cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictive value of clinical and exercise variables for detection of coronary artery disease in men with diabetes mellitus

Abstract Sixty-eight men with diabetes mellitus (mean age 53 ± 10 years) and no symptoms of cardiac dysfunction enrolled in a long-range study for detection of latent coronary artery disease. The testing included maximal treadmill stress with thallium-201 scintigraphy and echocardiography. Radionuclide angiography was available in 35 men (52%), and 24 (35%) had gated scanning with exercise. Of the 68 patients, 14 (21%) had a mild (9 patients) or moderate (5 patients) decrease in ejection fraction on radionuclide angiography, echocardiography or both. Fifty-two men agreed to remain in the study and have been followed for 12 to 18 months (mean 41 ± 19). Ten coronary events have occurred. Four of the men died (2 suddenly) and 6 have angina pectoris. Three patients have had vascular complications. Of the clinical and exercise variables studied, exercise duration effectively predicted an adverse outcome, while the odds ratio in favor of a coronary event increased by 36 times in those with thallium-201 defects and 7 times in those with ST-segment changes on exercise. Radionuclide angiographic responses during exercise were abnormal in 5 of 6 patients with events, but were also abnormal in 12 of 29 men (41%) who did not have coronary artery disease. Clinical variables such as blood pressure, cholesterol level and family history were not predictive of outcome, nor was maximal heart rate during exercise. Thus, diabetic men who can exercise for 440 seconds on a treadmill using a Bruce protocol are at low risk of a coronary event. Only 10 of 42 subjects without coronary events (group 1) exercised for 440 seconds, whereas 9 of 10 of those with events had such a decreased exercise tolerance. The sensitivity and specificity of these findings were 90% and 76%, respectively. In those with negative thallium-201 scan findings and no ST-segment changes on the electrocardiogram, overt disease was also unlikely to develop.
0019 Mapping injury data to inform targeted approaches to prevention

Statement of purpose Data available on unintentional injuries at state and county levels are insufficient for effectively planning prevention efforts at a neighbourhood level. Concentrating interventions in neighbourhoods at greatest risk helps improve the programmatic and financial efficiency of limited prevention resources, and enables practitioners to more effectively demonstrate outcomes measures. Methods/Approach We queried paediatric t2rauma registry data (N=5,380), over a 4 year period from two Level I Trauma Centres, and also statewide Emergency Department visit data for paediatric injuries (N = @111,000) for all Colorado hospitals in 2013. Data was analysed by age, mechanism of injury, zip code of residence, payer source and more, to produce geographic maps that allow local I. P. practitioners and partner agencies a visual representation of where a disproportionate volume of injuries are occurring. Integrating U.S. Census data on population demographics (i.e., race/ethnicity, household income, etc.) provides additional contextual information that allows for refinement of program efforts. Results We have identified Colorado zip codes of mechanism-specific high risk (i.e., injury “hot spots”) that will be used to build neighbourhood capacity to address primary prevention efforts. Adjusting for confounding factors, zip codes with fewer educated individuals and higher populations had higher hospital charges. Conclusions Injury burdens can vary greatly among communities in the same geopolitical area, and result in higher costs for treating paediatric trauma. Significance and contribution to the field Children’s Hospital Colorado has initiated steps to implement The Prevention Institute’s recommendation to “… share healthcare data to map patterns of … injury and create community improvements,” found in their document A Checklist of Strategies for Health Care-Community Prevention Integration. This approach also aligns with the six levels on the Spectrum of Prevention. This type of analysis can be used to focus prevention efforts in the areas of greatest need, and can also inform resource allocation for publicly and privately funded prevention efforts, support for injury-related public policy initiatives, and more.
Characterization of Persistent and Recurrent Cushing’s Disease

A case of possible recurrent Cushing’s disease (CD) is presented and data on current definitions of CD remission, persistence, and recurrence are reviewed. While prevailing guidelines recommend the use of serum cortisol in the first post-operative week for defining initial remission and predicting sustained remission, with the use of 24 h urinary free cortisol measurements if serum cortisol values are equivocal, there is debate as to which methods and thresholds best define CD remission and predict successful outcomes. Other methods used to define remission (and hence persistence and recurrence) include restoration of cortisol suppression after dexamethasone and physiologic diurnal cortisol rhythm as measured by midnight salivary free cortisol. However, the number and degree of abnormal test results needed to define recurrence, and the determination of which biochemical test has more significance when there are discrepancies between markers is inconsistent among studies. Further inquiry is warranted to examine if patients in apparent CD remission who have subtle hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis abnormalities represent distinctive remission subtypes versus mild or early recurrence. Additional investigation could also explore the degree to which these HPA axis abnormalities, such as alterations in cortisol circadian rhythm or partial resistance to dexamethasone, are associated with persistence of CD morbidities, including neuropsychiatric impairments, alterations in body composition, and cardiovascular risk.
The Steward Observatory Intensified Photon-Counting Reticon System

In 1981 Steward Observatory developed and put into use an intensified photon-counting Reticon detector system for the Cassegrain spectrograph on the observatory's 2.3 meter telescope. During initial design of the detector, particular emphasis was placed on selecting image intensifier components that would provide the highest possible quantum efficiency in the blue spectral region as well as provide a superior pulse-height distribution, good uniformity of response, high resolution from center to edge, and excellent geometrical stability. The Reticon camera electronics and discriminator electronics are the products of a cooperative project between Steward Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and represent a newer technology version of the design pioneered by Shectman and Hiltner. The paper presents a description of the detector components, a summary of laboratory evaluation tests, and a summary of the detector's performance at the telescope. Of special significance is a discussion of the detector's true counting efficiency.
Review essay/9/11, the liberty/security balance, and the separation of powers

Richard Posner, Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency New York: Oxford University Press, 2006, 208 pp.
Combined modified rectus fascial sling and augmentation ileocystoplasty for neurogenic incontinence in women.

ABSTRACTPurpose: We assessed results of a combined modified rectus fascial sling procedure and augmentation ileocystoplasty in women with neurogenic urinary incontinence.Materials and Methods: We prospectively evaluated 21 patients (mean followup 28.6 months).Results: A total of 20 patients (95.2%) was dry during the day on intermittent catheterization and none had difficulty with catheterization. Subsequently surgery was necessary in 1 case for perforation of the augmented bladder.Conclusions: A combined modified rectus fascial sling procedure and augmentation ileocystoplasty are safe and effective when all available pharmacological treatments and clean intermittent catheterization have failed.
Comparison of student, first-year, and experienced teachers' interpretations of a first-grade lesson

Abstract Student, first-year, and experienced teachers were shown a videotape of a first-grade language arts lesson and asked to write responses to three questions about the lesson. The questions focused on classroom management, teacher-student interactions, and use of students' knowledge. The written responses were analyzed in terms of length, complexity, linguistic cues, and topics discussed. Few differences were found between the student teachers and the first-year teachers. The experienced teachers showed a greater understanding of the interconnectedness of classroom events. Differences between the experienced and less-experienced teachers were found in the topics dicussed. Implications of these findings for teacher education are discussed.
Solubilization of the Neuropeptide Y Receptor from Rat Brain Membranes

The neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptor was solubilized from rat brain membranes with the zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS). The binding of 125I-NPY to CHAPS extracts was protein, time, and temperature dependent. Unlabeled NPY and the related peptides peptide YY (PYY) and pancreatic polypeptide inhibited 125I-NPY binding to solubilized receptors with relative potencies similar to those seen with membrane-bound receptors: NPY greater than PYY much greater than pancreatic polypeptide. Scatchard analysis of equilibrium binding data showed the CHAPS extracts to contain a single population of binding sites with a KD of 3.6 +/- 0.4 nM (mean +/- SEM) and a Bmax of 5.0 +/- 0.2 pmol/mg of protein. In addition the 125I-NPY binding to the soluble receptor was not inhibited by guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate), in contrast to the GTP sensitivity displayed by the membrane-bound receptor. Gel filtration chromatography using Sepharose 6B revealed a single peak of binding activity corresponding to a Mr of approximately 67,000, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis after chemical cross-linking revealed a single band at Mr 62,000. After solubilization and gel chromatography a 50- to 100-fold purification of the NPY receptor was obtained.
Effects of Acidosis on the Performance and Metabolism of the Anoxic Heart

The present studies on the isolated rat heart perfused at constant rate (10 ml per minute) with 5% albumin in KRB were designed to investigate the influence of increased extracellular H+ ion on the pacemaker and contractile performance and the anaerobic metabolism of the anoxic heart. During anoxia, (96% N2, 4% CO2) at pH 7.4 in the presence of anaerobic substrate (glucose 200 mg/100 ml) the isolated heart performed spontaneously for 30 minutes. During this period there was active anaerobic lactate production (0.84 mM/30 min/gm of protein), whereas the myocardial content of ATP and total adenine nucleotides was significantly reduced when compared to aerobic control levels. Diminution in anoxic perfusate to pH 7.0, accomplished by addition of HCl, resulted in a significant depression of cardiac pacemaker activity and left ventricular contractile performance unassociated with a diminution in myocardial anaerobic lactate production, ATP, or total nucleotide content when compared to pH 7.4. During anoxia at p...
Separation and identification of phenol-formaldehyde condensates by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. II: Base-catalysed condensation products

Abstract The characterization of phenol—formaldehyde condensates obtained by base catalysis is described. Trimethylsilyl derivatives of the components were prepared and analysed by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry. Electron impact ionization mass spectra of methylolated dihydroxydiphenylmethane positional isomers are discussed. Prominent differences in ion abundances facilitate the identification of the compounds. Substituted trinuclear phenols among the reaction products are also described.
The Atmosphere: A Clouded Horizon

(1970). The Atmosphere: A Clouded Horizon. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development: Vol. 12, Project Survival, pp. 32-39.
Inference in conversation of adults with traumatic brain injury

Objective: To examine elaborative and automatic linguistic inferences in conversations between adults with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their frequent communication partners.Design and methods: Participants with TBI were four female and three male adults and seven female communication partners. Comparison peers were two males and five females and one male and six female communication partners. Each participant completed 20-minute video-recorded conversation with his or her frequent communication partner. Conversations were transcribed, implicatures were identified and the percentage of correct inferences was determined. Inferences were categorized as automatic or elaborative and as missed or understood.Results: Participants in both groups made significantly more errors on elaborative inferences than automatic inferences and participants with TBI made significantly more elaborative inference errors than comparison peers. There was no significant between-groups difference in error rates for ...
Transient CD30+ nodal transformation of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma associated with cyclosporine treatment.

Background Mycosis fungoides (MF) may evolve from pre-existing chronic atopic or psoriasiform dermatitis and the histology can be equivocal. Early patch and plaque lesions of MF may evolve into tumors, disseminate to lymph nodes, bone marrow, and internal organs, and/or undergo transformation to a large cell size. Methods A patient with a history of ‘‘atopic dermatitis’' followed by ‘‘psoriasis’' rapidly developed exfoliative erythroderma and axillary lymphadenopathy following treatment with cyclosporine. At presentation, biopsy specimens of skin lesions and lymph nodes and staging were obtained. We present the treatment and follow-up of this patient and review the medical literature for similar cases. Results Multiple skin biopsy specimens from lesions revealed changes consistent with low-grade, cutaneous, T-cell lymphoma (MF) without evidence of large cell transformation and psoriasiform epidermal hyperplasia. CD30+ large cell transformation was present in the lymph node. Adenopathy and erythroderma resolved without systemic therapy following discontinuation of cyclosporine and treatment with psoralen/ultraviolet A (PUVA), isotretinoin, interferon-α, and antimicrobials. Conclusions This case documents a close relationship between atopy, psoriasis, and the development of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and illustrates that an immunosuppressive agent, cyclosporine, can dramatically alter the course of the disease.
TESTING THE BLAZAR PARADIGM: ASCA OBSERVATIONS OF FLAT-SPECTRUM RADIO QUASARS WITH STEEP SOFT X-RAY SPECTRA

We present the first observations at medium-hard X-rays with ASCA in 1998 August-November of four flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), which are characterized by unusually steep soft X-ray spectra (photon index, Γ0.2-2.4 keV ~ 2-2.5), as previously measured with ROSAT. Such steep X-ray slopes are similar to those observed in synchrotron-dominated BL Lac objects and are unexpected in the context of the recent blazar paradigm, where sources with strong emission lines (such as FSRQs) are dominated in soft X-rays by a flat inverse Compton tail. We find that the ASCA spectra of the four FSRQs are consistent with a power law model with Γ2-10 keV ~ 1.8, flatter than their ROSAT spectra. This indicates the onset of an inverse Compton component at energies 2 keV, in agreement with the blazar unification scheme. However, these objects are still anomalous within the blazar class for their steep soft X-ray continua, which, together with nonsimultaneous data at longer wavelengths, hint at the possibility that the synchrotron emission extends to soft X-rays. This would imply an anomalously high synchotron peak frequency for a quasar with luminous broad lines, challenging current blazar unification schemes. Alternatively, a plausible explanation for the steep optical to soft X-ray continua of the four FSRQs is thermal emission from the accretion disk, similar to the blazars 3C 273 and 3C 345. In the Appendix, we present fits to the SIS data in an effort to contribute to the ongoing calibration of the time dependence of the SIS response at low energies.
Adaptive mesh refinement techniques for the immersed interface method applied to flow problems

In this paper, we develop an adaptive mesh refinement strategy of the Immersed Interface Method for flow problems with a moving interface. The work is built on the AMR method developed for two-dimensional elliptic interface problems in the paper [12] (CiCP, 12(2012), 515-527). The interface is captured by the zero level set of a Lipschitz continuous function @f(x,y,t). Our adaptive mesh refinement is built within a small band of |@f(x,y,t)|=<@d with finer Cartesian meshes. The AMR-IIM is validated for Stokes and Navier-Stokes equations with exact solutions, moving interfaces driven by the surface tension, and classical bubble deformation problems. A new simple area preserving strategy is also proposed in this paper for the level set method.
New Structural Model for Multicomponent Pile Cross Sections under Axial Load

Piles composed of more than one material in their cross section have been used for more than 100 years. Originally this was limited to driven steel shell or pipe piles filled with portland-cement concrete. More recent developments include various types of drilled elements such as micropiles that consist of various combinations of steel shells, portland-cement grout, and steel reinforcing bars. The structural analysis or design of piles with multicomponent cross sections under axial load requires that the axial stress be apportioned to the various components. Traditionally this has been done using an approximate one-dimensional model that implies the components interact with each other only axially, not radially, and that there is no radial interaction with the ground around the pile. This note presents a new three-dimensional model that explicitly and rigorously considers not only the Poisson effects caused by axial load and the triaxial stress field that develops within and between components of a pile as a result but also how this stress field is affected by radial stresses in the adjacent ground. This new model is based on the theory of linear elasticity and yields a closed-form solution that can be either evaluated independently or incorporated within a more general analytical model for axial pile capacity. Examples of calculated results obtained using this new model are presented and suggest that Poisson effects are relatively small in magnitude so that the traditional one-dimensional model is adequate for routine use in most cases.
Western Cultural Notions of Time and Stress

Recently I was talking to my young grandchildren about the change from Standard Time to Daylight Savings Time. The idea was confusing to them for two reasons. First, they did not know what it meant...
Properties of ZnO Thin Films Codoped with Lithium and Phosphorus

The properties of ZnO thin films codoped with lithium and phosphorus have been characterized. The films were deposited from high-purity ZnO and Li3PO4 solid targets onto c-plane sapphire substrates by radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. A substrate temperature of 900°C was determined as optimum for depositing undoped ZnO films with background electron concentration of 9.9 × 1015 cm−3 as the buffer layer on the sapphire substrate. Postdeposition annealing was carried out using rapid thermal processing in O2 at temperatures ranging from 500°C to 1000°C for 3 min. Analyses performed using low-temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy measurements revealed luminescence peaks at 3.356 eV, 3.307 eV, 3.248 eV, and 3.203 eV at 12 K for the codoped samples. X-ray diffraction 2θ-scans showed a single peak at about 34.4° with full-width at half-maximum of about 0.09°. Hall-effect measurements revealed initial p-type conductivities, but these were unstable and toggled between p-type and n-type over time with Hall concentrations that varied between 2.05 × 1013 cm−3 and 2.89 × 1015 cm−3. The fluctuation in the carrier type could be due to lateral inhomogeneity in the hole concentration caused by stacking faults in the films. An additional cause could be the small Hall voltages in the measurements, which could be significantly impacted by even small spikes in signal noise inherent in the measurements.
Constitutive Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 activation results in specific changes in gene expression in myeloid leukaemic cells

Constitutively activating internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations of the receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3 (Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3) play an important role in leukaemogenesis. We have examined, by cDNA microarray analysis, the changes in gene expression induced by FLT3/ITD or constitutively activated wild type FLT3 signalling. A limited set of genes was consistently affected by FLT3 inhibition. In confirmation of their FLT3 dependence, these genes returned toward pretreatment levels of expression after reversal of FLT3 inhibition. Several of the most significantly affected genes are involved in the RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase, Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways. These data suggest that constitutively activated FLT3 works through multiple signal transduction pathways. PIM1, MYC and CCND3 were chosen from this gene set to explore their biological roles. Knock-down of these genes by small interfering RNA showed that these genes play important roles in constitutively activated FLT3 expressing cells. The alterations of the gene expression profiles in these cells help to further elucidate the mechanisms of FLT3-mediated leukaemogenesis.
Some thoughts on the evolutionary basis for the prominent role of ATP and ADP in cellular energy metabolism

The predominance of the adenosine triphosphate/adenosine diphosphate (ATP/ADP) couple in cellular phosphorylation reactions, including those that form the basis for cellular energy metabolism, cannot be explained on thermodynamic grounds since a variety of “high energy phosphate” compounds (including ADP itself) found in the cell would, based on thermodynamic considerations, be at least as effective as ATP in serving as a phosphoryl donor. How then did present-day organisms come to rely on the ATP/ADP couple as the principal mediator of phosphorylation reactions? The early appearance of adenine compounds in the prebiotic environment is suggested by experiments indicating that, relative to other purine or pyridimine compounds, adenine derivatives are preferentially synthesized under simulated prebiotic conditions (Ponnamperuma et al., 1963). In addition to the roles of adenine nucleotides in phosphorylation reactions, other adenine derivatives (e.g. Coenzyme A, flavin adenine dinucleotide, puridine nucleotides) are employed in a variety of metabolic roles. The principal function of the adenine moiety in these latter cases is in the binding of these derivatives to the relevant enzyme. The capability for binding of the adenine moiety appears to have arisen early in evolution and been exploited in a multitude of contexts, a suggestion consistent with observed similarities between the binding sites of several enzymes employing adenine derivatives as substrate. The early availability of suitable adenine compounds in the biosphere and development of complementary binding sites on cellular proteins, coupled with the expected advantages in having a limited number of metabolites as central mediators of endergonic and exergonic metabolism could readily have led to the observed pre-eminence of adenine nucleotides in cellular energy metabolism. These considerations do not explain why ATP/ADP rather than the thermodynamically comparable ADP/AMP couple came to be utilized. However, all known phosphorylation reactions employ these nucleotides not in their uncomplexed forms but as Mg2+ chelates. Mechanistic advantages derived from this participation of the divalent cation can only be realized when both the phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms of the nucleotide possess substantial chelating ability; this condition is fulfilled by ATP/ADP but not by ADP/AMP.
Current Concepts in Antifungal Pharmacology

The introduction of new antifungal agents (eg, echinocandins, second-generation triazoles) in the past decade has transformed the management of invasive mycoses to the point that drug toxicity is no longer the major limiting factor in treatment. Yet, many of these newer antifungal agents have important limitations in their spectrum of activity, pharmacokinetics, and unique predisposition for pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions and unusual toxicities associated with long-term use. This article reviews key pharmacological aspects of systemic antifungal agents as well as evolving strategies, such as pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic optimization and therapeutic drug monitoring, to improve the safety and efficacy of systemic antifungal therapy.
Hurricane Hugo briefing

The effects of Hurricane Hugo could have been much worse, in terms of lives lost and structural damage, according to postdisaster study teams. As part of the National Research Council's Committee on Natural Disasters, teams were sent to the disaster sites almost immediately after Hugo struck on September 18. Meteorologists, wind engineers, coastal geologists, civil engineers, structural engineers, and other members of the study teams presented their findings at a briefing held November 28 in Washington, D.C.
Bayesian Semiparametric Modelling in Quantile Regression

. We propose a Bayesian semiparametric methodology for quantile regression modelling. In particular, working with parametric quantile regression functions, we develop Dirichlet process mixture models for the error distribution in an additive quantile regression formulation. The proposed non-parametric prior probability models allow the shape of the error density to adapt to the data and thus provide more reliable predictive inference than models based on parametric error distributions. We consider extensions to quantile regression for data sets that include censored observations. Moreover, we employ dependent Dirichlet processes to develop quantile regression models that allow the error distribution to change non-parametrically with the covariates. Posterior inference is implemented using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. We assess and compare the performance of our models using both simulated and real data sets.
Trapped in the Working Class? Prospects for the Intergenerational (Im)Mobility of Latino Youth

Opportunities for upward mobility have been declining in the United States in recent decades. Within this context, I examine the mobility trajectories of a contemporary cohort of 1.5-, second-, and third-plus-generation Latino youth. Drawing on survey data from California that accounts for the precarious legal status of many 1.5 generation immigrants, I find that Latino youths' patterns of postsecondary enrollment and employment do not differ by generation since migration. Additionally, I do not find evidence of racial/ethnic barriers to Latino youths' enrollment in less selective colleges and participation in the labor market. Yet, given the low socioeconomic origins of many Latino youth and their correspondingly low 4-year college enrollment rates, only a small proportion will likely enjoy upward mobility through jobs that require a bachelor's degree. Overall, the cohort of Latino youth coming of age during the Great Recession is poised to experience working-class stagnation. This group's future access to economic and political positions of power will likely be limited by their low enrollment rates in 4-year colleges in general, but in selective postsecondary institutions in particular.
Comparative study of six random oral spirochete isolates. Serological heterogeneity of Treponema denticola.

Six anaerobic oral spirochetes designated strains a, b, c, d, e, and e’ were isolated randomly from periodontal pockets and were maintained in pure culture. The strains were found to belong to the genus Treponema. All strains were similar in cultural, morphological, biochemical, and physiological properties with the exception of the following features: strains c and d were more fastidious nutritionally for sodium bicarbonate as a medium supplement than the other strains; they differed in the number of axial fibrils; and they were also serologically distinct from strains a, b, e, and e’ by agglutination tests and fluorescent immunoassays. However, DNA homology studies indicated that all the isolates were strains of Treponema denticola with divergent phenotypic and serological properties. Serovar a and serovar c, representing two different serogroups, have been deposited in the American Type Culture Collection with the accession numbers ATCC 35405 and ATCC 35404, respectively.
Galileo Probe Measurements of D/H and 3He/4He in Jupiter's Atmosphere

The Galileo Probe Mass Spectrometer measurements in the atmosphere of Jupiter give $$ D/H = (2.6 \pm 0.7) \times {10^{-5}} $$ $$ ^3He{/^4}He = (1.66 \pm 0.05) \times {10^{-4}} $$ These ratios supercede earlier results by Niemann et al. (1996) and are based on a reevaluation of the instrument response at high count rates and a more detailed study of the contributions of different species to the mass peak at 3 amu. The D/H ratio is consistent with Voyager and ground based data and recent spectroscopic and solar wind (SW) values obtained from the Infrared Spectroscopic Observatory (1SO) and Ulysses. The 3He/4He ratio is higher than that found in meteoritic gases (1.5 ± 0.3) × 10−4. The Galileo result for D/H when compared with that for hydrogen in the local interstellar medium (1.6 ± 0.12) × 10−5 implies a small decrease in D/H in this part of the universe during the past 4.55 billion years. Thus, it tends to support small values of primordial D/H — in the range of several times 10−5 rather than several times 10−4. These results are also quite consistent with no change in (D+3He)/H during the past 4.55 billion years in this part of our galaxy.
Classification of the temporal discharge patterns of single auditory neurons in the frog superior olivary nucleus

Temporal discharge patterns of neurons in the superior olivary nucleus (SON) of the northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens pipiens) were studied by evaluating peri-stimulus time histograms and interspike interval histograms generated from responses to tone bursts at the neuron's characteristic frequency and at 10 dB above neuron's characteristic threshold. Four basic discharge patterns were observed, i.e., primary-like, phasic-burst, phasic, and pauser. Additionally, within each class, different neurons exhibited further subtle differences in temporal discharge patterns and thus subclasses were distinguishable. For most SON neurons, changes in signal level did not affect the discharge pattern. However, there were a few notable exceptions. The firing pattern of 12% of SON neurons changed from one class to another with a change in signal level. Two-thirds of phasic-burst neurons showed increased regularity (i.e., chopping pattern) in their discharges as the signal level was increased. The majority of SON neurons showed monotonic rate-level functions, but one-fourth gave non-monotonic rate-level functions. The presence of a fairly large number of non-monotonic units in the frog SON suggests an additional role of this nucleus in information processing beyond the simple coding of stimulus level. The discharge patterns displayed by SON neurons resembled those seen in the frog cochlear nucleus and in the mammalian superior olivary complex.
Legal Terminology in Anglo-Saxon England: The Trimoda Necessitas Charter

The famous (or infamous) trimoda necessitas charter (BCS 50) records a large grant of land to Bishop Wilfrid by Caedwalla of Wessex in c. 685.1 The consensus of scholars is that the charter is spurious.2 This judgment is based on William Henry Stevenson's seemingly exhaustive analysis of the charter in his article on the origin of the antiquarian legal term trinoda necessitas.3 Stevenson found the charter suspicious because of the inclusion of the phrase trimoda necessitas in Caedwalla's subscription:
HDPE barrier film resins: MW and MWD effects: and their blends with mLLPDE

High density polyethylene (HDPE) resins were produced via the multi-reactor, Mitsui, stirred slurry process to give a `four corners' type of product matrix with high and low molecular weights (MW) ...
Toward uniform and high optical quality site-controlled quantum dots

In the past 25 years, quantum dots (QDs) have emerged to power a variety of novel optoelectronic and nanotechnology devices and products. Looking to the future, semiconductor quantum dots have been suggested by theoretical works to be candidates for realization of next-generation lasers, photodetectors, and other light- and information-processing devices. Control of the size and position of QDs incorporated into semiconductor devices, or a so-called site-controlled quantum dot (SCQD) technology [1], is a necessary precursor for advanced QD-based devices. A plausible method to create SCQDs, which is widely considered feasible for mass-production, has not to date emerged. This is perhaps the major stumbling block forestalling widespread introduction of next-generation QD-based optoelectronics.
Adolescent Siblings' Daily Discussions: Connections to Perceived Academic, Athletic, and Peer Competency

First- and second-born adolescent siblings from 21 families completed a daily diary on each of 7 days. The frequency and content of siblings' conversations are described and the relationship between the content of siblings' discussion and their perceived academic, athletic, and peer competency is explored. Siblings most often talked about extracurricular activities, media, and academics. The remaining topics, friends, family, eating, and body image, were the focus of discussion <10% of the time. The extent to which siblings discussed extracurricular activities, media, and academics was connected to perceived competency. Discussion focuses on the sibling relationship as an important context for adolescent development.
Constraint Satisfaction Approach to the Design of Multi-Component, Multi-Phase Alloys

The development of new materials must start with an understanding of their phase stability. Researchers have used the CALPHAD method to develop self-consistent databases encoding the thermodynamics of phases. In this forward approach, thermo dynamic conditions (processing conditions such as composition, temperature, pressure, etc.) are mapped to equilibrium states. In this research, we are instead interested in the inverse problem of mapping a set of desired phase constitutions to the set of thermodynamic conditions that give rise to them. Recently, search and optimization techniques have been used to determine thermodynamic conditions that yield a particular phase stability state (point-to-point mapping). In this research, we focus on a more general problem: mapping of specific regions in multi-dimensional phase constitution spaces to ranges in values of thermodynamic conditions(set-to-set mapping). In the context of search theory, we are interested in finding all solutions to a Continuous Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CCSP). The problem is typically multi-dimensional, highly nonlinear, and, importantly, contains non-isolated solutions (the solution is ranges of values rather than finite points). Numerical methods for finding all solutions to CCSPs typically rely on branch-and-prune methods, which interleave branching with pruning steps. These methods are mainly designed to address CCSPs with isolated solutions and would be inefficient if applied to the problem at hand. In this work, we describe a novel algorithm to search the thermodynamic phase field for the full set of thermodynamic conditions that result in user-specified phase constitutions. The approach combines techniques from computational materials science, evolutionary computation, and machine learning to approximate the non-isolated solution set to the CCSP. We investigate the performance of the algorithm on an Fe-Ti binary alloy system using ThermoCalc with TCFE7 database. For this system, the algorithm is able to generate solutions with low error rates.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Poor Serum Yields from Avian Blood as a Result of Delayed Clotting

Abstract INTRODUCTION RESEARCH and diagnostic laboratories frequently have difficulty obtaining serums (for serologic testing) from samples of chicken or turkey blood. Often the plasma has accumulated and clotted on top of precipitated cells, with the result that no serum can be collected. In other instances a fluid plasma portion, which clots rapidly and from which no true serum can be collected, is decanted from a partially solidified cell aggregation. Sometimes the blood sample fails even to clot, leaving fluid plasma and unclotted precipitated cells. Lynch and Stafseth (1952) considered this phenomenon in turkeys to be due to low levels of vitamin K. However, since it occurs with blood from birds on various balanced diets, and under range conditions where vitamin K intake should be adequate, other factors may be involved. Bigland and Triantaphyllopoulos (1960) and Bigland (1964) observed that clotting time of chicken or turkey blood often is longer than 60…
“When Pirates Feast … Who Pays?” Condoms, Advertising, and the Visibility Paradox, 1920s and 1930s

For most of the 20th century, the condom in the United States was a cheap, useful, but largely unmentionable product. Federal and state statutes prohibited the advertising and open display of condoms, their distribution by mail and across state lines, and their sale for the purpose of birth control; in some states, even owning or using condoms was illegal. By the end of World War I, condoms were increasingly acceptable for the prevention of sexually transmitted disease, but their unique dual function—for disease prevention and contraception—created ongoing ambiguities for sellers, consumers, and distributors as well as for legal, political, health, and moral leaders. Not until the 1970s did condoms emerge from the shadows and join other personal hygiene products on open drugstore and supermarket shelves and in national advertisements. Then came the 1980s and AIDS when, despite the rise of Ronald Reagan, the radical right’s demonization of condoms, and the initial reluctance of condom merchants to market to gay constituencies, the HIV/AIDS epidemic slowly but inexorably propelled the condom to the top of the prevention agenda. The condom’s journey from lewd device to global superstar was fitful, but colorful. The Comstock Act of 1873, prohibiting birth control information and devices, created a vast underground operation—periodically illuminated, however, by arrests, protests, legal proceedings, and media coverage. This essay chronicles one such moment of illumination: the legal battle in the 1920s and 1930s over the legitimacy and legality of the Trojan Brand condom trademark and the unusual series of advertisements produced by the Youngs Rubber Corporation, makers of Trojans, to dramatize the ethical and economic issues of the trademark battle. Culminating in Youngs Rubber Corporation v. C.I. Lee & Co., Inc. (45F, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 103 [1930]), this landmark case in trademark law established the right of the Trojan Brand condom, despite its ambiguous dual function, to the protection of a federal trademark. I seek to show how the Youngs antipiracy ad series illuminates the paradox of visibility by illuminating the paradox of any binary division: to establish the one depends inevitably on invoking or making visible—even if to suppress—the other. This essay is a case study in the negotiation of such a dialectic.
Computational modeling and analysis of intracardiac flows in simple models of the left ventricle

Abstract Computational modeling is used to study intracardiac flows in normal and diseased left-ventricles. The left-ventricle is modeled as a semi-prolate-spheroid, and the wall motion is driven by a prescribed ventricular volume-change that consists of five stages: early (E) filling, diastasis, atrial (A) filling, isovolumetric contraction (ISVC) and systole. Simulations are carried out with a parallelized immersed-boundary flow solver that allows us to simulate this flow on a stationary Cartesian grid. The ventricular flow behavior is analyzed to reveal blood flow patterns during both filling and ejection for normal ventricles, as well as ventricles with diastolic and systolic dysfunctions. Impaired relaxation associated with early-stage diastolic dysfunction is modeled by a reduced E/A ratio, and the systolic dysfunction addressed here is obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM), where the thickened ventricular septum in the basal region obstructs the outflow tract. Simulations are also performed to study the effect of septal myectomy on the ventricular flow. We examine the characteristic features of these various conditions including vortex dynamics, ‘virtual’ color M-mode cardiography as well as mixing and transport of blood through the left-ventricle during the entire cardiac cycle.
Immiscibility Area in the System TiO2–ZrO2–SiO2

A furnace for use in conjunction with the X-ray spectrometer was developed which was capable of heating small powdered specimens in air to temperatures as high as 1850°C. This furnace was also used for the heating and quenching of specimens in air from temperatures as high as 1850°C. An area of two liquids coexisting between 20 and 93 weight % TiO2 above 1765°± 10°C. was found to exist in the system TiO2–SiO2, which is in substantial agreement with the previous work of other investigators. The area of immiscibility in the system TiO2–SiO2 was found to extend well into the system TiO2–ZrO2–SiO2. The two liquids were found to coexist over a major portion of the TiO2 (rutile) primary-phase area with TiO2 (rutile) being the primary crystal beneath both liquids. The temperature of two-liquid formation in the ternary was found to fall about 80°C. with the first additions of ZrO2 up to 3%. With larger amounts of ZrO2 the change in the temperature of the boundary of the two-liquid area was so slight as to be within the limits of error of the temperature measurement. Primary-phase fields for TiO2 (rutile), tetragonal ZrO2, and ZrTiO4 were found to exist in the system TiO2–ZrO2–SiO2. SiO2 as high cristobalite is known to exist in the system TiO2–ZrO2–SiO2.
ILLI-SLAB and FWD Deflection Basins for Characterization of Rigid Pavements

Deflection-based nondestructive evaluation methods for highway and airfield pavements rely wholly on mechanistic models of pavement behavior under load to characterize certain fundamental properties of individual pavement features (pavement section of similar thickness, construction history, and traffic). Once these key pavement parameters are quantified, areas of immediate concern can be identified for maintenance or rehabilitation, and an evaluation of the future performance of the entire feature can be made. The procedure sounds simple enough, until one tries to accomplish the task for the entire airfield which might contain well in excess of 200 distinct features. This paper details how the deflection basin created at the center of a rigid pavement slab under loads produced by the falling weight deflectometer (fwd) can be used in conjunction with the ILLI-SLAB finite-element model to backcalculate the two key parameters needed to characterize a classical Westergaard rigid pavement, a dynamic Young' Modulis (E) of the concrete surface, and composite dynamic modulus of subgrade reaction (k) for the supporting layers of the system. The deflection basin is described in terms of two independent variables, the maximum deflection under the center of FWD loading plate (D0) and the cross sectional area: of the basin. The independent nature of these two variables is critical to the uniqueness of the backcalculated parameters. Using the ILLI-SLAB model, ranges of dynamic E and k that bound the actual field values are input to the computer, along with the actual FWD load, to produce a graphical solution. An iterative computer solution is then outlined that makes the task of backcalculating dynamic E and k for several hundred features more manageable. A correlation is presented that relates dynamic k values to traditional static k values determined from plate-bearing tests. Finally, comparisons between measured deflections in the field and predicted deflections using backcalculated parameters on the computer are made at center slab to verify the accuracy and repeatability of the technique for a wide variety of temperatures and thicknesses. It is only after the validity of the technique is established that confidence can be placed in the calculated stresses due to actual loads and, therefore, the evaluation itself.
Differential expression and developmental regulation of a novel α-dystrobrevin isoform in muscle ☆

Abstract α-Dystrobrevin is a dystrophin-related protein expressed primarily in skeletal muscle, heart, lung and brain. In skeletal muscle, α-dystrobrevin is a component of the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex and is localized to the sarcolemma, presumably through interactions with dystrophin and utrophin. Alternative splicing of the α-dystrobrevin gene generates multiple isoforms which have been grouped into three major classes: α-DB1, α-DB2, and α-DB3. Various isoforms have been shown to interact with a variety of proteins; however, the physiological function of the α-dystrobrevins remains unknown. In the present study, we have cloned a novel α-dystrobrevin cDNA encoding a protein (referred to as α-DB2b) with a unique 11 amino acid C-terminal tail. Using RT–PCR with primers specific to the new isoform, we have characterized its expression in skeletal muscle, heart, and brain, and in differentiating C2C12 muscle cells. We show that α-DB2b is expressed in skeletal muscle, heart and brain, and that exons 12 and 13 are alternatively spliced in α-DB2b to generate at least three splice variants. The major α-DB2b splice variant expressed in adult skeletal muscle and heart contains exons 12 and 13, while in adult brain, two α-DB2b splice variants are expressed at similar levels. This is consistent with the preferential expression of exons 12 and 13 in other α-dystrobrevin isoforms in skeletal muscle and heart. Similarly, in α-DB1 the first 21 nucleotides of exon 18 are preferentially expressed in skeletal muscle and heart relative to brain. We also show that the expression of alternatively spliced α-DB2b is developmentally regulated in muscle; during differentiation of C2C12 cells, α-DB2b expression switches from an isoform lacking exons 12 and 13 to one containing them. We demonstrate similar developmental upregulation of exons 12, 13, and 18 in α-DB1 and of exons 12 and 13 in α-DB2a. Finally, we show that α-DB2b protein is expressed in adult skeletal muscle, suggesting that it has a functional role in adult muscle. Together, these data suggest that alternatively spliced variants of the new α-dystrobrevin isoform, α-DB2b, are differentially expressed in various tissues and developmentally regulated during muscle cell differentiation in a fashion similar to that previously described for α-dystrobrevin isoforms.
Ion Beam Damage of Clean Gold Surfaces

We investigate the ion beam damage of clean Au (001) single crystals prepared under standard surface science techniques using sputter - anneal cycles. Under initial ion milling conditions using 4 keV Xe ions a significant amount of Xe was implanted into the bulk of the crystal. After a short period of time a Xe super structure developed which yielded 12 A moire fringes under bright field imaging conditions. With a short anneal the implanted Xe concentration was reduced to the detection limit of Parallel Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (PEELS). With extended annealing, the bulk point defect concentration slowly decayed, independent of the surface reconstruction.