cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adequate short- and long-term pain control with non-opiate analgesics after microdirect laryngoscopy.

Abstract Objective In otolaryngology, it is important to minimize the use of opioids for post-operative analgesia given the rise in opioid abuse and mortality due to overdose in the United States. We sought to quantitatively determine the efficacy of non-opiate analgesia in postoperative pain management after microdirect laryngoscopy (MDL). Methods This is a single institution prospective study monitoring post-operative pain using a visual analog scale (VAS, 1–10). Patients with a history of vocal fold lesions, paralysis, and stenosis who underwent MDL were surveyed for one month following their procedure (daily for the first week and weekly thereafter). Student's t-test was used to determine whether short (1 week) and long term (1 month) pain was controlled by over-the-counter (OTC) medications. We defined adequate pain control as an average daily VAS score below 4 for the first 4 days and below 1 in the following 3 weeks and hypothesized that patients would report adequate pain control without the use of opioids. Results Post-operative pain after MDL was generally mild. The average daily VAS score was 2.16 (95% CI [0.0–5.2], P = 0.0014) in the first 4 days post-procedure and 0.28 (95% CI [0.0–1.3], P = 0.0007) in the 3 weeks post-procedure confirming our hypothesis. On average, patients used 3.14 (CI: [0.0–12.8]) pills of acetaminophen and 0.57 (CI: [0.0–4.7]) pills of an NSAID per day in the first week. Only three patients required opioid analgesia, all of whom used opioids in the first 48 h. Conclusions OTC analgesics provide sufficient pain control after microdirect laryngoscopy for most patients. Given the potential for substance abuse from opioid medications, this study demonstrates that adequate pain control requires, at most, 48 h of opioid medications. Further study is needed to determine factors that contribute to increased pain after laryngoscopy.
Immunobiology of T Cells in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

T lymphocytes play a central role in the pathogenesis of human as well as animal models of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). In murine models, inflammation can be induced by adoptive transfer of T cells into appropriate hosts. Effector T cells, which mediate inflammation, can be classified by unique cytokine expression signatures. Crohn’s disease has been associated with Th1 and Th17 cytokine secretion, whereas Th2 cytokines have been associated in ulcerative colitis. However, not all T cells are pathogenic; some normally function to suppress immune responses through diverse mechanisms including the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Naturally occurring regulatory T cells develop in the thymus, whereas those that are generated in the periphery or in vitro are called “inducible” regulatory T cells, which can be further categorized by the cytokines they secrete and the specific methods by which they have been generated. In murine models, a qualitative or quantitative defect in regulatory T cells can lead to colitis development, but there does not appear to be an obvious defect in regulatory T-cell number or function in IBDs. Effector and regulatory T-cell localization (homing) to mucosal tissues is facilitated by the expression of unique combinations of specific cell surface molecules. Therapies preventing T-cell homing to the gut have been found effective for both Crohn’s disease as well as ulcerative colitis. Understanding how T cells can mediate or prevent intestinal inflammation may lead to more effective treatments, such as those that may enhance regulatory T-cell number and/or function.
Skeleton boson realizations of collective subalgebras.

For an even number of nucleons, we consider collective motion based on any dynamical symmetry subalgebra A-italic-circumflex of the valence-shell bifermion algebra; the generators of A-italic-circumflex are coherent linear combinations of bifermion operators of the types a/sup dagger/a/sup dagger/, a/sup dagger/a, and aa. A boson algebra is obtained by Dyson mapping the whole valence-shell bifermion algebra, and then ''skeletonizing'' the resulting expressions by deleting all noncollective boson operators from them. This skeleton boson algebra is shown to have the same commutation relations as the collective bifermion algebra, provided that the bifermion algebra is self-conjugate. The resulting boson Hamiltonian is not Hermitian, but does resemble the Hamiltonian of the interacting boson model in containing only one- and two-body terms. Moreover, the skeleton boson algebra (when restricted to a collective boson subspace that is free of spurious states) is shown to be physically equivalent to the collective bifermion algebra. It is shown that by working solely with collective bosons one can identify spurious boson states unambiguously, although the procedure lacks convenience. The similarity transformation that connects conjugate versions of the skeleton boson mapping is discussed, and a general condition for hermiticity of the boson image of a Hermitian operator is given.
High Resolution Mid-IR Images of the Nucleus of M81

We observed two nearby galaxies with potential or weak indications of nuclear activity, M32 and M81, with the MIRLIN mid-IR camera at N band (10.79 microns). M32 is not detected, but we give detailed measurements of the nucleus of M81. Our observations of M81 show a bright nuclear point source at N, and comparison to measurements made in the early 1970's gives an increase in nuclear flux of nearly a factor of two. If the comparison is accurate, the nuclear mid-IR emission must ultimately be powered by a variable, compact source, similar to that in Seyferts and quasars. M81 has been classified in the literature as a low-luminosity LINER, not a pure Seyfert galaxy. Further, it has been suggested that this and other low-luminosity AGN may have intrinsically different spectra than Seyferts and quasars. However, we find that the relative fluxes in the X-ray, MIR, and radio bands, all essentially unaffected by extinction and galaxy pollution, show a nuclear continuum remarkably like that of a bona fide Seyfert or quasar.
Additive lithography for micro and nano-photonic applications

This paper presents an alternative approach in fabricating micro-optics. This approach is compatible with conventional lithographic systems and can be applied to thick and thin photoresists. The advantage of the additive lithographic process lies in the ability to sculpt the photoresist in a single processing step. This eliminates the common alignment issues by containing all alignment to the stepper system. Precise control of the exposure does produces a multilevel element, which results in micro-optic components on the substrate after a single etching step. Holographic exposures can also be combined with conventional lithography for photonic crystal applications.
Quality of MCQ-based exams: why functioning distractors matter (533.4)

BACKGROUND: Item difficulties on Free-response (FR) and MCQ versions of an exam were compared over four study cohorts in this experimental study. The purpose was to investigate factors underlying d...
EvoAE -- A New Evolutionary Method for Training Autoencoders for Deep Learning Networks

Although deep learning has achieved outstanding performances on several difficult machine learning applications, there are multiple issues that make its application on new problems difficult: speed of training, local minima, and manual selection of hyper-parameters. To overcome these problems, this paper proposes a new evolutionary method, EvoAE, to train auto encoders for deep learning networks. By evolving a population of auto encoders, EvoAE learns multiple features in each auto encoder in the form of hidden nodes, evaluates the auto encoders based on their reconstruction quality, and generates new auto encoders using crossover and mutation with chromosomes made up of hidden nodes and associated connections and weights. EvoAE optimizes network weights and structures of auto encoders simultaneously and employs a mini-batch variant, called Evo-batch, to speed up auto encoder search on large datasets. Furthermore, EvoAE supports different training methods in data partitioning and selection, requires little manual intervention, and reduces overall training time drastically over traditional methods on large datasets.
A minor 987P protein different from the structural fimbrial subunit is the adhesin.

The 987P fimbriae produced by enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli isolated from piglets mediate bacterial attachment to intestinal epithelial cells. These fimbriae consist essentially of a tight helical arrangement of one structural protein subunit encoded by fasA. Fimbriation and specific adhesion requires the expression of seven additional genes (fasB to fasH). In this study, we investigated whether FasA or another Fas protein, e.g., a potential minor fimbrial component, harbors the binding moiety for the pig 987P receptor glycoproteins. Fas proteins, specifically radiolabeled with an in vivo T7 expression system, were isolated from the periplasm and incubated with receptor-containing brush borders isolated from piglet intestinal epithelial cells. FasG bound best to brush borders, whereas no FasA adhered to them. Additional evidence that FasG, and not FasA, is the 987P adhesin was provided by ligand blotting inhibition assays indicating that FasG alone inhibited fimbrial binding to 987P receptors and that in the absence of FasG, other Fas proteins were not inhibitory. FasG was identified in purified fimbrial preparations with a specific anti-FasG antibody probe. Moreover, FasG was shown to be tightly associated with the fimbrial structure, since it was released only after disassembling fimbriae by heat and sodium dodecyl sulfate treatments. The primary structure of FasG, deduced from the DNA sequence, exhibited 19.1 to 24.4% similarity to FasA and large minor components and/or adhesins of other fimbriae. FasG is the first-described minor fimbrial subunit shown to be essential for both fimbrial biogenesis and specific adhesion.
Analysis of factors affecting the variability of fick versus indicator dilution measurements of cardiac output

This study was performed to assess the relation between Fick and indicator dilution measurements of cardiac output (CO) in a large number of subjects and to evaluate this relation in patients with a low CO, a high CO, and left-sided cardiac regurgitation. In 808 patients (428 men, 380 women, mean age 50 +/- 11), CO was measured by Fick and either thermodilution (right atrium to pulmonary artery)(n = 252) or indocyanine green dye ("dye")(pulmonary artery to systemic artery)(n = 556) within 10 minutes of each other. There was excellent agreement between Fick and both thermodilution and dye. The difference between Fick and indicator dilution measurements was 9 +/- 9%; it was 10% or less in 67% and 20% or less in 91% of patients. The disparity between Fick and indicator dilution measurements was increased in patients with a low CO (less than 2 liters/min/m2)(n = 152) (difference 14 +/- 11%, p less than 0.001) and those with aortic or mitral regurgitation (n = 83) (difference 13 +/- 11%, p less than 0.001). In these groups, the disparity between Fick and thermodilution measurements was not exaggerated, but the disparity between Fick and dye measurements was greater. Thus, although there is excellent agreement between Fick and both thermodilution and dye measurements of CO, thermodilution is preferable to dye in patients with a low CO and those with aortic or mitral regurgitation.
Secretion and cell-surface growth are blocked in a temperature-sensitive mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells contain a small internal pool of the secretory enzymes invertase and acid phosphatase. This pool increases up to 8-fold at 37 degrees C in a temperature-sensitive, secretion-defective mutant strain (sec 1-1). Cell division and incorporation of a sulfate permease activity stop abruptly at the restrictive temperature, while protein synthesis continues for several hours. Electron microscopy of mutant cells incubated at 37 degrees C reveals a large increase in the number of intracellular membrane-bound vesicles, which are shown by histochemical staining to contain the accumulated acid phosphatase. The vesicles are removed and the accumulated enzymes are secreted when cells are returned to a permissive temperature in the presence or absence of cycloheximide. These results are consistent with a vesicle intermediate in the yeast secretory pathway and suggest that exocytosis may contribute to cell-surface growth.
Ownership of Alcohol-Branded Merchandise and Initiation of Teen Drinking

Background The alcohol industry spends over $5 billion a year on marketing, much of which is accessible to children. The distribution of branded articles of clothing and other personal items is one aspect of alcohol marketing that has not been adequately studied. In this study, the prevalence of ownership of alcohol-branded merchandise (ABM) was determined in a sample of rural northern New England adolescents, and the relationship between ownership of such items and initiation of alcohol use was examined. Design/Methods Northern New England middle school students who had not yet initiated alcohol use were captured at baseline in a 1999 school-based survey, and ownership of an ABM item and initiation of alcohol use were determined 1 to 2 years later by telephone. The analysis controlled for demographics (gender, grade in school); characteristics of the child (school performance, sensation seeking, rebelliousness); parenting style; and peer alcohol use. Results Of 2406 baseline never-drinkers, 15% had initiated alcohol use and 14% owned an ABM item by follow-up. ABM items consisted primarily of articles of clothing such as t-shirts and hats. ABM ownership was associated with higher grade in school, male gender, exposure to peer drinking, having tried smoking, poorer academic performance, higher levels of sensation seeking and rebelliousness, and less-responsive and restrictive parenting styles. Owners of ABM items at follow-up had higher rates of alcohol initiation compared with non-owners (25.5% vs 13.1%, respectively, p Conclusions In this northern New England adolescent sample, ownership of alcohol-branded merchandise was prevalent and exhibited an independent cross-sectional association with onset of adolescent drinking. Further studies are necessary to determine whether the relationship is causal, and whether teen use of ABM items influences peer drinking norms and behavior.
Activated c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Is Required for Axon Formation

A critical transition in neuron development is formation of the axon, which establishes the polarized structure of the neuron that underlies its entire input and output capabilities. The morphological events that occur during axonogenesis have long been known, yet the molecular determinants underlying axonogenesis remain poorly understood. We demonstrate here that axonogenesis requires activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). JNK is expressed throughout the neuron, but its phosphorylated, activated form is highly enriched in the axon. In young axons, activated JNK forms a proximodistal gradient of increasing intensity, beginning at about the point where the axon exceeds the lengths of the other neurites (minor processes). Treatment with SP600125, a specific inhibitor of JNK, reversibly inhibits axonogenesis but does not prevent the formation of minor processes or their differentiation into dendrites (based on their immunostaining with marker proteins). Expression of a dominant-negative construct against JNK similarly prevents axonogenesis. Investigation of JNK targets revealed that activating transcription factor-2 is phosphorylated under normal conditions in neurons, and its phosphorylation is significantly attenuated after JNK inhibition. These results demonstrate that activated JNK is required for axonogenesis but not formation of minor processes or development of dendrites.
'Affective' computing and emotion recognition systems: the future of biometric surveillance?

This paper concerns a subtopic of a larger research program called affective computing, referred to as affect recognition (the terms 'affect recognition' and 'emotion recognition' will be used interchangeably in this paper). It is proposed that computer systems based on affect recognition could play an important role in the next generation of biometric surveillance systems. In order to introduce affect recognition and its possible applications to the information security community, the present paper will explore the intersection of several groups of technologies, among them: surveillance camera networks, ubiquitous computing, biometrics, face recognition, and affective computing. Three possible scenarios for the deployment of affect recognition will then be briefly discussed. The implementation of these systems will represent the realization of an important goal for the security industry, the automation of real-time prediction of human behavior and intention. Before this goal can be achieved, however, many technical and ethical issues will have to be resolved.
Muscarinic cholinergic binding sites in the developing avian heart.

Abstract The potent muscarinic cholinergic antagonist 3-quinuclidinyl benzylate (QNB) has been used to detect and quantify muscarinic receptors in the developing chick heart. Specific binding in microsomal pellets prepared from hearts ranging in age from 70 hr in ovo to adulthood was examined and was found to increase from 4 × 10−13 moles of [3H]QNB bound/mg of protein at the earliest stage tested to 5 × 10−12 moles of [3H]QNB/mg of protein at birth and then to drop slightly to 2 × 10−12 moles of [3H]QNB/mg of protein at the latest age tested. The developmental significance of these results is discussed.
The burrowing behavior of sand lance, Ammodytes hexapterus: Effects of oil-contaminated sediment

Abstract Whilst foraging in the water column for zooplankton, sand lance, Ammodytes hexapterus , are under heavy predation from marine birds and fish. To avoid predation, sand lance bury in the sand when not foraging and during overwintering. We did two experiments to determine whether oil contamination of the sand would reduce the amount of time that sand lance spent buried. In the first experiment (June, 1980) sand lance significantly decreased by 20% the time spent buried in oiled sand (306 ppm). In the second experiment (June, 1981) sand lance did not decrease time spent buried in oiled sand at 28 and 256 ppm but did at 3384 ppm. The higher condition index of the 1981 fish suggested that nutritional state may have influenced how sand lance used the sediment as a refuge and how they responded to contamination of that refuge.
Membrane Estrogen Receptor-Dependent Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Pathway Mediates Acute Activation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase by Estrogen in Uterine Artery Endothelial Cells

Rapid uterine vasodilatation after estrogen administration is believed to be mediated by endothelial production of nitric oxide (NO) via endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). However, the mechanism(s) by which estrogen activates eNOS in uterine artery endothelial cells (UAEC) is unknown. In this study, we observed that estradiol-17β (E2) and E2-BSA rapidly (<2 min) increased total NOx production in UAEC in vitro. This was associated with rapid eNOS phosphorylation and activation but was unaltered by pretreatment with actinomycin-D. estrogen receptor-α protein was detectable in isolated plasma membrane proteins by immunoblotting, and E2-BSA-fluorescein isothiocyanate binding was evident on the plasma membrane of UAEC. E2 did not mobilize intracellular Ca2+, but E2 and ionomycin in combination induced greater eNOS phosphorylation than either E2 or ionomycin alone. E2 did not stimulate rapid Akt phosphorylation. E2 stimulated rapid ERK2/1 activation in a time- and dose-dependent manner, with maximal responses obse...
Pan-European eugenics

Pan-European eugenics Marius Turda, Modernism and Eugenics. Modernism and … Series. Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2010. xv +190pp. Notes. Bibl. Ind. £58, £17.99 pbk. ISBN 978-0-230-2...
Investigative Urology: PGE sub 1 Suppresses the Induction of Collagen Synthesis by Transforming Growth Factor-beta sub 1 in Human Corpus Cavernosum Smooth Muscle

Collagen synthesis has been examined in primary cultures of human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (HCCSMC), the major mesenchymal cell type of the corpus cavernosum. These cultures were grown from human surgical specimens and characterized by morphological and biochemical characteristics. These cells express mRNA for transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), a major regulator of extracellular matrix synthesis, as well as all three subtypes of TGF-beta receptors. Human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells primarily synthesize types I and III fibrillar collagen. Treatment of HCCSMC with exogenous TGF-beta 1 (80 pM.) induced a 2.5- to 4.5-fold increase in the synthesis of types I and III collagen and resulted in detectable levels of type V/XI collagen. Treatment of HCCSMC with the eicosanoid PGE1 in combination with TGF-beta 1 suppressed the induction of collagen synthesis by TGF-beta 1 in a dose-dependent manner with concomitant decreases in types I, III and V/XI collagen. The expression of TGF-beta 1 mRNA as well as types I and II TGF-beta receptors was induced by exogenous TGF-beta 1. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 mRNA induction was suppressed by PGE1. These data suggest that prostaglandins and TGF-beta 1 may play a key role in modulation of collagen synthesis in the corpus cavernosum, and in the regulation of fibrosis of the corpus cavernosum.
Studies on the bioluminescence of renilla reniformis V. Absorption and fluorescence characteristics of chromatographically pure luciferin

Abstract 1. 1. The details of a method are presented that describe the isolation of Remilla reniformis luciferin in chromatographically pure form. In addition, results of a study of the absorption and fluorescence characteristics of luciferin are presented. Luciferin absorbs in the ultraviolet at 280 mμ with shoulders at 272 and 288 mμ, but has no a absorption in the visible range. 2. 2. Fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of luciferin, at pH 13, show bands at 290 and 362 mμ respectively, while at pH 1 the positions of these bands (288 and 355 mμ) are shifted to shorter wavelengths. 3. 3. The shape of the luciferin ultraviolet absorption spectrum indicates a relationship to 2- or 3-substituted indoles. This is also true of the fluorescence data.
Academic Medicine:A Guide for Clinicians

의과대학 교수는 진료, 연구, 교육, 그리고 봉사 등 해야 할 일이 너무 많아서 흥미진진한 직업이기도 하지만 너무 많은 도전에 압도되어 금방 지쳐 버릴 수도 있는 직업이기도 하다. 이 책의 저자는 25년 이상의 가 정의학과 의사로서, 학생과 전공의를 교육하는 교수로서, 그리고 훌륭한 연구자로서 살아오면서 경험에서 나오는 진솔한 예와 심도 높은 철학, 그리고 증거 중심의 접근으로 의과대학 교수라는 직무에 관하여 쉽게 풀 어 설명하고 있다. 미국의 의료제도와 교육제도를 바탕으로 한 이야기이긴 하지만 우리 에게 앞으로 닥쳐올 미래라는 생각으로 이 책을 읽다 보면, 뭔가 의대 교수로서의 비전을 새롭게 알게 되고 그 비전을 성취하기 위해 준비할 거리가 많다는 것도 알게 되며 아울러 현재의 도전적인 교수의 삶에 의미를 새로이 부여하게 된다. 이 책에서는, 대학병원 혹은 교육병원과 의과대학의 특성, 자기 적성에 맞는 종류의 직무를 찾아가는 방법, 진료, 교육, 연구의 세 분야에서 요구하는 교수의 기본 능력, 좀 더 단계가 높은 학문적인 영역 개발로서 연구 활동, 연구비 수혜, 논문 작성 및 저술에 필요한 기술을 다루고 있다. 이 밖에도, 행정적인 활동에 필요한 기술, 성공적인 교수 생활에 필요한 것, 교수라는 직무와 삶을 조화시키는 기술, 미래에 대한 준비 등을 실례를 들어 가며 정리해 준다. 성공담과 실패담이 함께 들어 있어 현실감이 더 뛰어난 책이고 의대 교수에게 필요한 여러 가지 술기를 상세하게 설명해 준다. 특히 연구비 수혜 방법, 논문 작성 등은 실제적인 기술 부분을 논하고 있 다. 이 책은 의대 교수에 관심이 있는 학생, 전공의뿐 아니라 이제 막 교수가 되려는 의사, 교수의 길에 접어들 었지만 아직도 확신이 없는 젊은 의대 교수, 그리고 의대 교수로서의 바쁜 삶을 돌아보고 싶은 분들께 추천할 만하다.
Late Quaternary Zonation of Vegetation in the Eastern Grand Canyon

Fossil assemblages from 53 packrat middens indicate which plant species were dominant during the last 24,000 years in the eastern Grand Canyon. Past vegetational patterns show associations that cannot be attributed to simple elevational displacement of the modern zones. A model emphasizing a latitudinal shift of climatic values is proposed.
Improving the process through which health plans and providers exchange performance-related mammography data.

The ability of health plans to bring about quality improvement is limited by the fact that physician networks are highly differentiated, with physician groups praticipating in many plans and plans contracting with many physician groups. The primary purpose of our study was to investigate the problems in the current system of quality monitoring by managed-care organizations (MCOs) at a large integrated health care delivery system (Montefiore Medical Center) and to develop ways of addressing these problems through collaboration among MCOs. The project began by mapping the current system for collecting, reporting, and using performance data to improve performance, using breast cancer screening as an example. We found that neither health plans nor providers were satisfied with the current system. From the perspective of the health plans, the current quality monitoring was costly and, more important, was not yielding appreciable increases in screening rates. From the providers' perspective, multiple health plan requests for chart pulls and other data collection activities cost them substantial amounts of time and money and generated multiple mailings of educational materials and reports, but rarely supplied meaningful information about their performance. From the perspective of the hospital, the current procedure of reporting from MCO to provider or center bypassed the institution's own quality monitoring and management structure and thus limited the institution's ability to assist in quality improvement. This study clearly showed the importance of collaboration among plans at a given provider site. Specifically, it pointed to the need for provider-oriented reporting of data, rather than plan-oriented reporting, to give physicians numbers that they believe. It also showed the need to engage the institution's own quality-management system to assist in bringing about improvements.
Lactation Studies. III. Milk and Milk Fat Yields Comparing Three Twice-daily Milking Schedules

Summary To compare the effects of equal and unequal twice-daily milking, 17 sets of identical and two sets of fraternal twins completed 58 lactations during two experiments. Twelve pairs of lactations compared 10–14 and 12-12 hr intervals and 17 pairs of lactations compared 8–16 and 12-12 hr intervals. Cows in Experiment I were milked on 10–14 or 12-12 hr milking intervals for entire lactations. In Group One of Experiment II, both pair members were milked at 12-12 hr intervals for a control period which averaged 56 days. In Group Two, sets of twins were milked at 8–16 hr intervals for a control period averaging 40 days. Following the control period, one pair member was milked on 12-12 and the other on the unequal hour intervals for the remainder of the lactation. Within-pair variation in time pregnant while on experiment and differences in level of initial production were taken into account in the discussion relating production with milking schedule. No significant difference in production and persistency of lactation attributable to milking intervals was found in either experiment.
Dislocation etch pit studies in annealed and deformed polycrystalline niobium

Abstract An etch pit technique has been used to study the dislocation structures in annealed polycrystalline niobium and after plastic deformation in tension at room temperature. The etch-pit density due to grown-in dislocations was found to decrease markedly with increasing annealing temperature. On tensile stressing, plastic flow was observed considerably below the upper yield point, and evidence of enhanced slip activity at grain boundaries suggested that most dislocation sources were located in these regions. The spacing of etch pits along individual slip planes were generally irregular but classical type dislocation pile-ups against grain boundaries were sometimes detected in the microstrain region. The grown-in dislocations as revealed by etching did not appear to participate in yielding, probably because they were too strongly locked by interstitial impurities. Many aspects of the etch pit patterns seen in niobium in this study were similar to previous observations made on Fe-Si alloys 3,12 .
Prevalence of papillomavirus infection in colposcopically directed cervical biopsy specimens in 1972 and 1982

A total of 1264 consecutive cervical biopsy specimens obtained at the Parkland Memorial Hospital Dysplasia Clinic during 1972 were reviewed. Histopathologic specimens were assessed with special reference to changes induced by human papillomavirus. In 1972, only 0.7% of biopsy specimens were reported as consistent with human papillomavirus infection. Upon review, however, 36.5% of these specimens were found to demonstrate histologic criteria for the diagnosis of human papillomavirus infection. Approximately half of biopsy specimens reclassified as human papillomavirus were originally interpreted as inflammation; the others were interpreted as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Patients with human papillomavirus infection were significantly younger than patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (24.9 versus 30.2 years). These findings were compared with 965 cervical biopsy specimens obtained in 1982. Thirty-four percent of these biopsy specimens revealed human papillomavirus infection. These observations support the concept that human papillomavirus infection of the cervix is not a new entity but a previously unrecognized finding whose prevalence has been relatively stable over a 10-year period.
Weighted mean patch size: a robust index for quantifying landscape structure

Abstract Variables such as number of patches and mean patch size have been widely used to describe landscape structure. However, these simple, independent measurements often fail to adequately represent or track offsetting or reinforcing changes that occur from interactions between patch number, size and shape. Here, we present a synthetic `weighted mean patch size' (WMPS) index which combines information represented in patch size and number. The utility of the WMPS index, which was based on percolation theory, is demonstrated using two data sets. The first data set consisted of output from a cellular automata-based simulation of landscape response to disturbance that varied in intensity and scale. Unlike simple estimates of mean patch size, the WMPS index was highly sensitive to disturbance and varied in a consistent fashion with both intensity and scale of disturbance. The second application involved the use of historical aerial photography to compare the dynamics of tree/shrub clusters (=patches) in a subtropical savanna parkland during a period of drought (1941–1960) and a period of normal to above-normal annual rainfall (1960–1983). Contrary to expectations, mean cluster (=patch) size increased in both periods. In addition, greatest increases in mean patch size occurred during the drought period, apparently the result of higher mortality among small clusters relative to large clusters. In contrast, climate-induced vegetation dynamics indicated by the WMPS index (decrease during drought period; increase in subsequent pluvial period) tracked those of other structural measurements (cluster density, total cover, cluster growth rate) and appeared to reflect dynamic, rainfall-induced changes in patch structure associated with changes in tree and shrub canopy area and plant numbers. These examples suggest the WMPS index, by combining information on patch size and number, can preserve process-level ecological information and provide robust, functionally relevant numerical representations of landscape structure over time and in response to disturbance.
Signal detectability in digital radiography: spatial domain figures of merit.

The usefulness of Fourier-based measures of imaging performance has come into question for the evaluation of digital imagingsystems. Figures of merit such as detective quantum efficiency (DQE) based on Fourier domain parameters are relevant for linear, shift-invariant systems with stationary noise. However, no digital imagingsystem is shift invariant, and realistic images do not satisfy the stationarity condition. Our methods for the task-based evaluation of imagingsystems, based on signal detectability in the spatial domain, do not require such assumptions. We have computed the performance of ideal and quasi-ideal observers for the task of signal detection in digital radiography. Signal detectability in terms of an observer signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) has been compared to results obtained from a Monte Carlo simulation of the digital image-acquisition process. The simulation incorporates the effects of random amplification and secondary quantum blur, integration over pixel area, and electronic noise. The observer figures of merit that have been previously shown to bracket human performance directly specify the usefulness of the images for the stated diagnostic task. In addition, the observer figures of merit give a task-dependent measure of imagingsystem efficiency in terms of the ratio of an output SNR 2 to an input SNR 2 . Thus, the concept of “detective quantum efficiency” reappears in a natural way but based in the spatial domain and not dependent on shift invariance and stationarity assumptions. With respect to the optimum amount of system blur, our simulations indicate that under certain task-dependent conditions, large signals are fairly insensitive to blur in the x-ray transducer, while an optimum blur is found for small signals.
Chromosome assignments of genes in man using mouse-human somatic cell hybrids: mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (indophenol oxidase-B, tetrameric) to chromosome 6.

Evidence from mouse/human somatic cell hybrids is presented for the synteny of the genes for indophenol oxidase-B (tetrameric) and cytoplasmic malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40). Assignment of these two genes to chromosome 6 is further confirmed. The identification of indophenol oxidase-B (tetrameric) as mitochondrial superoxide dismutase is discussed.
An Evolutionary Theory of Diversity: The Contributions of Grounded Theory and Grounded Action to Reconceptualizing and Reframing Diversity as a Complex Phenomenon

The author discusses the contributions of grounded theory and grounded action to the development of a new, and evolutionary, theoretical framework for understanding diversity as a complex phenomenon. She discusses the work of Thomas and Gregory as pioneers in expanding the conceptualization of diversity, arguing that this new understanding increases the potential for creative action in systems.
The use of a specific antibody adsorbent for estimation of total antibody against bovine serum albumin.

Abstract Insoluble angitens may be used to adsorbed specifically antibody from serum. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been rendered insoluble, without the loss of antigenic determinants, by heating at pH 3.7. The adsorption of anti-BSA antibody on this material has been made the basis of a method for the estimation of the total antibody contained in antiserums. The insoluble BSA has been found to have a high capacity for the adsorption of specific antibody (0.8 mg of antibody per mg of insoluble BSA) and to retain the native antigenic determinants so that all the antibodies reacting the native BSA were adsorbed. The method provides a rapid and precise estimation of the total anti-BSA antibody content of serums.
I'm an American Girl… whatever that means: Girls consuming Pleasant Company's American Girl identity

The American Girl collection of dolls, accessories, and books was introduced by Pleasant Company in 1985. The collection, created to “bring history alive” and “provide girls with role models,” has been an unqualified financial success: 5 million dolls and 50 million books have been sold. Using in-depth interviews with girls who own American Girl dolls and their mothers, this paper links representation, consumption, and identity, examining how girls create identity through consumption of American Girl texts and products, that is, how girls integrate Pleasant Company's products into their everyday liver and their construction of an American Girl identity.
Change in distributions of particle positions by Brownian diffusion in a non-uniform external field

General expressions for the particle position distribution in non-uniform external fields are provided based on an investigation of distribution function. For a case of uniform or vanishing external fields, the particle position distribution with time results in a normal distribution with a variance as obtained for pure Brownian motion. To account for the non-uniformity of external fields, simple linearization methods were applied and the change in particle position distribution was investigated. A procedure to determine time evolution of change in variance of particle position distribution in non-uniform external fields is presented. For any non-uniform external field described by an analytic function, this simple procedure can accurately calculate the spreading characteristics of nanoparticles in the diffusional regime. This approach is used to predict particle diffusional spreading in a coaxial DMA, and the results are seen to closely match Monte Carlo simulations.
Geezer Poet? A Member of the Gerontology Therapeutic Team?

Poetry and gerontology are often not viewed as congenial or likely companions. Yet these two approaches to communication, creativity, and health may have much in common. I would like to present some of my own work, five poems in fact, in light of my personal history and as a teacher/facilitator. My goal here is to reveal ideas and directions that professionals and volunteers in the field of gerontology can use with patients and clients, no matter what poetic experience might be placed on the table.
Immigration in Childhood: Using Picture Books to Cope

The United States is currently experiencing the largest wave of immigration in its history. This contemporary immigration is unprecedented in its diversity of ethnicity, class, and countries of origin, and large urban areas are no longer alone in absorbing arrivals. The author reviews children's picture books about dilemmas that immigrant children face, such as being different, coping with great and small changes, responding to one's name, learning a new language, relating to previous generations and traditions, maintaining ties with distant relatives, and visiting their homelands. Classroom materials relevant to the social and cultural experiences of children generate interest in and enthusiasm about learning. When teachers include books about the negotiation of another culture in the curriculum, children learn through reading that stories can be about people like them, that stories of their experiences are worthy of being in a book, and that other children have felt the way they do.
MAXIMUM A POSTERIORI ESTIMATION OF FIXED ABERRATIONS, DYNAMIC ABERRATIONS,AND THE OBJECT FROM PHASE-DIVERSE SPECKLE DATA

In phase-diverse speckle imaging one collects a time series of phase-diversity image sets that are used to jointly estimate the object and each of the phase-aberration functions. Current approaches model the total phase aberration in some deterministic parametric fashion. For many imaging schemes, however, additional information can be exploited. Specifically, the total aberration function consists of the fixed aberrations combined with dynamic (time-varying), turbulence-induced aberrations, about whose stochastic behavior we often have some knowledge. One important example is that in which the wave-front phase error corresponds to Kolmogorov turbulence. In this context using the extra statistical information available may be a powerful aid in the joint aberration/object estimation. In addition, such a framework provides an attractive method for calibrating fixed aberrations in an imaging system. The discipline of Bayesian statistical inference provides a natural framework for using the stochastic information regarding the wave fronts. Here one imposes an a priori probability distribution on the turbulence-induced wave fronts. We present the general Bayesian approach for the joint-estimation problem of fixed aberrations, dynamic aberrations, and the object from phase-diverse speckle data that leads to a maximum a posteriori estimator. We also present results based on simulated data, which show that the Bayesian approach provides an increase in accuracy and robustness for this joint estimation.
Microfungi found on phellen of Jugulans nigra L. in Southeastern Ohio, USA

Bark surfaces from black walnut ( Jugulans nigra ) trees of three sites in southeastern Ohio, half. Five. and ten miles from the Ohio River, were used in late autumn to isolate fungi in culture. as well as to search for the presence of fungal mycelium and spores. The pH of the cork also was determined. Fifty six, mostly cosmopolitan, species of microfungi and several yeasts were isolated, almost all belonging to imperfect form genera. with the largest number of species in the genus Penicillium . No relationship of fungal presence to cork pH was found among the sites whose acidity was related to closeness to the industrialized river edge. Relatively few fungi were isolated. and even fewer spores, and only four mycelia) growths were found by electron microscopy. Several spores seen could not be matched with fungi that had been isolated. The bark seems to be a trapping surface for spores. rather than a place of fungal growth.
Biosynthesis of peptide fragments of eukaryotic GPCRs in Escherichia coli by directing expression into inclusion bodies.

Biosynthesis of peptides in heterologous systems is often a prerequisite to biophysical analyses. Large amounts of peptides, in particular portions of membrane proteins, are needed to optimize conditions for secondary and tertiary structure analysis. Chemical synthesis of these peptides is limited by their high hydrophobicity and also due to the need to incorporate isotopic labels for high resolution NMR analysis. In this protocol, we describe a method for the heterologous expression and purification of unlabeled and isotopically labeled peptide fragments of Ste2p, an integral membrane G protein-coupled receptor. Copyright © 2010 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigation of the photochemistry and photophysics of para-substituted tertiary thiocinnamamides

We report the synthesis and photochemical investigation of a new series of compounds, the tertiary, p-substituted thiocinnamamides. The synthesis centers on a one-pot conversion of the corresponding cinnamamide to the thiocinnamamide via Lawesson’s reagent. Results of semi-empirical calculations predict a frontier orbital structure for the thiocinnamamides that is similar to the analogous cinnamamides. One important difference is the inclusion of the sulfur non-bonding orbital as the highest occupied orbital of the thiocinnamamides. The oxygen non-bonded orbital of the cinnamamides is considerably lower in energy, and does not contribute significantly to the frontier orbital structure. The absorption and emission spectra were measured and are described. The quantum yields for E-Z photoisomerization at various wavelengths were measured and the quantum yields were not found to vary with wavelength. The photostationary states were measured and found to depend on the absorbance of the E and Z isomers at the irradiation wavelength as was expected. Analysis of photoproducts and triplet quenching studies suggest the importance of a triplet state in the photoreactivity of the tertiary thiocinnamamides.
Chemical data for steam generating cycles

This review paper presents background information, rationale, and a description of the current and future use of chemical thermodynamic and kinetic data in the design, operation, and troubleshooting of utility and industrial steam generating equipment. Understanding and use of high temperature solution chemistry is needed to avoid scale and deposit formation (concentration of chemical impurities from low ppb and ppm levels in water and steam) and corrosion.
Intramedullary Pressure and Matrix Strain Induced by Oscillatory Skeletal Muscle Stimulation and its Potential in Adaptation

Intramedullary pressure (ImP) and low-level bone strain induced by oscillatory muscle stimulation (MS) has the potential to mitigate bone loss induced by disuse osteopenia, i.e., hindlimb suspension (HLS). To test this hypothesis, we evaluated (a) MS-induced ImP and bone strain as function of stimulation frequency and (b) the adaptive responses to functional disuse, and disuse plus 1 and 20 Hz stimulation in vivo. Femoral ImP and bone strain generated by MS were measured in the frequencies of 1-100 Hz in four rats. Forty retired breeder rats were used for the in vivo HLS study. The quadriceps muscle was stimulated at frequencies of 1 and 20 Hz, 10 min/d for four weeks. The metaphyseal trabecular bone quantity and microstructure at the distal femur were evaluated using microCT, while bone formation indices were analyzed using histomorphometric technique. Oscillatory MS generated a maximum ImP of 45+/-9 mmHg at 20 Hz and produced a maximum matrix strain of 128+/-19 microepsilon at 10 Hz. Our analyses from the in vivo study showed that MS at 20 Hz was able to attenuate trabecular bone loss and partially maintain the microstructure induced by HLS. Conversely, there was no evidence of an adaptive effect of stimulation at 1 Hz on disused skeleton. The results suggested that oscillatory MS regulates fluid dynamics and mechanical strain in bone, which serves as a critical mediator of adaptation. These results clearly demonstrated the ability of MS in attenuating bone loss from the disuse osteopenia, which may hold potential in mitigating skeletal degradation imposed by conditions of disuse, and may serve as a biomechanical intervention in clinic application.
Exposure to Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in the Indoor Environment

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are fire retardants used in consumer products such as foam-containing furniture and electronics. This paper reviews human exposure to PBDEs in North America, applying the source to exposure paradigm, and arrives to the following five conclusions. (1) PentaBDE concentrations in residential house dust are associated with the amount of bromine contained in furniture as measured by X-ray fluorescence; similarly, DecaBDE in dust is associated with bromine in electronics. (2) Microscopic analysis of dust suggests that physical breakdown of products may be an important source of DecaBDE in dust. (3) Concentrations of PentaBDE in people were associated with PentaBDE levels in dust from their homes. (4) Inhalation appears to be a minor route of exposure for most of the population. PentaBDEs on handwipes are associated with both dust concentrations and body burdens, suggesting hand-to-mouth activity (or dermal absorption) as important routes of exposure. (5) Diet appears to be another, independent source of exposure. Fire fighters may be exposed via dust, ash or air, particularly in the aftermath of a fire. The existing literature suggests that human health effects may be associated with PentaBDE exposures in the general population. Manufacture of PentaBDE has been banned; replacement fire retardants can be measured in products and dust. The use of PBDEs and related flame retardants poses a potential risk–risk trade-off that requires the joint efforts of environmental scientists and the fire science community.
Anticipatory speed control model applied to intersection left turns

This paper presents a new speed control model applicable to real-world driving. It is developed for intersection left turns and is based on anticipated acceleration reference (AAR) inputs. This addresses combined visual anticipation of lateral and longitudinal accelerations for the approach to an intersection where both stopping and turning outcomes are possible. The relationship between the AAR and the resulting vehicle accelerations are studied for both stopping and turning events using naturalistic driving data. A closed-loop model is developed, including braking to rest when the left turn is not attempted and for the turn and exit stages when it is. Parameter ranges are estimated, and as a demonstration of model applicability, Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to generate representative left turns using a full simulation model. Extension of the AAR model to other speed control problems, for example, driving on curved roads, is also discussed.