity indicated that the actual measurement error was likely to be much greater than this lower bound. In this case, antenna-environment multiple scattering effects were found to be non-negligible. Future work will investigate techniques for mitigating this multiple scattering to enable accurate synthetic aperture-based angle-of-arrival measurements in reverberation chambers.
Multigene Panel Testing: Planning the Next Generation of Research Studies in Clinical Cancer Genetics

Kurianetal 1 accompanyingthiseditorialdescribestheresultsofan early deployment of this technology in the oncology clinic. The investigators performed multiplex testing using a custom panel on a collection of samples from women who had previously undergone evaluation for breast-ovarian cancer predisposition. Most of these women were affected by and had family histories of breast and/or ovarian cancer. As expected, the most common mutations observed were in BRCA1 and BRCA2, with nearly (but not quite) complete concordance with prior commercial testing. There were alsoanumberofindividualsinthegroupwhocarriedmutationsin other genes, including one woman with an unequivocal mutation in MLH1. The authors considered many of these additional findings to be “potentially actionable,” and concluded that multiplex testingresultedinchangesinrecommendationsforpreventivecare
An Item Factor Analysis of the Mooney Problem Check List

A large obverse factor analysis was carried out on item responses given to the Mooney Problem Check List by three groups of adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age: 173 emotionally disturbed, 134 delinquent, and 273 normal controls. Individual analyses were performed for each of the three groups on the High School form of the test, and for the emotionally disturbed and normal groups on the Junior High school form. One large general factor emerged from each of the five analyses. It was suggested that the singular factor for the groups employed was the result of an overly narrow set of problem areas in the original item sampling.
Nobel Lecture: Fractional quantization

One of my favorite times in the academic year occurs in early spring when I give my class of extremely bright graduate students, who have mastered quantum mechanics but are otherwise unsuspecting and innocent, a take-home exam in which they are asked to deduce superfluidity from first principles. There is no doubt a special place in hell being reserved for me at this very moment for this mean trick, for the task is impossible. Superfluidity, like the fractional quantum Hall effect, is an emergent phenomenon—a low-energy collective effect of huge numbers of particles that cannot be deduced from the microscopic equations of motion in a rigorous way and that disappears completely when the system is taken apart (Anderson, 1972). There are prototypes for superfluids, of course, and students who memorize them have taken the first step down the long road to understanding the phenomenon, but these are all approximate and in the end not deductive at all, but fits to experiment. The students feel betrayed and hurt by this experience because they have been trained to think in reductionist terms and thus to believe that everything not amenable to such thinking is unimportant. But nature is much more heartless than I am, and those students who stay in physics long enough to seriously confront the experimental record eventually come to understand that the reductionist idea is wrong a great deal of the time, and perhaps always. One common response in the early stages of learning is that superconductivity and the quantum Hall effect are not fundamental and therefore not worth taking seriously. When this happens I just open up the AIP Handbook and show the disbeliever that the accepted values of e and h are defined by these effects, and that ends that. The world is full of things for which one’s understanding, i.e., one’s ability to predict what will happen in an experiment, is degraded by taking the system apart, including most delightfully the standard model of elementary particles itself. I myself have come to suspect most of the important outstanding problems in physics are emergent in nature, including particularly quantum gravity. One of the things an emergent phenomenon can do is create new particles. When a large number of atoms condense into a crystal, the phonon, the elementary quantum of sound, becomes a perfectly legitimate particle at low energy scales. It propagates freely, does not decay, carries momentum and energy related to wave-
Biosorptive removal of Cd and Zn from liquid streams with a Rhodococcus opacus strain

Abstract The biosorption abilities of Rhodococcus opacus were studied for cadmium and zinc removal for liquid aqueous streams. The influence of pH, initial metal concentration and time removal were evaluated on the biosorption studies, in a batch scale basis. The Cd 2+ and Zn 2+ species uptake capacity by R. opacus has been also compared using Langmuir and Freundlich models. At pH 7.0 and 26 °C C, Cd 2+ removal achieved a value around 60% from an initial concentration of 15 ppm. On the other hand, Zn removal achieved a value around 88% from an initial concentration of 5 ppm. Kinetics studies revealed that the biosorption process followed a pseudo-second order model for the two metal species (Cd 2+ and Zn 2+ ) and the kinetic constants were 3.90 and 3.37 g mg −1 min −1 , for an initial concentration of 15 and 5 ppm for cadmium and zinc, respectively. The results showed that the R. opacus is a potential engineering biosorbent for environmental and extractive metallurgy sustainable applications.
GROWTH OF Staphylococcus aureus AND PRODUCTION OF ENTEROTOXINS IN PEPPERONI

Growth of enterotoxigenic S. aureus and production of enterotoxins (A and D) during curing, smoking and drying of pepperoni were evaluated by inoculating raw ingredients with 104, 105, or 106S. aureus/g and processing by two different approved (USDA) methods. The product was smoked for 1 hr and heated to 40°C within 5 hr in method I and smoked for 1 hr followed by heating to 49–50°C within 11 hr in method III. The pepperoni sticks were then dried at 10–12°C for 4–5 wk. Total viable plate count (plate count agar), plate count on Rogosa's SL medium (RSL) and S aureus count on Baird-Parker medium (BP) were determined. The initial total plate count varied between 3 × 105 and 3 × 107 and reached about 106– 107 during processing or drying. Though there was an increase of about 2–4 log in the RSL of the product during smoking and/or drying there was no substantial change in pH (6.0–6.2 initial and 5.9–6.2 final). Under these conditions, there was little or no increase in S. aureus (BP) count during curing, smoking or drying of pepperoni. Smoking of pepperoni contributed substantially to the inhibition of S. aureus growth because unsmoked product, under same conditions, showed a 1–2 log increase in S aureus with method III. Even though S. aureus reached a population of 4 × 107/g in pepperoni processed without smoking by method III, detectable amounts of enterotoxins were not present in 100g. Pepperoni processed with smoking by either method is not likely to be a health hazard from staphylococcal enterotoxins.
Suction mechanism for iron entrainment into the lower mantle

Perturbations in the Earth's rotation rate at decadal time periods strongly favor the existence of dissipative coupling at the Core–Mantle Boundary (CMB). Here, we explored the plausibility of maintaining a conducting layer on the mantle-side of the CMB, which can couple the outer core and mantle through Lorentz torques. We propose a suction mechanism that maintains a porous medium on the mantle side of the CMB, with the interconnected pore-space partly or entirely filled with liquid iron up to a thickness of ∼1 km. The suction arises from the deviatoric stresses supported by the mantle-solid in regions of mantle downwelling. Infiltration of liquid iron occurs by percolation, but is inhibited by the rate of viscous dilation of the solid mantle. Our model enables core-mantle material exchange, and maintains a thin conducting layer that has seismic detection potential. Our model is only marginally satisfactory in explaining the inferred CMB coupling.
Recursive mode matching method for multiple waveguide junction modeling

The mode matching method is applied to different waveguide geometries, and a recursive scheme is defined to use the appropriate number of modes in each section of the waveguide. Numerical simulations for different types of applications are given and show very good results.
A doxycycline-inducible urokinase receptor (uPAR) upregulates uPAR activities including resistance to anoikis in human prostate cancer cell lines

The urokinase receptor (uPAR) mediates a diverse array of cellular processes including several events involved in prostate cancer metastasis. Many of these activities are initiated or enhanced by uPAR binding to its proteolytic ligand, urokinase (uPA). Our objective in this study was to generate and test an inducible lentiviral system capable of expressing uPAR and DsRed fluorescent protein in human prostate cancer cell lines. A DsRed-uPAR fusion construct was inserted into a lentiviral vector. Transduction of human prostate cancer cell lines with this virus and with a virus containing a reverse-tetracycline transactivator (rt-TA) resulted in a stable transgene which induced both uPAR and DsRed proteins in a dose-responsive fashion upon stimulation with doxycycline. Immunoblots and immunofluorescence studies indicated no detectable uPAR expression in non-induced prostate cancer cell lines. Cells with induced-uPAR demonstrated increased cellular adhesion to the matrix substrate vitronectin and increased net cell proliferation compared to uninduced cells. Finally, induced uPAR-expressing prostate cancer cells were resistant to anoikis over an extended time period when grown in suspension. This doxycycline-inducible lentivirus system produces titerable levels of biologically active uPAR in vitro. This tool can be used to dissect cellular events following induction of uPAR in prostate cancer cells.