cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two Sensitive in Vitro Monitors of Chemical Toxicity to Human and Animal Skin (in Short-Term Organ Culture): I. Paranuclear Vacuolization in glycol Methacrylate Tissue Sections II. Interference with [14C]Leucine Incorporation

AbstractTwo sensitive in vitro tests have been developed to determine the toxicity of chemicals applied to full-thickness skin explants from fresh human surgical specimens and sacrificed guinea pigs and rabbits. Before incubation, dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), sulfur mustard, or resorcinol was topically applied to the exposed top surface of each explant. The explants were then organ-cultured for 24 hr in shallow Petri dishes.Toxicity to skin was assessed by two methods. The first was histologic and morphometric. Paranuclear vacuoles in the basal epidermal cells were counted microscopically in tissue sections prepared from the cultured ex-plants. The number of these vacuoles was found to increase with the toxicant concentration, in the range from low to full toxicity. The DNCB (0.5%) caused fewer vacuoles in guinea pigs than in the other two species. Resorcinol (50%) caused more vacuoles in rabbits than in the other two species. Control skin explants (normal skin and skin exposed only to diluents) contained...
Roles of oxidative stress and antioxidant therapy in chronic kidney disease and hypertension.

Purpose of reviewOxidative stress is frequently associated with, and is partly involved in, the pathogenesis of chronic renal failure, hypertension and their complications. In the past few years, considerable progress has been made in deciphering the impact and the molecular mechanism of oxidative s
Human-Robot Interaction: Issues in the Design of Interfaces for Work in Distant Environments

The goal of technology tends to be to enhance and extend human capabilities. One purpose of robotics is to be able to work in a task environment that is distant from you, often because that distant environment is less safe and/or less accessible than your current environment. HRI must address a number of critical issues in order for human-robot system interfaces to be effective and efficient. The goal of this symposium is to identify selected critical interface issues and to provide conceptual/theoretical, empirical, and applied discussions of the interface-related issues in HRI.
Phosphofructokinase activity of temperature-acclimated crayfish

1. 1. Phosphofructokinase activity was studied on Orconectes virilis acclimated to 5°, 15°, and 25°C, for at least two weeks. 2. 2. No significant differences were observed between the three temperatures of acclimation in enzyme activity at maximum velocity, apparent Km, or effect of 5′AMP. 3. 3. 5′AMP inhibited phosphofructokinase activity at 25°C assay temperature more than at the 5°C assay temperature. 4. 4. At low fructose-6-phosphate levels, few differences in phosphofructokinase activity were observed when measured at different temperatures.
Failure fee under stochastic demand and information asymmetry

Abstract We study a failure fee contract designed by a price-setting newsvendor retailer under information asymmetry. Under the contract, the manufacturer must pay the retailer a failure fee if the sales volume misses a target. We propose and compare two types of failure fee contracts: a brand-by-brand contract and a uniform contract. We find that the retailer prefers one to the other depending on parameters.
ETV5 is required for continuous spermatogenesis in adult mice and may mediate blood–testes barrier function and testicular immune privilege

The transcription factor Ets-variant gene 5 (ETV5) is essential for spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) self-renewal, as the targeted deletion of the Etv5 gene in mice (Etv5(-/-)) results in only the first wave of spermatogenesis. Reciprocal transplants of neonatal germ cells from wild-type (WT) and Etv5(-/-) testes were performed to determine the role of ETV5 in Sertoli cells and germ cells. ETV5 appears to be needed in both cell types for normal spermatogenesis. In addition, Etv5(-/-) recipients displayed increased interstitial inflammation and tubular involution after transplantation. Preliminary studies suggest that the blood-testis barrier (Sertoli-Sertoli tight junctional complex) is abnormal in the Etv5(-/-) mouse.
Effects of tea and chlorophyllin on the mutagenicity of N-hydroxy-IQ: studies of enzyme inhibition, molecular complex formation, and degradation/scavenging of the active metabolites.

Green tea and black tea inhibit the formation of carcinogen-DNA adducts and colonic aberrant crypts in rats given 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4, 5-f]quinoline (IQ), a mutagen from cooked meat. The Salmonella mutagenicity assay was used in the present study to test individual constituents of tea as inhibitors of 2-hydroxyamino-3-methylimidazo[4, 5-f]quinoline (N-hydroxy-IQ), a direct-acting metabolite of IQ. Testing of pure compounds at doses relevant to their levels in tea identified epigallocatechin (EGC) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) as the primary antimutagens. Studies of the inhibitory mechanisms established that the rate of degradation of N-hydroxy-IQ under aqueous conditions was not increased significantly in the presence of tea, in contrast to the results obtained with the complexing agent chlorophyllin (CHL), which rapidly degraded the mutagen. Interaction between N-hydroxy-IQ and several tea constituents was detected in spectrophotometric studies, but the binding constants were only on the order of 1 × 103 M−1, suggesting that mechanisms other than complex formation might prevail under the conditions of the Salmonella assay. Comparison of the results in two different strains of Salmonella typhimurium, TA98 and TA98/1,8-DNP6, indicated that the antimutagenic activity of EGCG was dependent, at least in part, on a functional O-acetyltransferase activity in the bacteria. These studies suggest that tea constituents inhibit the enzyme(s) which generate the aryl nitrenium ion and directly scavenge the reactive electrophile, whereas CHL complexes with heterocyclic amines and facilitates the degradation of active metabolites. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 30:468–474, 1997 © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Propagation properties of 1300-nm light in blood-saline mixtures determined through optical coherence tomography

Establishing when the amount of recorded multiple scattered signal becomes dominant is important for various clinical applications that require optical coherence tomography imaging through a turbid environment such as blood. The profiles of detected signals obtained by compounding coherence tomography images of flowing blood-saline mixtures with various blood concentrations are analyzed. The scattering properties of the studied mixtures influence the corresponding profiles of the recorded signal. Monte Carlo simulations of light propagation through environments with various scattering coefficients are used to support and to explain the experimental data.
An exothermal energy release layer for microchip transience

A single layer nanothermite spin coated gel has been utilized as a solid-state exothermic energy release layer for triggered microchip transience. A proportional combination of self-assembled CuO/Al nanothermite and Napalm-B as gelling agent has been used to develop for the first time a spinable nanothermite film onto the surface of a micro-chip. This layer when ignited instantaneously releases enough heat energy to melt the surface of the underlying substrate and any surface-bound microdevices, electronic feature or any surface deposited component. We observe the effect of thermite enabled destruction prior and post ignition through microscopic imaging and electrical measurements on surface bound components.
On the evaluation of a small molecule mimic of chymotrypsin

Abstract An alternative analysis of a recently published serine protease model suggests a more benign role for its imidazole-carboxylate moiety.
Making use of what you don't see: negative information in Markov localization

This paper explores how the absence of an expected sensor reading can be used to improve Markov localization. This negative information usually is not being used in localization, because it yields less information than positive information (i.e. sensing a landmark), and a sensor often fails to detect a landmark, even if it falls within its sensing range. We address these difficulties by carefully modeling the sensor to avoid false negatives. This can also be thought of as adding an additional sensor that detects the absence of an expected landmark. We show how such modeling is done and how it is integrated into Markov localization. In real world experiments, we demonstrate that a robot is able to localize in positions where otherwise it could not and quantify our findings using the entropy of the particle distribution. Exploiting negative information leads to a greatly improved localization performance and reactivity.
Performance modeling and system management for multi-component online services

Many dynamic-content online services are comprised of multiple interacting components and data partitions distributed across server clusters. Understanding the performance of these services is crucial for efficient system management. This paper presents a profile-driven performance model for cluster-based multi-component online services. Our offline constructed application profiles characterize component resource needs and inter-component communications. With a given component placement strategy, the application profile can be used to predict system throughput and average response time for the online service. Our model differentiates remote invocations from fast-path calls between co-located components and we measure the network delay caused by blocking inter-component communications. Validation with two J2EE-based online applications show that our model can predict application performance with small errors (less than 13% for throughput and less than 14% for the average response time). We also explore how this performance model can be used to assist system management functions for multi-component online services, with case examinations on optimized component placement, capacity planning, and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Human Pol ζ purified with accessory subunits is active in translesion DNA synthesis and complements Pol η in cisplatin bypass.

DNA polymerase ζ (Pol ζ) is a eukaryotic B-family DNA polymerase that specializes in translesion synthesis and is essential for normal embryogenesis. At a minimum, Pol ζ consists of a catalytic subunit Rev3 and an accessory subunit Rev7. Mammalian Rev3 contains >3,000 residues and is twice as large as the yeast homolog. To date, no vertebrate Pol ζ has been purified for biochemical characterization. Here we report purification of a series of human Rev3 deletion constructs expressed in HEK293 cells and identification of a minimally catalytically active human Pol ζ variant. With a tagged form of an active Pol ζ variant, we isolated two additional accessory subunits of human Pol ζ, PolD2 and PolD3. The purified four-subunit Pol ζ4 (Rev3–Rev7–PolD2–PolD3) is much more efficient and more processive at bypassing a 1,2-intrastrand d(GpG)-cisplatin cross-link than the two-subunit Pol ζ2 (Rev3–Rev7). We show that complete bypass of cisplatin lesions requires Pol η to insert dCTP opposite the 3′ guanine and Pol ζ4 to extend the primers.
S-33 constraints on the seawater sulfate contribution in modern seafloor hydrothermal vent sulfides

Sulfide sulfur in mid-oceanic ridge hydrothermal vents is derived from leaching of basaltic-sulfide and seawater-derived sulfate that is reduced during high temperature water rock interaction. Conventional sulfur isotope studies, however, are inconclusive about the mass-balance between the two sources because 34S/32S ratios of vent fluid H2S and chimney sulfide minerals may reflect not only the mixing ratio but also isotope exchange between sulfate and sulfide. Here, we show that high-precision analysis of S-33 can provide a unique constraint because isotope mixing and isotope exchange result in different Δ33S (≡δ33S–0.515 δ34S) values of up to 0.04‰ even if δ34S values are identical. Detection of such small Δ33S differences is technically feasible by using the SF6 dual-inlet mass-spectrometry protocol that has been improved to achieve a precision as good as 0.006‰ (2σ). Sulfide minerals (marcasite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite) and vent H2S collected from four active seafloor hydrothermal vent sites, East Pacific Rise (EPR) 9–10°N, 13°N, and 21°S and Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) 37°N yield Δ33S values ranging from −0.002 to 0.033 and δ34S from −0.5‰ to 5.3‰. The combined δ34S and Δ33S systematics reveal that 73 to 89% of vent sulfides are derived from leaching from basaltic sulfide and only 11 to 27% from seawater-derived sulfate. Pyrite from EPR 13°N and marcasite from MAR 37°N are in isotope disequilibrium not only in δ34S but also in Δ33S with respect to associated sphalerite and chalcopyrite, suggesting non-equilibrium sulfur isotope exchange between seawater sulfate and sulfide during pyrite precipitation. Seafloor hydrothermal vent sulfides are characterized by low Δ33S values compared with biogenic sulfides, suggesting little or no contribution of sulfide from microbial sulfate reduction into hydrothermal sulfides at sediment-free mid-oceanic ridge systems. We conclude that 33S is an effective new tracer for interplay among seawater, oceanic crust and microbes in subseafloor hydrothermal sulfur cycles.
Relationships between chemical structure and inhibition of ADP-stimulated human thrombocyte release of serotonin and platelet factor 4

The inhibitory potencies of carbamoylpiperidinoalkane and N-alkylnipecotoylpiperazine derivatives on ADP-stimulated human blood platelet aggregation, serotonin (5-HT) release and platelet factor 4 (PF-4) release were evaluated. The procedure was designed to allow concurrent determination of all three sets of values. Most compounds were more than twice as potent in blocking PF-4 (X = 91 ± 1(S.E., n = 1)%) compared to their inhibition of 5-HT (X= 38 ± 1(S.E., n = 6)%) release; the one compound which failed to meet these criteria was still decidedly more powerful in impeding PF-4 than 5-HT release. Since the compounds' platelet aggregation-inhibitory values were within the same range as their 5-HT release-blocking potencies, but had a strikingly greater impact in arresting PF-4 release, it is suggested that the platelet plasma membrane and the lining enveloping the dense bodies may share certain commonalities, while the sheathing encasing the α-granules may differ from both in a tangible manner.
Implications of Adhesion Studies for Dust Mitigation on Thermal Control Surfaces

Experiments measuring the adhesion forces under ultrahigh vacuum conditions (10 (exp -10) torr) between a synthetic volcanic glass and commonly used space exploration materials have recently been described. The glass has a chemistry and surface structure typical of the lunar regolith. It was found that Van der Waals forces between the glass and common spacecraft materials was negligible. Charge transfer between the materials was induced by mechanically striking the spacecraft material pin against the glass plate. No measurable adhesion occurred when striking the highly conducting materials, however, on striking insulating dielectric materials the adhesion increased dramatically. This indicates that electrostatic forces dominate over Van der Waals forces under these conditions. The presence of small amounts of surface contaminants was found to lower adhesive forces by at least two orders of magnitude, and perhaps more. Both particle and space exploration material surfaces will be cleaned by the interaction with the solar wind and other energetic processes and stay clean because of the extremely high vacuum (10 (exp -12) torr) so the atomically clean adhesion values are probably the relevant ones for the lunar surface environment. These results are used to interpret the results of dust mitigation technology experiments utilizing textured surfaces, work function matching surfaces and brushing. They have also been used to reinterpret the results of the Apollo 14 Thermal Degradation Samples experiment.
A case of truncus arteriosus communis compatible with full-term pregnancy.

Abstract A case of truncus arteriosus communis is presented which was compatible with a full-term pregnancy and delivery of a normal infant. The infant showed signs of immaturity which were believed to be due to anoxia secondary to a congenital heart disease of the mother. The infant was a normal, healthy, growing child at the time of this writing, and examinations have revealed no evidence of disease. 48
Prevalence of clinically occult cardiomyopathy in chronic alcoholism

Abstract The mean absolute heart weight and mean heart weight to body weight ratio of a group of 43 alcoholics, screened from 1,970 consectuive autopsy reports at the Detroit General Hospital by selecting alcoholics with only ethyl alcohol abuse as an etiology of heart disease, are compared to those of a group of similarly selected age-matched nonalcoholic controls. None of the alcoholics was clinically suspected of having had cardiomyopathy. The statistically significant increased mean absolute heart weight and heart weight to body weight ratio of the alcoholic group reflected the presence of subclinical alcoholic cardiomyopathy. In addition, several of the patients in the alcoholic group displayed gross and microscopic cardiac pathologic changes consistent with alcoholic cardiomyopathy occurring in the absence of cardiomegaly.
Closure of Cavities in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Produced by Immobilization of Both Lungs

The mechanism by which rest of both lungs is obtained without collapse therapy in subjects with pulmonary tuberculosis is described. The clinical results of seven patients with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis treated with immobilizing lung chamber therapy are reported. In 6 of 7 completed cases, disappearance of cavity by x-ray examination and the development of negative sputum took place in a period of 4 to 5 months' treatment. Immobilization of both lungs provides a therapeutic method of treatment of pulmonary tuberculous cavities that is free from the risk of the harmful side-effects of collapse therapy. The absence of respiratory enlargement of the lungs, which expand the tuberculous cavity in normal respiration, may be in part the mechanism of the gradual deflation of pulmonary cavities in patients treated in the immobilizing lung chamber. This mechanism would be particularly applicable in cavities with a small bronchial passageway in which a check-valve mechanism was previously operative. This method of treatment requires careful supervision during the first week or ten days of the learning period. Thereafter, the properly trained patient generally maintains continuous arrest of lung movement without conscious effort.
Polyadenylation proteins CstF-64 and τCstF-64 exhibit differential binding affinities for RNA polymers

CstF-64 (cleavage stimulation factor-64), a major regulatory protein of polyadenylation, is absent during male meiosis. Therefore a paralogous variant, τCstF-64 is expressed in male germ cells to maintain normal spermatogenesis. Based on sequence differences between τCstF-64 and CstF-64, and on the high incidence of alternative polyadenylation in testes, we hypothesized that the RBDs (RNA-binding domains) of τCstF-64 and CstF-64 have different affinities for RNA elements. We quantified Kd values of CstF-64 and τCstF-64 RBDs for various ribopolymers using an RNA cross-linking assay. The two RBDs had similar affinities for poly(G)18, poly(A)18 or poly(C)18, with affinity for poly(C)18 being the lowest. However, CstF-64 had a higher affinity for poly(U)18 than τCstF-64, whereas it had a lower affinity for poly(GU)9. Changing Pro-41 to a serine residue in the CstF-64 RBD did not affect its affinity for poly(U)18, but changes in amino acids downstream of the C-terminal α-helical region decreased affinity towards poly(U)18. Thus we show that the two CstF-64 paralogues differ in their affinities for specific RNA sequences, and that the region C-terminal to the RBD is important in RNA sequence recognition. This supports the hypothesis that τCstF-64 promotes germ-cell-specific patterns of polyadenylation by binding to different downstream sequence elements.
Occupational careers and the prevention of coronary-prone behavior.

Abstract This research attempts to assess the extent to which a particular suspected risk factor of coronary heart disease, the Type A behavior pattern, is amenable to change. A premise of this investigation is that the social-psychological and social-structural correlates of this behavior pattern indicate the bounds within which it may be altered. Data were obtained from a survey of 943 working men. The type A pattern, as measured by the Jenkins Activity Scale, was correlated with 15 measures of social and social-psychological status. Analysis of these data supports the contention that the Type A pattern is integral to the modern occupational career. One implication of these findings is that attempts to alter the occurrence of the Type A behavior in the general population might conflict with valued aspects of an individual's career and may therefore meet with significant resistance.
Insulin doses in children using conventional therapy for insulin dependent diabetes

The objective of this project was to develop plots of daily insulin dosages by percentile in diabetic children and to analyze various factors, such as metabolic control, age, and duration of diabetes that might influence the insulin prescription. Patients in extremely poor metabolic control (HbA1C > 9.8%) and patients with less than 1 year of diabetes were excluded from analysis. Patients were aged 2-21 years and the mean age at diagnosis was 8 years. Thirty-two percent of the patients were younger than 5 years and 15% were older than 15 years at diagnosis. Ninety-nine percent of patients used both regular and intermediate-acting (NPH or Lente) insulin 10-30 min before breakfast and again in the evening. Ten percent of the patients used only regular insulin at supper but used intermediate-acting insulin at bedtime. Insulin doses varied between 0.3 and 1.2 U/kg/day in prepubertal children (mean, 0.8 U/kg/day) and 0.5 and 1.8 U/kg body weight/day in pubertal children (mean, 1.25 U/kg/day). Average insulin doses in boys and girls were similar, except at ages 10-13, when the dose was significantly higher in girls. The insulin dose declined after age 17 in both genders to a value at age 21 that was 20-30% lower than the highest dose during pubertal years. Insulin dose did not correlate with duration of disease after 2 years, the ratio of morning to evening insulin, the ratio of regular to intermediate-acting insulin, or body mass. There was a slight association between higher insulin doses and higher glycosylated hemoglobin values. The results indicate that insulin requirements vary over a wide range in a group of children with metabolic control ranging from 'excellent' to 'fair' and correlate primarily with age and pubertal development. About 25% of prepubertal children and 50% of pubertal and post-pubertal children use more than 1 U insulin/kg/day--a dose commonly believed to be an 'upper limit' by many health professionals. The data should provide guidelines for the range of insulin dosing required to achieve fairly good to excellent control in diabetic children of various ages.
Quantifying Tidal Mud Flat Elevations From Fixed-Platform Long-Wave Infrared Imagery

A procedure for estimating tidal mud flat topography from fixed-platform, long-wave infrared imagery is presented. Shallow water and low bearing capacity on many mud flats hinder traditional surveying methods by water craft, walking, or land vehicle. The approach utilizes identification of the intersection of water with the surface of the mud flat through a rising tide. Waterlines on mud flats are often indistinguishable to the naked eye and in visible-band imagery. Long-wave infrared imagery, relying on emitted radiance, provides a more distinct delineation between an exposed mud flat and water. The waterline is identified via an image intensity threshold and transferred to real-world coordinates using a geometrical transformation model that accounts for potential imager sway. Elevation estimates, interpolated to a uniform grid, show excellent agreement (absolute error generally less than 0.02 m) with ground truth elevations obtained using a sled-mounted global positioning survey system.
Atrophie blanche with onset in childhood

Atrophie blanche (livedo vasculitis) is a superficial thrombotic condition characterized by grouped and reticulated erythematous and purpuric macules, painful ulcers, and atrophic scars, and is usually found in middle-aged women. We describe an 8-year-old boy with atrophie blanche. Therapy with antiplatelet medications seemed to alleviate pain and decrease the ulceration.
Circuit Card Assembly on Tandem Turret-Type Placement Machines

This paper describes a set of heuristics for prescribing the inter-related decisions that form a process plan for assembling a given type of circuit card on a series of turret-type placement machines. Our goals are to prescribe a near-optimal (minimum) cycle time and to do so within a short run time to support process planning. A set of five practical considerations that affect cycle time are addressed. Two sets of test instances are used to evaluate the heuristics, which have polynomial-time complexity. Our tests determine empirically that our heuristics consistently achieve "near-optimal" cycle times and that their run times are bounded by polynomial functions of problem size in the average case.
Equivalence principle for optimization of sparse versus low‐spread representations for signal estimation in noise

Estimation of a sparse signal representation, one with the minimum number of nonzero components, is hard. In this paper, we show that for a nontrivial set of the input data the corresponding optimization problem is equivalent to and can be solved by an algorithm devised for a simpler optimization problem. The simpler optimization problem corresponds to estimation of signals under a low-spread constraint. The goal of the two optimization problems is to minimize the Euclidian norm of the linear approximation error with an lp penalty on the coefficients, for p = 0 (sparse) and p = 1 (low-spread), respectively. The l0 problem is hard, whereas the l1 problem can be solved efficiently by an iterative algorithm. Here we precisely define the l0 optimization problem, construct an associated l1 optimization problem, and show that for a set with open interior of the input data the optimizers of the two optimization problems have the same support. The associated l1 optimization problem is used to find the support of the l0 optimizer. Once the support of the l0 problem is known, the actual solution is easily found by solving a linear system of equations. However, we point out our approach does not solve the harder optimization problem for all input data and thus may fail to produce the optimal solution in some cases. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 15, 10–17, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.20034
Prognostic significance of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia after revascularization.

Ventricular Tachycardia After Revascularization.Introduction: Two randomized trials (Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial [MADIT] and Multicenter Unsustained Tachycardia Trial [MUSTT]) suggest that implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placement is associated with improved survival in patients with coronary artery disease, depressed left ventricular function, and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) who also have inducible sustained VT. However, neither study directly addresses the management of such patients who develop nonsustained VT early after revascularization. Methods and Results: We evaluated 109 consecutive patients who underwent electrophysiologic testing to evaluate nonsustained VT, which occurred 5 ± 4 days following revascularization. Sustained monomorphic VT was inducible in 46 (42%) patients; these patients received an ICD. The remaining 63 (58%) noninducible patients received neither antiarrhythmic drug therapy nor an ICD. During 27 ± 12 months of follow-up, 15 (33%) of 45 patients with an implanted ICD received at least one appropriate therapy from the device and 26 (24%) of the 109 study patients died. The 1- and 2-year freedom from ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation or sudden death in noninducible patients (97% and 93%) was significantly greater than that of inducible patients (84% and 71%; P = 0.001). However, no difference was observed in total mortality. Conclusion: Patients with nonsustained VT during the early postrevascularization period who have inducible VT have a high incidence of arrhythmic events. Although this study was not designed to assess the impact of ICD placement on the total mortality of inducible patients, the finding that one third of these patients received appropriate ICD therapy suggests that the device may have a protective effect in these patients.
The reaction of hexafluoropropene oxide with alkyl lithium reagents

Abstract A series of alkyl lithium reagents has been found to react with hexafluoropropene oxide in the presence of ether to give carbinols of the type CF 3 CFRCR 2 OH. Butyllithium in hexane reacts “abnormally” to give the carbinol CF 3 C(OH) BuCF 2 Bu. Mechanisms to account for these difference are presented.
HOW IS DESCARTES' ARGUMENT AGAINST SCEPTICISM BETTER THAN PUTNAM'S?

‘If a person can think of an F, then that person has come into causal contact with an F in the right way’ is a premise in an obvious reconstruction of Putnam's argument that we are not brains in vats. ‘If a person can think of an F, then that person has come into causal contact with an F or with something at least as good as an F’ is the only controversial premise in Descartes' argument for the existence of God. Putnam's principle entails Descartes', which suggests that we should enquire after better versions of Putnam's proof. I present three variations and conclude that Putnam's semantic theory does not have anti-sceptical consequences. In contrast, given Descartes' cognitive situation, he was perfectly justified in accepting the soundness of his argument for the existence of God.
Organization of ascending auditory pathways in the pigeon (Columbia livia) as determined by autoradiographic methods

Abstract A mixture of tritiated proline and fucose was injected into the labyrinthine endolymphatic space of 5 white king pigeons (Columba livia). Using standard autoradiographic techniques, we observed transsynaptic labeling in ascending auditory pathways to the level of the mesencephalon. Auditory system structures, ipsilateral to the injection site, which labeled heavily were the cochlear nerve, the magnocellular and angular nuclei, and the superior olive. Those ipsilateral structures which were slightly labeled were the lateral leminscus and the dorsal part of the lateral mesencephalic nucleus. Contralateral structures which labeled were the superior olive, lateral lemniscus, and dorsal part of the lateral mesencephalic nucleus. The results of this study suggest that ascending auditory pathways (to the level of the mesencephalon) in the pigeon are more similar to those described for mammals in general than previously thought.
Theory of degenerate four-wave mixing in saturable absorbing media with the inclusion of pump propagation effects

The phase-conjugate reflectivity attainable by degenerate four-wave mixing in an idealized saturable absorbing medium is calculated for arbitrary values of the laser intensity, laser frequency, and absorption path-length of the nonlinear medium. The influence of pump-wave absorption, including saturation and standing-wave effects, is included in the theory. The treatment is based on an analytic expression for the intensity distribution of the counterpropagating waves. The theoretical predictions differ substantially from those based on theories that ignore pump absorption effects. The results of the present calculation are used to predict the minimum laser intensity, absorption path-length, and detuning required to obtain unit reflectivity and self-oscillation.
Public Meetings in Entertainment Television Programming: Using Procedural Justice to Analyze Fictional Civic Participation

Quantitative and qualitative analyses of entertainment television programs depicting public meetings demonstrate that, while citizens are often shown having substantial opportunity to impact local government, authorities are often portrayed negatively. In particular, they are often shown as rude and in a conflict of interest. The categories for this content analysis represent an initial attempt to draw on social psychological theories of justice for communication research into entertainment television content. The research is also meant to demonstrate how fan-generated computer databases of entertainment television content can be used in conjunction with content analysis to fill a gap in political communication research.
The Effects Of Surface Quality Upon The Performance Of Normal Incidence X-Ray/XUV Imaging Systems

For metal-coated mirrors, the Fresnel reflection coefficient becomes significant at X-ray and XUV wavelengths only when the angle of incidence approaches ninety degrees. Hence, grazing incidence mirrors have traditionally been utilized in order to obtain adequate reflectance for X-ray and XUV imaging applications. Although very large optical surfaces are required to achieve modest collecting areas, one benefit of grazing incidence mirrors is that the image degradation effects of optical surface irregularities diminish as the cosine of the incident angle. Recent advances in multilayer optical coating technology have made the use of normal incidence X-ray/XUV mirrors feasible from a sensitivity or total reflectance standpoint for many applications of interest; however, the effects of optical fabrication errors upon image quality is not as well understood. By applying Fourier techniques and linear systems theory, we have derived an analytic expression for a generalized surface transfer function that includes the effects of optical fabrication errors over the entire range of relevant spatial frequencies. The Fourier transform of this transfer function yields the image distribution or point spread function (PSF) from which encircled energy characteristics or other image quality criteria can be predicted. This transfer function characterization allows parametric studies and sensitivity analyses to be performed which provide insight into the relative importance of surface irregularities in the various spatial frequency domains as a function of wavelength for both normal and grazing incidence configurations.
Relationship between aortic atherosclerosis and non-invasive measures of arterial stiffness.

Abstract Both increased arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis are risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We studied the relationship between aortic atherosclerosis, assessed by measuring maximal aortic intima–media thickness (MAIMT) on transesophageal echocardioagraphy and aortic stiffness, measured by applanation tonometry. Eighty-one patients (28 men, 53 women, mean age 61±13 years) referred for transesophageal echocardiography were studied. Augmentation index (AI) and carotid–radial pulse (PWV) wave velocity were measured using a SphygmoCor ® tonometer (Atcor Med., Australia). MAIMT was correlated with AI and age ( r =0.35, p =0.002 and r =0.36, p =0.001), respectively. There were no relations between MAIMT and either aortic pulse pressure (A-PP) ( r =0.10, p =0.35) or PVW ( r =−0.38, p =0.76). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that AI and age were independently related to MAIMT. In this middle-aged predominantly African-American population structural aortic atherosclerosis and aortic stiffness as measured by AI are age dependent and are inter-related, independent of age.
Use of urine specific gravity to improve screening for albuminuria

Use of urine specific gravity to improve screening for albuminuria. The albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) can be used to measure urine albumin excretion rates, but is inconvenient and expensive. More rapid and less expensive screening methods estimate only albumin concentration and are subject to errors caused by variation in urine volume. We examined whether urine specific gravity could be used in place of urine creatinine to correct albumin concentration for differences in urine volume in 50 patients. Urine specific gravity accurately estimated urine creatinine concentration ( r = 0.79, P r = 0.98, P r = 0.95, P
Getting Diagonal on the Xbox One Trifecta

Xbox One's three-OS architecture offers multiple possibilities for developers willing to exploit new ways of thinking.
The Use of Dihydroergotamine and Heparin in the Prophylaxis of Deep Venous Thrombosis

Three factors leading to the development of postoperative deep venous thrombosis (DVT) are the hypercoagulable state, stasis, and vein wall injury, which occur in patients undergoing surgical procedures. Vein wall injury is thought to occur as a smooth muscle response to surgical trauma in veins distant from the operative site. Heparin and dihydroergotamine (DHE) were combined in an attempt to decrease the hypercoagulable factor and minimize stasis. We believe that by maintaining venous smooth muscle tone, the degree of endothelial damage is also diminished. Low-dose heparin acts through its effect of factor Xa and activation of antithrombin III; DHE selectively increases venous smooth muscle tone to accelerate venous blood flow velocity and minimize venous pooling. The European experience with combination DHE-heparin prophylaxis shows that this combination is more effective than either agent alone, and studies on orthopedic patients have shown that DHE/5,000 is effective in preventing postoperative DVT in this high-risk group. In the US, the Multicenter Trial evaluated postoperative DVT in general surgical patients. The combination of DHE/5,000 was statistically more effective in the prophylaxis of postoperative DVT than placebo (p=0.0011). The interim results of an ongoing Multicenter Trial on the prophylaxis of postoperative DVT in patients undergoing total hip replacement indicate that DHE/5000 has significant prophylactic efficacy compared to placebo. It is proposed that the mechanism of action of the DHE-heparin combination is synergistic, since all 3 limbs of Virchow's triad are potentially affected.
1D CdS/PbS heterostructured nanowire synthesis using cation exchange

Heterostructured CdS nanowires with PbS deposits forming p–n junctions have been synthesized by successive cation exchange. The method developed herein opens up the possibility of preparing a spatially distributed heterojunction-based multifunctional electrode. The (photo)electrochemical activity of the material may be chemically tuned by changing the size and density of the p type PbS nanoparticles.
Single units in visual cortex of kittens reared in stroboscopic illumination

Summary Visual responses were studied in 166 units from primary visual cortex (area 17) of kittens reared in a stroboscopically illuminated environment. Thirty-two units from the cortex of a normal adult cat served for comparison. Use of hand-moved stimuli was supplemented with computer runs during which a unit's responses to 8 evenly spaced directions of motion were averaged independently. Strobe-raised cells were found to be normal in preferring moving to flashed stimuli. As in normal cortex, most cells had directional preferences. In other regards, however, strobe-raised cortex was abnormal. Fewer units than in normal cortex showed a clear preference for a linear stimulus over a spot (45% vs. 86%). Fewer units were narrowly selective for axis of motion when driven by a moving spot (69% vs. 93%). Sluggish units were more common in strobe-raised than in normal cortex (30% vs. 17%). More units than in normal cortex gave responses to stroboscopic flash (24% vs. 13%). Visual fields of strobe-raised units had a greater average core-size than those of normal units (2.2° vs. 1.6°, for fields within 10° of the area centralis). In contrast to normal cortex, strobe-raised cortex contained a preponderance of monocular units. Discussion includes the implications of these results for the mechanisms by which early visual experience determines the specific response properties of visual cortical neurons.
Geometric Modeling for Swept Volume of Moving Solids

The modeling of swept volume is important in simulating the interference between a moving solid and its environment. This article presents a novel method for modeling swept voume by computing a family of critical curves from a moving solid. Based on this approach, a system has been developed for real-time verification of NC tool paths using computer graphics.
A novel continuous microfluidic reactor design for the controlled production of high-quality semiconductor nanocrystals

An innovative microfluidic reactor concept for the production of high quality semiconductor nanocrystals is presented. The reactor features a droplet-based, two phase flow design that eliminates the dispersion-induced broadening of the particle size distribution that is characteristic of other microfluidic designs. The flow channels in the design are arranged to spiral in and out of novel reaction coin structures that are designed to allow the thermal profile of the reactor to be tailored to the requirements of specific nanocrystal synthesis operations. A simplified prototype reactor has been constructed and tested to demonstrate the feasibility of the reactor concept. Broader impacts of the design concept with respect to the ability to permit unprecedented control over the size distribution of the particles are discussed.
A new and more powerfully activating diamine for practical and scalable enantioselective aldehyde crotylsilylation reactions

A new diaminophenol ligand for crotylsilylation reactions with cis- and trans-crotyltrichlorosilane has been developed. The conformational constraints that result from the tethering of the phenol to one of the amino groups attenuate the stereoelectronic effects that reduce activity in the corresponding untethered diaminosilanes, and the resulting crotylsilane reagents are as active as our previously reported EZ-CrotylMix reagents, but without requiring the use of the Sc(OTf)3 catalyst. In turn, this has allowed the development of an experimentally straightforward, sustainable, efficient, and scalable one-pot procedure which may be carried out in ≤8 hours, and in which the diaminophenol activator ligand may be easily recovered in ≥90% yield by recrystallization.
Surface Plasmon Polaritons and Screened Plasma Absorption in Indium Tin Oxide Compared to Silver and Gold

This study addresses the ability of a conducting metal oxide to act as a material capable of supporting surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). By use of a two-phase Fresnel model that provides insight into the difference between polariton-induced and absorptive decreases in reflectivity, indium tin oxide (ITO) is compared to the noble metals gold and silver, which are widely used as materials for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) detection of analytes. The study builds on application of the Drude free electron model that provides an explanation for the observed optical extinctions as a function of ITO film thickness, including the dependence of wavenumber on angle, by use of only two adjustable parameters, the plasma frequency ωp and the damping Γ. Herein, models of the dispersion and absorption include both the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function to obtain the plasma absorption spectra and dispersion curves for ITO, Ag, and Au. ITO is found to have surface plasmon dispersion curves and plasma a...
Efficient management of multiple outstanding timeouts

Abstract The timer management service maintains a set of independent timeout intervals. Client applications initiate and terminate timers, and are notified when timeouts occur. We present and prove the correctness of a scheme that implements this service, and compares favorably with previously existing solutions.
White Racial Identity and Attitudes Toward People With Disabilities

This empirical study investigated the relationship between racial identity and attitudes toward people with disabilities. Results indicate that higher statuses of racial identity correlate positively while lower and more racist-oriented statuses correlate negatively with attitudes toward people with disabilities. The study supports the notion that attitudes from cultural memberships associated with power can transfer from one domain (i.e., White/People of Color) to another domain (i.e., Abled/Disabled). Este estudio empirico investigo la relacion entre la identidad y actitudes raciales hacia personas con incapacidades. Los resultados indican que las posiciones mas altas de la identidad racial se pone en correlacion positivamente mientras bajan y mas posiciones racista-orientados se pone en correlacion negativamente con actitudes hacia personas con incapacidades. El estudio sostiene la nocion que actitudes de asociaciones culturales asociadas con el poder pueden transferir de un dominio (es decir, los Blancos/Personas del Color) a otro dominio (es decir, Capacitados/Incapacitados).
Correction to: Synthesis and structures of layered metal sulfonate salts

The crystal structure of cobalt benzenesulfonate hexahydrate, Co(C6H5SO3)2·6H2O, has been rerefined in a higher symmetry space group, resulting in much more regular bond distances and angles with smaller estimated standard deviations. The new atomic positions and isotropic thermal parameters are presented. Crystal data: monoclinic, P21/c,a = 7.017 (2), b = 6.324 (2), c = 23.966 (4) A, β = 110.68 (3)°, V = 995 (1) A3, Z = 2.
Accomplishments, strengths, and weaknesses of the US military (security) assistance program

This is the second in a series of articles on the nature and effectiveness of US military assistance to the newly designated NATO members in the twin realms of education and training. The first article sketched out the problems and challenges faced by Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary as they seek to achieve interoperability with existing NATO states by the time of their formal integration in 1999. This article describes the achievements and shortcomings in the US assistance program designed to facilitate that integration process. Of necessity, essentially for the sake of time and space, this article only summarizes the immensely complex form and structure of the program itself, and instead focuses on what the program has achieved or failed to achieve.
Changes in platelet and microcirculation function induced by ionizing radiation to the liver

Abstract Platelet aggregation and adhesiveness, as well as partial pressure of oxygen in tissue (TpO 2 ) responses to hypoxia were measured as microcirculation parameters in beagle dogs who were subjected to 60 Co ionizing radiation to a dose of 4600 red in 5 weeks. Simultaneously, changes in blood chemistry and coagulation also were determined. Marked changes in tissue oxygenation and an increase in platelet aggregation in the post-irradiation period led to the conclusion that radiation liver damage is, at least in part, mediated through microcirculation function disturbances.
Trade and migration: the case of NAFTA.

This article provides background information on NAFTA [the North American Free Trade Agreement] reviews data on its economic effects and summarizes studies and projections of NAFTAs likely effects on Mexico-to-U.S. migration. Migration factors (demand-pull supply-push and networks) are examined to determine whether NAFTAs effect on economic development particularly in the border areas will accelerate or retard migration. The conclusion is that NAFTA is likely to produce a temporary migration hump slightly raising already high migration levels in the 1990s but reducing the volume of Mexico-to-U.S. migration that would otherwise occur over subsequent decades. (EXCERPT)