cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrogastrography, Breath Tests, Ultrasonography, Transit Tests, and SmartPill

Electrogastrography (EGG) is a noninvasive test used to evaluate the gastric myoelectrical activity. It does not involve radiation and is not operator dependent, but has a main drawback that it can be affected by motion artifact. The current methodologies for electrogastrography are not well standardized. It is considered as an adjunct test in the evaluation of children with gastrointestinal functional and motility disorders rather than a substitute for transit (scintigraphy) or motility (antroduodenal manometry) studies. Breath test and transit studies with radiopaque markers are an attractive, noninvasive, inexpensive, and office-based alternative methods to conventional studies that measure gastric, intestinal, colonic, and whole gut transit (WGT). However, they have poor reproducibility in several clinical settings and posses multiple non-standardized methodologies. Ultrasonography, another noninvasive operator-dependent alternative method, can be used to evaluate gastric emptying of liquids, though it is significantly affected by some technicalities like obesity and the presence of air. The SmartPill, or wireless motility capsule, is a novel device that allows the simultaneous measurement of contractility and transit time of the whole gastrointestinal tract. Nonetheless, it has limitations: cost, required expertise, and more pediatric studies are needed.
Divergence of gene regulatory network linkages during specification of ectoderm and mesoderm in early development of sea urchins

Developmental gene regulatory networks (GRNs) are assemblages of gene regulatory interactions that direct ontogeny of animal body plans. Studies of GRNs operating in early development of euechinoid sea urchins has revealed that little appreciable change has occurred since their divergence approximately 90 million years ago (mya). These observations suggest that strong conservation of GRN architecture has been maintained in early development of the sea urchin lineage. To test whether this is true for all sea urchins, comparative analyses of echinoid taxa that diverged deeper in geological time must be conducted. Recent studies highlighted extensive divergence of skeletogenic mesoderm specification in the sister clade of euechinoids, the cidaroids, suggesting that comparative analyses of cidaroid GRN architecture may confer a greater understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of developmental GRNs. Here, we report spatiotemporal patterning of 55 regulatory genes and perturbation analyses of key regulatory genes involved in euechinoid oral-aboral patterning of non-skeletogenic mesodermal and ectodermal domains in early development of the cidaroid Eucidaris tribuloides. Our results indicate that developmental GRNs directing mesodermal and ectodermal specification have undergone marked alterations since the divergence of cidaroids and euechinoids. Notably, statistical and clustering analyses of echinoid temporal gene expression datasets indicate that regulation of mesodermal genes has diverged more markedly than regulation of ectodermal genes. Although research on indirect-developing euechinoid sea urchins suggests strong conservation of GRN circuitry during early embryogenesis, this study indicates that since the divergence of cidaroids and euechinoids developmental GRNs have undergone significant divergence.
Numerical Study of the External Heat Source Effect on Polymer Burning

The effect of the external heat source on polymers’ burning behavior was studied numerically in the concurrent flow configuration combustion reactor. One dimensional coupled mathematical formulatio...
Insights into human cerebral white matter maturation and degeneration across the adult lifespan.

White matter (WM) microstructural properties change across the adult lifespan and with neuronal diseases. Understanding microstructural changes due to aging is paramount to distinguish them from neuropathological changes. Conducted on a large cohort of 147 cognitively unimpaired subjects, spanning a wide age range of 21 to 94 years, our study evaluated sex- and age-related differences in WM microstructure. Specifically, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indices, sensitive measures of myelin and axonal density, and myelin water fraction (MWF), a measure of the fraction of the signal of the water trapped within the myelin sheets, to probe these differences. Furthermore, we examined regional correlations between MWF and DTI indices to evaluate whether these metrics provide information complementary to MWF. While sexual dimorphism was, overall, nonsignificant, we observed region-dependent differences in MWF, that is, myelin content, and axonal density with age and found that both exhibit nonlinear, but distinct, associations with age. Furthermore, DTI indices were moderately correlated with MWF, indicating their good sensitivity to myelin content as well as to other constituents of WM tissue such as axonal density. The microstructural differences captured by our MRI metrics, along with their weak associations with MWF, strongly indicate the potential value of combining these outcome measures in a multiparametric approach. Furthermore, our results support the last-in-first-out and the gain-predicts-loss hypotheses of WM maturation and degeneration. Indeed, our results indicate that the posterior WM regions are spared from neurodegeneration as compared to anterior regions, while WM myelination follows a temporally symmetric time course across the adult life span.
Unseen Consequences: The Plight of the Mexican Migrant Farm Worker

4 Prologue 5 Introduction 7 1. Physical Harm 14 2. Pesticides 20 3. Culture 24 4. Conclusion 28 Unseen Consequences Diaz 4
A different kind of massive attack: How the Bulgarian Ultranationalist Party Ataka engineered its political success using electronic media

This study explores the role of media in securing the electorate success of Ataka, Bulgaria’s ultra-right-wing party, as well as their contribution to the rise of nationalistic tendencies among the Bulgarian electorate. To accomplish this, the study sets two goals: fi rst, to explore the political and socio-cultural environment which has allowed for the growth of ultra-nationalist rhetoric in Bulgaria, and second, to examine how Ataka’s media publicity machine, with a specific focus on their new media tactics, have contributed to securing popular support for the virtually unfettered expression of ultra-nationalistic ideas. By conducting a critical analysis of Ataka’s use of electronic media, including websites, online forums, and other social networking tools, the study analyzes the importance of electronic media to a right wing party such as Ataka, that catapulted it from complete obscurity into a political force of national importance.
A comparative study of /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// controller reduction methods

This paper considers controller order reduction with /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// performance criterion. The author compares via examples how various controller reduction methods perform with respect to the /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// performance criterion. The author's conclusion is that the coprime factor reduction method proposed by Goddard and Clover is most effective and easy to use for the /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// controller reduction.
Shock-impedance match experiments in aluminum and molybdenum between 0. 1-2. 5 TPa (1-25 Mbar)

A shock impedance match experiment was performed in close proximity to an underground nuclear explosion. A shock wave travelled through Al(alloy 1100) into Mo and the shock velocities were measured in each. Relative to an equation of state for Al calculated from pseudopotential theory the pressures achieved were 1.37 and 2.50 TPa in Al and Mo, respectively. Double-shock experiments were also performed for Al using a two-stage light-gas gun. Effective Grueneisen parameters were found to agree with constant ..gamma../V scaling.
Circadian Regulation of Nocturnin Transcription by Phosphorylated CREB in Xenopus Retinal Photoreceptor Cells

Although CLOCK/BMAL1 heterodimers have been implicated in transcriptional regulation of several rhythmic genes in vitro through E-box sequence elements, little is known about how the circadian clock regulates rhythmic genes with diverse phases in vivo. The gene nocturnin is rhythmically transcribed in Xenopus retinal photoreceptor cells, which contain endogenous circadian clocks. Transcription of nocturnin peaks in these cells in the middle of the night, while CLOCK/BMAL1 activity peaks during the early morning. We have identified a novel protein-binding motif within the nocturnin promoter, which we designated the nocturnin element (NE). Although the NE sequence closely resembles an E-box, our data show that it functions as a cyclic AMP response element (CRE) by binding CREB. Furthermore, phosphorylated CREB (P-CREB) levels are rhythmic in Xenopus photoreceptors, with a phase similar to that of nocturnin transcription. Our results suggest that P-CREB controls the rhythmic regulation of nocturnin transcription and perhaps that of other night phase genes. The NE may be an evolutionary intermediate between the E-box and CRE sequences, both of which seem to be involved in the circadian control of transcription, but have evolved to drive transcription with different phases in these clock-containing cells. Most organisms undergo rhythmic changes on a daily basis to synchronize diverse behavioral and physiological events to the dramatic changes in the natural environment. Many of these changes are controlled by endogenous circadian clocks that control events such as cell signaling, gene expression, hormone production, neuronal activity, and many aspects of behavior. Recent work has provided insight into many details of the molecular mechanisms that make up the circadian clock (reviewed in references 53 and 67), but how the circadian oscillatory mechanism is translated into such diverse rhythmic biological processes is not yet well understood. One thing that is clear, however, is that rhythmic control of gene expression is an important feature of circadian clock control of rhythmic processes. Transcriptional control is important both within the central clock mechanism itself and for conveying circadian regulation to a myriad of rhythmic out
GraphUnit: Evaluating Interactive Graph Visualizations Using Crowdsourcing

We present GraphUnit, a framework and online service that automates the process of designing, running and analyzing results of controlled user studies of graph visualizations by leveraging crowdsourcing and a set of evaluation modules based on a graph task taxonomy. User studies play an important role in visualization research but conducting them requires expertise and is time consuming. GraphUnit simplifies the evaluation process by allowing visualization designers to easily configure user studies for their web-based graph visualizations, deploy them online, use Mechanical Turk to attract participants, collect user responses and store them in a database, and analyze incoming results automatically using appropriate statistical tools and graphs. We demonstrate the effectiveness of GraphUnit by replicating two published evaluation studies on network visualization, and showing that these studies could be configured in less than an hour. Finally, we discuss how GraphUnit can facilitate quick evaluations of alternative graph designs and thus encourage the frequent use of user studies to evaluate design decisions in iterative development processes.
How to schedule when you have to buy your energy

We consider a situation where jobs arrive over time at a data center, consisting of identical speed-scalable processors. For each job, the scheduler knows how much income is lost as a function of how long the job is delayed. The scheduler also knows the fixed cost of a unit of energy. The online scheduler determines which jobs to run on which processors, and at what speed to run the processors. The scheduler's objective is to maximize profit, which is the income obtained from jobs minus the energy costs. We give a (1+e)-speed O(1)-competitive algorithm, and show that resource augmentation is necessary to achieve O(1)-competitiveness.
Firebird database backup by serialized database table dump

This is a post-print of an article published in Python Papers 2007 published by CG Publisher. This version is reproduced under the journals author licence agreement. http://pythonpapers.cgpublisher.com/
Chromatographic Techniques in Industrial Hygiene

Chromatographic techniques in industrial hygiene are defined as those separation and analysis techniques which rely on the separation of multiple chemical constituents by taking advantage of the differential adsorption, absorption, mobility, or affinity of the components in a system with a stationary phase (solid, liquid coated on solid, reactive substituent attached to solid surface, ion exchange resin, etc.) and a mobile phase (gas or liquid) which transports the separated constitutents to a detector for immediate identification and possible quantitation or to a collector for later identification and possible quantitation. By industrial (occupational) hygiene is meant that science and art which is the anticipation, identification, assessment, and control of chemical and physical hazards in the workplace (meant to include offices, places of business, retail establishments, and schools) and home. Included among those methods that make possible the identification and assessment of such hazards are those methods which are used to determine the concentration of airborne and surface chemical contaminants, as well as those which assess levels of exposure to chemical contaminants by the analysis of exhaled breath, blood, urine, or other biological samples.
The effect of plant architecture on drought resistance: implications for the evolution of semelparity in Erysimum capitatum

Summary 1. Constraints of resource allocation between reproduction and adult survival have been implicated in much life-history variation, yet physiological or functional trade-offs with juvenile survival may be just as important. Here, we examined selection on a juvenile trait that is a key determinant of semelparous (monocarpic) vs. iteroparous (polycarpic) life-history expression. 2. In Erysimum capitatum, iteroparous plants produce more rosettes at the juvenile stage than do semelparous plants; those rosettes perennate, enabling subsequent reproductive episodes. Thus, the number of rosettes produced before reproduction is a strong determinant of iteroparity. We tested whether increased rosette production compromised juvenile survival under conditions similar to those in which semelparity predominates over iteroparity. 3. Using plants from six natural populations, we tested the association between rosette production and juvenile survival under drought conditions typical of the field sites of semelparous E. capitatum populations. We also manipulated rosette number by physically removing rosettes and examined the effect of rosette removal on drought resistance. 4. Under drought conditions, plants with fewer rosettes had higher survival, and the physical excision of rosettes improved survival (significantly or marginally) under drought stress in five of six natural populations. 5. The lower production of rosettes, typical of semelparous E. capitatum, was associated with increased juvenile survival under drought stress. The results suggest adaptive differentiation of rosette production, at least partially in response to drought stress. Given the role of apical dominance in multiple rosette development, natural selection seems to favour stronger apical dominance under drought conditions. Drought stress is predicted to be more common at high elevation as a result of climate change, and the novel drought stress could increase juvenile mortality of alpine E. capitatum. Because rosette production at the juvenile stage is necessary for iteroparity, these results demonstrate that drought-induced selection on traits that determine early survival has significant potential to influence the evolution of adult life-history expression.
¿Cuanto falta para Jerusalén?: Lorca's Apocalyptic and the Paradigms of Peace in Poeta en Nueva York and El público

Many of Federico Garcia Lorca's best readers have noted a distinctly apocalyptic tone in Poeta en Nueva York and drawn inaccurate conclusions from it. This article maintains that a specific set of images from the Apocalypse—constituting an ‘irenic’ discourse concerning peace in the midst of violence—is Lorca's measure or paradigm for what can be said to be most true. What can be said to be most false is any image or reality that confusingly mimics such paradigms of peacefulness. Like the Johannine ‘revelator’, Lorca unveils not only the world's violence but also the curious stance of those who are enduring patiently in the midst of it. Lorca's verse exists so that such people—blacks, impoverished immigrants, dying children at the moment of their deaths—may be envisioned as taking the measure of everyone else.I identify a class of adverbs in these poems (echoing adverbials in Revelation) that seek to give the lie to a universally accepted norm according to which New York's Harlem could never be considered to anticipate the ‘new Jerusalem’.Lorca's imaginative project of a ‘theatre underneath the sand’, announced in the unfinished play El publico, requires that genuine community, like the primitive Christians, go underground in order to ‘play’. The verbs sostenir (to endure) and resistir (to resist, to parry), taken from the irenic lexicon of Revelation, define how the actors must play their parts, enacting ‘an incalculable love’ at the risk of their own lives.
Electrical conductivity of thin-film composites containing silver nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric fluoropolymer matrix

Abstract Thin-film nanocomposites, consisting of silver nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric fluoropolymer matrix (poly[4,5-difluoro-2,2-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-dioxole-co-tetrafluoroethylene]), were synthesized using vapor-phase co-deposition. The electrical conductivity of these composites was measured in-situ as a function of film thickness at various metal concentrations. At low metal concentrations ( 90%), fragmented fractal nanoclusters were able to further interconnect to achieve the percolation process and eventually evolve into a metallic continuum with dielectric polymer inclusions.
Spatially Resolved Dynamic Correlation in the Vortex State of High Temperature Superconductors

We report transport measurements in the mixed state of YBa{sub 2}Cu {sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} single crystals using a contact geometry which enables control of the gradient of the Lorentz force acting on the vortices. The spatial dependence of the vortex velocity profile in the liquid and solid vortex phases is resolved providing information about the transverse dynamic correlation of vortices. While in the liquid phase the vortices respond locally to the driving force, in the solid regime they show long range velocity correlation over macroscopic distances. At high driving force gradients, vortex-vortex shear stresses exceed the elastic limit and the dynamics is characterized by plastic motion. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
Fiber estimation errors incurred from truncated sampling in q-space diffusion magnetic resonance imaging

ABSTRACT The effect of truncated sphere sampling commonly used in Diffusion Spectrum Imaging to estimate single fiber orientation errors is simulated using fully-sampled (7x7x7) q-space data (343 samples), truncated sphere sampling (203 samples), and zero-padding (to 21x21x21 samples), in both noise-free and noisy (SNR = 30) scenarios. We show that the error of resolving a single fiber direction depends on the fiber orientation relative to the corners of q-space, which are not sampled when truncated sampling schemes are used, and th at corner-samples help reduce the error in estimating a single fiber orientation (mean error 3.5° versus 3.9° for the noise case and zero-padding used). As truncated sphere sampling requires 40% less acquisition time, its use could jus tify the small increase in error (0.4°). A simulation of the FiberCup phantom was used to assess the significance of truncated sampling on fiber orientation estimation errors over a continuous space of voxels by examining differences in resulting tractography. Keywords: diffusion spectrum imaging, truncated sphere sampling, fiber estimation errors, simulated FiberCup phantom, tractography
STRUCTURAL MECHANICS MODELING AND FSI SIMULATION OF WIND TURBINES

A fluid–structure interaction (FSI) validation study of the Micon 65/13M wind turbine with Sandia CX-100 composite blades is presented. A rotation-free isogeometric shell formulation is used to model the blade structure, while the aerodynamics formulation makes use of the FEM-based ALE-VMS method. The structural mechanics formulation is validated by means of eigenfrequency analysis of the CX-100 blade. For the coupling between the fluid and structural mechanics domains, a nonmatching discretization approach is adopted. The simulations are done at realistic wind conditions and rotor speeds. The rotor-tower interaction that influences the aerodynamic torque is captured. The computed aerodynamic torque generated by the Micon 65/13M wind turbine compares well with that obtained from on-land experimental tests.
Liquefaction-induced building movements

Liquefaction or cyclic softening from earthquake shaking have caused significant damage of buildings with shallow foundations. In recent earthquakes, buildings have punched into, tilted excessively, and slid laterally on liquefied/softened ground. The state-of-the-practice still largely involves estimating building settlement using empirical procedures developed to calculate post-liquefaction, one-dimensional, consolidation settlement in the “free-field” away from buildings. Performance-based earthquake engineering requires improved procedures, because these free-field analyses cannot possibly capture shear-induced and localized volumetric-induced deformations in the soil underneath shallow foundations. Recent physical and numerical modeling has provided useful insights into this problem. Centrifuge tests revealed that much of the building movement occurs during earthquake strong shaking, and its rate is dependent on the shaking intensity rate. Additionally, shear strains due to shaking-induced ratcheting of the buildings into the softened soil and volumetric strains due to localized drainage in response to high transient hydraulic gradients are important effects that are not captured in current procedures. Nonlinear effective stress analyses can capture the soil and building responses reasonably well and provide valuable insights. Based on these studies, recommendations for estimating liquefaction-induced movements of buildings with shallow foundations are made.
Reconstructing finite radon transforms

Abstract Reconstructing finite Radon transforms is equivalent to inverting incidence matrices, that is, matrices whose entries are zeroes or ones. We describe several methods of reconstructing Radon transforms on combinatorial structures which may be useful in statistical mechanics. Amongst these structures are experimental designs, translates of subsets in finite groups, nearest neighborhoods in grids, geometric lattices, matroids, and modular lattices.
Substance Use Before and During Pregnancy: Links to Intimate Partner Violence

Although some research has found links between women's experiences of intimate partner violence and their use of substances, little research has examined how this potential relationship changes whe...
Conductance oscillations through double slits in a quantum wire

Abstract We report theoretical studies of electron transport in a quantum wire containing double-paralleled or double-series slits and a “detector” slit. Strong conductance oscillations due to quantum interference are produced in both structures when the position of a detector slit in the quantum wire is changed. We interpret these interference effects in terms of multiple reflections of a phase-coherent electron along the quantum wire and circulating-bound-states in a resonant-box region. We also examine the transmission coefficients and electronic phase shifts which provide insights into the origins of conductance oscillations. For the double-paralleled system, the dependence of the interference effects on the slit width and the detector distance is discussed.
Close limit evolution of Kerr-Schild type initial data for binary black holes

We evolve the binary black hole initial data family proposed by Bishop et al. in the limit in which the black holes are close to each other. We present an exact solution of the linearized initial value problem based on their proposal and make use of a recently introduced generalized formalism for studying perturbations of Schwarzschild black holes in arbitrary coordinates to perform the evolution. We clarify the meaning of the free parameters of the initial data family through the results for the radiated energy and waveforms from the black hole collision.
Fracture saturation and critical thickness in layered materials

Opening-mode fractures in layered materials are commonly found in a layer with uniform spacing that is nearly proportional to the thickness of the fractured layer. However, when fracture spacing reduces to a certain value, fracture density is saturated and no new fracture forms. If a loading condition is fixed, there exists a critical thickness of the layer, below which no fracture forms. This paper presents a three-layer model, containing a weak layer between two stronger layers, to interpret the fracture saturation and critical thickness of layered materials. Using elastic governing equations and a weak form stress boundary condition, a closed-form solution of elastic fields in the weak layer is derived and the energy release rate for opening-mode fracture is obtained. Interestingly, the normal stress between such fractures undergoes a transition from tensile to compressive with increasing applied tensile loading, which causes fracture saturation. Explicit expressions of critical fracture-spacing-to-layer-thickness ratio and critical thickness are derived for fracture saturation and fracture free conditions, respectively. Comparison with the existing numerical simulation results demonstrates the capability of this model. This explicit, analytical solution is useful to structural design and geosciences.
Temporal evolution of the vibrational excitation within the 1 Sigma g+ state of N2 in the positive column of a pulsed electric discharge.

The vibrational excitation to v=1 level of the ground electronic state X $^{1}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{\mathrm{g}}^{+}$ of nitrogen was measured in a positive column during the 40-\ensuremath{\mu}s pulsed electric discharge, and in the afterglow. The discharge was operating at 6 Torr pressure and at current densities in the range 0.7--6.4 A/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. Temporal evolution of vibrational excitation was measured using coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS). Vibrational temperatures were found to range from 700 to 4000 K. The results are in fair agreement with model calculations based on energy transfer to vibrational excitation. Vibrational temperatures of the $^{1}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{\mathrm{g}}^{+}$ state, obtained from direct CARS measurements, were up to a factor of 3 below those deduced from the second positive system emission.
Clinoform sedimentation along the Apennine shelf, Adriatic Sea

Abstract Sedimentation along the central Adriatic coastline of Italy results from a series of small, distributed fluvial sources (i.e., a line source), draining the Apennine Mountains. These rivers deliver ∼ 3 × 107 t y− 1 of sediment, contributing to the formation of a shore-parallel shelf clinoform that has developed throughout the Holocene. Across-shelf sediment accumulation rates, calculated from 210Pb (half-life 22.3 years) measurements, are greatest on the clinoform foreset (∼ 1 cm y− 1), which is characterized by seafloor crenulations in a few areas. However, for some cross-sections of the clinoform, accumulation rates are not significantly higher on the foreset than on the topset and bottomset, indicating that the clinoform may not be actively prograding in those areas today. Accumulation rates increase southward along the shelf and are greatest near the Gargano Peninsula (∼ 1.7 cm y− 1). Between Ravenna and the Gargano Peninsula, 3.1 × 107 t y− 1 of sediment accumulate on the Apennine shelf. Although the amounts of sediment supply and accumulation are about the same, additional Po River sediment is thought to enter the system from the north and some sediment is transported beyond the Gargano Peninsula to the south. Anthropogenic activities, particularly dam construction following World War II, have significantly impacted sedimentation in this region. Changes in 210Pb profiles document reduction in sediment accumulation. However, observations during winter 2002–2003 using the short-lived radioisotope 7Be (half-life 53.3 d) have indicated that some new sediment is delivered to the shelf during periods of elevated discharge, so dam entrapment is not complete.
Lack of effect of subtherapeutic vitamin D treatment on glycemic and lipid parameters in Type 2 diabetes: A pilot prospective randomized trial.

Background: Epidemiological studies suggest a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components among individuals with vitamin D deficiency. The aim of the present study was to determine whether vitamin D treatment improves glucose control and insulin sensitivity in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Subjects with T2DM and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations <25 ng/mL were randomized to receive 400 IU (Group 1) or 1200 IU (Group 2) cholecalciferol for 4 months. Fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI), serum lipid levels and serum adiponectin were measured at baseline and at 4 months. Results: Mean 25(OH)D levels increased in both groups (from 17.6 ± 1.5 to 25.5 ± 1.8 ng/mL in Group 1 and from 15.6 ± 1.4 to 27.4 ± 2.4 ng/mL in Group 2; P ≤ 0.001 vs baseline for each group). No significant differences were noted in fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, QUICKI, serum adiponectin, and lipid levels compared with baseline within groups or between the two groups. Conclusions: In the present pilot study, conventional vitamin D treatment at a level improving, but not optimizing, serum 25(OH)D did not improve glycemia, insulin sensitivity, or lipid profile. However, diabetes and lipids were relatively well controlled at baseline. Future studies should be designed to achieve optimal concentrations of serum 25(OH)D (at least >32 ng/mL) and should include subjects showing more abnormal parameters of glycemia, lipid, and insulin sensitivity at baseline.
Invariants of sets of lines in projective 3-space

Abstract We compute a set of generators of the ring of invariants for a set of straight lines in 3-dimensional projective space, using the symbolic method introduced by F. Grosshans, G.-C. Rota, and J. A. Stein in “Invariant Theory and Superalgebras” (Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 1987) . A geometric interpretation of the invariants is given.
Congenital malformations induced by rabbit antiserum against rat placental glycoproteins isolated by concanavalin A affinity chromatography. Teratogenic antibodies are not nephrotoxic.

Summary: Previous investigations concerning the biologic effects of heterologous antisera raised against rat chorioallantoic placenta demonstrated that the antisera were nephrotoxic, abortifacient, and teratogenic. It is important to determine if maternal nephritis is associated with abnormal embryonic development induced by antiplacenta sera. In this report, a soluble glycoprotein fraction was isolated from rat chorioallantoic placentas of day 16 of gestation by concanavalin A affinity chromatography after solubilizing the saline-washed placental sediment by sodium deoxycholate. Antiserum raised against this soluble glycoprotein fraction induced abnormal embryonic development when the antiserum was injected intraperitoneally into 9th day pregnant rats. The teratogenic effect of the antiserum was dose-dependent. The most frequently observed congenital defect was anophthalmia. Examination of the teratogenic antiserum for nephrotoxicity was performed by measuring the daily urinary protein output of the injected animals and by examining the ultrastructural morphology of the renal glomeruli after the injection of the antiserum into male and pregnant rats. The data indicated that the teratogenic antiserum was not nephrotoxic and therefore support the view that abnormal embryonic development does not result from maternal Masugi nephritis in this experimental model. In vivo immunofluorescent studies demonstrated that the antibodies to the placental glycoproteins localized primarily in the visceral yolk-sac endodermal cells and in Reichert's membrane, which is the basement membrane of the parietal yolk-sac. It is postulated that the antiserum might induce abnormal embryonic development by interfering with the normal functions of the yolk-sac placenta.
Grating line shape characterization using scatterometry

Identification of dimensional parameters of an arbitrarily shaped grating using scatter characteristics is presented. A rigorous diffraction model is used to predict the scatter from a known grating structure, and utilizing this information we perform the inverse problem of predicting line shape from a measurement of the scatter.
Assessing the Measurement Precision of Various Arsenic Forms and Arsenic Exposure in the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS)

Archived samples collected from 1995 to 1997 in the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 (R5) and the Children’s Study (CS) in Minnesota were analyzed for total arsenic, arsenate [As(V)], arsenite, dimethyl arsenic acid (DMA), monomethyl arsenic acid (MMA), arsenobetaine (AsB), and arsenocholine. Samples for the CS included drinking water, urine, hair, and dust; both studies included food (duplicate plate, composited 4-day food samples from participants). Except for AsB and As(V), the levels for As species measured in the food and drinking water samples were very low or nonexistent. The analytical methods used for measuring As species were sensitive to 90%) except for hair (47%), indicating that the analytical method was sufficiently sensitive. Population distributions of As concentrations measured in drinking water, food (duplicate plate), dust, urine, and hair were estimated. Exposures to total As in food for children in the CS were about twice as high as in the general R5 population (medians of 17.5 ppb and 7.72 ppb, respectively). In addition, AsB was the most frequently detected form of As in food eaten by the participants, while As(V) was only rarely detected. Thus, the predominant dietary exposure was from an organic form of As. The major form of As in drinking water was As(V). Spearman (rank) correlations and Pearson (log-concentration scale) correlations between the biomarkers (urine, hair) and the other measures (food, drinking water, dust) and urine versus hair were performed. In the NHEXAS CS, total As and AsB in the food eaten were significantly correlated with their levels in urine. Also, levels of As(V) in drinking water correlated with DMA and MMA in urine. Arsenic levels in dust did not show a relationship with urine or hair levels, and no relationship was observed for food, drinking water, and dust with hair. Urine samples were collected on days 3, 5, and 7 of participants’ monitoring periods. Total As levels in urine were significantly associated across the three pairwise combinations—i.e., day 3 versus day 5, day 3 versus day 7, and day 5 versus day 7. Because the half-life of As in the body is approximately 3 days, this suggests that some exposure occurred continually from day to day. This trend was also observed for AsB, suggesting that food is primarily responsible for the continual exposure. DMA and MMA in urine were also significantly correlated but not in all combinations.
Breast lumps in the adolescent female.

EM who is 16 years old comes to you because she has a lump in her right breast of 2 weeks duration. During the medical history interview with her mother not in the room EM says she is a healthy 16-year-old sophomore in high school. She has no medical problems has not undergone any surgeries is not taking any medications and has no known allergies. She states that she has not been ill recently. There is no history of breast cancer on either side of her family. Menarche was at age 12 years and she is having her period at the time of this visit. She is not sexually active and is not taking oral contraceptives. Her cycles are regular and last for approximately 5 days with moderate cramping and breast tenderness that responds to nonprescriptive ibuprofen. EM states that she learned about breast self-examination in her health class and that she has been practicing in the shower. Two weeks before the office visit she felt the lump in the upper outer portion of her breast. She did not report the lump to anyone but waited to see if it would be there the next week. When the lump was still present and painful she told her mother who made the appointment. EM denies having any fever nipple discharge or redness of the breast. She says the lump feels soft and "sandy" and that it is somewhat moveable. It has not gotten larger since it was first detected. She denies having any body piercing. (excerpt)
Electron detection characteristics of a slow‐scan CCD camera, imaging plates and film, and electron image restoration

Electron detection characteristics are summarized for the slow scan CCD (SSC) camera, imaging plates, and film. The advantage of each detector is demonstrated with the selected examples of electron diffraction and imaging. The Richardson-Lucy algorithm for image restoration is described and tested for images recorded with the SSC camera. The effectiveness of image restoration is demonstrated for the recorded high-resolution lattice image, energy-loss spectrum, and convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) pattern.
Expression and costs of induced defense traits in Alliaria petiolata, a widespread invasive plant

Abstract We used jasmonic acid to induce first-year plants of Alliaria petiolata, a European invader that largely escapes herbivory in North America, to examine continental, population, and environmental variation in the expression and costs of induced defense traits. While absolute levels varied among populations, the induction of trypsin inhibitor activity was strong and largely uniform across five native and seven invasive populations. Trichome densities varied across populations, were absent in two of them, and only tended to be inducible by jasmonic acid. Jasmonate induction was substantially costly to leaf growth and dry biomass production, the magnitude of which varied little among populations. Continental origin of the populations explained an insignificant amount of variation in any trait. Trypsin inhibitor activity was strongly inducible across a nutrient gradient, but induction was more costly to leaf growth at low soil nutrient levels. Our results show that A. petiolata displays defense traits that are strongly inducible by jasmonic acid across populations, that jasmonate induction is substantially costly to growth with little variation among populations, and that costs of induction increase with decreased soil nutrient availability. Escaping the need to express induced defense traits and their costs in the face of reduced herbivory in introduced habitats may benefit fitness of invasive plants even in the absence of any evolutionary change in resistance in these plants.
Gene-Environment Interaction and the Intergenerational Transmission of Parenting: Testing the Differential-Susceptibility Hypothesis

The current study evaluated the differential-susceptibility hypothesis in explaining the intergenerational transmission of parenting, using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Exposure to maternal parenting was measured prospectively when respondents were adolescents and parental stress was measured when they were parents themselves, some 14 years later, on average. Cumulative-genetic plasticity was measured by dominantly coding the presence of putative plasticity alleles from four genes: the 10R allele of DAT1, the A1 allele of DRD2, the 7R allele of DRD4, and the short allele of 5HTTLPR. Results showed that the more plasticity alleles individuals carried (range 0–4), the more that parenting experienced in adolescence predicted future parenting experience. Those respondents with the most plasticity alleles not only experienced the highest levels of parental stress when exposed to negative maternal parenting in adolescence but the lowest levels when exposed to positive maternal parenting in adolescence. These results indicate that differential susceptibility is operative in the case of the intergenerational transmission of parenting, which could explain why estimates of such transmission have proven so modest in studies which fail to consider GXE interactions.
NAA Restores Apical Dominance in the axr3-1 Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana

Strong evidence for a role of auxin in apical dominance is provided by the classic Thimann-Skoog experiment (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA19: 714–716, 1933) wherein exogenous auxin applied to a decapitated shoot represses outgrowth of the next lower lateral bud. Although apical dominance in most herbaceous species can be restored by this auxin treatment, such is not the case with wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana. In the present study, it has been demonstrated that apical dominance can be partially or fully restored with exogenous auxin (1% naphthaleneacetic acid, NAA) applied to the decapitated shoot of the axr3-1 mutant which is thought to be hypersensitive to auxin. A similar repressive response to auxin (1 μM NAA) was also shown in an in vitro assay with detached nodes. The role of AXR3 as a gene mediating auxin response is thus supported.
Tolerance Induction by an Apparently Non-immunogenic Molecule

THE nature of immunological tolerance is of interest in relation to an understanding of the immune process in general, and is of practical importance in connexion with tissue transplantation. Medawar1 postulated that the usual outcome of an encounter between immunologically compctent cells and antigen was tolerance, a fraction of the cells being stimulated to produce antibody: if an antigen did not immunize, it would induce tolerance. This view is supported by the finding that an antigen may simultaneously induce immunity and tolerance2,3.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Lipids in Diabetes Mellitus

Abnormalities in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lipids have been found in certain diseases and have correlated with direct biochemical measurements of lipids in nervous system tissue. In the present study, total and free cholesterol, total lipid, and total phospholipid were determined by micro-analytic technics in the serum and CSF of thirty subjects: eight normal controls, seven diabetic subjects with polyneuropathy, eight diabetic subjects without neuropathy, and seven patients with other neurological diseases. An elevation of free cholesterol (p
Forensic Psychology: Preparing Female Clinicians for Challenging Offenders

Preparing female clinicians for the emotional and psychological demands of forensic work with violent and/or sexual offenders is imperative. Stereotypical gender scripts, such as the expectation that females must empathize with victims, result in stigmatization of female clinicians. Biases that women are less capable of handling such offenders contribute to increased difficulties within the field. Preparing female trainees for counter transferential issues, de-feminization, and the potential for vicarious traumatization will serve to help female clinicians continue to thrive in the field of forensic evaluation and treatment; thereby benefitting treatment and the field in general.
Mycotoxins produced by fusarium nivale isolated from tall fescue (festuca arundinacea schreb.)

Abstract Toxic metabolites are produced by the mold Fusarium nivale when grown at cool temperatures. The most abundant toxin is a butenolide characterized as 4-acetamido-4-hydroxy-2-butenoic acid-γ-lactone (I). Isolation of (I) was guided by a rabbit-skin or mouse bioassay. Also isolated were lesser amounts of a sesquiterpenoid (8-(3-methylbutyryloxy)-diacetoxyscirpenol). F. nivale was isolated from tall fescue hay toxic to cattle and may be implicated in such toxicity.
Magnetism and spin‐free quantum chemistry

It is shown that for a system whose fine and hyperfine structure can be neglected, its magnetic properties are determined solely by the spectrum of its spin-free Hamiltonian.
Plasma volume in resistant hypertension: guide to pathophysiology and therapy

It might be expected that the tremendous increase in available antihypertensives would eliminate resistant hypertension by allowing many alternatives to its treatment. In spite of this, resistant hypertension remains a common problem due, the authors feel, to a poor understanding of the pathophysiology of this condition, particularly an understanding of whether plasma volume expansion mediates resistance to antihypertensive therapy. The authors evaluated the status of plasma volume as a major determinant of response to therapy in nine patients with resistant hypertension. Measuring plasma volume using I125 radiolabeled albumin, they found eight patients with elevated plasma volumes and one patient with a contracted plasma volume at the time of presentation with resistant hypertension. In all eight patients with plasma volume expansion, aggressive diuretic therapy allowed goal blood pressure to be achieved. The patient with plasma volume contraction achieved goal blood pressure with vasodilator therapy. Plasma volume expansion is common in resistant hypertension and it mediates resistance to therapy. Measurement of plasma volume gives the clinician important insight into the pathophysiology of resistant hypertension and increases the likelihood of successful management of the resistant hypertensive patient.
Computational Linguistics: Graphical input/output of nonstandard characters

A system developed at Harvard for graphically inputting and outputting nonstandard characters on a computer is printed. In principle, the system can deal with any orthography, although at present it is limited to 4000 Chinese characters and some mathematical symbols. New characters can be added to the repertoire of the system by graphical input on a display scope. Text inputting is accomplished via a display scope or a Rand Tablet.The organization and operation of the current system are described, and a discussion of the relative merits of such a system is given. Illustrations of the computer input and output of Chinese characters are included.
The Effects of Drugs on Decision-Making:

Various psychoactive substances including illicit drugs, psychiatric medications, and adult beverages (alcohol and coffee) are commonly consumed by individuals who formulate and carry out foreign policy decisions. The effects of these agents warrant both further study and greater appreciation to minimize potentially serious, untoward effects on the decision-making process.