cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In-Office Myringotomy and Tympanostomy Tube Insertion

We describe the nuances of performing in-office microscopic and endoscopic myringotomy and tympanostomy tube placement for the treatment of otitis media and Eustachian tube dysfunction. With the advent of new high-definition video technology, the endoscope has been safely applied to the clinic setting and is non–inferior to the standard microscopic approach. In this article, we will outline the indications, patient selection, approach selection, topical anesthetic options, procedural details, complications, and challenges of in-office myringotomy and tympanostomy tube placement.
Early Warning Systems to Strengthen the Resilience of Communities to Extreme Events

Community resilience is comprised of four pillars, infrastructure, organizational, social, and personal, all of which need consideration when developing, implementing, or improving an early warning system (EWS). The complexity of assessing community resilience is exacerbated by the interconnections between the community’s core components, the multiplicity of hazards that may strike, but primarily by the difficulty to obtain the data to understand these phenomena. By ensuring the four main components are integrated into an EWS, the community will be better able to anticipate and understand hazards, as well as support the preparedness of the communities and their assets to mitigate consequences. A community’s ability to respond to and recover from extreme weather events resulting from climate change requires ongoing community-wide planning and preparation efforts for activities before, during, and after an event. The implementation and adoption of EWS have proved beneficial in alerting individuals of impending climate danger. While acknowledging the increase in extreme climate events, enhanced EWS are needed for greater preparedness to improve community resilience to all types of extreme events.
Racial Disparities in Access to Diagnostic Laparoscopy for Endometriosis: Diagnostic Delay, ED Visits, and Pre-Operative Indications

Study Objective To explore racial differences in diagnostic delay, rates of ED visits, and indications for laparoscopy in diagnosis of endometriosis. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Academic tertiary hospital system. Patients or Participants Women ages 14-50 receiving a primary surgical diagnosis of endometriosis, 01/2017–12/2020. Interventions N/A. Measurements and Main Results Diagnostic delay was defined as months between initial presentation for pelvic pain and diagnostic laparoscopy. ED visits for pelvic pain within 5 years preceding laparoscopy were identified via chart review. Indications for laparoscopy were determined from operative and pre-operative notes. Perioperative risk was assessed using ASA physical status classification and need for pre-operative medical clearance. 124 patients met inclusion criteria: 65 (52%) White, 16 (13%) Black, 31 (25%) Latina, 10 (8%) Asian. 1 patient identified as multi-racial. 1 patient declined to identify race. Median delay was 13.6 months (IQR 5.5-43.9) for White patients, 15.2 (IQR 7.2-7.6) for Black patients, 39.4 (IQR 13.7-58.1) for Latina patients, and 48.1 (IQR 2.8-75.6) for Asian patients. Latina patients had a significantly longer delay compared to their White counterparts (Mann-Whitney test, p=0.01). Non-white patients were more likely to have at least 1 ED encounter for pelvic pain prior to laparoscopy: 75% of Black, 50% of Latina, and 50% of Asian patients, compared to 28% of White patients (Chi-squared test, p=0.003). Non-white patients were more likely to have an additional indication for laparoscopy (fibroids, sterilization, abnormal imaging, etc.): 69% of Black patients, 47% of Latina patients, and 70% of Asian patients, compared to 37% of White patients (p=0.05). There was no significant association between race and ASA class (p=0.18) or pre-operative clearance (p=0.76). Conclusion Non-white patients may experience barriers to diagnostic laparoscopy for endometriosis, including a greater clinical threshold (e.g., acuity of pain symptoms, additional medical indications) for proceeding with laparoscopy.
Renal Tubular Acidosis

Most conditions that affect the kidney cause a proportionate and simultaneous loss of glomerular and tubular function. The loss of glomerular function results in the retention of many products of metabolism, including the anions of various organic and inorganic acids, and urea. Loss of tubular function prevents the kidney from excreting hydrogen ions, thereby causing a metabolic acidosis. The parallel development of azotemia, anion retention, and acidosis is defined as uremic acidosis. When tubular damage develops uncoupled from glomerular damage, acidosis may occur without urea or anion retention; this is termed renal tubular acidosis. In uremic acidosis, the serum bicarbonate is replaced by phosphate. sulphate, and other anions not usually measured in standard electrolyte assays, whereas chloride replaces bicarbonate in the renal tubular acidosis, hence giving rise to the term hyperchloremic acidosis. This review centers on those fcrms of renal acidosis that occur, at least initially, with a minimum of glomerular damage. After first defining the normal mechanism by which the kidney maintains acid-base balance we define the general pathophysiologic principles that underlie the development of the different forms of renal tubular acidosis. These principles set the foundation for the subsequent discussion of the clinical manifestations. diagnosis, and therapy of these disorders.
Operant Conditioning and Differential Association:: Toward Application and Verification

The differential association theory of Edwin Sutherland is one of the most widely elaborated and debated theories of criminal behavior ever articulated. Even though it has been restated in several forms including the principles of operant conditioning, its empirical verification has been virtually impossible. Cressey has proposed a reverse process of differential association by which criminals can be taught noncriminal behavior. The objective of this paper is to restate Cressey's process of "retroflexive reformation" in terms of the much more precise principles of operant conditioning'as a means of increasing the feasibility of empirical verification.
Temperature dependence of gas-detection sensitivity of InGaAsSb/AlGaAsSb distributed feedback lasers at 2396 nm

The HF gas detection sensitivity of GaSb-based distributed feedback lasers was studied in order to evaluate the potential use of operating temperature to control the laser output power in field applications. Measurements were made in the 2 f wavelength modulation spectroscopy mode to monitor a prominent HF absorption feature at 2396 nm. An Allan variance analysis indicates that the best sensitivity is obtained when a larger thermoelectric current is applied to maintain temperature control by actively heating or cooling the laser. The reduced detection sensitivity for a setpoint near the ambient laser operating temperature is similar to that obtained without active temperature control.
Effects of Arvin in mice. Immunofluorescent and histochemical studies.

Abstract The in vivo response to injection of a purified fraction of Malayan pit viper venom, Arvin, has been studied in mice. Fibrin “microclots” were localized by means of immunofluorescence mainly in the lungs and to a lesser extent in the kidneys, liver and spleen. Increased fibrinolysis in these organs was demonstrated by means of the histochemical slide method. Inhibition of fibrinolysis in the tissues by soy bean trypsin inhibitor and epsilon-aminocaproic acid prior to Arvin injection was followed by significantly increased deposition of fibrinogen and/or its derivatives with formation of thrombi and death of 50% of the animals. These observations indicate the importance of tissue activation of plasminogen and the rapid lysis of microclots in clinical defibrination by Arvin.
The centennial of the Cajal body.

Exactly 100 years ago, the Spanish neurobiologist Santiago Ramon y Cajal described a new organelle in the nuclei of vertebrate neurons. Now called the Cajal body, this organelle occurs in many cell types in a wide variety of animals and plants. Recent studies indicate that the Cajal body has numerous roles in the assembly and/or modification of the nuclear-transcription and RNA-processing machinery.
Organizing for Innovation

To organize for innovation involves top management in a series of coordinated decisions about a number of different organizational characteristics. The decisions will be influenced greatly by the nature of the competitive environment and the type of innovation demanded by that environment. The interpretation of that environment will be greatly influenced by the nature of the firm's corporate culture as will the firm's goals, strategies, structures, technologies, systems, and people. An open and trusting culture tends to be supportive of innovation. There are a variety of structural options available depending on how management wishes to resolve a variety of different innovation tensions. Keywords: innovation; organization culture; organization design; organizational structure; innovation culture
Introductory lecture on corrosion chemistry: a focus on anodic hydrogen evolution on Al and Mg

The increase in the rate of hydrogen evolution (HE) on dissolving Mg surfaces with increasing anodic current density or potential, which is sometimes called the negative difference effect, has been the topic of much discussion in recent years. A review of the very recent contributions to this subject is given in this paper. Increased catalytic activity of the corrosion product layer, either from the accumulated impurities or from the Mg oxy-hydroxide itself, is shown to have a minor influence on the anodic HE observed on dissolving Mg at high anodic current densities and potentials. Al exhibits similar characteristics during anodic polarization in concentrated HCl, although the anodic HE rate on Al is less than on Mg. Possible mechanisms for the anodic hydrogen are provided and implications in the area of intergranular corrosion and environmental cracking are discussed.
Alcohol Consumption and the Incidence of Acute Alcohol‐Related Problems

Summary Researchers in recent years have suggested that control of the aggregate level of alcohol consumption is an important component of a comprehensive programme for the prevention of alcohol-related problems. The present study focused on the relationship between alcohol consumption and perhaps the most significant acute alcohol-related problem, motor vehicle crashes. Data analyzed included monthly frequencies of alcohol-related property damage and injury producing motor vehicle crashes and monthly distribution of beer, wine, and distilled spirits in the State of Michigan. To increase confidence that observed correlations represented causal relationships between aggregate consumption and crash involvement, variance in each lime series explainable on the basis of its own past history was filtered out first using ARIMA models, with the remaining variance used in analyses of the consumption/crash relationship. Using cross-lagged correlation methods, significant relationships were found between wholesale beer and wine distribution in a given month, and the number of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes one month later.
Solutions of a Nonlinear Integral Equation for High-Energy Scattering. II. Numerical Solutions

Solutions of the Ball-Zachariasen equation for high-energy scattering are calculated unmerically. For small values of the parameter $c$, which measures the strength of particle production, the solutions coincide with those obtained in the existence proof of paper I. When $c{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{el}}$ (${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{el}}=\mathrm{elastic}\mathrm{cross}\mathrm{section}$) is much smaller than the physical value, the solutions are obtained successfully by either plain iteration or Newton-Kantorovich iteration, but they disagree qualitatively with experiment. A continuation to larger $c$ is attempted by using the result of a successful iteration as the starting point for an iteration with slightly larger $c$. The continuation proceeds only a short distance before coming to a halt, because of a singularity of the Fr\'echet derivative of the nonlinear integral operator. The singularity is circumvented by an excursion into the complex $c$ plane. On return to the real axis the solutions are complex, however, which is not allowed physically. A proposed approximate solution of Ball and Zachariasen, quite different from those of paper I, is also investigated. Plain or Newton-Kantorovich iteration starting with this function fails to converge. The failure is explained again in terms of a nearby singularity of the Fr\'echet derivative. The singularity makes it difficult to decide whether the Ball-Zachariasen function is close to a true solution.
The Role of Extracellular Matrix in Glioma Invasion: A Cellular Potts Model Approach

In this work, a cellular Potts model based on the differential adhesion hypothesis is employed to analyze the relative importance of select cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) contacts in glioma invasion. To perform these simulations, three types of cells and two ECM components are included. The inclusion of explicit ECM with an inhomogeneous fibrous component and a homogeneously dispersed afibrous component allows exploration of the importance of relative energies of cell-cell and cell-ECM contacts in a variety of environments relevant to in vitro and in vivo experimental investigations of glioma invasion. Simulations performed here focus chiefly on reproducing findings of in vitro experiments on glioma spheroids embedded in collagen I gels. For a given range and set ordering of energies associated with key cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions, our model qualitatively reproduces the dispersed glioma invasion patterns found for most glioma cell lines embedded as spheroids in collagen I gels of moderate concentration. In our model, we find that invasion is maximized at intermediate collagen concentrations, as occurs experimentally. This effect is seen more strongly in model gels composed of short collagen fibers than in those composed of long fibers, which retain significant connectivity even at low density. Additional simulations in aligned model matrices further elucidate how matrix structure dictates invasive patterns. Finally, simulations that allow invading cells to both dissolve and deposit ECM components demonstrate how Q-Potts models may be elaborated to allow active cell alteration of their surroundings. The model employed here provides a quantitative framework with which to bound the relative values of cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions and investigate how varying the magnitude and type of these interactions, as well as ECM structure, could potentially curtail glioma invasion.
Cryptococcosis (Torulosis, European Blastomycosis) of the Knee Joint: A Case Report With Review of the Literature

A patient with monoarticular synovitis with an osteolytic lesion in the femoral condylar area due to Cryptococcus neoformans infection is presented. The role of exact diagnosis by synovial biopsy and fungal cultures in patients presenting with monoarticular synovitis is emphasized. The literature is reviewed. Drug therapy in conjunction with synovectomy is highly beneficial.
Stressors and rearing diseases of Trichoplusia ni: evidence of vertical transmission of NPV and CPV.

Abstract Inability to consistently rear healthy Trichoplusia ni led to a study of its rearing diseases. Four diseases were designated after preliminary research which included electron microscopy: cytoplasmic polyhedrosis (due to cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus, or CPV), nuclear polyhedrosis (due to nucleopolyhedrovirus, or NPV), “neonate death” syndrome (mortality in first or second instars), and “late-instar” syndrome (death in late instars accompanied by bacterial decomposition). Infectious agents were not detected by electron microscopy in insects with the latter two diseases. Prevalence of CPV and NPV, but not the neonate-death or late-instar diseases, in progeny was significantly associated with pairs of mating adults. In conjunction with egg-surface decontamination, this indicated that both viruses may be transmitted transovarially. Pupae killed by CPV had virions in the cytoplasm of infected cells, but polyhedra were empty, not occluding virions. None of the diseases had a consistent pattern of prevalence associated with the date on which eggs were laid after oviposition began. Prevalence rates of cytoplasmic polyhedrosis, nuclear polyhedrosis, and the late-instar disease were significantly greater at 95–100% relative humidity (RH) than at RH levels of 75% or below. These same three diseases killed significantly more insects in crowded rearing conditions (four or five larvae per cup with 10.2-cm2 diet surface) than in uncrowded conditions (one to three larvae per cup). As a result of these experiments, healthy T. ni have been reared for 10 generations by use of a modified Pasteur method and rearing cups containing no more than two larvae.
A quantitative framework for the forward design of synthetic miRNA circuits

Synthetic genetic circuits incorporating regulatory components based on RNA interference (RNAi) have been used in a variety of systems. A comprehensive understanding of the parameters that determine the relationship between microRNA (miRNA) and target expression levels is lacking. We describe a quantitative framework supporting the forward engineering of gene circuits that incorporate RNAi-based regulatory components in mammalian cells. We developed a model that captures the quantitative relationship between miRNA and target gene expression levels as a function of parameters, including mRNA half-life and miRNA target-site number. We extended the model to synthetic circuits that incorporate protein-responsive miRNA switches and designed an optimized miRNA-based protein concentration detector circuit that noninvasively measures small changes in the nuclear concentration of β-catenin owing to induction of the Wnt signaling pathway. Our results highlight the importance of methods for guiding the quantitative design of genetic circuits to achieve robust, reliable and predictable behaviors in mammalian cells.
Temporal Evolution of Solar Wind Ion Composition and Their Source Coronal Holes During the Declining Phase of Cycle 23. I. Low-Latitude Extension of Polar Coronal Holes

We analyzed 27 solar wind (SW) intervals during the declining phase of cycle 23, whose source coronal holes (CHs) can be unambiguously identified and are associated with one of the polar CHs. We found that the SW ions have a temporal trend of decreasing ionization state, and such a trend is different between the slow and fast SW. The photospheric magnetic field, both inside and at the outside boundary of the CH, also exhibits a trend of decrease with time. However, EUV line emissions from different layers of the atmosphere exhibit different temporal trends. The coronal emission inside the CH generally increases toward the CH boundary as the underlying field increases in strength and becomes less unipolar. In contrast, this relationship is not seen in the coronal emission averaged over the entire CH. For C and O SW ions that freeze-in at lower altitude, stronger correlation between their ionization states and field strength (both signed and unsigned) appears in the slow SW, while for Fe ions that freeze-in at higher altitude, stronger correlation appears in the fast SW. Such correlations are seen both inside the CH and at its boundary region. On the other hand, the coronal electron temperature correlates well with the SW ion composition only in the boundary region. Our analyses, although not able to determine the likely footpoint locations of the SW of different speeds, raise many outstanding questions for how the SW is heated and accelerated in response to the long-term evolution of the solar magnetic field.
Relocation of CLIC1 Promotes Tumor Cell Invasion and Colonization of Fibrin

Chloride intracellular channel 1 (CLIC1) has been shown to be up-regulated in various malignancies but its exact function remains unclear. Here, it is revealed that CLIC1 is critical for the stability of invadopodia in endothelial and tumor cells embedded in a 3-dimensional (3D) matrix of fibrin. Invadopodia stability was associated with the capacity of CLIC1 to induce stress fiber and fibronectin matrix formation following its beta3 integrin (ITGB3)-mediated recruitment into invadopodia. This pathway, in turn, was relevant for fibrin colonization as well as slug (SNAI2) expression and correlated with a significant role of CLIC1 in metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, a reduction of myosin light chain kinase (MYLK) in CLIC1- as well as beta3 integrin-depleted cells suggests an important role of CLIC1 for integrin-mediated actomyosin dynamics in cells embedded in fibrin. Overall, these results indicate that CLIC1 is an important contributor to tumor invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. Implications: This study uncovers an important new function of CLIC1 in the regulation of cell-extracellular matrix interactions and ability of tumor cells to metastasize to distant organs.
Motivation, heuristics, and the psychology of prediction

The present study was designed to test whether or not the use of representativeness and causality heuristics in decision-making results from insufficient or nonvigilant information processing rather than from an inherent deficiency in human information-processing ability. It was hypothesized that subjects who were distracted while making predictions (field-dependent subjects who were continuously aware of other subjects' performance in the experimental session) would fail to use the base rate to a greater extent than would nondistracted subjects (field-dependent subjects who were not aware of the other subjects' performance, and field-independent subjects). As predicted, when other subjects' performance was public, field-independent subjects conformed more to the base rate than did field-dependent subjects. In the private condition, however, the opposite pattern emerged. The results were discussed in terms of the drive theory of social facilitation and non-vigilant information processing.
Control of perceptual attention in robot driving

Abstract Computer vision research aimed at performing general scene understanding has proven to be conceptually difficult and computationally complex. Active vision is a promising approach to solving this problem. Active vision systems use optimized sensor settings, reduced fields of view, and relatively simple algorithms to efficiently extract specific information from a scene. This approach is only appropriate in the context of a task that motivates the selection of the information to extract. While there has been a fair amount of research that describes the extraction processes, there has been little work that investigates how active vision could be used for a realistic task in a dynamic domain. We are studying such a task: driving an autonomous vehicle in traffic. In this paper we present a method for controlling visual attention as part of the reasoning process for driving, and analyze the efficiency gained in doing so. We first describe a model of driving and the driving environment, and estimate the complexity of performing the required sensing with a general driving-scene understanding system. We then introduce three programs that use increasingly sophisticated perceptual control techniques to select perceptual actions. The first program, called Ulysses-1, uses perceptual routines , which use known reference objects to guide the search for new objects. The second program, Ulysses-2, creates an inference tree to infer the effect of uncertain input data on action choices, and searches this tree to decide which data to sense. Finally, Ulysses-3 uses domain knowledge to reason about how dynamic objects will move or change over time; objects that do not move enough to affect the robot's decisions are not selected as perceptual targets. For each technique we have run experiments in simulation to measure the cost savings realized by using selective perception. We estimate that the techniques included in Ulysses-3 reduce the computational cost of perception by 9 to 12 orders of magnitude when compared to a general perception system.
Studies of nitrogen self-broadening at high temperature with inverse Raman spectroscopy

We report high-resolution inverse Raman spectroscopy measurements of nitrogen Q-branch linewidths in pure nitrogen at temperatures up to 1500 K and at pressures from 20 to 760 Torr. Transitions from J = 0 to J = 30 have been measured with a resolution of 1.5 × 10−3 cm−1 and a Raman shift accuracy of 1 × 10−3 cm−1. Fits to the data using a Galatry line-shape model provide J-dependent collisional-broadening coefficients. A modified exponential-gap scaling law accurately describes the dependence of these coefficients on temperature and rotational quantum number.
On the dominant and subdominant behavior of stimulated Raman and Brillouin scattering driven by nonuniform laser beams

In a number of experiments, stimulated Brillouin (SBS) or Raman backscattering (SRS) has been observed to be much more vigorous than the other although the expectations based on linear gain exponents are that they should both be reflecting large amounts of incident light. Multidimensional fluid simulations of the growth and saturation of these two instabilities driven by a nonuniform incident laser beam are presented. On the fast time scale, the nonlinear saturation occurs via an anomalous damping inspired by fundamental studies of Langmuir turbulence [D. F. DuBois et al., Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 41, 1531 (1996)] and acoustic wave turbulence [B. I. Cohen et al., Phys. Plasmas 4, 956 (1997)]. Over a longer time scale, SRS and SBS are limited by quasilinear processes such as flows induced by the transfer of momentum from the light to the plasma and ion temperature increases caused by a loss of light energy in SBS. The simulations show a reduction of the SBS reflectivity under conditions of strong SRS reflectiv...
Country Survey I–Military Spending in India 1

After a brief survey of the Indian economy, we survey the supply and demand of military expenditures in India over the last four decades. The causes of military expenditures appear to include regional rivalries and protracted conflicts, but it has proven difficult to delineate these with empirical models. The effects of military spending in India on economic growth appear to be benign, despite much speculation to the contrary. However, the opportunity costs of defence spending are shown to be considerable. We conclude with speculation about the role of debt and debt servicing in retarding future economic growth in India. We also speculate about the potential for the creation of a war economy in India.
Regularized BRST-coordinate-invariant measure.

In this paper we propose a definition of the regularized Jacobian of coordinate Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) transformations of the functional measure of the gravitational field and its ghosts. This definition allows us to prove BRST invariance of the measure and reproduce the known Weyl anomalies.
Symptomatic pyelonephritis in elderly men.

: A prospective study was carried out of the clinical, laboratory, radiologic and therapeutic features of acute, symptomatic, bacterial pyelonephritis as experienced by 12 consecutive elderly, noncatheterized men who required hospitalization. In spite of the advanced ages of the men and the inordinate frequency of bacteremia and septic shock, no patient died. “Appropriate” antibiotic therapy, supportive treatment, and, as importantly, a lack of associated “imminently” or “ultimately” fatal illnesses contributed to the 100 per cent survival rate. Guidelines are provided for the diagnostic evaluation and antibiotic therapy of community-acquired pyelonephritis in elderly men.
Hybrid dual-threshold design techniques for high-performance processors with low-power features

This paper investigates delay, power and area of several critical library components for high-performance, low-power microprocessor designs. To improve performance of a 0.18-/spl mu/m technology at a supply voltage of 1.8 V, the proposed hybrid dual-V/sub t/ (HDVT) circuit architectures enhance speed of low-V/sub t/ by 21% while reducing leakage power dissipation of low-V/sub t/ by an order of magnitude for combinatorial logic. For sequential elements, a HDVT split-slave dual-path (HSSDP) and Push-Pull Isolation (HPPI) registers are proposed to improve 29-92% performance over an HDVT-conventional registers with 20-89% less energy consumption. For the datapath, a HDVT hierarchical, reduced-swing, dual-V/sub t/ logic (HHRSL) comparator is proposed to improve the delay of prior arts by up to 50%.
Diagnostic value of qualitative and quantitative variables in thyroid lesions.

Two hundred and thirty-three thyroid lesions were studied by fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology using standard cytologic criteria available in the literature. These included 114 cases of nodular colloid goitre (NCG), 47 cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), 12 follicular adenomas (FAd), five cases of subacute thyroiditis and three cases of thyrotoxicosis among the benign lesions. The malignant lesions seen were 30 cases of papillary carcinoma (PCa), 16 follicular carcinomas (FCa), three cases with double lesions, e.g. papillary carcinoma with coexisting NCG, and three of papillary carcinoma with HT. Emphasis was given to eight qualitative and quantitative (morphometric) variables in these various thyroid lesions. Cell measurements were done using a Visopan Lux projection microscope. The three qualitative variables included type of nuclear membrane (regular/irregular), type of nuclear chromatin and the presence or absence of conspicuous nucleoli. The quantitative variables studied were nuclear diameter, nuclear area, cytoplasmic diameter, cytoplasmic area & N/C ratio. Statistical analysis was performed in order to know whether the standard cytologic criteria used at FNA cytology in the literature (increased cellularity, microfollicles, increased N/C ratio, absence of significant haemosiderin-laden macrophages and scanty colloid) could differentiate a follicular adenoma from a follicular carcinoma. A statistical analysis was also performed to establish the utility of the qualitative and quantitative variables. The results showed that none of the standard cytologic criteria applied could differentiate follicular adenoma from a follicular carcinoma. With regard to qualitative variables, irregularity of nuclear membrane and presence of conspicuous nucleoli were most significant in papillary carcinoma, followed by follicular carcinoma, then by follicular adenoma; these features being hardly evident in nodular colloid goitre and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. A coarse nuclear chromatin was most significant in follicular carcinomas followed by follicular adenomas. It was less obvious in the benign conditions, but more prominent in Hashimoto's thyroiditis compared with a goitre. It was also not obvious in a papillary carcinoma. Of the quantitative variables, all measurements were greatest in PCa > FCa > FAd > NCG = HT. When differentiating follicular adenoma from follicular carcinoma the qualitative variables of significance were the presence or absence of nucleoli, the chromatin pattern and regularity/irregularity of nuclear membrane; the nuclear area was the most important feature among quantitative variables.
Intakes of total and individual flavonoids by US adults

AbstractKnowing the dietary flavonoid intake of individuals and populations is the first step to clearly understand their health effects. Dietary flavonoid intake studies have been hampered by the lack of flavonoid food composition data. The objectives of this study were to estimate intakes of individual, classes and total flavonoids in the US adults; to evaluate the effects of socio-demographic factors on the flavonoid consumption patterns; and to establish major dietary sources of flavonoids. We calculated flavonoid intakes using the most updated USDA flavonoid and isoflavone databases, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III 24-h dietary recall (DR). Estimated mean total flavonoid intake by US adults was 344.83 ± 9.13 mg/day. The flavan-3-ols (191.99 ± 6.84 mg/day) were the most abundant flavonoid class. The three most dominant individual flavonoids were catechin, epicatechin and polymers. Tea, wine, beer, citrus fruits and apples were the most important sources of total f...
Focus Group Discussions: Three Examples from Family and Consumer Science Research

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of focus group discussions (FGDs) in family and consumer sciences research. First, we briefly describe the FGD methodology in terms of question development, group composition and recruitment, interview protocol and logistics, and data analysis. Then, we show how we applied that methodology in three specific examples from our work with family and consumer sciences research projects. Our examples include (a) the consumer behavior of working female adolescents, (b) the work readiness of adult males with low educational attainment, and (c) the definition of parental involvement by mothers with young children. In recent years, research in the family and consumer sciences has evolved from a heavy reliance on quantitative methods toward the use of more qualitative ones. Many researchers are finding that a very useful qualitative method is focus group discussions (FGDs). A focus group is a distinctive type of group in terms of purpose, size,
Density-dependent airflow and ventilatory control during exercise

Abstract The influence of respired gas density on ventilatory control during cycle-ergometer exercise was investigated in six healthy subjects. They underwent constant-load exercise for 10 min both at 50% and 90% of the anaerobic threshold, inhaling air for the first 5 min followed abruptly by 80% helium-20% oxygen (HeO2) for the remaining 5 min (and vice versa). The HeO2 breathing elicited no discernible effect on ventilation (V i ) or mean alveolar PCO2 (P a CO2) at rest or at the lower work rate. However, at the higher work rate, HeO2 breathing resulted in a clear and sustained hyperventilation in all subjects. A compensatory response to the hypocapnia, consequent to the helium-induced hyperventilation, was not evident even though all subjects demonstrated a normal ventilatory responsiveness to inhaled CO2 while in this condition. These observations suggest that turbulent airflow normally imposes a constraint on the magnitude of the hyperpnea of high-intensity exercise.
Penile body temperature as screening test for penile arterial obstruction in impotence

Intraurethral penile body temperature measurement is a simple, inexpensive procedure designed for screening impotent patients which can be done in the physician's office. The results give a reliable index of penile arterial circulation and can suggest possible organic impairment, which can be verified further by other noninvasive vascular studies. In our experience, patients having more than 3 degrees F. difference between sublingual and internal penile temperature are most likely to have significant penile arterial obstruction. This method is recommended as a diagnostic procedure to help detect possible vasculogenic causes of impotence.
Individual recognition of song repertoires in two wood warblers

We examined recognition of individual neighbors in hooded warblers (Wilsonia citrina) and Kentucky warblers (Oporornis formosus) by comparing responses to playbacks of neighbors' songs from appropriate and inappropriate boundaries of the subjects' territories. Kentucky warblers, which sing one song type each, responded more strongly to the songs of neighbors broadcast from incorrect than from correct boundaries. Hooded warblers use their repertoires of three to nine song types in two distinct modes of singing: repeat mode involves repeated presentation of one song type; mixed mode involves presentation of two or more song types in irregular sequence. Playbacks of neighbors' mixed-mode songs from appropriate and inappropriate boundaries indicated capabilities of individual recognition similar to those reported previously for repeat-mode songs (Godard 1991) and to those of Kentucky warblers. Repertoires of moderate size, therefore, have no pronounced influence on eventual recognition of individual neighbors in hooded warblers.
Investigation of factors mediating the effectiveness of authentic projects in the teaching of elementary statistics

Abstract Four instructors used authentic research projects and related curriculum materials when teaching elementary statistics in secondary and undergraduate settings. Projects were authentic in that students selected their own variables, defined their own research questions, and collected and analyzed their own data. Classes using these projects were considered treatment groups in the study. Student outcomes measured were content knowledge, perceived usefulness of statistics, and statistics self-efficacy. These outcomes were compared with those of students taught by the same instructors in prior terms without authentic projects (the control groups). Although all three outcomes increased for the treatment group in both settings, simple t-tests indicated that these gains were not statistically significant. Variables were identified as potential factors mediating the effects of treatment, and multivariate and univariate models were then used to examine treatment, setting, instructor effects, and student achievement level as variables jointly contributing to these three outcomes. Follow-up analyses suggested that some treatment effects were significant in more restricted contexts (e.g., in certain settings for certain types of students). The models also suggest multiple significant interactions among treatment, setting, individual instructor, and student achievement level, particularly on affective outcomes.
An action spectrum for the production of transient tritanopia.

Abstract The site of yellow blue chromatic-opponency has been thought to include synergistic input from either or both of the longwave-sensitive cone types to the “yellow” side. It has remained controversial whether one of these cone types provides all the “yellow” input or if both contribute to some extent. By measuring the action spectrum of adapting fields that produce transient tritanopia at their offset it appears that both the red- and green-sensitive cone types contribute in approximately the same ratio that they contribute to luminance. There also appears to be a contribution from an antagonistic red/green mechanism in producing transient tritanopia. These findings seem consistent with current physiological and psychophysical evidence.
An absorption tube for the investigation of gases in the photographic infrared

An absorption cell of novel design is described, which combines the advantages of long path and relatively small volume.
Positive identification of corticosterone and cortisol in jugular plasma of dairy cattle

Abstract Corticosterone and cortisol have been positively identified in jugular vein plasma in dairy cattle under normal dairy environment. The corticosteroids were extracted from plasma with dichloromethane and purified by solvent partition and paper chromatography. Quantitative analysis was carried out by isotope dilution and spectrophotometry. Criteria for identification Included solvent partition, Chromatographic mobility on paper and thin-layer, ultraviolet, sulfuric acid and infrared spectrum analysis. Other criteria included a maintenance of constant specific activity after chromatography of the free steroids and the steroid acetates each in three different chromatography systems, and non-separation of the steroid from internal radioactive standards throughout the solvent and Chromatographic partitions. The levels found in plasma from 18 lactating, non-pregnant dairy cows varied from 1.5 to 5.1 μg (mean = 3.0 μpg) corticosterone and 3.2 to 13.1 μg (mean 7.2 μg) cortisol per 100 ml. The ratio of cortisol/cortico-sterone varied from 0.85 to 5.94 with a mean of 2.40 for these dairy cows.
Protein Kinase D Interacts with Golgi via Its Cysteine-Rich Domain

Protein kinase D (PKD)/protein kinase Cmu is a serine/threonine protein kinase that has been localized in the cytosol and in several intracellular compartments including Golgi, mitochondria and plasma membrane. Using real time imaging of fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged PKD, we have found that the accumulation of PKD in the Golgi compartment, following a temperature shift from 37 to 20 degrees C, was mediated by the cysteine-rich domain (CRD) of PKD. The CRD of PKD also mediates its interaction with the plasma membrane, further supporting the conclusion that the CRD of PKD may act as a subcellular localization signal.
Association of Duke prognostic treadmill scores with change in P-wave duration during exercise tolerance tests in patients with interatrial block and coronary heart disease.

Interatrial block (IAB), as denoted by P waves ≥110 ms in duration, is believed to be associated with underlying ischemia, particularly with that of its principal interatrial conduction pathway, the Bachmann bundle. In this study, the association between Duke prognostic treadmill (DPT) scores and change in P-wave duration in IAB was investigated in patients who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance tests (CPETTs). Twenty-seven patients with IAB and 42 control patients without IAB on electrocardiography at rest who had evidence of myocardial ischemia on coronary angiography after CPETTs were identified consecutively. P-wave measurements were obtained independently at the beginning of every CPETT stage and also when P-wave changes occurred. Increments in P-wave durations were measured to the nearest 20 ms. DPT scores were calculated for the 2 groups. There was no significant difference between the groups in mean values for DPT scores and for exercise capacity. However, change in P-wave duration in patients with IAB was significantly associated with mean DPT score. As the change in P-wave duration increased, the DPT score was significantly less (p = 0.003). DPT scores were more significant with P-wave changes of >20 ms compared with P-wave changes of ≤20 ms (p = 0.00001). In conclusion, in patients with coronary heart disease and IAB at rest, increases in P-wave durations during CPETTs are inversely associated with DPT scores.
Elucidating the Relation of Hoarding to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Impulse Control Disorders

Hoarding has historically been conceptualized as a symptom of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD); however, data demonstrate important differences between hoarding and OC symptoms (for discussion, see Grisham et al. Anxiety Disorders, 19, 767‑779. 2005). Hoarding has also been observed in disorders besides OCD, including specific Impulse Control Disorders (ICDs; e.g., kleptomania, trichotillomania, pathological gambling, compulsive buying). Therefore, the current study tested the hypothesis that hoarding would be as strongly related to symptoms of ICDs as it is to OCD and that these relationships would be medium to strong in magnitude. Results from an undergraduate sample showed hoarding behaviors were strongly related to symptoms of OCD, moderately related to symptoms of compulsive buying, and more modestly related to symptoms of pathological gambling, trichotillomania, and kleptomania. Finally, findings suggest indecisiveness may be a particularly important underlying feature in hoarding behaviors. These results support the consideration of hoarding outside the confines of OCD.
Estimates of atmospheric dry deposition and associated input of nutrients to Gulf of Aqaba seawater

[1] Dry deposition rates and associated inputs of soluble inorganic nitrogen (N) phosphorus (P) and iron (Fe) were calculated for the north coast of the Gulf of Aqaba in Eilat, Israel, between August 2003 and September 2005. The main inorganic N compounds in the water soluble fraction of aerosol particles were nitrate (60%) and ammonium (38%), with mean concentrations of 35 and 22 nmol m−3 of air, respectively. Soluble phosphate ranged between 0.09 and 2 nmol m−3 of air with a mean value of 0.4 nmol m−3 of air. The soluble inorganic nitrogen and soluble phosphate account for approximately 86% and 69% of total soluble nitrogen and total soluble phosphorus, respectively; the difference is assigned to organic N and P compounds. The mean concentration of soluble aerosol Fe was 0.3 nmol m−3 of air. Our measurements of the soluble nutrient concentrations are comparable to data previously reported for the eastern Mediterranean area. Dry deposition fluxes of nutrients were estimated for each sampling date using a size-dependent deposition model. The estimated fluxes were highly variable over the sampling period with the mean fluxes of 38, 0.2 and 0.02 μmol m−2 d−1 for seawater soluble inorganic N, P and Fe, respectively. The soluble phosphate flux shows a seasonal pattern with higher input during the winter (September to December) than in other seasons. The inorganic N/P molar ratios in the seawater-soluble fraction of the dry deposition (ranging from 32 to 541) were well above the Redfield ratio (N/P = 16), suggesting that atmospheric inputs of nutrients increase the likelihood for P limitation in the Gulf. Atmospheric deposition could contribute a substantial fraction (35%) of dissolved inorganic N to the euphotic zone during the stratification period (April to October), and the N flux from this source could support over 10% of surface primary production and possibly all of the new production during the summer; however, these estimates have a relatively large uncertainty due to error associated with deposition flux calculation and the temporal variability in dust flux. Atmospheric input of seawater-soluble Fe is in large excess compared to that required for the phytoplankton growth driven by the N deposition.
Metastatic basal cell carcinoma presenting as unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy: report of a case and review of the literature.

background. Although basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common forms of cancer worldwide, the incidence of metastatic basal cell carcinoma (MBCC) is exceedingly low. Of reported cases, it is estimated that up to 85% arise in the head and neck region. objective. Case presentation of a BCC measuring 1.1 cm arising in a nonfacial site that presented with unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy. methods. Case presentation with literature review. results. Risk factors which should lead to a higher index of suspicion among clinicians for identifying these patients include large tumor size, previous irradiation, local invasion, and recurrence. The lymph nodes, lungs, bones, and skin are among the most common sites in which metastases arise. conclusion. We report an unusual case of MBCC arising from a small, nonfacial primary BCC that presented with unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy.
Constraints—a language for expressing almost-hierarchical descriptions

We present an interactive system organized around networks of constraints rather than the programs which manipulate them. We describe a language of hierarchical constraint networks. We describe one method of deriving useful consequences of a set of constraints which we call propagation. Dependency analysis is used to spot and track down inconsistent subsets of a constraint set. Propagation of constraints is most flexible and useful when coupled with the ability to perform symbolic manipulations on algebraic expressions. Such manipulations are in turn best expressed as alterations or augmentations of the constraint network. Almost-Hierarchical Constraint Networks can be constructed to represent the multiple viewpoints used by engineers in the synthesis and analysis of electrical networks. These multiple viewpoints are used in terminal equivalence and power arguments to reduce the apparent synergy in a circuit so that it can be attacked algebraically.