cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elevated circulating concentrations of platelet activating factor in preeclampsia.

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether any association exists between preeclampsia and circulating platelet activating factor levels. Study Design: We performed a cross-sectional observational study of circulating platelet activating factor concentrations in nonpregnant women, normotensive pregnant women in the third trimester, women with preeclampsia in the third trimester, and normotensive men. Platelet activating factor concentrations were measured with a commercially available platelet activating factor–specific radioimmunoassay (NEN Life Science Products, Inc, Boston, Mass). The primary outcome measure was the difference in mean platelet activating factor concentrations among the 4 study groups. Preeclampsia was determined according to the criteria of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Data were analyzed with the Student t test, the χ2 test, the Fisher exact test, analysis of variance, and the Tukey test for pairwise multiple comparisons, with significance established at P
The course of the heroin withdrawal syndrome in newborn infants treated with phenobarbital or chlorpromazine.

Clinical observations were made on 38 newborn infants with symptoms due to heroin withdrawal. There were no deaths; serious morbidity was confined to low birth weight and diarrhea. In a study of the relative efficacy of phenobarbital and chlorpromazine in the treatment of the syndrome, 30 infants became asymptomatic within 4 days; 2 of 19 patients treated with phenobarbital and 6 of 19 receiving chlorpromazine remained mildly symptomatic for longer periods, but no definite superiority could be attributed to either drug on the basis of this trial.
Does concomitant meniscectomy or meniscal repair affect the recovery of quadriceps function post-ACL reconstruction?

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of concomitant meniscal surgery on the recovery of quadriceps activation and strength at a time when individuals return to sport following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Forty-six individuals that were cleared for participation following ACL reconstruction were invited to participate in this study. Participants were placed into groups according to surgical reports (ACL-only, n = 24; meniscal repair, n = 12; meniscectomy, n = 10). Quadriceps strength was quantified using isokinetic and isometric measures. Isokinetic strength was collected at 60°/s in concentric mode. Isometric strength was collected at 90° of knee flexion. Quadriceps activation was assessed using the burst superimposition technique and quantified via the central activation ratio. One-way ANOVAs were utilized to detect whether differences existed in quadriceps activation and strength between groups. Where appropriate, post hoc Bonferroni multiple comparison procedures were used. Quadriceps activation (P = n.s.) and strength (isokinetic: P = n.s.; isometric: P = n.s.) were not different between groups. Concomitant meniscectomy or meniscal repair did not affect the recovery of quadriceps activation and strength at a time when individuals return to sport following ACL reconstruction. Though group differences in quadriceps function were not detected, all participants demonstrated levels of quadriceps activation failure that are below healthy individuals at a time when they were returned to sport. Given that persistent quadriceps activation failure is detrimental to knee function, rehabilitation protocols that target quadriceps activation failure should be developed and employed post-reconstruction. III.
Specification and Patterning of Neural Crest Cells During Craniofacial Development

Craniofacial evolution is considered fundamental to the origin of vertebrates and central to this process was the formation of a migratory, multipotent cell population known as the neural crest. The number of cell types that arise from the neural crest is truly astonishing as is the number of tissues and organs to which the neural crest contributes. In addition to forming melanocytes as well as many neurons and glia in the peripheral nervous system, neural crest cells also contribute much of the cartilage, bone and connective tissue of the face. These multipotent migrating cells are capable of self renewing decisions and based upon these criteria are often considered stem cells or stem cell-like. Rapid advances in our understanding of neural crest cell patterning continue to shape our appreciation of the evolution of neural crest cells and their impact on vertebrate craniofacial morphogenesis.
The effect of impulse blockage on cytochrome oxidase activity in the cat visual system.

Our previous studies have indicated that sensory deprivation in the developing and mature nervous system could bring about an adjustment in oxidative metabolism of neurons demonstrable by cytochrome oxidase (C.O.) histochemistry45,46,49. Since sensory deprivation potentially involves changes in several parameters, such as natural stimuli, action potentials and axoplasmic transport, we wished to know if the cessation of primary afferent impulses could produce enzymatic adjustment in the postsynaptic neurons. Tetrodotoxin (TTX), in a dosage determined by Stryker (personal communication) to block action potentials without blocking axoplasmic transport, was injected intravitreally into one eye of 10 adult cats every 3 days for total periods of 1, 2, 4, 5.5 or 6 weeks respectively. After perfusion, the brains were processed for C.O. histochemistry. The results indicated that: (1) a decreased level of C.O. activity was observed in the lateral geniculate (LGN) laminae innervated by the injected eye as well as in area 17 of all animals; (2) changes were discernible after 1 week, which was the earliest time examined, but became progressively more prominent up to 6 weeks; (3) within the LGN, the ipsilateral lamina A1 consistently appeared more severely affected than the contralateral lamina A; (4) the monocular segment of the affected lamina A exhibited a high level of enzyme activity, indicating that its oxidative metabolism might be sustained by other factor(s) or synaptic activity; (5) within the binocular representation of the striate cortex, a banding pattern of high and low C.O. activity in lamina IV became progressively more prominent with longer survivals. In cats subjected to 4 weeks of TTX treatment and 6 weeks of recovery, the enzymatic levels in the affected LGN and cortical laminae were comparable to that of the normal. This indicated that the dosage used apparently did not damage the neural pathways. Thus, impulse blockage can cause a decrease in the level of cytochrome oxidase activity in the affected postsynaptic neurons, and the maintenance of functional and enzymatic integrity of postsynaptic neurons in the adult is dependent upon viable presynaptic impulse conduction.
Richard Wright’s The Color Curtain : Paths for Intercultural Dialogue

The Color Curtain is divided into five sections: “Bandung: Beyond Left and Right,” “Race and Religion at Bandung,” “Communism at Bandung,” “Racial Shame at Bandung,” and “The Western World at Bandung.” In each section Wright records either the interviews he conducted or the speeches he heard and reacts to each accordingly. Race and religion are the major themes of the book because they, more than politics, were major issues addressed at the conference. Traveling in Spain and the Gold Coast convinced Wright that there were so many more exciting and interesting things happening in the world. By 1955 the “problem” of the American Negro, which Wright called “child’s play compared to the naked tensions gripping Asia and Africa” (Wright 1995, CC 178), no longer preoccupied his thoughts. In fact Wright’s interest in the Third World had now replaced his concern for the race problem in his native land. It was only natural, then, that Wright reacted enthusiastically when learning about the Bandung conference, a meeting of non-Western nations to discuss, among other things, the social, economic, political, and cultural problems the countries had in common. The kind of meeting “no anthropologist, no sociologist, no political scientist would ever have dreamed of staging” (CC 13), Bandung was the first of its kind and represented for Wright a forum in which third world leaders could come together and debate some of the major issues that had interested him since his discussions with Sartre, de Beauvoir, and members of Presence Africaine almost 10 years earlier. In the opening pages of The Color Curtain Wright can hardly contain his enthusiasm after reading about the conference in an evening newspaper:
Mechanism and rate constants for the reactions of hydrogen atoms with isobutene at high temperatures

Hydrogen atoms from the thermal decomposition of 2,3,3 trimethylbutanol-2 have been used to induce the decomposition of isobutene in single pulse shock tube experiments. We have been able to observe products arising from all of the high, temperature reaction channels for hydrogen attack on isobutene. The following rate expressions have been determined. k (H+isobutenepropylene+CH 3 )=1.72×10 10 Exp(−1808/T) 1/mol-s and k (H+isobutener-methyl-2-allyl+H 2 )=1.72×10 11 Exp(−4024/T) 1/mol-s in the temperature range of 1000–1180 K and at 2.5–3 atmospheres pressure. The rate constants for the abstraction of vinylic hydrogens are not more than 8% of that for abstraction of the allylic hydrogens. Comparisons are made with rate constants of similar processes involving branched aromatics and lower temperature results on isobutene. Interesting correlations are observed and lead to the possibility of estimating rate expressions for reactions involving other olefins.
Determination Of The Barriers To Internal Rotation Of Some Molecules With Two C 3v Rotors By Far Infrared Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy

Many molecules with two internal C3v rotors have been shown to have "rich" far infrared spectra. Barriers calculated in early studies used approximation methods derived from theoretical work done in the field of microwave spectroscopy. At most, only two Fourier coefficients of the potential function could be determined which allowed interpretation and assignment of only a few of the usually large number of spectral features found in the far infrared region. It is apparent that this approach of treating the semi-rigid model, based on the use of tabulated perturbation sums, is not at all sufficient to explain the commonly very "rich" torsional far infrared spectra. These early methods were not capable of extracting all of the information about the potential functions of these molecules. In a recent series of papers, we have demonstrated how far infrared interferometry and laser Raman spectroscopy may be combined with modern computing techniques to determine three or more Fourier coefficients of the potential function in two variables and to interpret most or all of the features observed in the far infrared spectral region of such two-top molecules. We have recorded the far infrared spectra of dimethylsulfide, dimethylselenide, 1-chloro-2-methylpropene, cis-dimethyloxirane, and trans-dimethyloxirane on a far infrared interferometer at a resolution of 0.25 cm-1. A large amount of torsional data have been obtained and the observed transitions have been assigned on the basis of the semi-rigid model. The barriers to internal rotation have been calculated and, for several of the molecules, both the cosine-cosine and sine-sine coupling terms have been obtained.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Letter to the Editor regarding the manuscript entitled: "Prevalence of occult gynecologic malignancy at the time of risk reducing and nonprophylactic surgery in patients with Lynch syndrome" by Lachiewicz et al. (Gynecol Oncol. 2014; 132: 434-437).

Dear Dr. Karlan, I was interested to read the article by Lachiewicz and colleagues that appeared in a recent issue of Gynecologic Oncology (Lachiewicz et al., 2014). The authors conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with Lynch syndrome who had undergone surgery (hysterectomy and/or bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy); their purpose was to determine the prevalence of occult malignancy found during operative management of these patients. The study revealed that occult malignancy was found in 17% of Lynch syndrome patients who had undergone surgery for prophylactic indications, and in 26% of Lynch syndrome patients who had undergone surgery for any indication. Lachiewicz and colleagues state that theirs was the first study to describe the prevalence of occult malignancy at the time of risk reducing or nonprophylactic surgery in Lynch syndrome. However, our group published similar findings (Karamurzin et al., 2013) before Lachiewicz's article was submitted for publication in Gynecologic Oncology. Like Lachiewicz's work, ours was focused on determining the prevalence of carcinoma and atypical hyperplasia at the time of risk reducing surgery for Lynch syndrome. Our results were similar to those described by Lachiewicz et al.: in Lynch syndrome patients who underwent hysterectomy/bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, incidental endometrial carcinoma and/or endometrial hyperplasia was found in 24% of cases, and ovarian carcinoma in 4%. Other groups have published on this topic as well, e.g., Schmeler et al. in 2006 (Schmeler et al., 2006), as noted by Lachiewicz.
Towards a Definition of the Iconography of Sabazius

volume of the Etudes priliminaires aux religions orientales dans l'empire romain, it has become almost painfully evident to me that there exists no generally accepted standard for the recognition of this god in art, and that the most extremely variable iconographic types have in the course of the last fifty or so years been taken as representing this divinity, sometimes with little or no apparent justification. It seems to me therefore an indispensable preliminary step, if we are ever to construct a meaningful corpus of this material, to determine rather rigorously what is to be included and what excluded. We must try to determine what kind of a representation the artisan would have used the word "Sabazius" for when he was making it, and the average ancient observer would have designated "Sabazius" when he saw it.
Failure to normalize the dexamethasone suppression test: Association with length of illness

It is well-documented that a subgroup of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have a state-dependent alteration of their hypothalamopituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, most consistently demonstrated by nonsuppression of plasma cortisol following the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) (Carroll et al. 1981). Although the sensitivity and specificity of this test vary considerably, recent studies of the nonsuppressor subgroup indicate that the test might have prognostic importance. Some investigators (Greden et al. 1980, 1983; Albala et al. 1981; Holsboer et al. 1982, 1983) have shown that conversion to a normal DST (suppression) in this subgroup of patients is associated with a favorable clinical response. As part of a longitudinal investigation of monoamine receptor and neuroendocrine regulation in patients with MDD, we examined the DST results pre and post treatment. We report our results in an attempt to characterize those patients who manifest nonsuppression prior to treatment and either
Cyanobacteria blooms: Maya peoples between the politics of risk and the threat of disaster.

In October of 2009 an outbreak of cyanobacteria in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala gained international attention and global news coverage with interests coming from environmentalists, microbiologists, and local health agencies. A significantly less well-known aspect of the crisis was the perceptions and predicaments of Maya (indigenous) peoples for whom the lake is the primary source of life and livelihood. This research examines the communication of the public health risk of cyanobacteria to Maya peoples. Using an “ethnography of risk communication” approach, this work traces the circulation of the science of cyanobacteria and the construction of risk from government and public health translations through media transmissions to local Maya interpretations. The findings demonstrate how government and institutional translations (and media transmissions) of the science of cyanobacteria not only unwittingly produced misunderstandings about the health dangers but indirectly associated blame for the outbreak with indi...
A practical method of bleaching tetracycline-stained teeth

Abstract This study has demonstrated that a good esthetic result can be achieved by bleaching tetracycline-stained teeth. Bleaching was accomplished by heating 35 per cent hydrogen peroxide to approximately 120° F. for 20 minutes. This bleaching procedure, which involves much less time and expense than does veneer crown prosthesis, is more readily accepted by patients. The happiness and emotional improvement demonstrated by the patients have been rewarding.
The BeLPT: algorithms and implications.

Background The beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT) is used to identify persons with beryllium sensitization. The variability of laboratory results and lack of a “gold standard” have led to questions about the test's performance. Fortunately, a recently published study has credibly estimated standard epidemiologic parameters for the BeLPT. Methods Information from this recent study was used to assess the performance of two common algorithms for BeLPT testing. Standard epidemiologic parameters were determined for two common algorithms and then compared. Results One of the two algorithms was more sensitive than the other (86% vs. 66%). The specificity of both algorithms (99.8% or greater) was high. At an estimated 2% prevalence, the positive predictive value of both algorithms for beryllium sensitization remained high (90% or higher). Conclusions A priori characterization of the testing algorithm under consideration can enhance public health decision-making. Am. J. Ind. Med. 49:36–44, 2006. © Published 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A high incidence of mitotic chiasmata in endoreduplicated Bloom's syndrome cells

The frequency of mitotic chiasmata is compared in endoreduplicated and non-endoreduplicated Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts and in endoreduplicated Fanconi's anemia lymphocytes. The incidence of mitotic chiasmata in BS diplochromosomes is greatly increased over that in diploid BS cells and is much higher than in FA or normal diplochromosomes. The distribution of chiasmata among the BS diplochromosomes is not significantly different from that expected if crossing-over occurs at random along the chromosomes. This is in contrast to the distribution of chiasmata in chromosomes of diploid BS cells which is highly non-random among chromosomes and chromosome regions (Kuhn 1976). Mitotic crossing-over is increased in endoreduplicated cells from all sources compared to diploid cells, but the incidence is highest in endoreduplicated BS cells. This provides evidence against the idea that the high rate of mitotic crossing-over in diploid BS lymphocytes is primarily due to an increase in chromosome pairing. BS chromosomes apparently have a greater tendency to undergo mitotic exchange than normal or FA cells, both in diplo-chromosomes and in accidentally paired homologous segments in diploid cells.
An Analysis of the Entropy of Thermally Activated Dislocation Motion Based on the Theory of Thermoelasticity

An analysis is made of the entropy of thermally activated dislocation motion using the continuum theory of thermoelasticity. A relation for the activation entropy, which is valid for non-linear, anisotropic elastic solids is derived. The activation entropy is expressed in terms of the general stress state in the solid and is found to be linear in the first temperature derivative of the elastic compliances, a relation often applied to the special case of linear, isotropic elasticity, but not previously derived for the more general case treated here. It is shown that, under the special conditions where pure shear or pure hydrostatic stress states are associated with both the initial and activated states, the present result can be reduced to the one often found in the past for the case of linear isotropic elasticity. However, these special conditions are never satisfied either in the thermally activated motion of dislocations or in diffusion. This suggests that the previous result is not applicable to these situations. Mit der Kontinuumstheorie der Thermoelastizitat wird eine Analyse der Entropie der thermisch aktivierten Versetzungsbewegung durchgefuhrt. Eine Beziehung fur die Aktivierungsentropie, die fur nichtlineare, anisotrope, elastische Festkorper gultig ist, wird abgeleitet. Die Aktivierungsentropie wird durch den allgemeinen Spannungszustand im Festkorper ausgedruckt, und es wird gefunden, das sie linear in der ersten Temperaturableitung der Elastizitatskoeffizienten ist, eine Beziehung, die oft auf den speziellen Fall der linearen, isotropen Elastizitat angewendet wird, jedoch bisher nicht fur den hier behandelten allgemeineren Fall abgeleitet wurde. Es wird gezeigt, das unter den speziellen Bedingungen, in denen reine Scher- oder reine hydrostatische Spannungszustande sowohl mit den Ursprungs- als auch mit den aktivierten Zustanden assoziiert sind, die angegebenen Ergebnisse sich auf diejenigen reduzieren lassen, die in der Vergangenheit oft fur den Fall der linearen, isotropen Elastizitat gefunden wurden. Jedoch sind diese speziellen Bedingungen niemals erfullt, weder bei der thermisch aktivierten Bewegung von Versetzungen noch bei der Diffusion. Dies weist darauf hin, das das fruhere Ergebnis nicht auf diese Situationen anwendbar ist.
European and international monetary systems: Problems and prospects

This article examines the recent exchange rate problems faced by the countries of the European Monetary System and the implications and lessons that might be drawn from this for the future of the international monetary system.
Specific Residues in the 2009 H1N1 Swine-Origin Influenza Matrix Protein Influence Virion Morphology and Efficiency of Viral Spread In Vitro

In April 2009, a novel influenza virus emerged as a result of genetic reassortment between two pre-existing swine strains. This highly contagious H1N1 recombinant (pH1N1) contains the same genomic background as North American triple reassortant (TR) viruses except for the NA and M segments which were acquired from the Eurasian swine lineage. Yet, despite their high degree of genetic similarity, we found the morphology of virions produced by the pH1N1 isolate, A/California/04/09 (ACal-04/09), to be predominantly spherical by immunufluorescence and electron microscopy analysis in human lung and swine kidney epithelial cells, whereas TR strains were observed to be mostly filamentous. In addition, nine clinical pH1N1 samples collected from nasal swab specimens showed similar spherical morphology as the ACal-04/09 strain. Sequence analysis between TR and pH1N1 viruses revealed four amino acid differences in the viral matrix protein (M1), a known determinant of influenza morphology, at positions 30, 142, 207, and 209. To test the role of these amino acids in virus morphology, we rescued mutant pH1N1 viruses in which each of the four M1 residues were replaced with the corresponding TR residue. pH1N1 containing substitutions at positions 30, 207 and 209 exhibited a switch to filamentous morphology, indicating a role for these residues in virion morphology. Substitutions at these residues resulted in lower viral titers, reduced growth kinetics, and small plaque phenotypes compared to wild-type, suggesting a correlation between influenza morphology and efficient cell-to-cell spread in vitro. Furthermore, we observed efficient virus-like particle production from cells expressing wild-type pH1N1 M1, but not M1 containing substitutions at positions 30, 207, and 209, or M1 from other strains. These data suggest a direct role for pH1N1 specific M1 residues in the production and release of spherical progeny, which may contribute to the rapid spread of the pandemic virus.
Prediction of breast biopsy outcome using a likelihood ratio classifier and biopsy cases from two medical centers

Potential malignancy of a mammographic lesion can be assessed using the mathematically optimal likelihood ratio (LR) from signal detection theory. We developed a LR classifier for prediction of breast biopsy outcome of mammographic masses from BI-RADS findings. We used cases from Duke University Medical Center (645 total, 232 malignant) and University of Pennsylvania (496, 200). The LR was trained and tested alternatively on both subsets. Leave-one-out sampling was used when training and testing was performed on the same data set. When tested on the Duke set, the LR achieved a Received Operating Characteristic (ROC) area of 0.91± 0.01, regardless of whether Duke or Pennsylvania set was used for training. The LR achieved a ROC area of 0.85± 0.02 for the Pennsylvania set, again regardless of which set was used for training. When using actual case data for training, the LR's procedure is equivalent to case-based reasoning, and can explain the classifier's decisions in terms of similarity to other cases. These preliminary results suggest that the LR is a robust classifier for prediction of biopsy outcome using biopsy cases from different medical centers.
The biogeochemical consequences of changing ventilation in the Japan/East Sea

Abstract Transient tracer observations in the Japan/East Sea are used in combination with a minimum complexity water mass model to successfully constrain the timing, nature and magnitude of recent changes in its ventilation. The data and model indicate that there has been a nearly 10-fold decrease in deep water formation rates since during the early 1960s, marked by a transition from sea ice/brine-rejection based deep water mass formation to a shallower open ocean convective renewal. The ventilation rates thus computed allow the calculation of the regional scale flux of phosphate from the abyss to the euphotic zone, and hence basin-scale new production. In addition, water column remineralization rates for phosphate and oxygen utilization rates show expected and consistent patterns as a function of depth. The reduction in abyssal ventilation of the Japan/East Sea (JES) during the latter half of the 20th century led to a 2-fold decrease in basin-scale new production. This decrease has significant implications for the strength and resilience of the marine food web in a strategically important marginal sea. The change appears consistent with trends in zooplankton biomass estimates in the western JES, and possibly with changes in the character of fish-catches. Recent observations made by others indicate a significant resurgence of brine-rejection related deep water formation during the winter of 2001, but it remains to be seen whether this will be sustained in the face of global warming trends.
Youth Sexual Exploitation on the Internet: DSM-IV Diagnoses and Gender Differences in Co-occurring Mental Health Issues

This paper explores conventional (non-Internet-related) mental health issues and DSM-IV diagnoses seen among a sample of 512 youth receiving mental health services for an Internet-related problem, with particular attention to victims of online sexual exploitation. Youth victims of online sexual exploitation were more likely to have a post-traumatic stress disorder than youth with other Internet-related problems. Specific attention was given to differences among subgroups of female and male youth victims of online sexual exploitation as compared with same-gender youth with other Internet-related problems. Findings suggest the importance of including Internet use and victimization as part of a standard clinical assessment.
Strain energy density bounds for linear anisotropic elastic materials

Upper and lower bounds are presented for the magnitude of the strain energy density in linear anisotropic elastic materials. One set of bounds is given in terms of the magnitude of the stress field, another in terms of the magnitude of the strain field. Explicit algebraic formulas are given for the bounds in the case of cubic, transversely isotropic, hexagonal and tetragonal symmetry. In the case of orthotropic symmetry the explicit bounds depend upon the solution of a cubic equation, and in the case of the monoclinic and triclinic symmetries, on the solution of sixth order equations.
Toxicity and Field Efficacy of Acetamiprid on Asparagus Beetle

Abstract The asparagus beetle, Crioceris asparagi L., is a major pest of asparagus in the United States. Commercial growers typically apply a foliar insecticide in the spring to kill adults before ...
Breastfeeding: A human rights issue?

George Kent tackles the sensitive issue of breastfeeding from both the infant's and mother's point of view. He traces the human rights discourse over nutrition rights of the last decades and concludes that though it is certainly true that children have the right to the best nutrition possible, it is the mother's right to choose that should determine if a child is breastfed. He suggests it is important to provide the right knowledge and supportive environment to enable a woman to choose what is undoubtedly best for her infant and satisfying for herself as a mother.
A Quantitative Assessment of the Accuracy of Techniques for Calculating Graupel Growth

Abstract The accuracy of various techniques for calculating the collection efficiency, accretional density and terminal velocity of graupel particles is examined, using for verification experimental graupel growth data from Pflaum and Pruppacher. An approach to calculating the collection efficiency is recommended, based on theoretical considerations and supported by the experimental data. Techniques for calculating the density during accretion and the terminal velocities of graupel which grow from frozen drops are developed.
Kinetic Theory of the Interdiffusion Coefficient In Dense Plasmas

Ionic diffusion in dense plasma mixtures has been of interest recently for a number of reasons. In astrophysics, diffusion plays a central role in understanding the distribution of heavy elements in the atmospheres of White Dwarf stars.1 The performance of multi-layer x-ray mirrors should be affected by diffusion, and the evaporation rate of metal “chunks” injected into the fuel of an ICF capsule by hydrodynamic instabilities is controlled by the diffusion coefficient.
Circular-edge spatial frequency response test

A new method for testing the resolution of digital cameras has been developed. The new method is an extension of the ISO 12233 Slanted-edge Spatial Frequency Response test. The new method computes the spatial frequency response along the edge of a circle. It is especially well adapted to inexpensive imaging systems with rotationally symmetric blur and lens distortion. In addition to presenting the new method, a set of practical improvements, which can be applied to both the slanted-edge and circular-edge methods, is described.
Selective and quantitative removal of Pd films from Pt substrates by adsorbed-iodine-catalyzed anodic stripping

It is known that a single chemisorbed layer of iodine catalyzes, at ambient temperatures, the anodic dissolution of palladium in aqueous sulfuric acid solutions. In this paper, we show that this unique type of dissolution can be used for the selective and quantitative anodic stripping of Pd films electrodeposited on Pt substrates. This method can also be used for Pd-coverage determinations, a major advantage if catalysis-induced coverage changes are to be monitored. Experimental measurements were based upon thin-layer electrochemistry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
In vitro responses to a B-lymphoblastoid cell line in immunodeficiency diseases

The use of a B-lymphoblastoid cell line (B-LCL) as a stimulator cell in the mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR) was investigated in patients with immunodeficiency disorders. The kinetics of the MLR stimulated by B-LCL are similar to those stimulated by normal allogeneic leukocytes, however, B-LCL stimulate a greater quantitative response. Comparison of LCL-stimulated and normal allogeneic lymphocyte-stimulated MLR in 32 patients and normal controls demonstrated that variation in the MLR was reduced when B-LCL were used as stimulator cells. The decrease in variability allowed for more sensitivity in the determination of abnormal responses; 9 of 32 patients had abnormal B-LCL-stimulated MLC responses, compared with 5 of 32 patients with abnormal responses to normal allogeneic leukocytes. Dose-response studies showed that vigorous responses could be obtained with low doses of B-LCL stimulator cells which served to better define deficient patient responses. Several patients demonstrated dissociation between the B-LCL-stimulated MLR and mitogen responses. The use of a B-LCL as a stimulator cell in the MLR is a valuable tool for the assessment of the immune status of patients with a variety of immunodeficiency disorders.
EFFECTS OF THE SCALE OF SPATIAL AVERAGING ON THE KINETIC ENERGIES OF SMALL-SCALE TURBULENT MOTION

Abstract The variations of the mean-motion kinetic energy and the eddy kinetic energy with scale of averaging are studied in a laboratory experiment of small-scale turbulence. Velocities and velocity products are spatially averaged for four different scales, and the energy terms are computed for each scale. It is found that, for increasing scale of averaging, there is a percentage decrease of mean-motion kinetic energy and a percentage increase of eddy kinetic energy.
Secondary phi meson peak as an indicator of a QCD phase transition in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions.

In a previous paper, we have shown that a double phi peak structure appears in the dilepton invariant mass spectrum if a first order QCD phase transition occurs in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. Furthermore, the transition temperature can be determined from the transverse momentum distribution of the low mass phi peak. In this work, we extend the study to the case that a smooth crossover occurs in the quark-gluon plasma to the hadronic matter transition. We find that the double phi peak structure still exists in the dilepton spectrum and thus remains a viable signal for the formation of the quark-gluon plasma in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions.
On-line Inspection For Nonwoven Fabrics

An automatic inspector and product data system was developed by Du Pont specifically for the needs of nonwoven fabrics. The system detects defects, classifies them into five categories at high web speeds, and generates roll logs and 24-hour production summaries to assist in production record keeping and improved product flow through the finishing area. Techniques based on multiple feature-extraction and pattern-classification theory permit detection and classification of defects in the presence of product noise.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Outcomes for men with clinically nonmetastatic prostate carcinoma managed with radical prostactectomy, external beam radiotherapy, or expectant management

BACKGROUND With a lack of data from randomized trials, the optimal management of men with nonmetastatic prostate carcinoma is controversial. The authors sought to define the outcomes of three common strategies for managing patients with nonmetastatic prostate carcinoma: expectant management, radiotherapy, and radical prostatectomy. METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study with standardized collection of key prognostic data, including centralized assignment of Gleason grades from original biopsy specimens. Participants included all Connecticut hospitals (the expectant management cohort) and three academic medical centers in other states (the radiotherapy and surgery cohorts). Two thousand three hundred eleven consecutive men ages 55–74 years who were diagnosed during 1971–1984 with nonmetastatic prostate carcinoma and were treated at the participating sites were included. RESULTS Kaplan–Meier estimates with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of overall survival at 10 years for each cohort were as follows: expectant management cohort, 42% of patients (95% CI, 38–46%); radiotherapy cohort, 52% of patients (95% CI, 46–58%); and radical prostatectomy cohort, 69% of patients (95% CI, 67–71%); for disease specific mortality, the estimates were as follows: expectant management cohort, 75% of patients (95% CI, 71–79%); radiotherapy cohort, 67% of patients (95% CI, 61–73%); and radical prostatectomy cohort, 86% of patients (95% CI, 84–88%). There were large differences in distributions of important prognostic factors among men in the different treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS These data provide precise estimates of the outcomes of patients who have been treated with different modalities for nonmetastatic prostate carcinoma in the recent past. Direct comparisons of outcomes between treatment groups are inadvisable because of the different characteristics of patients who select these alternative management strategies. Cancer 2001;91:2302–14. © 2001 American Cancer Society.
New model developed to track magma movement over time

Researchers have developed a model that will improve the study of the movement of magma deep below Earth's surface. The three researchers from the University of Geneva—a volcanologist, a modeling specialist, and a zircon expert—published their findings in a recent issue of Nature.
Dynamic properties of neural networks with adapting synapses

Two kinds of dynamic processes take place in neural networks. One involves the change with time of the activity of each neuron. The other involves the change in strength of the connections (synapses) between neurons. When a neural network is learning or developing, both processes simultaneously take place, and their dynamics interact. This interaction is particularly important in feedback networks. A Lyapunov function is developed to help understand the combined activity and synapse dynamics for a class of such adaptive networks. The methods and viewpoint are illustrated by using them to describe the development of columnar structure of orientation-selective cells in primary visual cortex. Within this model, the columnar structure originates from symmetry breaking in feedback pathways within an area of cortex, rather than feedforward pathways between areas.
Microsatellite markers for population and conservation genetics of tropical trees

We have developed microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR) genetic markers for the tropical tree Pithecellobium elegans (Mimosoideae). The frequency of this class of marker is estimated and the level and distribution of variability at these markers is assessed and contrasted to that found at isozyme markers in the same populations. The results indicate that SSR loci are powerful tools for the analysis of population structure and that, in these populations, they provide a means of accurately examining two important parameters in conservation biology, gene flow and paternity.
Effects of chocolate consumption on enhancing cognitive performance.

Previous research has found that the nutrient content of foods aids in glucose release and increased blood flow. These increases have subsequently been implicated in augmenting cognitive performance. The present study assessed the effects of various chocolate types on cognitive performance, mood, and task workload. In a within-subjects design, participants completed the protocol under four conditions: 85 g milk chocolate (total fat 26 g, saturated fat 18 g, carbohydrates 50 g, fiber 2 g, sugar 44 g, protein 6 g), 85 g dark chocolate (total fat 34 g, saturated fat 20 g, carbohydrates 46 g, fiber 6 g, sugar 34 g, protein 4 g), 85 g carob (total fat 20 g, saturated fat 14 g, carbohydrates 45 g, fiber 11 g, sugar 40 g, protein 11 g), and a non-consumption control condition. After a 15 min digestive period, participants completed a variety of computer-based neuropsychological tests assessing word discrimination, verbal memory, design memory, attention span, reaction time, problem solving, and response variability. Mood and task workload were assessed via the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the NASA-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). Gender and age served as co-variates for the analyses. Composite scores for verbal and visual memory were significantly higher for milk chocolate than the other conditions. Consumption of milk or dark chocolate showed improved impulse control and reaction time. These findings provide support for nutrient release via chocolate consumption to enhance cognitive performance.
We are all angels: acting, reclaiming and moving beyond survivorship

This article aspires to an embodiment of dynamic living versus mere survival. The term cancer survivor, including a survivor who is in remission, has been legitimated (Berger and Luckmann, The social construction of reality, p. 94 1967) by language which creates knowledge of what a cancer survivor is and does. Because we act under descriptions (Hacking, The social construction of what?, p. 103 1999), those of us who have passed through illnesses such as cancer not only have been given the name and the idea of survivor, we have assumed and conform to some or most of the characteristics assigned to it; examples of some of those characteristics are discussed throughout this project. Whether or not we choose to enact all that falls under the grammar of the classification of survivor, we still live with, create, and experience ourselves and others as legitimated by such a classification. The term survivor operates through a number of institutions (medical, capitalism, and media) resulting in individuals’ awareness of such classifications about themselves and others. Many, if not most, who are aware of being classified as survivors may wish to modify or resist the constraining aspects of those classifications and their descriptions. Through layered accounts of interviews and prose, I interact with this term as one who is both caught in and wants to go against the stream of classification and description. I want to transcend what I know, yet I am aware that whatever story I make and tell is a part of the whole—my story is part of two other survivor’s stories which I include in the following telling of my own. All of our stories matter. Still, I want to look beyond what is in front of me, move beyond it, dream. I do so with a desire to tell my story as part of other survivors’ stories.
Extending fuzzy and probabilistic clustering to very large data sets

Approximating clusters in very large (VL=unloadable) data sets has been considered from many angles. The proposed approach has three basic steps: (i) progressive sampling of the VL data, terminated when a sample passes a statistical goodness of fit test; (ii) clustering the sample with a literal (or exact) algorithm; and (iii) non-iterative extension of the literal clusters to the remainder of the data set. Extension accelerates clustering on all (loadable) data sets. More importantly, extension provides feasibility-a way to find (approximate) clusters-for data sets that are too large to be loaded into the primary memory of a single computer. A good generalized sampling and extension scheme should be effective for acceleration and feasibility using any extensible clustering algorithm. A general method for progressive sampling in VL sets of feature vectors is developed, and examples are given that show how to extend the literal fuzzy (c-means) and probabilistic (expectation-maximization) clustering algorithms onto VL data. The fuzzy extension is called the generalized extensible fast fuzzy c-means (geFFCM) algorithm and is illustrated using several experiments with mixtures of five-dimensional normal distributions.
X-ray-induced chromosome aberrations in down lymphocytes: An explanation of their increased sensitivity

Unstimulated lymphocytes from individuals with Down Syndrome (trisomy 21) are more sensitive to the induction of dicentric and ring aberrations by X rays than normal lymphocytes. Several explanations involving the more rapid rejoining of X-ray--induced lesions in Down cells have been offered. It is shown here that the repair of the DNA damage converted into chromosome aberrations is more rapid in Down cells than normal cells. This more rapid repair results in a higher probability of producing chromosomes aberrations, and hence higher aberration frequencies in Down than normal cells.
A structure common to sweet-evoking compounds

It is hypothesized that the property common to all sweetevoking compounds is that of being a proton acceptor. Furthermore, the initial step of this mechanism is suggested as being the removal of protons from gustatory receptor sites.
Vertical Electromagnetic Profiling (VEMP)

A question of great significance is, “What are the properties of the ground?” This is of importance in locating natural resources (such as mineral and oil deposits) and in fundamental studies (such as scientific continental drilling interests). Much prior work has addressed surface and borehole measurements for economically driven natural resource applications. Geophysical measurements to ascertain fundamental properties of the earth have seen less attention. The availability of one or more deep boreholes thus opens new scientific vistas.
Short-wave infrared transfer radiometer for the calibration of the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer

A short-wave infrared (700–2500-nm) radiometer has been designed and built to calibrate and cross calibrate spherical-integrating sources used in the calibration of satellite sensors residing on NASA’s Earth Observing System platforms. We describe the design, predicted and measured performance, and calibration of the transfer radiometer.
Molecular determinants of steroid recognition and catalysis in aldo-keto reductases. Lessons from 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase

Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases (HSDs) regulate the occupancy of steroid hormone receptors by converting active steroid hormones into their cognate inactive metabolites. HSDs belong to either the Short-chain Dehydrogenase/Reductases (SDRs) or the Aldo-Keto Reductases (AKRs). The AKRs include virtually all mammalian 3alpha-HSDs, Type 5 17beta-HSD, ovarian 20alpha-HSDs as well as the steroid 5beta-reductases. Selective inhibitors of 3alpha-HSD isoforms could control occupancy of the androgen and GABA(A) receptors, while broader based AKR inhibitors targeting 3alpha-HSD, 20alpha-HSD and prostaglandin F2alpha synthase could maintain pregnancy. We have determined three X-ray crystal structures of rat liver 3alpha-HSD, a representative AKR. These structures are of the apoenzyme (E), the binary-complex (E.NADP-), and the ternary complex (E.NADP+.testosterone). These structures are being used with site-directed mutagenesis to define the molecular determinants of steroid recognition and catalysis as a first step in rational inhibitor design. A conserved catalytic tetrad (Tyr55, Lys84, His117 and Asp50) participates in a 'proton-relay' in which Tyr55 acts as general acid/base catalyst. Its bifunctionality relies on contributions from His117 and Lys84 which alter the pKb and pKa, respectively of this residue. Point mutation of the tetrad results in different enzymatic activities. H117E mutants display 5beta-reductase activity while Y55F and Y55S mutants retain quinone reductase activity. Our results suggest that different transition states are involved in these reaction mechanisms. The ternary complex structure shows that the mature steroid binding pocket is comprised of ten residues recruited from five loops, and that there is significant movement of a C-terminal loop on binding ligand. Mutagenesis of pocket tryptophans shows that steroid substrates and classes of nonsteroidal inhibitors exhibit different binding modes which may reflect ligand-induced loop movement. Exploitation of these findings using steroidal and nonsteroidal mechanism based inactivators may lead to selective and broad based AKR inhibitors.