cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Healthy Starts for All: Policy Prescriptions

Context The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America recommended that substantial resources be committed to ensure all children have high-quality developmental experiences through family support, child care, and early education. This article reviews and updates the evidence base informing that recommendation and explores federal and state policy challenges involved in implementing it. Evidence acquisition Reviews of published research, analyses of federal child health data sets, consultation with early development and state and local program experts, and site visits were conducted between 2006 and 2009, with statistics and literature reviews updated through mid-2010. Evidence synthesis The economic and social conditions of children's lives, especially in the early years, affect their health and development in childhood and across the life course. Forty percent of children in the U.S. live in families with incomes Conclusions Coordination of multiple programs and funding sources, along with higher standards of accountability for services, outcomes, and ongoing evaluation of effectiveness, are needed to ensure more effective state and local programs providing early developmental support. Federal leadership and funding are needed to ensure that children at high risk for multiple adverse exposures and their families receive attention and services as early as possible.
Aggregate power consumption modeling of live video streaming systems

Power consumption of video streaming systems has become a major concern, especially in battery-powered devices, such as video sensors. Power is usually dissipated in each one of the major phases of the streaming process: capturing, encoding, and transmission. This paper develops models for power consumption in each of these phases and validates them with extensive experiments, focusing primarily on H.264 video encoding. For comparative purposes, we also study MJPEG and MPEG-4 video codecs. In addition, we analyze the impacts of the main H.264 video compression parameters on power consumption and bitrate. These parameters include quantization parameter, number of reference frames, motion estimation (ME) range, and ME algorithm.
A rotation/curvature correction for turbulence models for applied CFD

Scalar eddy viscosity models are the workhorses of industrial CFD. But they are insensitive to the effects of frame rotation and streamline curvature. To enhance the utility of these models in the design process, it is necessary to sensitise them with a rotation/curvature correction. In this paper, we present a unified model for rotation/curvature effects and discuss its applicability for two practically relevant flow configurations. Mean flow characteristics obtained through RANS computations are compared with LES data or experiments. The improvements obtained in using the rotation/curvature correction are highlighted.
Measurement of salivary thiocyanate during the process of smoking cessation

The changes in salivary thiocyanate (SCN) following smoking cessation were determined for 70 people recruited from community-based smoking cessation programs. Data collected over 3 months following cessation showed a half value of 5 days for abstainers, a strong linear relationship between SCN level and number of days since quitting, and considerable individual variation in precessation SCN level. It is concluded that SCN has value as an inexpensive, initial screening test of smoking behavior.
Single detector polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography for diagnosis of histopathology

Comprehensive characterization of single vs. dual detector polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PSOCT) suggests the potential applications of single detector PSOCT in diagnosis of histopathology.
Raman spectra of crystalline 4Zn, 2Zn, and Na insulin

Normal Raman spectra were obtained for three crystalline forms of human insulin: 4Zn, 2Zn, and Zn-free or Na, from 1800-200 cm1. The extraction of a large number of component bands from the heavily overlapped Raman bands was accomplished by Fourier Self Deconvolution and bandfitting. Bands considered to be indicative of protein conformation, including Amide I, Amide III, tyrosine, 5-5, and C-S bands, and some which are relatively insensitive to protein structure, such as phenylalanine and histidine, are compared. The published x-ray structures of 4Zn and 2Zn insulins are used to help interpret the corresponding parameters of the extracted Raman bands, and to suggest structures in the as yet unpublished Na/human insulin crystals.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Measuring the quality of network visualization

A quantitative method is developed for measuring the quality of network visualizations in terms of log-likelihood metrics resulted from Expectation Maximization (EM) clustering intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of network nodes.
An endogenous clonidine-displacing substance from bovine brain: receptor binding and hypotensive actions in the ventrolateral medulla.

Abstract A substance has been isolated from bovine brain which displaces 3H-clonidine binding to rat brain membranes (clonidine-displacing substance; CDS). To determine whether CDS is similar to the antihypertensive agent clonidine, the in vitro binding properties of partially-purified CDS and its physiological action in the rostral ventrolateral medulla were examined. Like clonidine, CDS potently inhibited 3H-para-aminoclonidine binding to receptors in bovine ventrolateral medulla membranes (clonidine, IC50=24± 8nM; CDS, IC50=0.30±.10 Units), with highest affinity for non-adrenergic sites (clonidine, IC50=6±1nM; CDS, IC50=0.12±.07 Units). CDS had no effect at beta-adrenergic or muscarinic cholinergic receptors. Like clonidine, CDS elicited a potent, reversible ( via non-adrenergic receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla.
The Composition of Saturn's Rings

Abstract A composite spectrum between 0.30 and 4.05 μm of Saturn's rings is analyzed using the Shkuratov scattering theory (Shkuratov et al. 1999, Icarus 137 , 235–246). Several types of surface and composition are discussed. We demonstrate that both the strong reddening over the interval 0.3–0.7 μm and the water ice absorption features are well reproduced by an intimate (“salt-and-pepper”) mixture of four coarse particles of two different materials: 93% are grains (typical sizes of 10, 200, and 2000 μm) of water ice containing a few percent of refractory organic solid (tholin) impurities within their bulk, and 7% are coarse grains of a dark material (amorphous carbon). The cosmogenic implications of the inferred composition are discussed.
Relations between the Birkeland currents, the auroral electrojet indices and high latitude Joule heating

Field-aligned currents were postulated by Birkeland (1908) to explain the magnetic perturbations in the auroral zone. Theoretical models have been developed to examine the effect of these currents on the ionosphere. These models, in general, involve very extensive computer programs, and it is difficult to see how their very complicated boundary conditions and assumptions affect the relationships between the Birkeland currents and magnetic activity. In the present investigation, a simplified analysis is used to study the average behavior of the large-scale ionospheric current paths and to examine the interrelationships of various parameters. The relationship of the parameters of the current deposition regions to the magnetic indices is investigated along with the polar cap potential. Attention is given to the experimental values of coefficients, and relations between the Birkeland current densities, current intensities, currents, and the AL, AU, AE indices are discussed.
HPLC Determination of Atmospheric Organic Hydroperoxides

Abstract A high-performance liquid chromatographic analytical technique has been developed for the separation of hydrogen peroxide and low molecular weight organic hydroperoxides. A total of 10 C1–C3 organic hydroperoxides have been separated. The detection system is based on postcolumn derivatization using an enzymatic reaction with p-hydroxyphenylacelic acid to form a fluorescent dimer. The detection limit for the technique is 9 × 10−8 M for hydrogen peroxide and 2 × 10−8 M for other hydroperoxides. This paper details the optimization of the analytical technique, examining column characteristics and the chemistry of the analytical reaction.
Being More Than a Daughter: Middle-Aged Women's Conceptions of Their Mothers

ABSTRACT This study examined daughters' perceptions of continuities and changes in their relationships with their mothers in midlife. Forty-two middle-aged daughters (M = 49.4 years) described the ways in which their relationships with their mothers had remained the same and had changed in recent years. Open-ended responses were examined for the presence of content pertaining to: instrumental support, shifts in emotional patterns, and references to parent/child roles in the relationship. Daughters tended to describe discontinuities in terms of their mother's instrumental needs and her vulnerabilities, and to describe continuity in terms of the emotional qualities of the bond.
The meaning of pain: cancer patients' rating and recall of pain intensity and affect

The present study investigated the influence of an increase in present pain intensity on the rating and recall of the intensity and affective dimensions of clinical pain. Thirty-two cancer patients who reported that movement caused or exacerbated their pain rated their present pain intensity and affect before and after a session of physical therapy. Subjects also rated their usual, highest and lowest pain intensity and pain affect for the previous 3 days, and were randomly assigned to make these ratings either before or after the physical therapy session. Physical therapy increased the intensity (P 0.05), thus demonstrating a dissociation between pain intensity and pain affect. Beliefs about pain etiology also influenced post-therapy pain ratings. Subjects (N = 11) who believed that their pain was due to cancer, rated their post-therapy pain intensity and pain affect significantly higher than those subjects (N = 21) who did not believe their pain was due to cancer (both P < 0.05). For all subjects, recall of past pain intensity and affect was positively correlated with present levels of pain intensity and pain affect (P < 0.01). Thus, recall was assimilated to present pain levels. The results demonstrate the importance of rating both the intensity and affective dimensions of pain, and suggest that the significance of clinical pain influences pain ratings. These results also suggest that research on the rating and recall of pain, particularly the affective dimension of pain, should use actual patients who are experiencing changes in their naturally occurring pain.
4-Aminopyridine antagonizes the acute relaxant action of metformin on adrenergic contraction in the ventral tail artery of the rat

Abstract The ability of metformin (MF) to acutely relax phenylephrine (PE)-induced contraction in the isolated rat tail artery is reported to be accompanied by repolarization of the arterial smooth muscle cell (SMC) membranes. These membranes contain potassium (K) channels which if opened could mediate such repolarization and resultant relaxation. We have shown that the acute relaxation of rat tail arterial tissue rings by graded levels of MF ≥ 0.24 mmol/L is markedly antagonized by a high concentration of tetraethylammonium (TEA; 10 mmol/L) which nonselectively inhibits nearly all K channels. Thus, we tested effects of more selective inhibitors of K channels in the same tissue. We also tested MF for relaxation of contractions induced by high levels of extracellular K. To avoid confounding variables, we also conducted these tests in arterial rings in which endothelium and sympathetic nerve endings had been removed. In the absence of K channel inhibition, half-maximal PE-induced contractions were rapidly relaxed by all levels of MF with an EC50 of 1.7 ± 0.2 mmol/L (n = 8 rings). 1 mmol/L 4-aminopyridine (4AP) which only inhibits voltage-operated and ATP-sensitive K channels markedly antagonized this relaxation, shifting the EC50 for MF to 7.5 ± 0.7 mmol/L (n = 8; p
Comparison of the Updated 2011 Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography to the Original Criteria for Transthoracic, Transesophageal, and Stress Echocardiography

Background The aim of this study was to compare appropriateness designations as determined by the updated 2011 appropriate use criteria (AUC) for echocardiography with prior versions of the AUC for transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) imaging, transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) imaging, and stress echocardiographic (SE) imaging. An additional goal was to define relationships between appropriateness determinations and echocardiographic findings for each modality. Methods Previously published data sets of TTE, TEE, and SE studies were reclassified according to the 2011 AUC, and indication representation, appropriateness designations, and echocardiographic findings were compared with prior classifications according to the 2007 AUC for TTE and TEE imaging and the 2008 AUC for SE imaging. Results Overall, 2,247 echocardiographic studies were analyzed. The 2011 AUC addressed the vast majority of studies (98%), a marked increase compared with prior versions of the AUC (89%) ( P n = 1,525, 98% vs 89%, P n = 405, 99.7% vs 91%, P n = 289, 97% vs 88%, P P P P = .04). Conclusions The updated 2011 AUC for echocardiography encompass the vast majority of echocardiographic procedures in a university hospital practice, filling virtually all of the gaps identified in prior versions of the AUC for TTE, TEE, and SE imaging. The 2011 AUC also reasonably stratify the likelihood of finding an echocardiographic abnormality, demonstrating improvement compared with the prior AUC.
Campaign Agenda-Building Online: The Effects of Online Information Source and Interactivity on Affective Evaluations and the Salience of the Election

ABSTRACT The 2 × 3 experimental design study was conducted with 300 undergraduate participants during Florida's 2010 gubernatorial election. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six different conditions based on type of online site (campaign Web site vs. social network sites) and level of interactivity (user-to-system, user-to-document, and user-to-user), and emotional and evaluative responses to online campaign information were examined. Interaction effects in one campaign notwithstanding, the emotions and evaluations elicited by the other campaign were positively associated with public agenda-building. Thus, those responding favorably to the winner's campaign considered the election more important and were more likely to vote.
Electronic structure and surface-mediated metastability of Bi films on Si(111)- 7 × 7 studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We have observed using angle-resolved photoemission a structural phase transformation of Bi films deposited on Si(111)-$7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}7$. Films with thicknesses 20 to $\ensuremath{\sim}100\text{ }\text{\AA{}}$, upon annealing, first order into a metastable pseudocubic (PC) phase and then transform into a stable rhombohedral (RH) phase with very different topologies for the quantum-well subband structures. The PC phase shows a surface band with a maximum near the Fermi level at $\overline{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$, whereas the RH phase shows a Dirac-like subband around $\overline{\text{M}}$ along $\overline{\text{K}}\ensuremath{-}\overline{\text{M}}\ensuremath{-}\overline{\text{K}}$. The formation of the metastable phase over a wide thickness range can be attributed to a surface nucleation mechanism.
Predictors of glycaemic control among HIV-positive veterans with diabetes

Antiretroviral therapy has decreased HIV-related mortality. However, the incidence of diabetes as a co-morbidity is increasing as HIV-positive patients age. The purpose of this study was to assess ...
Interaction of carboxypeptidases A and B with nitrotyrosyl and aminotyrosyl derivatives of the carboxypeptidase inhibitor from potatoes

Abstract The single tyrosine residue of the carboxypeptidase inhibitor from potatoes, which is in contact with carboxypeptidase A in the enzyme-inhibitor complex as determined by X-ray diffraction. was converted to 3-nitrotyrosine by treatment with tetranitromethane in buffers containing 75% ethanol. The nitroinhibitor bound both bovine carboxypeptidase A and porcine carboxypeptidase B with apparent K i values indistinguishable from those of the unmodified inhibitor. Spectral titration indicated that the nitrotyrosyl residue of the inhibitor ionized with p K a of 7.25 either in the presence or absence of carboxypeptidase A; however, this p K a was shifted to ( ca 7.7 in the presence of carboxypeptidase B. Reduction of the 3-nitrotyrosine residue to 3-aminotyrosine slightly increased the strength of binding to both carboxypeptidases. These data suggest that the tyrosine residue of the inhibitor, is in a polar environment in the enzyme-inhibitor complex and that it is not involved in hydrogen bonding.
A microscopic calculation of the dynamic structure function of 4He clusters

Abstract Using exact one- and two-body ground state densities as inputs, a parameter-free dynamic structure function for 4 He clusters is constructed on the basis of the Feynman ansatz. To the extent that collective excitations are well described by the Feynman theory, this structure function should be quantitatively exact at low energies and qualitatively correct at energies comparable to the maxon/roton regime in bulk 4 He.
Workforce Management in Periodic Delivery Operations

Service quality and driver efficiency in the delivery industry may be enhanced by increasing the regularity with which a driver visits the same set of customers. However, effectively managing a workforce of drivers may increase travel distance, a traditional metric of the vehicle routing problem VRP. This paper evaluates the effect that workforce management has on routing costs, providing insight for managerial decision making. The analysis is presented in the context of the period vehicle routing problem PVRP, an extension of the VRP with vehicle routes constructed to service customers according to preset visit frequencies over an established period of time. We develop models to apply workforce management principles. Through a computational study with standard PVRP test cases and real-world delivery data, we show that multiobjective PVRP models can achieve a balance between workforce management and travel distance goals. With the proper parameters in place, workforce management principles may be successfully applied without sacrificing other operational objectives.
Titanium-Beta Zeolites Catalyze the Stereospecific Isomerization of d-Glucose to l-Sorbose via Intramolecular C5–C1 Hydride Shift

Pure-silica zeolite beta containing Lewis acidic framework Ti4+ centers (Ti-Beta) is shown to catalyze the isomerization of d-glucose to l-sorbose via an intramolecular C5–C1 hydride shift. Glucose–sorbose isomerization occurs in parallel to glucose–fructose isomerization on Ti-Beta in both water and methanol solvents, with fructose formed as the predominant product in water and sorbose as the predominant product in methanol (at 373 K) at initial times and over the course of >10 turnovers. Isotopic tracer studies demonstrate that 13C and D labels placed respectively at the C1 and C2 positions of glucose are retained respectively at the C6 and C5 positions of sorbose, consistent with its formation via an intramolecular C5–C1 hydride shift isomerization mechanism. This direct Lewis acid-mediated pathway for glucose–sorbose isomerization appears to be unprecedented among heterogeneous or biological catalysts and sharply contrasts indirect base-mediated glucose–sorbose isomerization via 3,4-enediol intermedia...
MR imaging of osteonecrosis of the knee in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia

This essay illustrates various patterns of progression of osteonecrosis of the knee and the relationship between early MR imaging findings and radiologic outcome in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia. It also includes a review of nonosteonecrosis signal abnormalities, which are common in the knee region and are often transient. Such abnormalities must be distinguished from osteonecrosis, which can lead to joint collapse and predispose to secondary arthritis.
A Simple Model of Stability in Critical Mass Dynamics

Collective behaviors often spread via the self-reinforcing dynamics of critical mass. In collective behaviors with strongly self-reinforcing dynamics, incentives to participate increase with the number of participants, such that incentives are highest when the full population has adopted the behavior. By contrast, when collective behaviors have weakly self-reinforcing dynamics, incentives to participate “peak out” early, leaving a residual fraction of non-participants. In systems of collective action, this residual fraction constitutes free riders, who enjoy the collective good without contributing anything themselves. This “free rider problem” has given rise to a research tradition in collective action that shows how free riding can be eliminated by increasing the incentives for participation, and thereby making cooperation strongly self-reinforcing. However, we show that when the incentives to participate have weakly self-reinforcing dynamics, which allow free riders, collective behaviors will have significantly greater long term stability than when the incentives have strongly self-reinforcing dynamics leading to full participation.
Lessons Learned from Rates of Mudrock Undercutting Measured over Two Time Periods

Differential weathering is a common source of rock slope instability on the Appalachian Plateaus, where topography is often steep and widespread cyclothemic deposits contain repeated interfaces between weak mudrocks and more resistant beds of sandstone and limestone. Relatively rapid weathering of various mudrocks can undermine more competent overlying strata and lead to instability and failure in cut slopes. Rates of undercutting of the resistant units by weak units were measured at seven highway cuts ranging in age from 33 to 40 years. The average annual rate, 0.79 in. (2.0 cm), is approximately half that determined for the same sites by Shakoor and Rogers (1992) when the cuts were 18–25 years in age. At six of the seven sites, the length of measurable road cut had been reduced, in part because of new rock fall, and at four sites there had been no additional undercutting. Two failure modes are proposed for collapse of the overlying beds: 1) interaction of undercut surfaces with vertical jointing and 2) delayed tensile failure. The first failure mode is consistent with pre-1992 rock fall at all of the sites, as well as post-1992 rock fall at the three sites where undercutting has remained active. The second mode, less common overall, is consistent with rock fall at sites where undercutting has been inactive since 1992. The current study also confirmed two significant aspects of the previous study: 1) a correlation between slake durability and rates of weathering, and 2) extreme variability in weathering characteristics among sub-types of mudrocks.
Rheological characterization of crosslinked waxy maize starch solutions under low acid aseptic processing conditions using tube viscometry techniques.

A rheological characterization of 1.82 and 2.72% (g dry starch/100g water) waxy maize starch solutions was performed at 121.1, 132.2, and 143.3°C using tube viscometry techniques. Dilatancy was observed in 22 out of 23 experiments and the flow behavior index increased with concentration and decreased with temperature. Rheological behavior was explained in terms of the rigidity and volume fraction of the swollen granules combined with small shear stresses in the fluid due to the high temperatures and low shear rates. Parameter correlation analysis showed a near correlation between rheological parameters with the flow behavior index being the dominant parameter. The effect of dilatancy on residence time and heat transfer in the aseptic processing of particulate and nonparticulate foods is discussed.
Identification of hemeproteins in the hemolymph of Biomphalaria glabrata (Gastropoda) separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Abstract The application of a heme-staining procedure was successfully applied to the identification of hemeproteins in the serum (cell-free hemolymph) of Biomphalaria glabrata separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The procedure, which involves staining for heme, then destaining and restaining with Coomassie brilliant blue (CBB) (protein), was conducted on whole snail serum and serum ultracentrifuged to create hemoglobin (Hb)-enriched and Hb-depleted fractions. Results indicated that nearly all of the polypeptides were associated with heme. That is, by both heme and CBB staining of whole serum and the Hb-enriched fraction, a dominant polypeptide, 200 kDa was seen with other bands in the 50- to 190-kDa range. One obvious difference between the staining methods was seen when the Hb-depleted fraction was assayed. Here, the heme stain revealed no bands, whereas CBB staining indicated the presence of two polypeptides at approximately 50 kDa. Similar aMW polypeptides (∼50 kDa) were also visualized by both heme and CBB staining of whole snail serum and the Hb-enriched fraction, although slight migration differences were observed. This work supports earlier findings that suggested the majority of B. glabrata serum proteins are Hb or Hb subunits.
The prevalence of Type A personality in the children of alcoholics.

Three studies are reported which investigate the prevalency of an excess risk of type A personality in the children of alcoholics (COAs). Reports in the clinical literature suggest there is an excess risk of type A in COAs, but this has never been empirically demonstrated. The Matthews Youth Test for Health (MYTH) was administered to nonalcoholic mothers of 46 COAs and 65 matched controls to measure children's type A competitiveness and impatience-aggression. Results were significant only for greater impatience-aggression in COAs. In a second study, 104 COAs and controls matched for age, sex, race, and father's occupational status were rated by military fathers of intact families using MYTH. The results of the first study were not replicated for COAs, and there was no correlation between a father's Jenkins Activity Scale (JAS) score and his child's type A personality. A third study of 70 matched COAs and controls used the Hunter-Wolf A-B Rating scale, a self-rating scale for children and found no significant differences in children's type A personalities based on membership in an alcoholic family, sex, or birth order. It was concluded that the discrepancy between clinical reports and the present data may have been due to misperceptions about successful, hardworking COAs who, particularly in contrast to their more notorious siblings, may be viewed as "workaholics" and improperly labeled as type A personalities.
The photolysis of N2O at 1470 Å

The photolysis of pure N2O, N2O and N2, and N2O and C3H6 mixtures at 1470 A and room temperature has been studied to determine the relative importance of the primary processes. The results are where ϕ{O(1D)} = 0.515 represents both the O(1D) produced in the primary act and that produced by collisional quenching of O(1S); ϕ{N2(3Σ)} = 0.084 represents only that portion of N2(3ϕ) which dissociates N2O on deactivation; and ϕ{O(1S)} = 0.38 – ±{N(2D)} represents only that portion of O(1S) which enters into chemical reaction with N2O. If the reaction of O(1S) with N2O yields only N2 and O2 as products, which seems likely from potential-energy curve considerations then ±{O(1S)} = 0.135 ± 0.06 and ϕ{N(2D)} = 0.245 ± 0.06. Young and coworkers [4] have found from spectroscopic observations that the total quantum yield of O(1S) is about 0.5. Thus it can be concluded that collisional removal of O(1S) by N2O yields mainly O(1D) with chemical reaction being less important. Furthermore, most of the O(1D) is produced this way, and the true primary yield of O(1D) is about 0.15. The metastable N(2D) is not deactivated by N2O, but is removed by chemical reaction to produce N2 and NO. The results further indicate that N2(3Σ) dissociates N2O at least 80% of the time during quenching. The relative efficiency of N2O compared to N2 is about 2 for the removal of O(1D). O(1S) is removed about 90 times as efficiently by C3H6 as by N2O.
Skeletal manifestations in pediatric and adult patients with Niemann Pick disease type B.

Niemann-Pick disease (NPD) due to acid sphingomyelinase deficiency is a lipid storage disease resulting from the accumulation of sphingomyelin, predominantly within cells of the monocyte-macrophage system. In contrast to other lysosomal storage disorders, skeletal involvement in NPD has not been systematically studied. Pediatric and adult NPD-B patients underwent medical histories and physical examinations, DEXA scans to measure bone mineral content (BMC), and bone mineral density (BMD) and computed tomography scan or MRI of the abdomen for spleen volume. Z and/or T scores were calculated for the DEXA results. For the pediatric patients adjusted mean BMC (g) and BMD (g/cm2) of the lumbar spine, hip, and femoral neck was compared to control subjects. For determination of the relationship between spleen volume and lumbar spine BMD Z score, linear correlation analyses were performed. Lumbar spine Z scores for pediatric patients ranged from 0.061 to -4.879. Statistically significant decreases were observed for the adjusted mean BMC and BMD at the lumbar spine, hip, and femoral neck between the pediatric NPD-B cohort and control subjects. Most NPD-B adults were osteopenic or osteoporotic at one or more sites according the WHO classification of BMD. In NPD-B patients, the degree of splenomegaly was inversely correlated with lumbar spine BMD Z scores. Skeletal involvement is a common and previously unrecognized manifestation of NPD-B. The association between splenomegaly and BMD lends further support to spleen size as an indicator of disease severity.
CMOS compatible Multiple Power-Output MEMS Radioisotope μ-Power Generator

The authors demonstrate a novel 6.6% high-efficiency CMOS compatible piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) thin-film based integrated β-radioisotope-powered electro-mechanical power generator (IREMPG). the authors integrate silicon betavoltaics with radioisotope actuated piezoelectric unimorph converters to efficiently utilize both kinetic energy and charge of the emitted beta particles for electrical power generation. IREMPG has three output ports generating (1) a 2.8MHz pulse remotely detectable up to 6 feet, (2) a 2.95μW low-frequency pulse across 525kΩ, for 2s every 400s, at 4.4% efficiency, and (3) 400pW-700pW average continuous power across 33MΩ at 2.78% maximum efficiency. Individual IREMPGs can be arrayed in series or parallel configurations for higher power output, and used to power low-power sensor network nodes
Multiple four-coordinate forms in a nickel hydrocorphinate related to cofactor F430 of methylreductase

Four- and 6-coordinate forms of a nickel(II) hydrocorphinate model of cofactor F{sub 430} of the methyl-coenzyme M methylreductase were investigated by using resonance Raman spectroscopy. The 6-coordinate complexes have Raman spectra showing only a single species at room temperature and at 77 K in frozen solutions. The 6-coordinate complexes are characterized by the two highest frequency, strong lines in the 1550-1560- and 1620-1630-cm{sup {minus}1} regions. There is a variation in the frequencies of these two marker lines with the particular axial ligand, but the separation of the lines remains relatively constant at 67-74 cm{sup {minus}1}. The separation of these two lines is an indicator of the nickel coordination number for the hydrocorphinate. The separation for a 5-coordinate complex is 81 cm{sup {minus}1}, and for the major 4-coordinate form the separation is about 93 cm{sup {minus}1}. Raman spectra of 4-coordinate nickel hydrocorphinates show evidence of multiple species both at room temperature and at 77 K. Besides the previously identified 4-coordinate form, we have now identified two other forms. One of the newly identified species is detected in room temperature Raman spectra taken with preresonance excitation and is observed also in frozen solutions. The other new 4-coordinate form is positively detected onlymore » in frozen samples. The new room temperature form has a red-shifted absorption spectrum based on resonance enhancement of its Raman scattering with excitation to the red of the absorption maximum. This red shift is consistent with the observed 20-nm red shift in the absorbance maximum upon freezing at 77 K, under which conditions the new species dominate. A structural interpretation of the 4-coordinate forms is proposed based on molecular mechanics calculations for the nickel hydrocorphinate enantiomers.« less
Dual wavelength, 980 nm-pumped, Er/Yb-codoped waveguide laser in Ti:LiNbO3

The authors demonstrate the first Er/Yb codoped waveguide laser in Ti:LiNbO3. The device was fabricated on x-cut LiNbO3 with the guides parallel to the z-axis, resulting in reduced photorefractive damage and allowing 980 nm pumping. Laser operation is demonstrated at two wavelengths, in the 1 and the 1.55 µm regions, corresponding to Yb and Er transitions, respectively.
Effect of liming of soil on additive, synergistic and protective interactions of some multiple trace element combinations and on iron and calcium interactions for a dicot and a monocot plant species

Abstract Corn (Zea mays L. cv. Golden Cross N.C.) and soybeans (Glycine max L. iron‐inefficient cv. PI54619–5–1) were grown in soil contaminated with combinations of Co, Ni, Cd, Li, Zn and Cu in Yolo loam soil with and without lime amendment. The objective was to further test the ability of lime (increased soil pH) to protect plants against additive and synergistic effects of combinations of multiple trace elements simultaneously. With soybeans the liming changed some additive and synergistic effects to one of protective but not in all cases. With one combination the effect was protective with and without liming. With corn the interactions tended to be protective without the liming but liming tended to increase the protective nature of the interaction. The effect of protection was characterized by. one of the various trace elements causing an antagonism against the other and not necessarily due to the decreased uptake resulting from liming. The combinations of various trace metals tended to decrease Mn up...
Mexican natural gas implications for the US market

Abstract Despite the current glut of natural gas in the USA, much future demand may not be met unless supplementary sources of supply are developed. Mexico is not now an important supply source but a September 1979 agreement may mean that large volumes of Mexican gas will be exported to the USA in the future. This paper presents a modified version of the out-of-kilter algorithm used to examine the possible impacts of this gas, with particular attention given to identification of those areas most likely to benefit from these supplemental supplies. The results indicate that if Mexican natural gas is introduced to the US pipeline network in either southern Texas or southern New Mexico in large quantities, serious pipeline capacity problems may inhibit the use of Mexican supplies as a supplementary source.
The expanding network of redox signaling: new observations, complexities, and perspectives

Original citation: J. Clin. Invest. 111:571–574 (2003). doi:10.1172/JCI200318099. Citation for this corrigendum: J. Clin. Invest. 111:1093 (2003). doi:10.1172/JCI200318099C. During the final stages of production, an error was introduced into the list of non standard abbreviations, and into the text. The correct list of nonstandard abbreviations and the correct sentence appear below. Nonstandard abbreviations used: reactive oxygen species (ROS); hydrogen peroxide (H2O2); hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1); carboxy-terminal binding protein (CtBP); apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF); apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1). Sensing nuclear oxygen tension. Since its original description, the study of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) has demonstrated its central role in regulating the body’s response to changing oxygen levels (4-6).
Ethical Dilemmas in the Delivery Room

The decision to withhold or withdraw life support in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is common but is never routine. Often, moral demands make such decisions difficult and emotionally exhausting. But, what is perhaps more challenging from the moral point of view is the transition from the delivery room to the NICU. A satisfactory analysis of the moral issues of delivery room practices must include a discussion of quality of life, the best interest of the infant, the best interests of the family members, and futile treatment. Although these topics are relevant in any discussion of the moral justification of the omission, withdrawal, or use of treatment for patients, they are especially telling when entertained in the context of the transition of the fetus to a newborn. This article uses these four topics as a moral compass for certain decisions made in the delivery room.
Wavelength stabilized diode laser based devices free of power or efficiency penalties

Spectrally-narrowed semiconductor laser diodes utilizing external volume gratings can be used to improve TEM00 power scaling and power conversion efficiency in diode-pumped solid state and fiber lasers. This approach is particularly attractive for pumping the narrow upper laser level of Nd:YAG DPSS lasers at 885 nm and the 1532 nm absorption band of Er:YAG DPSS lasers. While it is often believed that the use of such external gratings to wavelength lock diode lasers lead to unavoidable losses in power and efficiency, nLIGHT's proprietary laser designs and external volume grating integration techniques have eliminated these losses in our wavelength-locked diode laser products, enabling a broad range of spectrally locked laser diodes for pumping DPSS as well as fiber laser systems.
SU-FF-T-99: An Analysis of Intensity Discretization Errors in IMRT

Purpose: A simple analysis is presented of the deviation in dose when intensity is converted from continuous to discrete levels. This analysis assumes that intensity levels are equally likely and beams are discretized independently. Method and Materials: If there are i non‐zero intensity levels possible then the standard error due to discretization for a single beam direction is just equal to: e = 1 12 i Eqn. 1 There are situations in multiple beam delivery where one beam direction dominates the dose to a voxel. In this case, the accuracy that can be delivered to that voxel is going to be dependent only on the graininess of the discretization and Eqn. 1 also applies. For the case of beam direction independence, the standard error to be expected in the dose distribution for N beam directions is given by: e = 1 12 i N Eqn. 2 Results: For the case of 5 intensity levels, dominated by a single beam, the standard error to be expected is 5.8% according to Eqn. 1. For the case of 5 intensity levels and 5 roughly equally contributing beam directions, the standard error to be expected is about 2.2% from Eqn. 2. The standard error to be expected for a tomotherapy dose distribution with 50 intensity levels is about 0.58% when one beam direction from one rotation is dominant (using Eqn. 1). Using Eqn. 2 the standard error is 0.04% for 50 levels when beams from 51 directions and 4 rotations (i.e., pitch 0.25) contribute equally to each voxel. Conclusion: Equations 1 or 2 represent upper and lower limits, respectively, of the standard error due to discretization. Finer discretization and more beams reduce error, but there is more to be gained in increasing intensity levels than in increasing the number of beam directions. Conflict of Interest: This work was supported by TomoTherapy Inc.
Adult pancreatic acinar cells give rise to ducts but not endocrine cells in response to growth factor signaling

Studies in both humans and rodents have found that insulin+ cells appear within or near ducts of the adult pancreas, particularly following damage or disease, suggesting that these insulin+ cells arise de novo from ductal epithelium. We have found that insulin+ cells are continuous with duct cells in the epithelium that makes up the hyperplastic ducts of both chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer in humans. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that both hyperplastic ductal cells and their associated insulin+ cells arise from the same cell of origin. Using a mouse model that develops insulin+ cell-containing hyperplastic ducts in response to the growth factor TGFα, we performed genetic lineage tracing experiments to determine which cells gave rise to both hyperplastic ductal cells and duct-associated insulin+ cells. We found that hyperplastic ductal cells arose largely from acinar cells that changed their cell fate, or transdifferentiated, into ductal cells. However, insulin+ cells adjacent to acinar-derived ductal cells arose from pre-existing insulin+ cells, suggesting that islet endocrine cells can intercalate into hyperplastic ducts as they develop. We conclude that apparent pancreatic plasticity can result both from the ability of acinar cells to change fate and of endocrine cells to reorganize in association with duct structures.
Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Mechila: Integrating the Jewish Concept of Forgiveness Into Clinical Practice

The professional literature diverges in defining the role of forgiveness and reconciliation in counseling regarding how forgiveness and reconciliation are conceptualized from a professional and secular perspective. The Jewish conceptualization of forgiveness is multifaceted; mechila, the forgiveness of debt, is particularly important in providing a framework for forgiveness when the issue of reconciliation is involved. The authors offer an explanation of the Jewish conceptualization of forgiveness and discuss a way to infuse the concept of mechila into counseling practice on a broader level with all clients.
Status of Hemoglobin A1c Measurement and Goals for Improvement: From Chaos to Order for Improving Diabetes Care

Background The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) established the importance of hemoglobin A(1c) (Hb A(1c)) as a predictor of outcome in patients with diabetes mellitus. In 1994, the American Diabetes Association began recommending specific Hb A(1c) targets, but lack of comparability among assays limited the ability of clinicians to use these targets. The National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP) was implemented in 1996 to standardize Hb A(1c) results to those of the DCCT/UKPDS. Content The NGSP certifies manufacturers of Hb A(1c) methods as traceable to the DCCT. The certification criteria have been tightened over time and the NGSP has worked with the College of American Pathologists in tightening proficiency-testing requirements. As a result, variability of Hb A(1c) results among clinical laboratories has been considerably reduced. The IFCC has developed a reference system for Hb A(1c) that facilitates metrological traceability to a higher order. The NGSP maintains traceability to the IFCC network via ongoing sample comparisons. There has been controversy over whether to report Hb A(1c) results in IFCC or NGSP units, or as estimated average glucose. Individual countries are making this decision. Summary Variability among Hb A(1c) results has been greatly reduced. Not all countries will report Hb A(1c) in the same units, but there are established equations that enable conversion between different units. Hb A(1c) is now recommended for diagnosing diabetes, further accentuating the need for optimal assay performance. The NGSP will continue efforts to improve Hb A(1c) testing to ensure that clinical needs are met.
Pediatric Flexible Bronchoscopy and Its Application in Infantile Atelectasis

Forty-six pediatric flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopies were done on 29 infants under 1 year of age, including a 2.3-kg 1-week-old infant girl, and 17 small children between 1 and 2 years of age with persistent unilobar or multilobar atelectasis and declining PaO2 or rising PaCO2. Atelectasis resolved in all 29 infants (100%) and 10 of 17 (59%) small children after direct visualization, bronchial washing, and removal of mucous plugs and/or secretions using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope (FFB). The procedure was not associated with any mortality or significant morbidity. Only one infant experienced minor epistaxis and another had transient minimal stridor. None of the 17 small children developed complications. The procedure resulted in resolution of respiratory distress and cough within 24 hours, as well as early hospital discharge in all patients regardless of complete or partial radiographic expansion. Arterial blood gases were improved or normalized in 16 patients. When utilized for selective aspiration of mucous plugs or bronchial secretions, pediatric flexible bronchoscopy is particularly helpful in children with segmental or lobar atelectasis.
The Neurobiology of Individual Differences in Complex Behavioral Traits

Neuroimaging, especially BOLD fMRI, has begun to identify how variability in brain function contributes to individual differences in complex behavioral traits. In parallel, pharmacological fMRI and multimodal PET/fMRI are identifying how variability in molecular signaling pathways influences individual differences in brain function. Against this background, functional genetic polymorphisms are being utilized to understand the origins of variability in signaling pathways as well as to model efficiently how such emergent variability impacts behaviorally relevant brain function. This article provides an overview of a research strategy seeking to integrate these complementary technologies and utilizes existing empirical data to illustrate its effectiveness in illuminating the neurobiology of individual differences in complex behavioral traits. The article also discusses how such efforts can contribute to the identification of predictive markers that interact with environmental factors to precipitate disease and to develop more effective and individually tailored treatment regimes.
Cyclopropylamine Inactivation of Cytochromes P450: Role of Metabolic Intermediate Complexes

The inactivation of cytochrome P450 enzymes by cyclopropylamines has been attributed to a mechanism involving initial one-electron oxidation at nitrogen followed by scission of the cyclopropane ring leading to covalent modification of the enzyme. Herein, we report that in liver microsomes N-cyclopropylbenzylamine (1) and related compounds inactivate P450 to a large extent via formation of metabolic intermediate complexes (MICs) in which a nitroso metabolite coordinates tightly to the heme iron, thereby preventing turnover. MIC formation from 1 does not occur in reconstituted P450 systems with CYP2B1/2, 2C11 or 2E1, or in microsomes exposed to gentle heating to inactivate the flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO). In contrast, N-hydroxy-N-cyclopropylbenzylamine (3) and N-benzylhydroxylamine (4) generate MICs much faster than 1 in both reconstituted and microsomal systems. MIC formation from nitrone 5 (PhCH = N(O)cPr) is somewhat faster than from 1, but very much faster than the hydrolysis of 5 to a primary hydroxylamine. Thus the major overall route from 1 to a P450 MIC complex would appear to involve FMO oxidation to 3, further oxidation by P450 and/or FMO to nitrone 5' (C2H4C = N(O)CH2Ph), hydrolysis to 4, and P450 oxidation to alpha-nitrosotoluene as the precursor to oxime 2 and the major MIC from 1.