cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Clinical Utility of Expanded Macular OCTs Using Machine Learning.

Author(s): Lin, Andrew C; Lee, Cecilia S; Blazes, Marian; Lee, Aaron Y; Gorin, Michael B | Abstract: PurposeOptical coherence tomography (OCT) is widely used in the management of retinal pathologies, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). We used machine learning techniques to understand diagnostic performance gains from expanding macular OCT B-scans compared with foveal-only OCT B-scans for these conditions.MethodsElectronic medical records were extracted to obtain 61 B-scans per eye from patients with AMD, diabetic retinopathy, or POAG. We constructed deep neural networks and random forest ensembles and generated area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) and area under the precision recall (AUPR) curves.ResultsAfter extracting 630,000 OCT images, we achieved improved AUROC and AUPR curves when comparing the central image (one B-scan) to all images (61 B-scans). The AUROC and AUPR points of diminishing return for diagnostic accuracy for macular OCT coverage were found to be within 2.75 to 4.00 mm (14-19 B-scans), 4.25 to 4.50 mm (20-21 B-scans), and 4.50 to 6.25 mm (21-28 B-scans) for AMD, DME, and POAG, respectively. All models with g0.25 mm of coverage had statistically significantly improved AUROC/AUPR curves for all diseases (P l 0.05).ConclusionsSystematically expanded macular coverage models demonstrated significant differences in total macular coverage required for improved diagnostic accuracy, with the largest macular area being relevant in POAG followed by DME and then AMD. These findings support our hypothesis that the extent of macular coverage by OCT imaging in the clinical setting, for any of the three major disorders, has a measurable impact on the functionality of artificial intelligence decision support.Translational relevanceWe used machine learning techniques to improve OCT imaging standards for common retinal disease diagnoses.
Association and Agreement between Reactive Strength Index and Reactive Strength Index-Modified Scores.

Since the reactive strength index (RSI) and reactive strength index-modified (RSI-mod) share similar nomenclature, they are commonly referred as interchangeable measures of agility in the sports research literature. The RSI and RSI-mod are most commonly derived from the performance of depth jumping (DJ) and countermovement jumping (CMJ), respectively. Given that DJ and CMJ are plyometric movements that differ materially from biomechanical and neuromotor perspectives, it is likely that the RSI and RSI-mod measure distinct aspects of neuromuscular function. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the association and agreement between RSI and RSI-mod scores. A mixed-sex sample of NCAA division I basketball athletes (n = 21) and active young adults (n = 26) performed three trials of DJ from drop heights of 0.51, 0.66, and 0.81 m and three trials of countermovement jumping. Using 2-dimensional videography and force platform dynamometry, RSI and RSI-mod scores were estimated from DJ and CMJ trials, respectively. Linear regression revealed moderate associations between RSI and RSI-mod scores (F = 11.0–38.1; R2 = 0.20–0.47; p < 0.001–0.001). Bland–Altman plots revealed significant measurement bias (0.50–0.57) between RSI and RSI-mod scores. Bland–Altman limit of agreement intervals (1.27–1.51) were greater than the mean values for RSI (0.97–1.05) and RSI-mod (0.42) scores, suggesting poor agreement. Moreover, there were significant performance-dependent effects on measurement bias, wherein the difference between and the mean of RSI and RSI-mod scores were positively associated (F = 77.2–108.4; R2 = 0.63–0.71; p < 0.001). The results are evidence that the RSI and RSI-mod cannot be regarded as interchangeable measures of reactive strength.
Auditory perception : an analysis and synthesis

This revised and updated third edition describes the nature of sound, how sound is analyzed by the auditory system, and the rules and principles governing our interpretation of auditory input. It covers many topics including sound and the auditory system, locating sound sources, the basis for loudness judgments, perception of acoustic sequences, perceptual restoration of obliterated sounds, speech production and perception, and the relation of hearing to perception in general. Whilst keeping the consistent style of the previous editions, many new features have been added, including suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter, a section on functional imaging of the brain, expanded information on pitch and infrapitch, and additional coverage of speech processing. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students interested in auditory perception, behavioral sciences, psychology, neurobiology, architectural acoustics, and the hearing sciences will find this book an excellent guide.
Gastric carcinoids simulating benign polyps. Two cases diagnosed by endoscopic biopsy.

In 2 patients the early diagnosis of gastric carcinoid tumor was made by endoscopic biopsy. Both were small lesions having the appearance of benign gastric polyps and had escaped radiographic detection. The importance of early diagnosis of this rare tumor is stressed.
The interaction of adenyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate and PPi with actomyosin.

We previously studied the equilibrium binding of ADP, adenyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP), and inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) to actomyosin-subfragment 1 (acto.S-1) and found that AMP-PNP and PPi bind considerably more weakly to acto.S-1 than does ADP. In this study, we investigated the pre-steady-state kinetics of the binding of AMP-PNP and PPi to acto.S-1 and of S-1.AMP-PNP and S-1.PPi to actin to determine if the pre-steady-state kinetic data are consistent with our previous equilibrium data. We find that the kinetic data are consistent with the equilibrium data and agree with a model in which acto.S-1 forms a collision intermediate with the ATP analog, followed by a slower conformational change to a ternary complex that rapidly dissociates into actin and the S-1.ATP analog. Although this scheme fits the AMP-PNP as well as the PPi data, we find that the isomerization of the collision intermediate to the ternary complex is approximately 10 times faster in the presence of PPi than in the presence of AMP-PNP, which is consistent with previous physiological studies (Schoenberg, M., and Eisenberg, E. (1985) Biophys. J. 48, 863-872).
A Scaling relation at criticality for 2D-Percolation

We prove a relation between the radius and volume of a two-dimensional percolation cluster. This implies for 2D percolation that the critical exponents δ and η satisfy η = 4/(δ + 1) (provided η exists).
Bedrock: Building Multi-Agent Simulation Applications

Ten or twenty years ago it was possible to repair your own car. Today, with the advent of on-board computers and specialized parts, garage do-it-yourselfers are nearly extinct. What brought about the demise of these amateur grease monkeys? The answer is simple: tools. The complexity of modern automobiles requires a like complexity in the tools required for servicing them. Today’s wrenches and screwdrivers are often expensive and moreover specific to a particular make, leaving them out of the reach of the average motorist. Simulation enthusiasts face a similar dilemma. We often lack the particular tools needed to construct a new simulation. Tools that are available may not be well suited to our needs. More often than not, we must create the necessary implements ourselves. A great deal of programming overhead is required to build an original simulation. The goal of this chapter is to outline one approach to dealing effectively with the demands of simulation construction; namely by building a programmable simulation application.
Expression and Linkage of Genes for X-linked Hemophilias A and B in the Dog

The linkage distance on the X chromosome between the genes for hemophilia A (classic hemophilia) and B (PTC deficiency, Christmas disease) was estimated directly by breeding two strains of dogs, each segregating for a different type of hemophilia. Gene expression was determined by bioassays of plasma factor VIII (antihemophilic factor) and factor IX (PTC, Christmas factor). Double heterozygotes in repulsion for both hemophilia A and B could be readily identified by intermediate plasma levels of both procoagulants. There was no evidence of a tendency toward preferential inactivation of the paternally derived X chromosome, and the procoagulant levels showed that random inactivation had occurred at both loci. When double heterozygotes were bred against normal males or males with hemophilia A and B, the progeny that resulted indicated that the genes recombined freely. Thus, the genes are at least 50 map units apart. The phenotypes of five new hemophilic genotypes are described as a result of the various crossbreedings, including males with double hemophilia AB. When both hemophilia genes are in the coupling phase, there is evidence of increased intrauterine or neonatal lethality in males. The data from this study, along with that on gene linkage of human hemophilia A and B, provide support for the thesis of homology of the X chromosome during speciation.
USE OF CALCIUM DIPICOLINATE FOR ENUMERATION OF TOTAL VIABLE ENDOSPORE POPULATIONS WITHOUT HEAT ACTIVATION.

A method, based on germination with 50 mm CaCl2 and 40 mm sodium dipicolinate (Na2DPA), was developed for the determination of total viable counts of bacterial spores requiring heat activation. Incorporation of these germinating agents into Tryptone Glucose Extract Agar permitted plate-count enumeration of essentially 100% of Bacillus subtilis strain 5230 spores without a heat treatment. Other spore suspensions were surveyed for their response to CaCl2 and Na2DPA, and for the subsequent removal of the heat-activation requirement for enumeration of maximal populations.
Dietary fatty acid modulation of murine T-cell responses in vivo

The effect of dietary fat concentration and saturation on T-cell functions in vivo were investigated by using delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and graft-versus-host (GVH) reactions. These were selected because they circumvent the problem of fatty acid flux from the lymphocyte during in vitro assays. The DTH reaction to allogeneic line B16-BL6 melanoma cells was suppressed in BALB/c mice fed a diet containing 20% saturated fat (coconut oil) or polyunsaturated fat (safflower oil) compared to control mice fed a diet with the minimum of essential fatty acids (EFA). Likewise, DTH responsiveness of mice fed an EFA-deficient diet was less than that of mice fed the EFA control diet. The GVH reaction of C57BL/6 spleen cells injected into irradiated BALB/c mice was suppressed in those fed 20% polyunsaturated fat. Serum levels of linoleic acid increased commensurate with the levels of polyunsaturated fat in the diet. Likewise, previous work has demonstrated that levels of linoleic acid in whole lymphocytes changed in direct relation to the levels of fatty acids in serum and the diet. Thus, T-cell functions in vivo may be differentially affected by the degree of saturation or the concentration of dietary fat. Moreover, linoleic acid appears to play a pivotal role in modulating cellular immune responses.
Supraoptic oxytocin and vasopressin neurons function as glucose and metabolic sensors

Neurons in the supraoptic nuclei (SON) produce oxytocin and vasopressin and express insulin receptors (InsR) and glucokinase. Since oxytocin is an anorexigenic agent and glucokinase and InsR are ha...
Computer-aided numerical analysis of silicon solar cells

Abstract The application of a proven semiconductor device analysis computer code to the study of silicon solar cells is described. The code, which simultaneously solves Poisson's equation and the hole and electron continuity equations in one dimension, provides an effective analysis capability for solar cells that does not require limiting assumptions or approximations. Numerical solutions of the carrier transport problem in the illuminated solar cell illustrate where and how improvements in cell design can be achieved. The reliability of the analyses is demonstrated through a simulation of the conventional silicon solar cell. Results of this analysis are examined, and most practical design modifications to effect improvements in cell performance are identified and evaluated. This systematic technique is used with succeeding computer-aided analyses to identify the post-process silicon characteristics required to achieve a power-conversion efficiency greater than 20%.
Ammonium release from resuspended sediments in the Laguna Madre estuary

Abstract Sediments can play an important role in estuarine ecosystems by buffering environmental nutrient concentrations in overlying waters. This study examined the role of surface chemistry in controlling the release of NH4+ from resuspended sediments in the large, shallow, negative estuary Laguna Madre, TX. Two techniques were used: a generally accepted elutriate method in which sediments were added at a 1:5 ratio to overlying water and a more dilute procedure (closed) where sediments were added at three ratios ranging from 1:10,000 to 1:100. In general, the more dilute procedure resulted in greater release of NH4+ from sediments. This is the result of the relative positions that the final solution concentrations place the systems on for an experimentally determined Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm. The closed system technique also indicated that approximately equal amounts of the released NH4+ came from porewater, loosely-bound quick-release, and tightly-bound slow-release fractions. Experimental results were supported by observations during dredging activities. Model calculations indicate that resuspension events may cause NH4+ releases comparable to NH4+ fluxes from bottom sediments. Resuspension could potentially contribute to such environmental problems in this estuary as the `brown tide'.
Cryopreservation of hepatocyte (HepG2) cell monolayers: Impact of trehalose

A simple method to cryogenically preserve hepatocyte monolayers is currently not available but such a technique would facilitate numerous applications in the field of biomedical engineering, cell line development, and drug screening. We investigated the effect of trehalose and dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) in cryopreservation of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells in suspension and monolayer formats. HepG2 cell monolayers were incubated for 24h at varying concentrations of trehalose (50-150 mM) prior to cryopreservation to identify the optimum concentration for such preincubation. When trehalose alone was used as the cryoprotective agent (CPA), cells in monolayer format did not survive freezing while cells in suspension demonstrated 14% viability 24h after thawing. Only 6-13% of cells in monolayers survived freezing in cell culture medium supplemented with 10% Me2SO, but 42% of cells were recovered successfully if monolayers were preincubated with 100 mM trehalose prior to freezing in the Me2SO supplemented medium. Interestingly, for cells frozen in suspension in presence of 10% Me2SO, metabolic activity immediately following thawing did not change appreciably compared to unfrozen control cells. Finally, Raman spectroscopy techniques were employed to evaluate ice crystallization in the presence and absence of trehalose in freezing solutions without cells because crystallization may alter the extent of injury observed in cell monolayers. We speculate that biomimetic approaches of using protective sugars to preserve cells in monolayer format will facilitate the development of techniques for long-term preservation of human tissues and organs in the future.
Intratumoral cancer chemotherapy and immunotherapy: opportunities for nonsystemic preoperative drug delivery.

The recent literature documents the growing interest in local intratumoral chemotherapy as well as systemic preoperative chemotherapy with evidence for improved outcomes using these therapeutic modalities. Nevertheless, with few exceptions, the conventional wisdom and standard of care for clinical and surgical oncology remains surgery followed by radiation and/or systemic chemotherapy, as deemed appropriate based on clinical findings. This, in spite of the fact that the toxicity of conventional systemic chemotherapy and immunotherapy affords limited effectiveness and frequently compromises the quality of life for patients. Indeed, with systemic chemotherapy, the oncologist (and the patient) often walks a fine line between attempting tumour remission with prolonged survival and damaging the patient's vital functions to the point of death. In this context, it has probably been obvious for more than 100 years, due in part to the pioneering work of Ehrlich (1878), that targeted or localized drug delivery should be a major goal of chemotherapy. However, there is still only limited clinical use of nonsystemic intratumoral chemotherapy for even those high mortality cancers which are characterized by well defined primary lesions i.e. breast, colorectal, lung, prostate, and skin. There has been a proliferation of intratumoral chemotherapy and immunotherapy research during the past two to three years. It is therefore the objective of this review to focus much more attention upon intratumoral therapeutic concepts which could limit adverse systemic events and which might combine clinically feasible methods for localized preoperative chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy with surgery. Since our review of intratumoral chemoimmunotherapy almost 20 years ago (McLaughlin & Goldberg 1983), there have been few comprehensive reviews of this field; only one of broad scope (Brincker 1993), three devoted specifically to gliomas (Tomita 1991; Walter et al. 1995; Haroun & Brem 2000), one on hepatomas (Venook 2000), one concerning veterinary applications (Theon 1998), and one older review of dermatological applications (Goette 1981). However, none have shed light on practical opportunities for combining intratumoral therapy with subsequent surgical resection. Given the state-of-the-art in clinical and surgical oncology, and the advances that have been made in intratumoral drug delivery, minimally invasive tumour access i.e. fine needle biopsy, new drugs and drug delivery systems, and preoperative chemotherapy, it is timely to present a review of studies which may suggest future opportunities for safer, more effective, and clinically practical non-systemic therapy.
Rates and Predictors of Postpartum Depression by Race and Ethnicity: Results from the 2004 to 2007 New York City PRAMS Survey (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System)

The objective of this study was to examine racial/ethnic disparities in the diagnosis of postpartum depression (PPD) by: (1) identifying predictors that account for prevalence rate differences across groups, and (2) comparing the strength of predictors across groups. 3,732 White, African American, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women from the New York City area completed the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System from 2004 to 2007, a population-based survey that assessed sociodemographic risk factors, maternal stressors, psycho-education provided regarding depression, and prenatal and postpartum depression diagnoses. Sociodemographic and maternal stressors accounted for increased rates in PPD among Blacks and Hispanics compared to Whites, whereas Asian/Pacific Islander women were still 3.2 times more likely to receive a diagnosis after controlling for these variables. Asian/Pacific Islanders were more likely to receive a diagnosis after their providers talked to them about depressed mood, but were less likely than other groups to have had this conversation. Prenatal depression diagnoses increased the likelihood for PPD diagnoses for women across groups. Gestational diabetes decreased the likelihood for a PPD diagnosis for African Americans; a trend was observed in the association between having given birth to a female infant and increased rates of PPD diagnosis for Asian/Pacific Islanders and Whites. The risk factors that account for prevalence rate differences in postpartum diagnoses depend on the race/ethnic groups being compared. Prenatal depression is confirmed to be a major predictor for postpartum depression diagnosis for all groups studied; however, the associations between other postpartum depression risk factors and diagnosis vary by race/ethnic group.
Attachment-Based Family Therapy for Adolescent Self-Injury

There is growing awareness in the popular media and in clinical reports of the increasing prevalence of self-injury, especially among adolescents. Self-injury affects the entire family and is, in turn, affected by the family system. Thus, family therapy is an important component when working with adolescents who are still dependent on their families. However, available treatments, for the most part, do not address the relational-systemic aspects of self-harm, and treat only the individual. This article situates self-harm within the relational framework of adolescent attachment theory and presents a case study demonstrating the treatment of adolescent self-injury with attachment-based family therapy.
Identification and exploitation of novel disease resistance genes in sugar beet

Sugar beet is a valuable arable crop providing a large proportion of world sugar supplies. It is susceptible to a range of fungal and viral diseases, to most of which there is inadequate genetic resistance. Control instead relies largely on the use of pesticides. To increase the sustainability of sugar-beet cultivation, strong and durable genetic resistance is urgently needed. This review describes an IACR-Broom's Barn programme devoted to evaluating Beta germplasm for novel resistance to major viral and fungal diseases, and its progress in elucidating the numbers and locations of the genes responsible.
Protein Kinase Cα-Induced Derepression of the Human Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Gene Transcription through ERK-Mediated Release of HDAC1/Sin3A Repressor Complex from Sp1 Sites

LH receptor (LHR) gene transcription is subject to repression/derepression through various modes and multiple effectors. Epigenetic silencing and activation of the LHR is achieved through coordinated regulation at both histone and DNA levels. The LHR gene is subject to repression by deacetylation and methylation at its promoter region, where a HDAC/mSin3A repressor complex is anchored at Sp1 sites. The present studies revealed that protein kinase C (PKC) alpha/ERK signaling is important for the activation of LHR promoter activity, and the increase of endogenous transcripts induced by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) in HeLa cells. Whereas these effects were attributable to PKCalpha activity, the ERK pathway was the downstream effector in LHR activation. PMA caused a significant enhancement of Sp1 phosphorylation at serine residue (s), which was blocked by PKCalpha or ERK inhibition. The interaction of activated phosphorylated ERK with Sp1 and ERK's association with the LHR promoter points to Sp1 as a direct target of ERK. After Sp1 phosphorylation, the HDAC1/mSin3A repressor complex dissociated from Sp1 sites, histone 3 was acetylated, and transcription factor II B and RNA polymerase II were recruited. In addition, overexpression of a constitutively active PKCalpha (PKCalpha CA) strongly activated LHR transcription in MCF-7 cells (devoid of PKCalpha), induced Sp1 phosphorylation at serine residue (s) and caused derecruitment of HDAC1/mSin3A complex from the promoter. These effects were negated by cotransfection of a dominant-negative PKCalpha. In conclusion, these studies have revealed a novel regulatory signaling mechanism of transcriptional control in which the LHR is derepressed through PKCalpha/ERK-mediated Sp1 phosphorylation, causing the release of HDAC1/mSin3A complex from the promoter.
Computerized dimensional inspection

Abstract Geometric measurement using computer vision is an important issue in automated manufacturing systems. This paper examines the possibilities of real-time roundness measurement both analytically and experimentally.
Helmholtz and the shaping of the American physics elite in the Gilded Age

ABSTRACT: This essay concerns Helmholtz9s relationships with American physics students and colleagues, and with his general image in Gilded Age America. His person, his teaching style, his views on the nature and function of science and its role within culture at large, and his institutional facilities played an important part in shaping the views of young American scientists and the institutional structures that they developed. The essay samples Helmholtz9s reputation among American men of science and letters, and surveys the American physics students and postdocs who studied with him in Berlin or worked in or simply visited him and his institute there. It points to the leadership roles that several of these men played in their own academic institutions and their new emerging discipline. It provides an analysis of Helmholtz as a teacher and mentor of American physics students, and considers the special case of Henry Rowland9s relationship with Helmholtz and his Berlin institute. Finally, it suggests that Helmholtz played a role, as inspirer, in the emergence of four key institutions of American physics——The physical review, The astrophysical journal, the American Physical Society, and the National Bureau of Standards. American physics students and postdocs in the Gilded Age idolized and lionized Helmholtz as a hero of pure science and research, as the embodiment of what it meant to be a physicist. As such, he helped shape the professional ideals and reality of the American physics elite that emerged during the late-19th century.
Wave‐motion in a channel

There are numerous types of waves with which the hydraulic engineer must deal, such as tidal waves, flood-waves, waves in a canal due to the filling or emptying of a lock, power-waves, and so on. Power- or increment-waves will be the chief subject of this paper, and some mention will be made of experimental work on power-waves and tidal waves which has been done at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The external validity of controlled clinical trials of psychotherapy for depression and anxiety: A naturalistic study

Psychotherapy researchers have increasingly called for clinical practice and training to focus on empirically supported therapies tested in randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs). In this paper, we report data from a naturalistic study of successful treatments in clinical practice that bear on the external validity of ESTs for three disorders. Participants were 242 experienced doctoral-level clinicians who reported on their last successfully treated patient seeking treatment for clinically significant depression, panic, or anxiety without panic. Successful treatments typically take substantially longer than the 8–16 sessions characteristic of efficacy trials for these disorders, even for the briefest treatments (cognitive-behavioural). Of particular relevance for generalizability from RCTs, most patients in clinical practice present with multiple problems other than a single Axis I disorder, which clinicians of all theoretical orientations recognize and treat, and these co-occurring conditions have a substantial impact on treatment length in everyday practice. The data suggest the importance of effectiveness research in bridging research and practice. They also point to the utility of distinguishing two complementary ways in which effectiveness research can be understood and implemented: by starting with efficacy trials and then testing treatments with promising results in the laboratory using broader community samples; or by starting with everyday clinical practice, examining patterns of covariation between specific interventions and outcomes at clinically meaningful follow-up intervals with diverse and ecologically valid samples and using these data to generate prototypes of treatments that can be used to guide the next generation of experimental studies.
Comparison of the validity of the use of the spontaneously hypertensive rat as a model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in males and females.

Abstract The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is a commonly used and well-studied rodent model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Sex differences in the cognitive symptoms of ADHD are reported. However, the female SHR rat is much less studied than its male counterpart. The goal of the current study was to assess the validity of the SHR rodent model of ADHD by examining attentional performance, inhibitory control, and hyperactivity in both male and female SHR rats. Adult SHR and control Wistar–Kyoto rats were trained on the 5-choice serial reaction time task, a self-paced test of attention and inhibitory control. This task requires animals to identify the location of a brief light stimulus among five possible locations under several challenging conditions. Analyses of percent correct revealed that attentional performance in SHR females was not significantly different from control females, whereas attentional performance in SHR males was significantly different from control males. Analyses of the number of premature responses revealed that SHR rats made more inhibitory control errors than did control rats and that this decrease in inhibitory control was present in both SHR males and females. Analyses of activity in the open field revealed that SHR rats were more hyperactive than were control rats and that this increased hyperactivity was present in both SHR males and females. The current findings have implications for the study of sex differences in ADHD and for the use of SHR rats as a model of ADHD in females.
Near-ultraviolet evanescent-wave absorption sensor based on a multimode optical fiber.

Fiber-optic near-ultraviolet evanescent-wave sensors have been constructed, and their feasibility for practical applications has been demonstrated. The sensors, used for the detection of ozone near the 254-nm peak of the Hartley absorption band, were fabricated from coiled segments of low-cost multimode plastic-clad silica optical fibers. The sensing sections were produced alternatively by stripping only the protective jacket from the fiber to expose the gas-permeable silicone cladding or by stripping the jacket and the cladding to expose the bare-silica fiber core. Response characteristics are given, including sensitivity to ozone, reversibility, and aging effects. The useful lifetime was unacceptably short for the sensor that employed the bare-silica core, whereas the exposed-cladding sensor demonstrated good stability over the entire two-month period of investigation. The latter, more useful sensor demonstrated a linear response to ozone over the range 0.02−0.35 vol % and a reversible response with a t...
Importance of bottomland hardwoods to crawfish and fish in the Henderson Lake area, Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana

This study evaluates the importance of overflow areas to the biological productivity of a bottomland hardwood swamp in the Henderson Lake area of the Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana. Adult fishes, young-of-year Largemouth bass, crawfish, and zooplankton were monitored through a one year water cycle. Data from these collections were analyzed along with selected physical/chemical data to determine the extent that flooded woods areas of the swamp were utilized by the aquatic biota. The flooded woods habitat was the primary area utilized by fish and crawfish for spawning and as a nursery ground. Large concentrations of zooplankton and crawfish were available as a food resource for young-of-year and adult fish at the ephemeral edge habitat. Because of fluctuating water levels, this moving edge represented a large areal portion of the basin, suggesting the importance of flooded woods habitat to the aquatic biota. It is suggested that artificial reduction in the extent or duration of flooding of woods habitats will ultimately adversely affect the fishery and crawfish industries. Future management decisions regarding the disposition of Louisiana wetlands should be based upon careful consideration of the potential loss of these fisheries, and this loss weighted against the advantages of swamp drainage or alteration in flooding regimes.
Defective FAS Mediated Apoptosis in a Human Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome. • 46

We recently described 5 unrelated children with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) whom had dominant interfering mutations in Fas, a transmembrane protein of the tumor necrosis receptor family that mediates apoptosis of lymphoid cells. All 5 children with ALPS had heterozygous mutations in Fas; 4 of the mutant Fas molecules were shown to dominantly interfere with the induction of apoptosis by wild type Fas. The 5 children had massive non-mailgnant lymphadenopathy, autoimmune thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia, hyper-gammaglobulinemia as well as significant expansion of an unsusual subset of T cells that express T-cell receptors but neither CD4 nor CD8 (CD4-/CD8-). As seen in MRL/lpr mice, which also have autoimmune phenotype and elevated CD4-/CD8- T-cells, our patients demonstrated defective programmed cell death in response to Fas stimulation. A sixth ALPS patient has now been studied and found not to have a mutation in either allele of the Fas gene. Clinically this patient is indistinguishable from the previously characterized ALPS patients and like them has defective Fas-mediated apoptosis, in-vitro. Furthermore this patient's parents have normal Fas mediated apoptosis. The pattern of inheritance and our molecular charactreization of this ALPS patient are consistent with a recessive defect in an intracellular signalling molecule of the Fas apoptotic pathway and that both parents are carriers for this mutation.
Hydrodynamic simulation of methanol synthesis in gas–liquid slurry bubble column reactors

A transient, two-dimensional hydrodynamic model for the production of methanol from syn-gas in an Air Products/DOE LaPorte slurry bubble column reactor was developed. The model predicts downflow of catalyst at the walls and oscillatory particle and gas flow at the center, with a frequency of about 0.7 H. The computed temperature variation in the reactor with heat exchangers was only about 5°K, indicating good thermal management. The computed slurry height, the gas holdup and the rate of methanol production agree with LaPorte's reported data. Unlike the previous models in the literature, this model computes the gas and the particle holdups and the particle rheology. The only adjustable parameter in the model is the effective particle restitution coefficient. It gives values of granular temperature, random particle oscillating velocities, that agree with measurements in a laboratory slurry bubble column containing the methanol catalyst that was built to approximate the La Porte reactor. The computed turbulent kinetic energy or the granular temperature agrees with similar measurements at Ohio State University in a bubble column extrapolated to no particles.
Dancing with Horses: Combining Dance/Movement Therapy and Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy

This qualitative research study explores the ways in which dance/movement therapy (DMT) and equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP) can be combined to produce an integrated, creative, and effective psychotherapeutic approach. Interview methodology was used to collect qualitative data from current psychotherapeutic practitioners with experience in both disciplines. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and organized into 16 themes nested within 5 categories. The results showed a natural therapeutic fit between DMT and EFP, including the innate ability of horses to co-facilitate body-centered, movement-oriented, therapeutic processes. The results also suggested that combining DMT and EFP can increase therapeutic possibilities, including levels of client and therapist embodiment and creative expression, opportunities for contact and touch, and the depth and breadth of the therapeutic relationship. Finally, the results described some of the tools and techniques currently being used in DMT–EFP sessions and highlighted factors necessary to be successful in this endeavor. This study is intended to provide a foundation for further research and writing about combining DMT and EFP.
Endovascular recanalization of central venous access to allow for pacemaker implantation or upgrade.

Abstract Background Several patients undergoing permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation/upgrade present with difficult access due to sub- or total central vein occlusion. Our institution has used the endovascular approach to recanalize central veins to allow for subsequent PPM implantation. Here we aim to describe the feasibility and safety of using this approach to allow for PPM implantation/upgrade. Methods From October 2006 to November 2010, 50 consecutive patients who underwent central vein recanalization prior to PPM implantation were included in this analysis. Results The population's mean age was 70 years, with a high rate of comorbidities including chronic renal failure (52.0%), congestive heart failure (64.0%), diabetes (33.3%) and peripheral vascular disease (36.0%). The endovascular recanalization procedure was performed via femoral access in all patients; however adjuvant brachial access was required in 13 cases and subclavian vein in one. Subclavian vein (74.5%) followed by innominate vein (21.6%) were the most common locations/target for recanalization. Successful vein recanalization followed by successful PPM implantation/upgrade was achieved in 48 patients (96.0%) without peri-procedural complications. Two patients died during the hospitalization, one due to severe respiratory failure and a second due to complicated end-stage renal disease, although neither was related to the endovascular procedure. No other event, including myocardial infarction, cerebral–vascular accident, bleeding/transfusion, or renal failure was identified. Conclusions This study proved the feasibility and safety of the endovascular approach to recanalize central veins in patients with poor vascular access to allow for further PPM implantation/upgrade.
Fatigue in frog single muscle fibres

WHEN a whole striated muscle is stimulated repetitively, its contractile force decreases and it is said to be fatigued1–3. Fatigue does not occur in dystrophic muscles, and is characteristic of fast but not slow mammalian and amphibian muscle fibres4,5. The complexity of the excitation–contraction process in fast muscle fibres has made it difficult to determine when fatigue sets in. Restoration of twitch tension of fatigued fibres by caffeine6,7 suggests that fatigue is a failure of calcium release, although the depletion, during prolonged contraction, of necessary energy-rich metabolites8,9 could be responsible for fatigue. Contraction can be uncoupled from calcium release and excitation by hypertonic solutions (refs 10–12 and unpublished results of S. R. Taylor, R. Rudel and J. R. Blinks). We have now found that hypertonic uncoupling prevents fatigue, so that fatigue must be linked to contraction. We have also found that single muscle fibres can recover after being fatigued by prolonged tetanisation.
Calcitonin induces expression of the inducible cAMP early repressor in osteoclasts

The cAMP response element modulator gene (Crem) encodes a variety of transcriptional regulators including the inducible cAMP early repressor, ICER. We previously showed that Crem knockout mice, which are deficient in CREM and ICER factors, display slightly increased long bone mass and decreased osteoclast number. These data are consistent with the notion that Crem regulates bone mass in part through an effect on osteoclast formation and/or function. Since ICER is strongly induced by cAMP, we asked whether the calcium-regulating hormone calcitonin, which stimulates cAMP production and inhibits osteoclastic bone resorption, could induce ICER in osteoclasts. The monocytic cell line RAW264.7 was treated with receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) to induce osteoclast formation. Calcitonin caused a time- and dose-dependent induction of ICER mRNA and an increase in ICER protein abundance in RANKL-treated RAW264.7 cells. Calcitonin also induced ICER mRNA and protein in osteoclasts derived from primary mouse bone marrow cell cultures. Calcitonin-treated osteoclasts showed immunoreactivity with an anti-CREM antibody. Calcitonin decreased the activity of wild-type and Crem knockout osteoclasts in vitro, and this inhibitory effect was greater in Crem knockout osteoclasts. Furthermore, calcitonin decreased calcitonin receptor mRNA expression in wild-type osteoclasts, but not in Crem knockout osteoclasts. These data suggest that calcitonin induction of ICER in osteoclasts might regulate osteoclast activity.
Steam Jet Cooking of Unmodified and Modified Cereal Flours. Evaluation of Paste Properties, Papermaking Uses and Flocculation Activity

Steam jet cooking of unmodified and modified cereal flours increased paste dispersibility and decreased paste viscosity and paste setback to greater extents than did water bath or amylograph cooking. For modified flours prepared by dry-state procedures, jet cooking increased paste dispersibility and decreased paste and intrinsic viscosities considerably more for cationic flours than for an acid-modified flour. Improvements in dispersibility and viscosity properties of modified flours by jet cooking make them more effective in paper and flocculation applications.
Synaptotagmin IV Modulation of Vesicle Size and Fusion Pores in PC12 Cells

Many synaptotagmins are Ca2+-binding membrane proteins with functions in Ca2+-triggered exocytosis. Synaptotagmin IV (syt IV) has no Ca2+ binding activity, but nevertheless modulates exocytosis. Here, cell-attached capacitance recording was used to study single vesicle fusion and fission in control and syt IV overexpressing PC12 cells. Unitary capacitance steps varied widely in size, indicating that both microvesicles (MVs) and dense-core vesicles (DCVs) undergo fusion. Syt IV overexpression reduced the size of DCVs and endocytotic vesicles but not MVs. Syt IV also reduced the basal rate of Ca2+-induced fusion. During kiss-and-run, syt IV increased the conductance and duration of DCV fusion pores but not MV fusion pores. During full-fusion of DCVs syt IV increased the fusion pore conductance but not the duration. Syt IV overexpression increased the duration but not the conductance of fission pores during endocytosis. The effects of syt IV on fusion pores in PC12 cells resembled the effects on fusion pores in peptidergic nerve terminals. However, differences between these and results obtained with amperometry may indicate that amperometry and capacitance detect the fusion of different populations of vesicles. The effects of syt IV on fusion pores are discussed in terms of structural models and kinetic mechanisms.
Multichannel image identification and restoration using the expectation-maximization algorithm

Previous work has demonstrated the effectiveness of the expectation-maximization algorithm to restore noisy, degraded single-channel images and simultaneously identify its blur. In addition, a general framework for processing multi-channel images using single-channel techniques has also been developed. This paper combines and extends the two approaches so that simultaneous restoration and blur identification is possible for multi-channel images. However, care must be taken in estimating the blur and the cross-power spectra, which are complex quantities. With this point in mind, explicit equations for simultaneous identification and restoration of noisy, blurred multi-channel images are developed, where the images may have cross-channel degradations. Experimental results are shown which support this multi- channel approach, and are compared with multi-channel Wiener filter results. Independently restoring each channel is also analyzed and compared with multi-channel results.
Influence of high energy radiation on the glasstransition of poly(methyl methacrylate)

Abstract Chemical changes produced by irradiation of crystalline polymers can be monitored quantitatively by DTA measurements of the melting point. The purpose of the present work is to investigate whether or not similar information can be obtained for a non-crystalline polymer by measurements of the glass transition temperature (Tg). Atactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was exposed to 137Cs γ-rays. After degassing and heat treatment, samples were scanned using a DuPont 990 Thermal Analyzer. By either the conventional or a tangent data analysis technique, Tg measurements not only agreed with previously reported data up to a dose of 75 Mrad but also were extended up to 500 Mrad. Moreover, the empirical plot of Tg vs. M −1n agreed with data obtained by free-radical polymerization and was judged to be a suitable calibration curve for estimating the radiation damage from DTA measurements. For samples of PMMA prepared both by irradiation and by free-radical polymerization, the dependence of Tg on molecular weight best fitted the theoretical expression of Gibbs. Using a reduced variables plot, the present results for irradiated PMMA compared well with synthesized vinyl polymers, substantiating the dominance of simple chain fracture.
PC-fractions and orthogonal Laurent polynomials for log-normal distributions

Abstract Log-normal distributions have received considerable recent attention partly through their applications to several branches of science, economics, and business and partly in their relation to orthogonal Laurent polynomials (L-polynomials), Pade approximants, and continued fractions. This paper investigates PC-fractions and orthogonal L-polynomials associated with log-normal distributions. Our main results include: (a) explicit expressions for the continued fractions and their approximants, and the L-polynomials; (b) proofs of the existence of the limits of subsequences of approximants and of L-polynomials; (c) closed form expressions for the limits of these subsequences; and (d) identities between related approximants and related L-polynomials. Several of the limit functions are seen to be essentially theta funcions.
Use of homologous series of analytes as mechanistic probes to investigate the origins of enantioselectivity on two chiral stationary phases

Abstract The normal-phase liquid chromatographic behavior of two homologous series of racemic carbamate derivatives of leucine anilides was examined on two chiral stationary phases, one of which has not been described heretofore. These chiral stationary phases are related structurally to the N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)leucine chiral stationary phases originally developed in these laboratories, but differ from each other principally in the manner in which the chiral selector is attached to the silica gel support. While these selectors utilize the same interaction sites for bonding, the length of the analyte's linear alkoxyl substituent strongly influences enantioselectivity on only one of the chiral stationary phases. Similar but substantially less severe trends are noted as the length of a p-alkyl substituent on the second series of anilides is increased. Inferences concerning possible chiral recognition mechanisms are drawn from these observations.
Microfluidics for Mammalian Cell Chemotaxis

The emerging field of micro-technology has opened up new possibilities for exploring cellular chemotaxis in real space and time, and at single cell resolution. Chemotactic cells sense and move in response to chemical gradients and play important roles in a number of physiological and pathological processes, including development, immune responses, and tumor cell invasions. Due to the size proximity of the microfluidic device to cells, microfluidic chemotaxis devices advance the traditional macro-scale chemotaxis assays in two major directions: one is to build well defined and stable chemical gradients at cellular length scales, and the other is to provide a platform for quantifying cellular responses at both cellular and molecular levels using advanced optical imaging systems. Here, we present a critical review on the designing principles, recent development, and potential capabilities of the microfluidic chemotaxis assay for solving problems that are of importance in the biomedical engineering field.