cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporal interactions in the cat visual system. I. Orientation- selective suppression in the visual cortex

The perception of a visual contour depends on the spatial and temporal context in which it is viewed. Interactions between visual contours are believed to underlie a wide range of perceptual phenomena, including geometric illusions and aftereffects, contrast adaptation, and visual masking. The physiological mechanisms that might underlie such interactions were studied in the visual cortex of the cat by recording responses of single neurons to pairs of brief stationary stimuli that were separated in time. The results revealed a long-lasting, orientation-selective suppression, termed “paired-pulse suppression,” which was strongest at the cell9s preferred orientation, but which was more broadly tuned for orientation than the excitatory response of the cell. Although the strength and duration of the suppression varied widely, some degree of response reduction was present in most cells studied. The function of this suppression may be to regulate the gain with which visual inputs are transmitted to cortical neurons, thus preventing response saturation and positive feedback.
Normal forms and Fatou-Bieberbach domains

Henon mappings have a rich history beginning with an attempt in 1969 to study the Lorenz differential equation by Poincare sections. This quadratic family has been studied allowing complex numbers for the parameters and variables since 1985. We examine a connection between normal forms of complex Henon mappings and Fatou-Bieberbach mappings. Key-Words: complex analytic dynamical systems, Henon mappings, Fatou-Bieberbach domains.
Production of organometallic polymers by the interfacial technique. XXX. Synthesis of oligomeric ferrocene containing tin polyesters

The synthesis of ferrocene containing polyesters is reported along with particular reaction and substituent dependencies. Synthesis is rapid being completed within 30 seconds. Yield increases when either reactant is in excess. Yield decreases for alkyl substituents on the tin in the order methyl > ethyl > t-butyl > n-octyl and I > Br > Cl for halide substituents on tin. Durch Grenzflachenpolykondensation wurden Ferrocen-Polyester der folgenden Struktur hergestellt. Die Ausbeute ist dabei unabhangig von der Ruhrzeit. Das Maximum der Ausbeute wird bei einem Uberschus von einem der beiden Reaktanten erzielt. Bei Variation von R und X steigt die Ausbeute in der Reihenfolge n-octyl < t-butyl < athyl < methyl und Cl < Br < I.
Malaria and progress: some historical and ecological considerations.

Abstract Malaria must co-occur with a constellation of biological, demographic, ecological and cultural conditions before it can become hyperendemic. It then becomes a powerful agent for natural selection, favoring higher frequencies of formerly rare deleterious genes which, however, confer protection against the disease. Written materials from antiquity concerning trade routes, accounts of changes in agricultural methods or other changes in the ecology, references to diseases, and other pertinent material, used in conjunction with studies of abnormal hemoglobin frequencies, can be used to arrive at an understanding of the interaction of culture, environment and biology in the Mediterranean and Near East.
Circulating lethal toxin decreases the ability of neutrophils to respond to Bacillus anthracis.

Summary Polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) play a protective role during Bacillus anthracis infection. However, B. anthracis is able to subvert the PMN response effectively as evidenced by the high mortality rates of anthrax. One major virulence factor produced by B. anthracis, lethal toxin (LT), is necessary for dissemination in the BSL2 model of mouse infection. While human and mouse PMNs kill vegetative B. anthracis, short in vitro half-lives of PMNs have made it difficult to determine how or if LT alters their bactericidal function. Additionally, the role of LT intoxication on PMN's ability to migrate to inflammatory signals remains controversial. LF concentrations in both serum and major organs were determined from mice infected with B. anthracis Sterne strain at defined stages of infection to guide subsequent administration of purified toxin. Bactericidal activity of PMNs assessed using ex vivo cell culture assays showed significant defects in killing B. anthracis. In vivo PMN recruitment to inflammatory stimuli was significantly impaired at 24 h as assessed by real-time analysis of light-producing PMNs within the mouse. The observations described above suggest that LT serves dual functions; it both attenuates accumulation of PMNs at sites of inflammation and impairs PMNs bactericidal activity against vegetative B. anthracis.
Advising depression patients to reduce alcohol and drug use: factors associated with provider intervention in outpatient psychiatry.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Mental health clinicians have an important opportunity to help depression patients reduce co-occurring alcohol and drug use. This study examined demographic and clinical patient characteristics and service factors associated with receiving a recommendation to reduce alcohol and drug use from providers in a university-based outpatient psychiatry clinic. METHODS: The sample consisted of 97 participants ages 18 and older who reported hazardous drinking (≥3 drinks/occasion), illegal drug use (primarily cannabis) or misuse of prescription drugs, and who scored ≥15 on the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Participants were interviewed at intake and 6 months. RESULTS: At 6-month telephone interview, 30% of participants reported that a clinic provider had recommended that they reduce alcohol or drug use. In logistic regression, factors associated with receiving advice to reduce use included greater number of drinks consumed in the 30 days prior to intake (p = .035); and greater depression severity on the BDI-II (p = .096) and hazardous drinking at 6 months (p = .05). CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: While participants with greater alcohol intake and depression symptom severity were more likely to receive advice to reduce use, the low overall rate of recommendation to reduce use highlights the need to improve alcohol and drug use intervention among depression patients, and potentially to address alcohol and drug training and treatment implementation issues among mental health providers. (Am J Addict 2014;XX:XX-XX). Language: en
The Representation of Time and Change in Mechanics

This paper is concerned with the representation of time and change in classical (i.e., non-quantum) physical theories. One of the main goals is to attempt to clarify the nature and scope of the so-called problem of time: a knot of technical and interpretative problems that appear to stand in the way of attempts to quantize general relativity, and which have their roots in the general covariance of that theory. The most natural approach to these questions is via a consideration of more clear cases. So much of the paper is given over to a discussion of the representation of time and change in other, better understood theories, starting with the most straightforward cases and proceeding through a consideration of cases that lead up to the features of general relativity that are responsible for the problem of time.
Liquid crystallinity of levan/water/starch solutions

Transmitted light measurements performed with a UV-visible spectrophotometer were used to characterize how starch affects the position of boundaries on the phase diagram for dilute aqueous solutions of levan (a branched polymer of fructose). Data were collected in the range 15 to 70°C; the minimum concentrations required for separation of a nematic phase and the minimum concentration required for a fully nematic solution were identified within this range. While “hard” interactions (repulsion between rod-like molecular segments) dictate the formation of a liquid crystalline phase at and above ambient temperature in the absence of starch, “soft” interactions become more significant as solutions are cooled toward ambient when starch is present. Small amounts of starch might be used as a filler to modify the mechanical properties (while retaining the process-related benefits) of levan films cast from liquid crystalline solution.
Microglial EP2 as a New Target to Increase Amyloid β Phagocytosis and Decrease Amyloid β-Induced Damage to Neurons

Epidemiologic and animal model data support a role for the prostaglandin pathway in AD pathogenesis. However, unexpected toxicity from protracted use of some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) compels investigation of therapeutic targets in this pathway other than COX inhibitors. Previously, we have shown that mice lacking one specific receptor for PGE2, EP2 (EP2-/-), are protected from the indirect neurotoxic effects of cerebral innate immune response mediated by CD14-dependent activation. Here we review data showing that EP2-/- microglia have a highly desirable combination of features: ablated indirect neurotoxicity following exposure to Abeta(1-42) coupled with enhanced phagocytosis of Abeta peptides, both synthetic and those deposited in human brain. These data point to microglial EP2 as a more focused target within the PG pathway for therapy in AD.
Annotation refactoring: inferring upgrade transformations for legacy applications

Since annotations were added to the Java language, many frameworks have moved to using annotated Plain Old Java Objects (POJOs) in their newest releases. Legacy applications are thus forced to undergo extensive restructuring in order to migrate from old framework versions to new versions based on annotations (Version Lock-in). Additionally, because annotations are embedded in the application code, changing between framework vendors may also entail largescale manual changes (Vendor Lock-in). This paper presents a novel refactoring approach that effectively solves these two problems. Our approach infers a concise set of semantics-preserving transformation rules from two versions of a single class. Unlike prior approaches that detect only simple structural refactorings, our algorithm can infer general composite refactorings and is more than 97% accurate on average. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by automatically upgrading more than 80K lines of the unit testing code of four open-source Java applications to use the latest version of the popular JUnit testing framework.
Monte Carlo study of the quantum spin-(1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the square lattice

A new Monte Carlo sampling technique is used to study the spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on square lattices of up to 256 spins. The energy, specific heat, uniform and staggered susceptibilities, and correlation function are calculated. The correlation length as a function of temperature is deduced from correlation functions and is shown to be consistent with a quantum-renormalized classical approximation. Using the coupling constant provided by Raman scattering experiments, good agreement is found between the calculated and experimental correlation lengths in La/sub 2/CuO/sub 4/.
Centriole behavior in chloramphenicol-treated eggs of the sand dollar, Dendraster excentricus.

This electron microscope study was undertaken to test the prediction made from an indirect assay method for mitotic centers (centrioles), that chloramphenicol inhibits centriole replication during first cleavage division in the eggs of the sand dollar,Dendraster excentricus. Extensive serial sectioning through both untreated and chloramphenicol-treated eggs, coupled with thorough examination of these sections, has demonstrated that 57% of the untreated eggs and 14% of the chloramphenicol-treated eggs contained paired centrioles at a time when centriole pairs normally exist. This study thus gives direct evidence that chloramphenicol inhibits centriole replication.
On the mechanism of the 1,2-cycloaddition of azobenzenes to ketenimines

The 1,2-cycloaddition of unsymmetrical azobenzenes has been found to be stereoselective and the rate is essentially solvent independent. These observations lead to the postulation of a near concerted process which encounters a steric effect after alignment.
The Radio-Frequency Quadrupole Linear Accelerator

The radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) is a new linear accelerator concept in which rf electric fields are used to focus, bunch, and accelerate the beam. Because the RFQ can provide strong focusing at low velocities, it can capture a high-current dc ion beam from a low-voltage source and accelerate it to an energy of 1 MeV/nucleon within a distance of a few meters. A recent experimental test at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) has confirmed the expected performance of this structure and has stimulated interest in a wide variety of applications. We review the general properties of the RFQ, and present examples of applications of this new accelerator.
High Performance Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexer Based on Blazed Grating and Ion-exchanged Glass Waveguide Technique

Data bit rate, 1dB pass band and device dimensions are the key properties of dense wavelength division multiplexer (DWDM) devices. For blazed grating based DWDM structure, analysis shows that the bit rate is limited by the pulse broadening introduced by the grating. To reduce the pulse broadening, the output fiber array channel-to-channel pitch must be reduced. By decreasing the output channel pitch, 1dB pass band can be increased and the device dimensions can be shrunk. In this paper, we propose an ion-exchanged glass waveguide chip to be inserted into the WDM device in order to reduce the output channel spacing. To fabricate the low loss fiber compatible waveguides, two-step K + -Na + and Ag + -Na + ion-exchange process using BK7 glass as the substrate has been investigated. The optimal process conditions have been found. The waveguides fabricated by this two-step process have a propagation loss of 0.3dB/cm, a coupling loss to single mode fiber of 0.4dB and a polarization dependent loss of 0.1dB for 5cm long waveguides. The design of a 48 channel DWDM with this glass waveguide chip is given.
Synthesis and Coordination Properties of Multifunctional Carbamoylmethyl Phosphonates

Abstract Bifunctional carbamoylmethylphosphonates are useful extractants for lanthanide and actinide ions and the structural mechanics involved in extraction processes have been under study in our laboratory. We have recently prepared several new multifunctional ligands of the general types (RO)2P(O)CH[C(O)NR2][CH2C(O)NR2], [(RO)2P(O)]2CHCH2C(O)NR2 and [(RO)2P(O)CHC(O)NEt2]2CH2. The syntheses and characterization data for the new extractants will be described. The coordination chemistry of these ligands with lanthanide and actinide ions has been studied and crystal structure determinations for selected complexes will be shown. Lastly, liquid-liquid extraction distribution measurements for several ligands with lanthanide ions will be presented.
The relationship of life stressors and maternal depression to pediatric asthma morbidity in a subspecialty practice.

Objective.—To examine the relationships among demographic characteristics, caregiver life stressors, and depressive symptoms of mothers and their children's asthma morbidity. Setting.—Three pediatric asthma subspecialty programs, 2 in the inner city and 1 in the suburbs. Design.—Cross-sectional census sample of caregivers of children with asthma: interviews mostly with mothers (N = 123) regarding their children's asthma symptoms and health care utilization. Information collected on demographics and caregivers' own recent life stressors and depressive symptoms. Subjects.—Caregivers of children ages 18 months to 12 years with asthma at their subspecialty visit. Measures.—Structured interviews: a survey instrument prepared for this study and standardized instruments for depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression) and life stressors (Crisis in Family Systems). Results.—A total of 32% of respondents' children had high asthma morbidity, 28% intermediate, and 40% low. Caregiver life stressors and depression and the children's sex showed the strongest relationships to asthma morbidity in a model that also included race, residence, and Medicaid status. Children were more likely to have high morbidity if they had caregivers with more depressive symptoms and negative life stressors and if they were female. Conclusions.—Respondents experienced many life stressors and symptoms of depression while managing their children's illness. Caregivers' lives may affect their children's asthma morbidity, offering empirical evidence for the potential value of targeted case management for children in subspecialty care.
Structure and expression of the Aplysia californica calmodulin gene.

Abstract We have isolated and characterized the calmodulin (CaM) gene of the marine mollusc Aplysia californica . Its primary structure, deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the gene, is highly conserved, containing only three amino acid substitutions compared to the CaM of higher vertebrates. The structural gene consists of four exons that encode the protein, 3′ non-translated mRNA and at least one additional exon encoding 5′ non-translated mRNA and the initiator methionine. A comparison of the exon/intron structure of CaM genes from several organisms shows conservation of intron position, suggesting that introns have been both inserted and deleted during evolution. Northern analysis of RNA prepared from several Aplysia tissues reveals the presence of several CaM mRNA transcripts with the greatest expression observed in neural and muscle tissue. One of these transcripts is abundant only in mRNA prepared from nervous tissue.
Cultural Competency Education in Approved Dance/Movement Therapy Graduate Programs

“What is the state of cultural competency education in the American Dance Therapy Association approved dance/movement therapy (DMT) graduate training programs in the United States?” This question was answered through 10 interviews with educators and administrators at six programs, as well as an examination of their course syllabi. Five of six schools have discrete dedicated courses and all claim to have some features within the curriculum that integrate multicultural and diversity education. Findings indicate that these educators are enthusiastically committed to diversity and multicultural education, and in most cases find their schools supportive as well. Pedagogical challenges include the relative homogeneity of their student and faculty body resulting in minimum contact with diverse role models and peers. Educators meet this and other challenges with a breadth of innovative experiential instructional methods. A compilation of educator-identified competencies unique to DMT is proposed.
Examining working memory load and congruency effects on affordances and conventions

Although there is a debate about whether designers should draw a distinction between perceptual affordances and cultural conventions, there are few behavioral studies. We examined the impact of working memory load and expected button-to-action mapping congruency on affordances and conventions. The findings suggest both sides of the debate are correct. Learned conventions were found to structure responses towards expected actions, just like affordances, but affordance-based interactions were not affected by memory load while convention-based actions were. Therefore, designers ought to employ perceptual affordances when possible and when not feasible they ought to reuse established conventions. Additionally, evidence is presented that violating expected affordance-based and convention-based button-to-action mappings caused a similar performance cost. We believe that after the initial learning period, conventions play a critical role in the perception of a design's available actions just as perceptual affordances do.
Molecular predictors of treatment and outcome in colorectal cancer.

Understanding of the metabolism and mechanisms of resistance of tumors to chemotherapeutic agents is essential so that we can administer therapy to maximize response and minimize toxicity. In this review we describe molecular markers associated with fluoropyrimidine and platinumbased chemotherapy that may predict the outcome of therapy when patients are treated with these agents. We discuss the ways in which determination of gene expression levels can enhance the treatment of colorectal cancer through prediction of patient response and tailoring of chemotherapy to the characteristics of an individual tumor.
Is There a High-Energy Particle Population in the Quiet Solar Corona?

A study of spectra emitted by the quiet solar corona indicates that the majority of line intensities originating in low-lying levels are consistent with isothermal plasma of ~1.3 × 106 K. Nevertheless, a number of line intensities and, in particular, those belonging to ions that are typical of higher temperatures are brighter than expected. We show in this paper that the excess brightness of the hotter lines may be satisfactorily accounted for by a two-Maxwellian electron distribution function. We have calculated the effects on the line intensities and ionization balance under the assumption of both single- and two-Maxwellian electron distribution functions. One Maxwellian is characterized by a temperature of about 110 eV (1.35 × 106 K). The second Maxwellian is assumed to be a high-energy component ranging in temperatures between 150 and 1000 eV, with electron fractions relative to the total electron density that vary from 0.5% to 10%. We found that a good match to the quiet-Sun intensities could be achieved by adding ~5% electrons with a 300-400 eV Maxwellian temperature to the cooler component at 110 eV. We also found that the calculated line intensities become inconsistent with the quiet solar corona measurements if more than 3% of a Te = 500 eV plasma or more than 1% of a Te = 1000 eV plasma is added to the cooler Maxwellian.
OXIDANT-INDUCED ATROGIN-1 AND TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR-β1 PRECEDE ALCOHOL-RELATED MYOPATHY IN RATS

Alcohol-related chronic myopathy is characterized by severe biochemical and structural changes to skeletal muscle. Our goals were to: (1) identify early regulatory elements that precede the overt manifestation of plantaris atrophy; and (2) circumvent these derangements by supplementing alcohol-fed rats with the glutathione precursor, procysteine. After 6 weeks of daily ingestion, before the development of overt atrophy of the plantaris muscle, alcohol increased several markers of oxidative stress and increased gene expressions of atrogin-1 and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) by ~60- and ~65-fold, respectively, which were attenuated by procysteine supplementation. Interestingly, after 28 weeks of alcohol ingestion, when overt plantaris atrophy had developed, atrogin-1 and TGF-β1 gene expression had returned to baseline levels. Together, these findings suggest that alcohol-induced, redox-sensitive alterations drive pro-atrophy signaling pathways that precede muscle atrophy. Therefore, targeted anti-oxidant treatments such as procysteine supplementation may benefit individuals with chronic alcohol abuse, particularly if given prior to the development of clinically significant myopathy.
Grain boundary diffusion of oxygen in a macroperthitic feldspar

Oxygen transport rates along lamellar boundaries in a macroperthitic feldspar have been measured using an ion microprobe. Perthite samples were exchanged hydrothermally with 18O-enriched water at temperatures of 500° to 700°C and at a pressure of 1 kb. Step-scanning traverses along grain boundaries were made with the ion microprobe on surfaces which were cut to show interior faces of the samples. Volume diffusion profiles were determined from step-scanning traverses as well as from depth-profiles. Volume diffusion coefficients for oxygen as determined by step-scanning are given by D0 = 8.0(+290−7.8) × 10−9cm2-sec−1 and Qv= 20 ± 7 kcal-mol−1. As determined by depth-profiling, volume diffusion coefficients are given by D0 = 1.5(+72−1.3) × 10−8cm2-sec−1 and Qv = 26 ± 3 kcal-mol−1. The products of the lamellar boundary diffusion coefficients times the boundary widths, calculated using the volume diffusion coefficients determined by depth-profiling, are given by D0 = 4.7(+240−4.6) × 10−6cm3-sec−1 and Qb = 43 ± 7 kcal-mol−1. The grain boundary diffusion coefficients measured for oxygen (or possibly water) in the perthite are at least 104 times the volume diffusion coefficients. Due to the tightness of the noncoherent lamellar boundary, these data define a lower bound to grain boundary diffusion coefficients for oxygen and perhaps other species in silicates in hydrothermal systems.
Evolving significance of prognostic markers associated with treatment improvement in patients with Stage 4 neuroblastoma

BACKGROUND With recent improvements in the treatment and outcome of patients with neuroblastoma (NB), the authors reassessed the prognostic importance of clinical and biologic markers in patients with Stage 4 NB who were treated at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). METHODS The authors analyzed 84 patients with Stage 4 NB who were treated on the N5, N6, or N7 protocols at MSKCC from 1987 to 1999. The impact on survival of clinical factors (age, serum ferritin, and lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] levels), histopathology (International Neuroblastoma Pathology Classification [INPC]), and tumor biologic markers (MYCN; ploidy; loss of heterozygosity [LOH] at 1p36, 1p22, 11q23, 14q12–q32, 9p21, and 19q13; and gain at 17q) were analyzed in univariate and multivariate models. RESULTS Forty-six of 84 patients were alive at the time of this report (55%), with a median follow-up of 41 months from the time of diagnosis. In the univariate analysis, there was no prognostic impact on survival by age, serum ferritin and LDH levels, MYCN, 1p36 LOH, 14q32 LOH, or 17q gain. LOH at 11q23 was associated significantly with superior progression free survival (P = 0.04) and survival (P = 0.04) in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, it was found that 11q23 status was the most significant variable associated with overall survival (hazard ratio, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.26–0.99). LOH at 11q23 and LOH at 1p22 were highly correlated (P = 0.02). It was found that 11q23 status and INPC score were the most significant variables associated with progression free survival. CONCLUSIONS Because patient survival improves with more effective therapy, traditional prognostic markers, such as age, MYCN amplification, and elevated serum LDH levels, have become less important for patients with Stage 4 NB. In the current study, less common chromosomal abnormalities (LOH at 1p22 and 11q23) appeared to assume new importance. Cancer 2002;94:2756–65. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10548
Q-factor monitoring using asynchronous sampling

Optical signal quality monitoring is an important function for optical transport networks and future all-optical networks. To monitor the optical signal-to-noise ratio and/or waveform distortion transparently with respect to the signal format, data format, and signal bit rate, we describe a new optical signal quality monitoring method that uses asynchronous sampling, which is a sampling technique that does not use timing extraction. The use of high-speed asynchronous sampling and the adjustment of the sampling rate enable simple open eye-diagram monitoring and evaluation of a fixed-timing Q-factor (Q t ) at the maximum eye opening timing phase. This method was experimentally verified using an optical signal quality monitoring circuit. We obtained a good relationship between the measured Q t and Q (which is a Q-factor calculated from the bit error rate (BER)), indicating that the BER was estimated by the measured Q t with good accuracy. Moreover, as an easier method, we also introduce an average Q-factor (Q avg ) evaluation method, which measures the Q avg value from an asynchronous eye-diagram (timing drifted eye-diagram). This method is useful when the sampling rate is low or when adjusting the sampling rate is difficult, although a correction procedure for converting from Q avg to Q is needed. Standardization of our optical signal quality monitoring technology is in progress in the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission).
Fire science for rainforests

Forest fires are growing in size and frequency across the tropics. Continually eroding fragmented forest edges, they are unintended ecological disturbances that transcend deforestation to degrade vast regions of standing forest, diminishing ecosystem services and the economic potential of these natural resources. Affecting the health of millions, net forest fire emissions may have released carbon equivalent to 41% of worldwide fossil fuel use in 1997-98. Episodically more severe during El Nino events, pan-tropical forest fires will increase as more damaged, less fire-resistant, forests cover the landscape. Here I discuss the current state of tropical fire science and make recommendations for advancement.
Synthesis of (±)-Norargemonine

(±)-Norargemonine was synthesized in good yield by a multiple-step process. The procedure involved Bischler-Napieralski ring closure of N-4-benzyloxy-3-methoxy-phenethyl-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)acetamide, reduction of the ensuing 3,4-dihydro base to the tetrahydro form, and dehydrogenation of the latter to yield the isoquinoline which, however, had been debenzylated during dehydrogenation. Rebenzylation of the phenol, conversion to the methiodide, reduction to the corresponding N-methyl-1,2-dihydro base, and acid catalyzed cyclization accompanied by simultaneous debenzylation afforded (±)-norargemonine to complete the synthesis.
David Kupfer and the Metabolism Connection: On Aromatase Inhibitors and Tamoxifen

This tribute to Dr. David Kupfer describes his contributions to understanding the actions and interactions of tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors through their metabolites and their role in breast cancer treatment and prevention.
Screening, prevention and management of osteoporosis and bone loss in adult and pediatric hematopoietic cell transplant recipients

Long-term survivors of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are at risk for loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and subsequent osteoporosis. There is a lack of clear guidelines for the screening, prevention and treatment of bone loss after HCT. We reviewed the prevailing literature and provide guidelines developed by our center for the screening and management of this complication. Bone loss occurs predominantly within the first 6–12 months after autologous and allogeneic HCT. Recovery first occurs in the lumbar spine and is followed by a slower recovery of BMD in the femoral neck. BMD may not return to baseline levels in patients with continuing exposure to corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors. All HCT recipients should be advised general interventions to reduce fracture risk including adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D. We recommend screening all adult allogeneic and autologous HCT recipients with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry 1 year after transplantation. Patients at high risk for bone loss (for example, patients receiving ⩾5 mg of prednisone equivalent daily for >3 months) can be screened earlier (for example, 3–6 months after HCT). Where indicated, bisphosphonates or other anti-resorptive agents (for example, calcitonin) can be used for prevention or treatment of osteoporosis in adult HCT recipients. Pediatric HCT recipients should be referred to a pediatric endocrinologist for evaluation and treatment of bone loss. There remain several areas of uncertainty that need further research in adult and pediatric HCT recipients, such as the optimal timing and frequency of screening for loss of bone mineral density, relationship of bone loss with risk of fractures, selection of appropriate patients for pharmacologic therapy, and optimal dosing schedule and duration of therapy with anti-resorptive agents.
Optical Elements For Soft X Rays

X-rays present designers of optics with unfamiliar problems which are currently being solved in novel ways. Multilayer diffractors are an important new class of x-ray optics. Their advantages and limitations are discussed and a rational method for their design is presented.
No Need to Coax Monocytes

Macrophages are among the immune system's most important line of innate defense. They engulf and kill microorganisms and secrete factors that afford them key roles in tissue repair and remodeling. Macrophages are found in all resting tissues at low amounts; local demand dictates that their numbers increase in response to inflammatory signals. In many chronic diseases including heart disease, asthma, and cancer, inflammation overstays its welcome and drives disease. In many of these scenarios, accumulated macrophages are unwanted, and suppressing this build-up has therapeutic potential. Monocytes that circulate in the bloodstream are recruited to inflamed tissues and give rise to macrophages, and therapies to control inflammation often focus on interrupting this recruitment. However, on page 1284 of this issue, Jenkins et al. ( 1 ) reveal that the accumulation of certain macrophages—called M2 macrophages or alternatively activated macrophages (AAMs)—occurs not through coaxing their precursors from the bloodstream, but by local proliferation of macrophages (see the figure).
Evaluating proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome in patients with venous thromboembolism.

Abstract: Introduction Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a well-known complication of nephrotic syndrome (NS). Proteinuria, a marker of chronic kidney disease, discovered at the time of VTE, may be the first presentation in patients with occult chronic kidney disease and/or NS. Methods Electronic medical records at a community teaching hospital were retrospectively reviewed to measure the percentage of patients with acute VTE who had a urinalysis (UA) and/or an evaluation of 24-hour urine protein collection or urine protein to creatinine ratio. Thromboembolic events were defined as acute deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism. NS was defined as ≥ 3.5 g proteinuria in 24 hours or by urine protein to creatinine ratio exceeding 3.5. Results UA was done in 198 patients (63%) on the same admission for VTE and in 83 patients (26%) at a later date. Proteinuria, on routine UA, was identified in 154 (54%) patients. However, only 29 of 154 patients (19%) with proteinuria on UA had a formal evaluation of urine protein excretion, either by 24-hour collection or by spot protein to creatinine ratio. Eight of these 29 patients (28%) had NS. Conclusions Patients suffering from VTE may have proteinuria if not frank NS. The UA should be part of the routine evaluation of a patient with VTE given the unexpectedly high prevalence of proteinuria and even NS in this cohort.
Modelling of external quantum efficiency spectra as a function of varying P3OT thickness in P3OT-C 60 polymer photovoltaic devices

In this paper we present a study of thermally interdiffused poly (3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) - C 60 photovoltaic devices of varying polymer and fullerene layer thicknesses. It is found that overall device performance and external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) in the wavelength region of peak absorption are enhanced for thinner polymer as well as thinner fullerene layers. We present a simple, first level model for EQE curves that accounts for the effects of absorption throughout the film. The model considers 3 distinct regions; pure donor, interdiffused donor and acceptor, and pure acceptor. It is found that this model reproduces quite effectively the experimentally observed shapes and relative magnitudes for varying donor thickness when compared with a similar experimental study. It also reproduces the shapes of the EQE curves but is not as effective in reproducing the relative magnitudes for varying fullerene thickness devices.
Shape analysis of pulsed second sound in He II

We have observed second sound in He II using a heat pulse method. At temperatures where well-developed second sound is observed, the entire pulse shape can be understood if heat sources and geometrical effects are properly taken into account.
Computing Color Transforms with Applications to Image Editing

In this paper, we present a unified approach for the problem of computing color transforms, applications of which include shadow removal and object recoloring. We propose two algorithms for transforming colors. In the first algorithm, the detection of source and target regions is performed using a Bayesian classifier. Given these regions, the computed transform alters the color properties of the target region so as to closely resemble those of the source region. The proposed probabilistic formulation leads to a linear program (similar to the classic Transportation Problem), which computes the desired transformation between the target and source distributions. In the second algorithm, the detection and transformation steps are united into a single unified approach; furthermore, the continuity of the transformation arises more intrinsically within this algorithm. Both formulations allow the target region to acquire the properties of the source region, while at the same time retaining its own look and feel. Promising results are shown for a variety of applications.
Pten, a protean tumor suppressor.

The molecular biology of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene is as multifaceted as the range of sporadic human malignancies in which it has been implicated. Multiple mechanisms can inactivate PTEN in glioblastoma, melanoma, and carcinomas of the thyroid, breast, prostate, endometrium, and ovary. Initial impressions, based on mutational analysis alone, that ovarian cancer PTEN inactivation is infrequent bear revision in light of a 27% frequency of lost PTEN protein expression reported by Kurose and colleagues in this issue of The American Journal of Pathology. 1 Only 8% of PTEN protein nonexpressing ovarian adenocarcinomas are explained by combined allelic imbalance (loss of heterozygosity) and mutation, suggesting that transcriptional silencing by epigenetic mechanisms may be yet an additional means of modifying PTEN activity. Although they show for ovarian carcinoma that PTEN function can be delimited by an identifiable and consistent repertoire of downstream effectors, such as the Akt pathway, the consequences of PTEN inactivation are nonuniform in different tissues. Thus, in the endometrium PTEN acts as a gatekeeper for initiation of carcinogenesis, yet in prostate cancer and melanoma it defines a much later event, metastasis. Tissue context determines the molecular events that inactivate PTEN and heavily modify the resultant phenotype.
The role of pendant bases in molecular catalysts for H2 oxidation and production

Abstract The paper presents a review of recent studies of complexes of Ni(II) and Fe(II) coordinated by diphosphine ligands with amine bases incorporated into the ligand chelate rings. The role of the bases in the second coordination sphere in mediating rapid intramolecular M–H/N–H exchange as well as intermolecular exchange with protons and in promoting the coupling of proton- and electron-transfer processes has been studied. Factors that favor efficient proton relay properties for the pendant amines have been established and the information has been used to develop efficient electrocatalysts for both hydrogen oxidation and production.
Alteration in sphingolipid metabolism: bioassays for fumonisin- and ISP-I-like activity in tissues, cells and other matrices.

The first discovered naturally occurring inhibitor of de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis was fumonisin B1. There are now 11 identified fungal inhibitors of ceramide synthase or ‘fumonisin B1-like’ compounds. With the exception of the australifungins, all other fungal ceramide synthase inhibitors are structurally sphingoid-like. There are several recently discovered fungal inhibitors of another enzyme in the de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis pathway: serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT). One of the SPT inhibitors is named ISP-I. While ceramide synthase inhibitors are toxic to animals, plants and fungi, the SPT inhibitors are not known to cause animal or plant disease, but are potent inhibitors of fungal growth. Very little is known about their toxicity in animals. There are at least 24 fungal SPT inhibitors produced by a variety of fungi. Given that the fungal inhibitors of sphingolipid biosynthesis are chemically and biologically diverse, two bioassays have been developed to screen for fumonisin-like or ISP-I-like activity in naturally contaminated products or fungal culture materials. These bioassays are based on the changes in free sphingoid base concentration that occur when the ceramide synthase or SPT are inhibited. The bioassays have the advantage that they are functionally rather than chemically specific and thus will detect ceramide synthase and SPT inhibitors regardless of their chemical structure. Published in 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Numerical validation of a hybrid finite element method using eigenstrain

Abstract A hybrid finite element method that uses eigenstrain to model material discontinuities is evaluated numerically by comparing results to a conventional finite element analysis for several representative problems. The hybrid method is briefly reviewed and generalized to include polynomial eigenstrain. The computational effort required for the hybrid and conventional methods is reviewed. Numerical results are presented and discussed. The effect of initial mesh refinement and order of the eigenstrain polynomial for the hybrid method are examined.
An approach to rescheduling activities based on determination of priority and disruptivity

A constraint-based scheduling system called SPIKE is being used to create long term schedules for the Hubble Space Telescope. Feedback for the spacecraft or from other ground support systems may invalidate some scheduling decisions and those activities concerned must be reconsidered. A function rescheduling priority is defined which for a given activity performs a heuristic analysis and produces a relative numerical value which is used to rank all such entities in the order that they should be rescheduled. A function disruptivity is also defined that is used to place a relative numeric value on how much a pre-existing schedule would be changed in order to reschedule an activity. Using these functions, two algorithms (a stochastic neural network approach and an exhaustive search approach) are proposed to find the best place to reschedule an activity. Prototypes were implemented and preliminary testing reveals that the exhaustive technique produces only marginally better results at much greater computational cost.
Subharmonics analysis of nonlinear flexural vibrations of piezoelectrically actuated microcantilevers

Using the method of multiple scales, an extensive frequency response and subharmonic resonance analysis of the equations of motion governing the nonlinear flexural vibrations of piezoelectrically actuated microcantilevers is performed. Such comprehensive understanding of the nonlinear response and subharmonics analysis of these microcantilevers is, indeed, justified by the applications of piezoelectrically actuated microcantilevers that are increasingly becoming popular in many science and engineering areas including scanning force microscopy, biosensors, and microactuators. Along this line, the method of multiple scales is used to derive the 2× and 3× subharmonic resonances appearing in nonlinear flexural vibrations of a piezoelectrically actuated microcantilever. An experimental examination is performed in order to verify the analytical results. The analytical and experimental results yield the same system response for the fundamental frequency. In addition, the experimental results demonstrate the presence of subharmonic resonances that are supported by numerical simulations of the equations of motion. The experimental mode shapes of these subharmonic frequencies are also measured and compared with fundamental frequency.
Empirical interatomic potential for silicon with improved elastic properties.

An alternative parametrization is given for a previous empirical interatomic potential for silicon. The new potential is designed to more accurately reproduce the elastic properties of silicon, which were poorly described in the earlier potential. The properties of liquid Si are also improved, but energies of surfaces are less accurate. Detailed tests of the new potential are described.
Remarriage after divorce: recent changes and demographic variations.

Using data from US Bureau of the Census publications from the decennial censuses and the Bureaus Current Population Reports the authors analyze remarriage in the US. Among adults who had ended their 1st marriage in divorce about 3/4 of the elderly men and 2/3 of the elderly women in both 1970 and 1980 were found to be remarried. However the general decline in remarriage at the younger ages during the 1970s was accentuated among those under 35 years old. Although the proportion remarried among women with graduate school training was the smallest that proportion declined less during the 1970s than for women in any other educational level. In both 1970 and 1980 the proportion remarried was positively correlated with personal income for men but negatively for women. An estimated 2/3 of those who end their 1st marriage in divorce will eventually remarry while they have young children living with them. During the lifetime of women in their 2nd marriage after their 1st marriage ended in divorce only 1/3 of their children are born after remarriage whereas 2/3 are born before their 2nd marriages. During the 1970s the proportion of currently divorced adults living alone or sharing the homes of relatives diminished while the proportion living as cohabitants outside marriage rose substantially. It appears as if both the divorce rate and the remarriage rate are approaching a period of relative stability. (authors)
Resonant self-focusing of laser light in a plasma

When laser light containing two frequencies ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}$ and ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{2}$ impinges on a plasma with ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{p}={\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{2}$ plasma waves are resonantly excited. The ponderomotive force of these waves is much larger than that of the beam, and the self-focusing effect is greatly enhanced. With use of C${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ laser light of only 5 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{9}$ W/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ intensity and a plasma at 0.6% of critical density ${n}_{c}$, this effect is observed as a strong (${10}^{5}$-fold) enhancement of refracted light at $\ensuremath{\theta}=5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ensuremath{-}12\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ when the density is at the resonant value.