cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative Transcranial Motor-Evoked Potential Monitoring of the Facial Nerve during Cerebellopontine Angle Tumor Resection

Objective To determine whether transcranial motor-evoked potential (TCMEP) monitoring of the facial nerve (FN) during cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor resection can predict both immediate and long-term postoperative FN function. Design Retrospective review. Setting Tertiary referral center. Main Outcome Measures DeltaTCMEP (final-initial) and immediate and long-term facial nerve function using House Brackmann (HB) rating scale. Results Intraoperative TCMEP data and immediate and follow-up FN outcome are reported for 52 patients undergoing CPA tumor resection. Patients with unsatisfactory facial outcome (HB >2) at follow-up had an average deltaTCMEP of 57 V, whereas those with HB I or II had a mean deltaTCMEP of 0.04 V (t = -2.6, p 2) facial function in the immediate postoperative period. Conclusion Intraoperative TCMEP of the facial nerve can be a valuable adjunct to conventional facial nerve electromyography during resection of tumors at the CPA. Intraoperative deltaTCMEP >57 V may be worrisome for long-term recovery of satisfactory facial nerve function.
The validity of arrestees' self-reports: Variations across questions and persons

Self-reports of 892 New York City arrestees were compared to urine tests and official criminal records. Disclosure was highest for any priors, incarceration, and recent marijuana use; moderate for cocaine/crack and heroin use and drug priors; but low for index priors and very low for violent priors (disclosure was higher among those who were currently facing these charges). Disclosure of a prior record proved to be a useful criterion for identifying which self-reports to trust. Interviewers' impressions and urine tests were unrelated to the disclosure of recent drug use or official histories. Disclosure of arrest was higher for men and arrestees with more priors.
Phosphorescence spectra of thioformaldehyde and thioformaldehyde-d2 by chemiluminescence: Identification of the 411 band

Abstract We have observed phosphorescence from the a 3 A 2 state of CH 2 S and CD 2 S produced in the gas-phase chemiluminescent reactions of F 2 with CH 3 SH and CD 3 SH. We have measured the υ 4 ′ = 1 frequency of the a 3 A 2 state for both molecules. Vibrationally excited HF emission was superimposed on both spectra but no DF emission was observed.
ESL and Language Planning in Puerto Rican Education

For nearly a century, the stated goal of government language planning in Puerto Rico has been the bilingualization of the island's population through use of English as the language of instruction or as a required subject in all school grades. Nevertheless, some 80% of the population remains functionally monolingual in Spanish. This study proposes that the apparent failure of the teaching of ESL in Puerto Rico is in reality a motivated failure—a society's successful resolution of a conflict between government planning for bilingualism and social pressure for monolingualism. Educational difficulties that for generations have been attributed to deficiencies in textbooks, methods, and teacher preparation are in fact explainable through universal principles of language maintenance, spread, shift, and loss. The factors that impede the bilingualization of the island's population—primarily nationalism, political uncertainty, and the association between language and identity—have created a societal imperative against the learning of English. The existence of such an imperative, whether overt or covert, must be considered by language planners, school administrators, and classroom teachers wherever language spread is attempted through the school system.
Response-rate invariance in concurrent schedules: effects of different changeover contingencies

Abstract In a two-key chamber, one key (the food key) was either red or green with different variable-interval schedules operating concurrently in each color and a second key (the changeover key) served to change the food-key color. Three pigeons were trained with either a 2-sec changeover delay or a 0-sec changeover delay and three birds with a fixed-ratio 2 on the changeover key instead of a changeover delay. The proportion of time spent in red approximated the proportion of reinforcers delivered in red for all birds. When the procedure was changed so that reinforcers were signalled in the green schedule, rates of reinforcement were unaltered, but the pigeons spent virtually the whole session in red. Changeovers to green were allowed only when a reinforcer was assigned by the schedule associated with green. For all pigeons with the fixed–ratio requirement on the changeover key or with a 0-sec changeover delay, the overall rate of red-key responses was higher during the signalling condition than during unsignalled, or baseline, condition. The present data question the generality of previous reports that the rate of one response is independent of the amount of time allocated to the alternative response.
On chip novel video streaming system for bi-network multicasting protocols

In the past three decades, tremendous Ethernet-related research has been done, which has led to today's ubiquitous Ethernet technology. On the other hand, with the emergence of new network needs, a new protocol, the IEEE 1394 standard serial bus (or Firewire) was introduced. Firewire is suitable for high-quality audio/video applications which do not perform well in the best-effort-based Ethernet technology. However, since Firewire is a serial bus, it has harsh cable length limitations as compared to Ethernet capabilities. In this paper, we present a novel on-chip system that receives Firewire video and transmits it in multicast mode using Ethernet protocol. A major advantage of this novel system is to utilize the existing Ethernet infrastructure to extend the range of Firewire video streaming to reach remote nodes and make it even accessible to nodes with a single Ethernet interface. This will have tremendous impact on Firewire applications such as deploying Firewire cameras in big-scale security-sensitive buildings or industrial facilities with image-based remote quality control. This novel chip utilizes the concept of Ethernet multicasting transmission mode for video streaming. The proposed chip design converts the IEEE 1394 isochronous traffic to the Ethernet multicast frame format via two off-chip asynchronous write and read buffers. The goal of this research is to design an On Chip Novel Video Streaming System that avoids performance bottlenecks in the software protocol conversion of these two important network protocols. The author decided to study these two networks because of their broad use and cable power provisioning capabilities. The novel system design is implemented using a customized field programmable gate array (FPGA), which enables the integration of various system components on one chip. The designed prototype is studied using both network monitoring tools and analytical techniques, to verify its function and compare it with the existing approaches. Performance measures show that the On Chip Novel Video Streaming System consumes less than 21mW of power for 100Mbps and 82mW of power for 1Gbps, and utilizes 57% of a Xilinx Spartan 2-100E-6FT256 FPGA resources. Hence, it is possible to incorporate further extensions. Experimental results show that 88% of the network utilization can be achieved, due to the use of the customized, FPGA-based design of bi-network traffic conversion.
Are racial differences in vaginal pH explained by vaginal flora

Abstract Objectives The study assessed racial differences in vaginal pH among women without bacterial vaginosis. Study design Data from the Vaginal Infections and Prematurity (VIP) Study were analyzed. From 1984 to 1989, 13,917 largely low-income women were enrolled during routine prenatal visits from 23 to 26 weeks' gestation. Vaginal cultures, Gram stains, and pH levels were collected. Comparisons of pH by race were made among women with Gram stain scores Results Among women with Gram stain scores Conclusion There is no significant difference in vaginal pH level between black and white women after controlling for differences in confounding factors, particularly vaginal flora.
Making Involuntary Behavior Voluntary: What does this do to the Distinction?

Le retour a certaines conceptions mentalistes, dans le cadre meme de l'ecole behavioriste (Watson, Hull, Skinner) pose divers problemes epistemologiques. L'A. montre comment cette reaction a un behaviorisme extreme rencontre des difficultes particulieres dans le domaine de la volonte: il semble maintenant qu'il faille reviser, sinon supprimer, la distinction "polaire" entre le volontaire et l'involontaire.
The capitohamate ligaments. A comparison of biomechanical properties.

The physical attributes of the three capitohamate interosseous ligaments were tested in a computer-controlled multi-axis testing machine using 12 human cadaver specimens. After an intact test run, selected ligaments were cut in random sequence and the test repeated. The remaining ligaments were tested to failure with servohydrolic stress at 5 mm/second. In the intact joint complex, the average dorsopalmar rotational displacement was approximately 9° in each direction. Under the load limit, the dorsopalmar translational displacement averaged 0.9 mm and 0.5 mm respectively, proximal-distal translational displacement averaged 0.8 mm and 0.4 mm respectively, and distractional displacement averaged 0.3 mm. Based on the sequential sectioning it was found that the dorsal ligament provided 76% (SD 14) of the rotational resistance with palmar rotation of the capitate and 44% (SD 19) of translational constraint with palmar translation of the capitate. The deep ligament provided 51% (SD 15) of the rotational resistance with dorsal rotation of the capitate and 63% (SD 24) of translational resistance with dorsal translation of the capitate. With proximal-distal translation, the dorsal ligament was the most important constraint in each direction. In resisting distraction, each of the three ligaments was equally effective. Failure testing showed the deep ligament was strongest at 289 N, followed by the palmar at 171 N and the dorsal at 133 N.
Evaluation of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Society of Nuclear Cardiology appropriateness criteria for SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging.

Background. The American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Society of Nuclear Cardiology appropriateness criteria (AC) were created to guide responsible use of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Clinical applicability of the AC has not been evaluated.
The structure of a symplectic group over the integers of a dyadic field

According to a theorem of Dickson and Dieudonne (see [l]), a symplectic group over a field # F2 or F3 , has no normal subgroups other than its center (&I}. Several attempts to generalize this theorem over local rings have been quite successful. First, Klingenberg [3] showed that every normal subgroup of a symplectic group over a local ring is a congruence subgroup (with suitable residue class field). H e assumed that the underlying alternating form has unit discriminant. Riehm [5] generalized these latter results by dropping the requirement that the discriminant be a unit. He introduced the concept of tableau which is a matrix of ideals. By using the tableau, he was able to prove that every normal subgroup of the symplectic group is a congruence subgroup in the sense of tableau. The above integral results were obtained under the assumption that the residue class field has characteristic f2 (i.e., 2 is a unit). The purpose of this paper is to generalize the above results to the case when the residue class field has characteristic 2 but not F, (include the case 2 = 0). The only assumption we will make is that the rank of each modular Jordan component of the alternating form 26. This last assumption is largely technical and is made for the purpose of simplifying some calculations. We show that the symplectic group over the integers of a dyadic field does not have the congruence subgroup property. But we are able to characterize all the normal subgroup of S,(L) by using the tableaus (See Theorem 8.4). In addition to the main result, we also obtain some theorems concerning the generators of the congruence subgroups which are listed as 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, and 8.3. The explicit statement of these theorems are omitted here.
Optimal power switch design for dynamic voltage scaling from high performance to subthreshold operation

This work explores optimizing power switch design for Dynamic Voltage Scaling schemes that use headers to connect components to voltage supplies ranging from strong inversion to subthreshold values. We propose using NMOS devices with their gate controlled at the nominal voltage as power switches connected to the subthreshold voltage rail. Measured results show that an NMOS can provide the subthreshold voltage with a power switch size >280X smaller than a PMOS. For architectures targeting operation from subthreshold up to nominal voltage, we show that using an asymmetric transmission gate power switch provides a lower overhead way to enable this flexibility.
Synthesis and Structure-activity Analysis of Diphenylpyrazolodiazene Inhibitors of the HIV-1 Nef Virulence Factor

HIV-1 Nef is a critical AIDS progression factor yet underexplored target for antiretroviral drug discovery. A recent high-throughput screen for pharmacological inhibitors of Nef-dependent Src-family kinase activation identified a diphenylpyrazolodiazene hit compound with submicromolar potency in HIV-1 replication assays against a broad range of primary Nef variants. This compound, known as 'B9', binds directly to Nef and inhibits its dimerization in cells as a possible mechanism of action. Here were synthesized a diverse set of B9 analogs and identified structural features essential to antiretroviral activity. Chemical modifications to each of the three rings present in the parent compound were identified that did not compromise antiviral action. These analogs will guide the development of next-generation compounds with appropriate pharmacological profiles for assessment of antiretroviral activity in vivo.
Asymphylodora fishelsoni sp. n. (Trematoda: Monorchiidae) from a cyprinodontid fish, Aphanius dispar richardsoni (Boulenger), from Israel, and its allometric growth*

Asymphylodora fishelsoni sp. n. is described from the cyprinodontid fish, Aphanius dispar richardsoni, an endemic subspecies from a brackish water spring flowing into the Dead Sea at Ein Fashkha, Israel. The new species is closest to A. carpiae Szidat, 1943, but differs significantly in being less than half its size, and in having the vesicular pars prostatica in the form of a distinct chamber, the caeca always inflated (rather than narrow), the seminal vesicle entirely postacetabular (rather than overlapping the acetabulum) and occupying 40 – 48% of the cirrus sac length (rather than 80%), the cirrus overlapping the acetabulum (rather than being entirely sinistral to it) and occupying 44 – 50% of the cirrus sac length (rather than 18%), and the anterior part of the terminal organ representing 35 – 54% of the total length of this organ (rather than 22%). Positive allometric growth is shown by the hindbody, posttesticular body, and gonads, whereas the forebody, suckers, and pharynx are negative.
Inhibitors of Ca2+ release from the isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum. I. Ca2+ channel blockers.

The effects of Ruthenium red and tetracaine, which inhibit Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release from the isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum (e.g., Ohnishi, S.T. (1979) J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 86, 1147-1150), on several types of Ca2+ release in vitro were investigated. Ca2+ release was triggered by several methods: (1) addition of quercetin or caffeine, (2) Ca2+ jump, and (3) replacement of potassium gluconate with choline chloride to produce membrane depolarization. The time-course of Ca2+ release was monitored using stopped-flow spectrophotometry and arsenazo III as a Ca2+ indicator. Ruthenium red inhibited all of these types of Ca2+ release with the same concentration for half-inhibition C1/2 = 0.08-0.10 microM. Similarly, tetracaine inhibited these types of Ca2+ release with C1/2 = 0.07-0.11 mM. Procaine also inhibits both types of Ca2+ release induced by method 2 and 3 with C1/2 = 0.67-1.00 mM. These results suggest that Ruthenium red, tetracaine and procaine interfere with a common mechanism of the different types of Ca2+ release. On the basis of several pieces of evidence we propose that Ruthenium red and tetracaine block the Ca2+ channel of sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Semiclassical wavepacket construction of quantum resonance states from classical resonant orbits for the F + H2 reaction☆

Abstract The semiclassical interpretation of reactive resonances as dynamically confined orbits is extended for the F + H 2 reaction by construction of resonant-state wavefunctions according to a time-dependent formalism for Gaussian wavepacket dynamics. The partitioning of nodal curves between entrance and exit channels for the collinear resonances agrees with adiabatic theory and nodal surfaces for the 3D probability density distribution qualitatively agree with quantal calculations.
Surgical Resection and Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Recurrent Abdominal Sarcomas

Background: Recurrent abdominal sarcomas have an extremely high rate of recurrence and poor overall survival. A prospective study was initiated to assess the feasibility, toxicity, and benefit of surgical resection and intraperitoneal chemotherapy for improving local control of disease and overall survival. Methods: Fifty-four patients underwent surgical excision of all gross disease and postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy with mitoxantrone. Thirty-five patients had peritoneal disease only (stage II), and 19 patients had peritoneal disease with hepatic metastases (stage III). Results: Nine (17%) patients remain free of disease with a mean follow-up of 37 months. The remaining 45 patients (83%) have had recurrence, with a mean interval to recurrence of 11 months. Stage (P 5.001) and grade (P 5.005) were the only two variables found to significantly affect recurrence. There was an overall peritoneal recurrence rate of 48% and an overall hepatic failure rate of 69%. Nineteen (35%) of the patients are alive, with a mean follow-up of 46 months. The overall 5-year survival was 31%. The 5-year survival for stage II patients was 46%; for stage III patients, it was only 5%. Stage (P 5.001) and grade (P 5.056) were the only two variables found to significantly affect survival. There were no treatment-related deaths, and only 5 patients (9%) developed local complications. Conclusions: Aggressive surgical resection and intraperitoneal chemotherapy for recurrent abdominal sarcomas is a feasible treatment approach with minimal toxicity. Although this treatment had little effect on the hepatic spread of this disease and thus overall survival, it appears to have significantly lowered the rate of peritoneal recurrence and may provide a survival benefit for patients with disease limited to the peritoneum.
Implementing a multidisease chronic care model in primary care using people and technology.

Management of chronic disease is performed inadequately in the United States in spite of the availability of beneficial, effective therapies. Successful programs to manage patients with these disea...
Aortic histamine synthesis and aortic albumin accumulation in diabetes: activity-uptake relationships.

Abstract The relationship between inhibition of aortic histamine synthesis induced by varied dosages of α-hydrazinohistidine (αHH) and aortic uptake of fluorescein-labeled bovine serum albumin (FITCBSA) was examined in 40 male Wistar rats made diabetic by streptozotocin. Compared to nondiabetic animals, aortic uptake of FITCBSA in untreated diabetic animals was increased 43%. αHH administration produced essentially a complete inhibition of this accelerated histamine synthesis in diabetic animals at all dosages examined and likewise prevented an increase in aortic FITCBSA uptake among these animals. In diabetic animals, aortic histamine synthesis and aortic FITCBSA uptake showed a significant, strong positive correlation ( r = 0.822, P de novo aortic histamine formation, and thus elevations in the inducible histamine pool, are responsible, at least in part, for increased aortic uptake of macromolecules in diabetes. Since increases in various permeability characteristics occur early in atherogenesis, these data also indicate that expansion of the nascent histamine pool occurring in diabetes may be an important factor in the predisposition of diabetics to atherosclerotic vascular disease.
Defective Phagocytosis in Airways Disease

Maintaining an airway clear of inhaled particles, pathogens, and cellular debris is paramount for lung homeostasis. In healthy individuals, the phagocytes of the innate immune system act as sentinels to patrol the airway and ensure sterility. However, in airways diseases, including asthma, COPD, and cystic fibrosis, there is a propensity for bacterial colonization that may contribute to disease worsening. Evidence suggests that this may be due to dysfunctional phagocytosis. In patients with COPD, phagocytosis of several bacterial species and removal of apoptotic cells (efferocytosis) by alveolar macrophages are significantly reduced; however, these cells can remove inert beads normally. Attenuated phagocytosis is also apparent in monocyte-derived macrophages from the same patients, suggesting an inherent defect in these cells. Reduced expression of cell surface recognition receptors has been suggested as one mechanism for these observations; however, the literature is currently contradictory and requires further clarification. In cystic fibrosis, a similar defect is also observed in both airway neutrophils and macrophages, leading to ineffective bacterial uptake and subsequent killing. In asthma and other airways diseases, there are also reports of defective phagocytosis of bacterial pathogens, although the relevance to disease pathophysiology is not understood. Oxidative stress is emerging as a common mechanism that may be altering both macrophage and neutrophil functions that can be reversed by various antioxidant strategies. The identification of this and other mechanisms underlying phagocyte dysfunction may present novel therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of many of these intractable diseases and improve patient morbidity and mortality.
A Return to the “Disciplines”

THE popular statement that "we teach humans and not subject matter," though obviously false, needs correcting merely because it is so often repeated. The verb 'to teach' takes the direct object of the thing taught and the indirect object of the person who receives the instruction. The instruction does have its effect upon the person, especially if the subject matter is worthy and the method sound. There are many subjects that have proven worthy through the long test of time. They are known as the major disciplines, for they are disciplines, many critics to the contrary notwithstanding. Those who oppose them by maintaining that they are outmoded and that something of more immediate and specific importance is needed in our schools and colleges are, to the best of my observation, incapable of profiting to any great extent by the sort of mental discipline they afford. By opposing they think to end them. This cannot be done, for they have gained too much momentum by this time and because they have back of them prestige and enjoy too much respect and distinction. One of the oldest and one of the most important and most highly respected of the major disciplines is the study of foreign languages. Of all that has been said, and is likely ever to be said in defense of them as an important part of school curricula, I contend the chief argument lies in the fact that they afford superior discipline to any one who wants really to be educated and later learned in some great field of human knowledge, even though that field be one of the social sciences.
Naturalism and the First-Person Perspective

In Naturalism and the First-Person Perspective, Lynne Rudder Baker argues that first-person perspectives belong in our ontological inventory of what exists, but in doing so she argues that ontologi...
Fluorescence induction and activity of ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase in Bryopsis chloroplasts☆

Abstract Effects of medium osmolarity on the rate of CO2 fixation, the rate of the NADP+-Hill reaction, and the DPS1 transient of chlorophyll fluorescence were measured in intact Bryopsis chloroplasts. Upon decreasing the sorbitol concentration from 1.0 M (the isoosmotic conditions) to 0.25 M, the envelopes of the chloroplasts became leaky to small molecules, resulting in a considerable depression of the CO2-fixation rate and a higher rate of the NADP+-Hill reaction whereas the DPS1 transient was unaffected. This DPS1 transient of chlorophyll fluorescence is thought to be caused by the photoactivation of electron flow on the reducing side of Photosystem I at a site occurring after ferredoxin and probably before the reduction of NADP+ (Satoh, K. and Katoh, S. (1980) Plant and Cell Physiol. 21, 907–916). Little effect of NADP+ on the DPS1 transient and a marked lag in NADP+ photo-reduction in dark-adapted (inactivated) chloroplasts support the hypothesis that the site of dark inactivation is prior to the reduction site of NADP+, and therefore, that ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase is inactivated in the dark and activated in the light. Moreover, at 0.25 M sorbitol, the activity of ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase itself (2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol reduction by NADPH) was shown to increase according to dark-light transition of the chloroplasts. At low osmolarities (below 0.1 M sorbitol), the difference in the diaphorase activity between dark-and light-adapted chloroplasts and the lag time observed in the NADP+ photoreduction were lowered. This may correspond to a less pronounced DPS1 transient at low concentrations of sorbitol. The mechanism of the photo-activation is discussed.
The tyrosine kinase p60c-src regulates the fast gate of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel

The role of the tyrosine kinase p60c-src on the gating of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel was investigated with the cell-attached and excised patch clamp technique in conjunction with current noise analysis of recordings containing multiple channels per patch. Spectra of CFTR-generated current noise contained a low-frequency and a high-frequency Lorentzian noise component. In the cell-attached mode, the high-frequency Lorentzian was significantly dependent on the membrane potential, while the low-frequency Lorentzian was unaffected. Excision of forskolin-stimulated patches into ATP-containing solution significantly reduced the amplitude of the voltage-dependent high-frequency Lorentzian. Addition of the tyrosine kinase p60c-src to excised, active, CFTR-containing membrane patches increased mean currents by 54%, increased the corner frequency of the low-frequency Lorentzian, and recovered the high-frequency Lorentzian and its characteristics. Treatment with lambda-phosphatase inactivated src-induced currents and changes in gating. When active patches were excised under conditions in which patch-associated tyrosine phosphatases were blocked with sodium vanadate, the high-frequency gating remained relatively unchanged. The results suggest that CFTR's open probability and its voltage-dependent fast gate are dependent on tyrosine phosphorylation, and that membrane-associated tyrosine phosphatases are responsible for inactivation of the fast gate after patch excision.
Consumer acceptance of functional foods: socio-demographic, cognitive and attitudinal determinants

Abstract Despite the forecast of a bright future for functional foods, which constitute the single fastest growing segment in the food market, critiques arise as to whether this food category will deliver upon its promises. One of the key success factors pertains to consumer acceptance of the concept of functional foods, which is covered in this study. Data collected from a consumer sample ( n =215) in Belgium during March 2001 are analysed with the aim to gain a better understanding of consumer acceptance of functional foods. Functional food acceptance is defined as giving a score of minimum 3 on a 5-point scale, simultaneously for acceptance if the food tastes good, and if the food tastes somewhat worse as compared to its conventional counterpart. With this specification, 46.5% of the sample claimed to accept the concept of functional foods. A multivariate probit model is specified and estimated to test the simultaneous impact of socio-demographic, cognitive and attitudinal factors. Belief in the health benefits of functional foods is the main positive determinant of acceptance. The likelihood of functional food acceptance also increases with the presence of an ill family member, though decreases with a high level of claimed knowledge or awareness of the concept. This adverse impact of high awareness decreases with increasing consumer age. Belief, knowledge and presence of an ill family member outweigh socio-demographics as potential determinants, contrary to previous reports profiling functional food users.
American Revolution: From the Electoral Gap to the Banana Republic

Through an analysis of the rhetorical strategies used by mainstream U.S. media between November 8, 2000, and March 3, 2001, the authors show how the U.S. mainstream media helped to restabilize the ...
The ras-related GTPase rac1 regulates a proliferative pathway selectively utilized by G-protein coupled receptors.

The ras-related GTPase rac1 regulates a proliferative pathway selectively utilized by G-protein coupled receptors
Broadband continuous wavelength conversion of 10-Gb/s data in silicon waveguides spanning S-, C-, and L-bands

We demonstrate broadband continuous wavelength conversion of 10-Gb/s data across 100 nm using four-wave mixing in dispersion-engineered silicon waveguides. Error-free operation and constant 2-dB power penalties are experimentally obtained for all examined probe-idler separations.
Celebrating diversity, ten years later

Broidy looks at the political/social changes that have impacted library instruction, particularly in academic libraries in California, over the years since her 1988 LOEX speech.
Improved technique utilizing nonfat dry milk for analysis of proteins and nucleic acids transferred to nitrocellulose

A simple, economical, and efficient procedure for analysis of proteins (Western blotting) and DNA (Southern blotting) transferred to nitrocellulose for reaction with antibodies or nucleic acid probes is described. The techniques utilize nonfat dry milk as a protein-nucleic acid source for blocking nonspecific reactions, as an incubation medium, and for subsequent washing to remove unreacted reagents. The incubation cocktail, termed BLOTTO (Bovine Lacto Transfer Technique Optimizer), is superior to bovine serum albumin or gelatin for preventing nonspecific absorption in Western blot analyses and does not require the use of detergents or chaotropic agents to effect efficient reduction of background. BLOTTO, at the proper dilution in NaClNa citrate, is just as efficient in Southern blot analyses as more complicated cocktails typically used in the latter technique. We also found that BLOTTO works well for blocking, incubating, and washing ELISA plate assays relative to the normal BSA carrier, at a considerable savings to the laboratory.
Regulation of scatter factor (hepatocyte growth factor) production by tumor-stroma interaction.

Scatter factors (SF) [also known as hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)] is a cytokine produced by stromal cell types that induces dissociation (scattering) of contiguous sheets of epithelial cells into individual motile fibroblast-like cells (Stoker et al., 1987; Rosen et al., 1989). In addition to scattering, SF stimulates the following processes in multiple epithelial and carcinoma cell types: (1) random motility of isolated cells (Li et al., 1994); (2) gradient-directed migration (chemotaxis) (Rosen et al., 1990b, 1991a); (3) migration of cells out of multicellular spheroids onto flat culture surfaces (Rosen et al., 1990a); (4) migration off carrier beads onto flat surfaces (Rosen et al., 1990b, 1990c, 1991a); (5) cell surface expression of urokinase (Pepper et al., 1992; Rosen et al., 1994a); and (6) invasion through extracellular matrix proteins (Weidner et al., 1990; Rosen et al., 1991a, 1994a; Bhargava et al., 1992). Thus, SF appears to activate an entire program of cellular activities required for the invasive phenotype. SF stimulates proliferation of many normal epithelial cell types, including hepatocytes, mammary epithelium, keratinocytes, melanocytes, and renal tubular epithelium (Miyazawa et al., 1989; Nakamura et al., 1989; Rubin et al., 1991; Kan et al., 1991; Halaban et al., 1992). However, SF has little or no effect on the proliferation of most carcinoma cell types. For these cell types, the major in vitro action of SF appears to be stimulation of cell motility.
Estimating Quality-Adjusted Life Year Losses Associated with Visual Field Deficits Using Methodological Approaches

Purpose: To develop a function to describe quality-adjusted life year (QALY) losses associated with visual field losses for use in cost-effectiveness models. Methods: We estimated the patient visual field defect in decibels (dBs) that corresponded to visual acuity values of 20/40, 20/70, 20/200 (US blindness), 20/400 (WHO blindness), and 20/1,000 (extreme impairment) using two methods. The first method categorized visual field defects by applying the logic of the Snellen minimum angle of resolution (MAR) acuity scale to the ability to perceive luminance adjusting for the differences in the visual acuity and luminance scales (MAR-based). The second method categorized visual field defects based on assumptions. We then assigned each visual field category the same QALY value associated with the analogous visual acuity category. Finally, for each method, we calculated a function that described QALY losses as a function of the absolute value of patient mean deviation (MD) values measured in dBs. Results: The MARbased method estimated that MDs of ‐16, ‐18, ‐23, ‐24, and ‐30 or greater dBs corresponded to visual acuity values of 20/40, 20/70, 20/200, 20/400, and 20/1,000, respectively. For the same visual acuity values, the assumption-based method resulted in MD estimates of ‐13, ‐17, ‐ 22, ‐24, and ‐30. Our MAR-based method yielded the function, QALYs = 0.98991 + 0.0022 . dBs ‐0.00080518 . dBs 2 , setting dBs equal to the absolute value of the mean deviation in the better-seeing eye. Our assumption-based method yielded the piece-wise function, QALYs = 1.0 ‐ 0.0155 . dBs for dBs <22, and 1.815 ‐0.0525 . dBs for dBs ≥ 22. Conclusions: Results from two estimation methods suggest a convex and downward sloping relationship between dBs of visual field loss and QALY decrements. QALY losses accumulate slowly at first and then increase at an accelerating rate following an MD of approximately ‐10 dBs. This relationship is consistent with recent empirical findings reporting minimal QALY losses associated with small visual field defects.
Validation of kernel-driven semiempirical BRDF models for application to MODIS/MISR data

Increasing emphasis on global monitoring makes global modeling of bidirectional reflectance of vegetation an important issue. We study four linear kernel-driven semi-empirical models for use in operational production of the BRDF/albedo product for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). In this paper, we use a variety of multiple angle surface reflectance data sets from field and airborne measurements to evaluate these models. The results show that our semiempirical BRDF models provide a good mathematical description of the bidirectional reflectance of the land covers tested.
Clinical array comparative genomic hybridization: a new paradigm.

Background: Although the clinical utility of array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) is undisputed, the implementation of this technology is a unique experience for each laboratory. Objective: Endeavors to construct a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-based CGH microarray targeting microdeletion and duplication syndromes related to mental retardation and developmental delay are described. Method: Covering each chromosome at the 650-band level, the array comprises 1360 BAC clones with emphasis on the subtelomeric and pericentromeric regions and enrichment of genomic hot spots containing genes associated with specific constitutional disorders. During development of the array, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and end-sequencing analysis eliminated 24% of BACs that were mismapped or cross-hybridized, underscoring the need rigorously to assess arrayed elements. Performance of the BACs was tested further with chromosome-specific add-in experiments. Conclusion: Of the first 500 clinical cases...
Patients-in-Waiting Living between Sickness and Health in the Genomics Era

What are the social consequences of the recent expansion of newborn screening in the United States? The adoption of new screening technologies has generated diagnostic uncertainty about the nature of screening targets, making it unclear not only whether a newborn will develop a disease but also what the condition actually is. Based on observations in a genetics clinic and in-depth interviews with parents and geneticists, we examine how parents and clinical staff work out the social significance of uncertain newborn screening results. We find that some newborns will experience a specific trajectory of prolonged liminality between a state of normal health and pathology. Based on a review of related literatures, we suggest “patients-in-waiting” as an umbrella concept for those under medical surveillance between health and disease.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ activation with pioglitazone improves endothelium-dependent dilation in nondiabetic patients with major cardiovascular risk factors

Background— Patients with cardiovascular risk factors have endothelial dysfunction, a key element in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The thiazolidinediones have been shown to exert multiple antiatherosclerotic actions in diabetic patients. This study tested the hypothesis that pioglitazone improves endothelial function in nondiabetic patients with major risk factors. Methods and Results— The study had a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Eighty patients with either hypertension or hypercholesterolemia were enrolled. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by the Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI), and patients were further classified as insulin sensitive or insulin resistant. In each treatment phase, patients received either pioglitazone 45 mg daily or placebo for 8 weeks. Endothelial function and laboratory tests were performed at the end of each 8-week period. Treatment with pioglitazone significantly lowered plasma insulin (−22.9%; P<0.001), improved QUICKI...
Baryons and weak lensing power spectra

Abstract We provide a simple toy model to elucidate the effects of baryonic cooling on predictions of the convergence power spectrum in weak gravitational lensing. Our model suggests that the effects of baryonic cooling on dark matter halo profiles can alter the dark matter power spectrum at k ∼10 h Mpc −1 and lead to percent level changes in the convergence angular power spectrum at wavenumbers of several thousand. These effects would be measurable with planned weak lensing surveys and will impact constraints on cosmological parameters.
Thioredoxin reductase-1 knock down does not result in thioredoxin-1 oxidation

The active site of thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) is oxidized in cells with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and is reduced by thioredoxin reductase-1 (TrxR1). The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent to which the redox state of Trx1 is sensitive to changes in these opposing reactions. Trx1 redox state and ROS generation were measured in cells exposed to the TrxR1 inhibitors aurothioglucose (ATG) and monomethylarsonous acid (MMA(III)) and in cells depleted of TrxR1 activity by siRNA knock down. The results showed that all three treatments inhibited TrxR1 activity to similar extents (90% inhibition), but that only MMA(III) exposure resulted in oxidation of Trx1. Similarly, ROS levels were elevated in response to MMA(III), but not in response to ATG or TrxR1 siRNA. Therefore, TrxR1 inhibition alone was not sufficient to oxidize Trx1, suggesting that Trx1-independent pathways should be considered when evaluating pharmacological and toxicological mechanisms involving TrxR1 inhibition.
Factors that influence the use and perceptions of employee assistance programs at six worksites.

Employee assistance programs (EAPs) have gained significant importance in contemporary worksites. This article uses data from 6 case studies to examine several research questions regarding the relationship between worker demographic (e.g., gender, job tenure, and marital status), substance use, and workplace policies and the actual and potential use of the company EAP. Unlike in most of the existing literature, the authors did not find that gender, marital status, or job dissatisfaction are statistically related to actual or potential EAP use at most worksites. However, job tenure and some substance use behaviors were related to actual EAP use in a positive and statistically significant way. Another important finding, underlying the credible integration of EAPs into worksite culture, is the positive and robust relationship between employee trust and confidence in the EAP and actual use. The results of our study both reinforce some long-established principles in the EAP field and encourage further consideration of other beliefs.
Cushing's disease with periodic hormonogenesis: one explanation for paradoxical response to dexamethasone.

A patient with Cushing's disease who exhibited a “paradoxical response to dexamethasone” was studied in detail over a period of 100 days in an effort to determine the basis of her unusual response to attempted pituitaryadrenal suppression. In the course of the study it became apparent that her pituitary-adrenal overactivity was spontaneously rhythmic, with cycles occurring approximately every 11 days, and that the apparent paradoxical response to dexamethasone had been purely fortuitous. Urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids at the peaks of the cycles averaged 125 mg per day and, at the nadirs, 18 mg per day. The cycles were not altered by treatment with dexamethasone, metyrapone, cortisol, or L-dopa. During the interval between spontaneous peaks, adrenal responsiveness to exogenous ACTH and pituitary–adrenal responsiveness to exogenous vasopressin were demonstrable, thus excluding cyclic exhaustion of pituitary or adrenal reserve as an explanation for the periodic hormonogenesis. The patient's hypercortisoli...
Of mice and men, revisited: new insights into an ancient molecule from studies of complement activation by Cryptococcus neoformans.

Cryptococcus neoformans , like most other pathogenic fungi, enjoys a wide host range and does not require a mammalian host for survival. However, this pathogenic yeast is also unique among fungi because it has a polysaccharide capsule, which serves as its central virulence factor and is essential
Clinical and electrophysiologic variability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis within a kindred harboring the C9ORF72 repeat expansion

AbstractOur objective was to characterize the motor neuron disease features within a large c9FTD/ALS kindred. We analyzed clinical, electrophysiologic and neuropathologic data in a c9FTD/ALS kindred of Scandinavian ancestry. Results showed that of six family members affected, three had only ALS, two had FTD and one had FTD and ALS. Each patient with motor neuron disease had a different clinical presentation: one patient had only bulbar symptoms, one had bulbar and limb involvement, one had limb symptoms, and one had primarily upper motor neuron disease. Later in the course of disease, all ALS patients developed bulbar involvement and died from respiratory causes. Survival was uniformly short (two to five years). Electrophysiologic studies recorded progressive lower motor neuron dysfunction except in the patient with predominantly upper motor neuron features. In conclusion, this kindred demonstrates that the presentation of ALS within c9FTD/ALS families may vary considerably and electrophysiologic findings...
Relaxed control of sugar utilization in Lactobacillus brevis

Prioritization of sugar consumption is a common theme in bacterial growth and a problem for complete utilization of five and six carbon sugars derived from lignocellulose. Growth studies show that Lactobacillus brevis simultaneously consumes numerous carbon sources and appears to lack normal hierarchical control of carbohydrate utilization. Analysis of several independent L. brevis isolates indicated that co-utilization of xylose and glucose is a common trait for this species. Moreover, carbohydrates that can be used as a single carbon source are simultaneously utilized with glucose. Analysis of the proteome of L. brevis cells grown on glucose, xylose or a glucose/xylose mixture revealed the constitutive expression of the enzymes of the heterofermentative pathway. In addition, fermentative mass balances between mixed sugar inputs and end-products indicated that both glucose and xylose are simultaneously metabolized through the heterofermentative pathway. Proteomic and mRNA analyses revealed that genes in the xyl operon were expressed in the cells grown on xylose or on glucose/xylose mixtures but not in those grown on glucose alone. However, the expression level of XylA and XylB proteins in cells grown on a glucose/xylose mixture was reduced 2.7-fold from that observed in cells grown solely on xylose. These results suggest that regulation of xylose utilization in L. brevis is not stringently controlled as seen in other lactic acid bacteria, where carbon catabolite repression operates to prioritize carbohydrate utilization more rigorously.
Cluster-based representation of hydraulic systems

The authors present a technique for structural abstraction applicable to the domain of pressurized hydraulic systems. Valves, when closed, functionally isolate clusters of components: when opened, neighboring clusters are merged. A cluster can only be in the one of two qualitative states-stable, where pressures are equal throughout and no flow occurs, or unstable, where flow from high-pressure sources(s) to low-pressure sink(s) occurs. Reasoning in terms of clusters is shown to facilitate the generation and explanation of plans for operating and troubleshooting hydraulic systems. >
Simulating an emergency department “is as much fun as…”

The purpose of the project is to improve the operation of Peninsula Regional Medical Center's (PRMC) Emergency Department (ED) and decrease patient dissatisfaction with length of stay. The goal is to reduce patient throughput times and determine the appropriate staffing levels. An additional goal is to aid in identifying other system changes to improve patient and department flows in the ED through the use of simulation.