cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Growth and Surface Properties of Apatite

The surface defines the interface between a mineral and its surroundings. In a dynamic context, reactions that occur between apatites and the environments in which they exist take place at or through their surfaces. This includes, but is not restricted to, crystal growth, dissolution, and surface-mediated reactions such as sorption, surface complexation, and catalysis (Hochella and White 1990). Because this interface is partly defined by the nature of the environment around the crystal, the properties, structure and chemistry of the crystal surface are always different than those of the bulk, and can be quite varied depending on the environment. For example, the crystal surface of apatite may have very different characteristics in contact with an aqueous solution as opposed to a polymerized silicate melt. Understanding the behavior of apatite surfaces is important on both the local and global scale. Apatite-water interactions can influence global biogeochemical systems such as the phosphorus cycle and the fate and transport of trace elements in Earth surface environments. The rapidly growing integration of surface science with the geological sciences is due to the realization that mineral surfaces are of great importance in a wide variety of natural processes. In order to understand the role of mineral surfaces on a global scale we must first understand the details of their structure and the interactions that take place on those surfaces at the atomic scale. This chapter provides a review of the nature of the apatite surface, particularly as it exists in contact with aqueous solutions, and the processes involved in apatite crystal growth. ### Morphology In igneous, metamorphic and hydrothermal systems apatite is most often found as euhedral to subhedral hexagonal crystals. The habit is usually prismatic, elongate along [001], or tabular, although equant crystals are not uncommon (Fig. 1⇓). The most common forms are {100}, {001}, …
“Just Do It”—Commercial Slogan or Movement Principle?

(2000). “Just Do It”—Commercial Slogan or Movement Principle? Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 71, No. 9, pp. 16-19.
Postpartum thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura complicated by Budd-Chiari syndrome

Background: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is an infrequent but devastating complication of pregnancy, often difficult to differentiate from severe preeclampsia and the syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP). To our knowledge, the combination of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hepatic vein thrombosis has not been reported previously in pregnancy. Case: A 33-year-old woman, a multigravida, was delivered at 36 weeks' gestation because of pregnancy-induced hypertension and HELLP syndrome. Postpartum, the patient became obtunded, disoriented, and anuric. Her laboratory values revealed a Coombs-negative, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, modestly abnormal coagulation studies, and thrombocytopenia. She also had elevated liver enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatinine. The largest plasma von Willebrand factor multimeric forms were relatively decreased in her ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid-plateletpoor plasma. A diagnosis of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura was made. The patient received plasma exchange, hemodialysis, blood transfusion, and glucocorticoids. She responded to therapy, but was later noted to have increasing hepatosplenomegaly, rising levels of bilirubin, and elevated alkaline phosphatase. A Doppler study and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the absence of flow in the middle and left hepatic veins, secondary to thrombosis (Budd-Chiari syndrome). She was maintained on warfarin therapy and was discharged on postpartum day 50. Conclusion: The early recognition of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is crucial for the initiation of appropriate treatment as soon as possible. The avoidance of platelet transfusion and early plasma-exchange therapy may be lifesaving.
A REVIEW OF THE FDA DRAFT GUIDANCE DOCUMENT FOR SOFTWARE VALIDATION: GUIDANCE FOR INDUSTRY

A Draft Guidance Document (Version 1.1) was issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to address the software validation requirement of the Quality System Regulation, 21 CFR Part 820, effective June 1, 1997. The guidance document outlines validation considerations that the FDA regards as applicable to both medical device software and software used to "design, develop or manufacture" medical devices. The Draft Guidance is available at the FDA web site http:@www.fda.gov/cdrh/comps/swareval++ +.html. Presented here is a review of the main features of the FDA document for Quality System Regulation (QSR), and some guidance for its implementation in industry.
Computer-controlled direct TMR measurement

It is common practice to derive tissue maximum ratios (TMRs) indirectly by calculation from percent depth doses (PDD) data which are more convenient to measure using currently available automated scanners. A system has been developed, however, for the completely automatic d i r e c tmeasurement of TMR, using an ionization chamber which is rigidly supported at the isocenter of a teletherapy machine. The chamber is immersed in a water phantom which is moved up and down by computer control of the motorized treatment couch. Ionization current is sampled by the computer which simultaneously regulates both the radiationfield size and chamber depth. This system provides a means of rapidly measuring and processing complete sets of TMR and output factor values for both square and elongated field shapes. The results of such measurements performed on the Clinac 18 accelerator are described in this paper.
Spectroscopic and Mechanistic Investigations of Dehaloperoxidase B from Amphitrite ornata

Dehaloperoxidase (DHP) from the terebellid polychaete Amphitrite ornata is a bifunctional enzyme that possesses both hemoglobin and peroxidase activities. Of the two DHP isoenzymes identified to date, much of the recent focus has been on DHP A, whereas very little is known pertaining to the activity, substrate specificity, mechanism of function, or spectroscopic properties of DHP B. Herein, we report the recombinant expression and purification of DHP B, as well as the details of our investigations into its catalytic cycle using biochemical assays, stopped-flow UV-visible, resonance Raman, and rapid freeze-quench electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies, and spectroelectrochemistry. Our experimental design reveals mechanistic insights and kinetic descriptions of the dehaloperoxidase mechanism which have not been previously reported for isoenzyme A. Namely, we demonstrate a novel reaction pathway in which the products of the oxidative dehalogenation of trihalophenols (dihaloquinones) are themselves capable of inducing formation of oxyferrous DHP B, and an updated catalytic cycle for DHP is proposed. We further demonstrate that, unlike the traditional monofunctional peroxidases, the oxyferrous state in DHP is a peroxidase-competent starting species, which suggests that the ferric oxidation state may not be an obligatory starting point for the enzyme. The data presented herein provide a link between the peroxidase and oxygen transport activities which furthers our understanding of how this bifunctional enzyme is able to unite its two inherent functions in one system.
Social Psychological Analysis of Facilitated Communication: Implications for Education.

En depit du manque de support empirique, la communication facilitee a ete rapidement adoptee et utilisee aupres des individus presentant des troubles severes de la communication. Une revue des etudes en psychologie a ete effectuee afin de supporter les explications theoriques a son adoption rapide. Les etudes suggerent que des biais cognitifs, l'interpretation des stimuli ambigus et des biais dans les donnees peuvent avoir ete associes avec une tendance a adopter des modes d'intervention tels la communication facilitee. Les influences psychosociales associees a l'autisme, la relation therapeutique et le cycle de carriere professionnelle pourraient empresser l'adoption de traitements alternatifs. Les influences sociales pourraient creer un environnement favorisant un tel engouement. Des suggestions sont fournies pour les etudiants et les professionnels oeuvrant dans ce domaine de la rehabilitation et de l'education sur la facon d'ameliorer leur participation dans le developpement et la demonstration de methodes de traitement innovatrices.
The human instrument

This article examines the mysteries and magic of the human vocal system which is small but complex. Sound is made by the vibrating vocal folds of the larynx and the resonator is the airway through which it moves. The adjustability of the vocal cords in the larynx and the stringlike ligament that is at the center of each vocal cord enables the wide ranges of octaves and sounds that humans can make. INSETS: LINEAR VS. NONLINEAR;HOW OUR VOCAL FOLDS WORK;HOW THE VOCAL AIRWAYS AMPLIFY SOUND;BIG MOUTHS AND SMALL MOUTHS
Synthesis of optimized hardware transactors from abstract communication specifications

Increasing system complexity and heterogeneity make system integration and communication synthesis a growing concern. Even with transaction-level modeling and high-level synthesis of hardware, communication interfaces still have to be manually designed at a low protocol level.To address this challenge, we present a design flow for automatic synthesis of hardware transactors, which realize abstractly specified communication semantics on top of protocol-level transactions. Transactor synthesis is tightly coupled with high-level synthesis of computation for integrated computation/communication co-design of complete hardware processors, thus establishing a seamless path from abstract system specifications down to hardware implementations in synthesizable RTL. The flow supports a generic set of communication semantics and target implementations, where transactors are custom-generated for a specific application and architecture combination. Furthermore, we develop protocol stack optimizations that reduce the area and performance overhead of synthesized communication interfaces. We have applied our synthesis flow to several industrial-strength examples under various communication settings. Results show that synthesized interfaces are comparable to manual designs in terms of area and latency, where protocol stack optimizations can reduce area and latency overhead by up to 77% and 21%, respectively.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEX-ROLE AND MORAL DECISION-MAKING '

This study was done to assess whether sex-role influences moral decision-making. 71 subjects took the Bem Sex-role Inventory and a multiple-choice questionnaire based on Kohlberg's moral dilemmas. Researchers predicted that masculine subjects would base their answers to Kohlberg's dilemmas on law-and-order type justice, feminine subjects would base their answers on empathy and caring for others, and androgynous and undifferentiated subjects would select both law and empathy based responses. Sex-role was not significantly related to moral decision-making.
Sea Level Variability in Long Island Sound

Sea level variability in Long Island Sound is examined at both tidal and subtidal frequencies over a 1-yr period. The sound is found to be decoupled effectively from the lower Hudson Estuary at tidal frequencies. The predominantly semidiurnal tides in the sound are forced by the oceanic tides transmitted from the mouth. There is a near fourfold amplification of the semi-diurnal tides within the sound due to resonance. Diurnal tides are much weaker in the sound, and there is also no evidence of significant amplification in the interior. At subtidal frequencies, the pressure-adjusted sea level in the interior of the sound is forced by a combination of co-oscillation with coastal sea level at the mouth and direct setup induced by local wind forcing over the surface of the sound. Because the longitudinal axis of Long Island Sound is roughly aligned with the open coast from Montauk Point to Sandy Hook, these two mechanisms work in concert to produce larger subtidal sea level fluctuations in the western sound relative to those in the eastern sound. A linearized, frequency-dependent analytical model is developed to aid the interpretation of field observations.
Gene flow and melanism in Lake Erie garter snake populations

Abstract Melanistic garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) are unusually common near Lake Erie, apparently because selection for thermoregulatory ability in cool lake-shore habitats (which favours melanistic morphs) outweighs selection for crypsis (which favours striped morphs). However, morph frequencies are highly variable among sites, suggesting that random genetic drift also influences colour pattern. In an effort to better understand the evolutionary processes influencing garter snake colour patterns, we estimatedFstand Nm (the number of migrants per generation) among island and mainland populations from patterns of allozymic variation detected using electrophoresis. Estimates of Nm were high, ranging from 2·7 to 37·6 between pairs of study sites and making it unlikely that differences in morph frequencies among sites were solely the result of random genetic drift. Furthermore, differences inFstestimates between colour pattern (a one-locus two-allele trait) and allozyme loci suggest that colour pattern alleles are not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, most likely as a result of natural selection. Comparison of allozymic data from Lake Erie with those from more distant sites suggests that gene flow occurs over long distances inT.sirtalis.
Oxidation-resistant thermosets derived from thermal copolymerization of acetylenic monomers containing boron and silicon

Polymerization of acetylenic monomers containing silicon and boron produces materials that are resistant to oxidation at elevated temperature. In addition to homopolymerization, these inorganic-organic hybrid monomers can be copolymerized with an otherwise all carbon containing system. Inorganic elements incorporated by this method enhance the thermooxidative stability of the copolymer. This stability is a function of the amount of boron in the final product. We show that a thermoset containing an initial 5% by weight of boron can be charred to a material that when heated in air at 1000 °C loses less than 10% of its mass.
Complete genome sequences of the first reported california h16 influenza a viruses.

ABSTRACT Two reassortant H16 influenza A viruses were isolated from gulls in California. Seven of the eight segments were most closely related to H16 and H13 isolates from eastern North America and Iceland. Of note is a C-terminal truncation of the nonstructural 1 (NS1) protein in one of the isolates that is usually found in swine H1N1 virus.
Diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis in pediatric and adolescent patients: current status and future therapies.

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) comprises approximately 3%–5% of cases of MS in North America. Recent years have seen significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition, including the introduction of proposed diagnostic criteria for pediatric demyelinating disorders, and a growing body of knowledge regarding treatment options. This article reviews current approaches to the diagnosis and management of pediatric MS.
FREE CONVECTION HEAT TRANSFER BETWEEN A PERMEABLE VERTICAL WALL AND A POWER-LAW FLUID

The problem of natural convection flow of a power-law fluid past a vertical porous wait, taking into consideration the effects of the inertia terms and watt injection or suction on the Nusselt number, has been analyzed. The system of partial differential equations was transformed to a coupled nonlinear set of ordinary differential equations for the isothermal wall and the constant wall heat flux case by using a generalized Rayleigh number that shows the dependence on the power-law index n more explicitly. The resulting two-point boundary-value problem was linearized and solved iteratively using Keller's box method. It was confirmed that inclusion of the inertia terms is more important for flow situations with low to moderate Prandtt numbers than for polymeric liquids with very high Prandtl numbers. The results indicate that both suction and injection at wall Reynolds numbers less than unity have a significant effect on the velocity and temperature profiles and ultimately on the Nussett number.
(2+1)-Dimensional Gravity as an Exactly Soluble System

By disentangling the hamiltonian constraint equations, 2 + 1 dimensional gravity (with or without a cosmological constant) is shown to be exactly soluble at the classical and quantum levels. Indeed, it is closely related to Yang-Mills theory with purely the Chern-Simons action, which recently has turned out to define a soluble quantum field theory. 2 + 1 dimensional gravity has a straightforward renormalized perturbation expansion, with vanishing beta function. 2 + 1 dimensional quantum gravity may provide a testing ground for understanding the role of classical singularities in quantum mechanics, may be related to the discrete series of Virasoro representations in 1 + 1 dimensions, and may be a useful tool in studying three-dimensional geometry.
Detection of Interplanetary Electrons from 18 keV to 1.8 MeV during Solar Quiet Times

Observation of a quiet-time component of interplanetary electrons having energies above solar-wind energies and below those characterized as cosmic radiation. The energy spectrum of this component generally falls with energy from 18 keV to 1.8 MeV, but shows a feature in the 100 to 300-keV range. The observed temporal variations of the intensity suggest that the 18 to 100-keV portion is solar and that the 0.3 to 1.8-MeV portion is galactic in origin. Solar and terrestrial neutron-decay electrons appear inadequate to explain the 100 to 300-keV feature.
A mouse B-cell alloantigen determined by gene(s) linked to the major histocompatibility complex.

Antibodies cytotoxic for only a subpopulation of C57Bl/10 lymph node and spleen cells were detected when rat antiserum against B10.D2 was exhaustively absorbed with B10.A lymphocytes. Antibodies of similar specificity were also detected in B10.A anti-B10.D2 and in B10.A anti-C57Bl/10 alloantisera. Reactions with recombinant strains of mice indicate that the cell-surface antigen(s) responsible for this specificity is determined by gene(s) in or to the left of the Ir-1 region of the major histocompatibility complex. A variety of criteria implicate B cells as the subpopulation of lymphocytes bearing this antigen. In view of these data and the recent report by others of a T-cell alloantigen determined by gene(s) in the major histocompatibility complex, it seems possible that there may be a variety of H-2-linked alloantigens expressed preferentially on subclasses of lymphocytes.
Review: Low-dose diuretics are the best first-line antihypertensive therapy.

Source Citation Psaty BM, Lumley T, Furberg CD, et al. Health outcomes associated with various antihypertensive therapies used as first-line agents: a network meta-analysis. JAMA. 2003;289:2534-44....
Interactions between Distinct GABAA Circuits in Hippocampus

Synchronous activity among synaptically connected interneurons is thought to organize temporal patterns such as gamma and theta rhythms in cortical circuits. Interactions between distinct interneuron circuits may underlie more complex patterns, such as nested rhythms. Here, we demonstrate such an interaction between two groups of CA1 interneurons, GABA(A,slow) and GABA(A,fast) cells, that may contribute to theta and gamma rhythms, respectively. Stratum lacunosum-moleculare (SL-M) stimuli that activate GABA(A,slow) inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in pyramidal cells simultaneously depress the rate and amplitude of spontaneous GABA(A,fast) IPSCs for several hundred milliseconds. This suppression has a similar pharmacological profile to GABA(A,slow) IPSCs, and SL-M stimuli elicit GABA(A,slow) IPSCs in interneurons. We conclude that GABA(A,slow) cells inhibit both pyramidal cells and GABA(A,fast) interneurons and postulate that this interaction contributes to nested theta/gamma rhythms in hippocampus.
A scanning electron microscopic study of the contraceptive vaginal ring.

Abstract Objective To compare by electron microscopy the surface of vaginal contraceptive rings before and after use. Methods A single ring was worn for 28 days by a volunteer with normal vaginal flora. This worn ring was then cut in half, with one half placed directly into fixative and the other half rinsed to remove visible mucus prior to being placed into the fixative. Another ring was taken directly from the package and placed in fixative. The surfaces of the three ring samples were studied by scanning electron microscopy at varying magnifications to ascertain if there was penetration of bacteria into the vinyl polymer or if the ring surface was altered with 1 month of use. Results The ring half placed directly into fixative with visible mucus had cellular debris on its surface but no evidence of material penetration. The other half of the ring worn for 28 days and rinsed before fixation had a similar surface appearance to the unused ring. Conclusions The surface of the ethylene vinyl acetate contraceptive vaginal ring is remarkably uniform and after 1 month of use was without visible evidence of erosion, embedded bacteria or structural changes compared to an unused ring.
Breast cancer-specific expression of the Candida albicans cytosine deaminase gene using a transcriptional targeting approach

We constructed a series of adenoviral (Ad) vectors that express the Candida albicans cytosine deaminase (CD) suicide gene under the transcriptional control of either the human alpha-lactalbumin (ALA) or ovine beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) promoter (Ad.ALA.CD and Ad.BLG.CD, respectively). The Ad.ALA.CD and the Ad.BLG.CD vectors converted the prodrug 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) to the toxic nucleotide analog 5-fluorouracil in a breast cancer cell-specific manner, with a conversion rate of 40% and 52% in T47D cells and 50% and 41% in MCF7 cells, respectively. No significant conversion ( or =90%) after 5 days, whereas MCF10A and U2OS cells remained resistant (< or =10%). Nude mice harboring T47D-derived breast tumors that were injected intratumorally (i.t.) with therapeutic adenovirus vectors at a dose of 2 x 10(8) plaque-forming units and treated systemically with 5-FC at a concentration of 500 mg/kg/day showed a marked reduction in tumor mass within 30 days when compared with animals that received vector alone. Animal survival was significantly prolonged after 72 days in mice treated with therapeutic vectors in conjunction with prodrug when compared with control animals. These preclinical data are sufficiently promising to warrant further studies of this transcriptional targeting approach to breast cancer treatment.
An Ising system with spatial degrees of freedom

Abstract The partition function of an Ising system where the particles may be in different spatial states is evaluated.
Sorting and merging on the DAP

The sorting problem is of fundamental importance in non-numerical algorithms. Many applications require the ordering of data based the relationship of some set of keys with in the data. Merging is a natural companion of sorting, and is known to yield a very efficient sorting algorithm in sequential processing. Numerous sorting and merging techniques have been developed for many actual and theoretical models, we examine a number of these techniques for implementation on the Distributed Array of Processors, DAP.
Epithelial ovarian tumors of borderline malignancy

Abstract Between January 1975 and January 1987, 80 patients under-went primary surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital for epithelial ovarian tumors of borderline malignancy. Surgical staging revealed 52 (65%) patients with stage IA, 2 (2.5%) with stage IB, 10 (12.5%) with stage IC, 4 (5%) with stage II, 11 (13.8%) with stage III, and 1 (1.2%) with stage IV. All 37 patients with mucinous tumors had stage I disease, whereas 13 (33%) of 39 patients with serous tumors had stage II–IV disease. The mean sizes of mucinous and serous ovarian tumors were 18.7 and 10 cm, respectively. At initial surgery, 48 (60%) patients had a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and 16 (20%) had an oophorectomy. Sixteen (20%) patients underwent cystectomy, 6 (37.5%) of whom subsequently had an oophorectomy. All 10 patients treated by cystectomy alone have remained disease free. CA-125 levels were normal in 5 patients with stage I disease, but were elevated in 6 of 8 patients with more advanced tumors. Current disease status was determined in 72 patients (90%); 69 (95.8%) are alive and disease free, 1 (1.4%) patient is alive with tumor, and 2 (2.8%) patients died, free of disease.
A theoretical pattern for neutrino oscillations

We develop the consequences of a model for neutrino oscillations due to Zee involving extra Higgs bosons. The model leads naturally to large amplitude oscillations.
Effect of Swirl and Wall Geometry on the Emissions of Advanced Gas Turbine Combustors

A numerical study was performed to investigate the chemically reactive flow with liquid spray injection in a staged combustor concept for reducing pollutant emissions. The staged combustor consists of an airblast atomizer, a rich bum section, a converging connecting pipe, a quick mix zone, a diverging connecting pipe, and a lean combustion zone. For computational efficiency, the combustor was split into two subsystems, i.e. the fuel nozzle/rich burn section and the quick quench/lean bum section.The current study investigates the effect of wall geometry and swirl direction, i.e. co- or counter-rotating swirl, on fuel distribution, temperature distribution, and emissions for the fuel nozzle/rich bum section at a cruise condition. At an equivalence ratio of 1.9, the nozzle-combustor (dome) interface geometry was varied from a flat wall (normal to the combustor wall) to a sloped wall of 45 degrees. It is seen that the sloped wall with co-rotating swirl direction had a substantial effect on combustor performance and reducing pollutant emissions.Copyright © 1994 by ASME
Union Formation in Later Life: Economic Determinants of Cohabitation and Remarriage Among Older Adults

This study builds on Becker’s and Oppenheimer’s theories of union formation to examine the economic determinants of marriage and cohabitation during older adulthood. Based on the 1998–2006 Health and Retirement Study and a sample of previously married Americans who are at least 50 years old, results show that wealthier older adults, regardless of gender, are more likely to repartner than stay single. Wealth has no discernable effect on the likelihood of remarrying versus cohabiting. Among the oldest men, the positive associations between wealth and repartnering are entirely due to housing assets. Results suggest that Oppenheimer’s theory of marriage timing may be more applicable to later-life union formation than Becker’s independence hypothesis. Further, economic disadvantage does not appear to characterize later-life cohabitation, unlike cohabitation during young adulthood. These findings help illuminate the union formation process during older adulthood and are timely considering demographic changes reshaping the American population.
Of Personality and Power

Introduces a series of articles about management education published in the March 2003 issue of the journal ‘Academy of Management Learning and Education.’
SOCIAL CLASS AND PERFORMANCE ON AN INTELLIGENCE TEST

Noting the wide differences in verbal abilities of middle and lower class children, the investigators proposed that two groups of children, one from the lower class, one from the middle class, who achieve comparable total scores on a group intelligence test, would get their scores by successfully completing different sets of items. In the first study children were placed in social classes based on their fathers’ occupations, following guidelines from the Warner scale. Middle class children were matched with lower class children on total Otis scores. No item-social class interaction was found. The study was repeated using the occupational categories of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles as a guide to social class standing. Again no item-social class interaction appeared. If two social class groups are equated on total intelligence scores, one social class sample appears to succeed on essentially the same test items as does the other social class sample. A given score on an intelligence test appears to represent the same skills for one social class as it does for another social class.
High-pressure Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Chlorothiazide and Hydrochlorothiazide in Plasma and Urine: Preliminary Results of Clinical Studies

High-pressure liquid chromatographic procedures were developed for the determination of chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide in plasma and urine. The plasma assay incorporates a preextraction procedure that eliminates interference by endogenous substances. Chromatography is carried out on an octadecyl reversed-phase column. Mobile phases are 15% methanol in 0.01 M acetic acid for plasma and 4% acetonitrile in 0.01 M sodium perchlorate, adjusted to pH 4.6, for urine. At a flow rate of 2.5 ml/min, the retention times for chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide are 3.5 and 4.6 min for plasma and 10.5 and 13.5 min for urine, respectively. Preliminary results of a clinical study in fasting male volunteers showed that the plasma levels and urinary excretion rate of chlorothiazide peaked at 1-2 hr following a 500-mg oral dose and subsequently declined irregularly. On the other hand, the plasma levels and urinary excretion rate of hydrochlorothiazide peaked at 2-3 hr following a 50-mg oral dose and subsequently declined in biphasic fashion. Urinary excretion rates of both chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide closely resemble their concentration profiles in plasma.
Electron-microscopy of Fasciola hepatica. V. Peroxidase localization.

Abstract A peroxidase has been demonstrated histochemically in Fasciola hepatica . It is associated with the outer and inner limiting, and cristae membranes of the mitochondria of the tegument, muscle and parenchyma. Its presence has not been shown in the mitochondria of the intestine, vitelline glands or excretory system.
Discriminant Validity of the WISC-III with Children Classified with ADHD:

The purpose of this study was to explore the ability of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991a) to discriminate between a group of children classified with ADHD (n = 40) and a group of non-ADHD children (n = 40), as well as to identify which combination of WISC-III subtests resulted in the highest level of correct classifications. A stepwise discriminant function analysis indicated that four WISC-III subtests contributed significantly to the prediction of group membership: Digit Span, Information, Vocabulary, and Picture Completion. An overall classification rate of approximately 89% was attained when the four WISC-III subtests were included in the equation. Ninety percent of the children classified as ADHD and 87.5% of the non-ADHD children were correctly identified when using the four WISC-III subtests as predictors.
Managing engineers by objectives

The author's experience of managing a medium-sized engineering organization using `management by objectives' (MBO) is described. A description of some of the problems encountered, the means by which they were solved, and some guides for others who might wish to apply MBO in an engineering context are included.
Effect of Electrolytes on the Catalytic Racemization of Tris (Ethylenediamine)-Cobalt(III) Ion

ACTIVATED carbon has been used as a catalyst in a number of methods for the preparation of cobalt-(III) complexes. It has been shown that the racemization of tris(ethylenediamine)cobalt(III) ion1 and other cobalt(III) complexes2 is accelerated in the presence of activated carbon. Since the rate of exchange in the system [Co(en)3]3+−*en in the presence of charcoal is slower than the rate of racemization of d-[Co(en)3]3+, the racemization cannot be attributed solely to a ligand exchange process3. Dwyer and Sargeson4 have observed that on boiling a solution of d-tris(ethylenediamine)cobalt(III) chloride with activated carbon for 3 min., the optical activity was lost completely and about 4 per cent of the total cobalt was reduced to Co2+. In the presence of sulphuric acid (0.1 N) and carbon, the complex was reduced to about the same extent, but the optical rotation decreased only slightly (by 6 per cent). They interpreted these results to mean that the racemization occurs through an electron exchange process involving [Co(en)3]2+. Sulphuric acid would destroy the labile cobalt(II) complex and inhibit the racemization by this mechanism.
Edge-Detection in Noisy Images Using Independent Component Analysis

Edges in a digital image provide important information about the objects contained within the image since they constitute boundaries between objects in the image. This paper proposes a new approach based on independent component analysis (ICA) for edge-detection in noisy images. The proposed approach works in two phases—the training phase and the edge-detection phase. The training phase is carried out only once to determine parameters for the ICA. Once calculated, these ICA parameters can be employed for edge-detection in any number of noisy images. The edge-detection phase deals with transitioning in and out of ICA domain and recovering the original image from a noisy image. Both gray scale as well as colored images corrupted with Gaussian noise are studied using the proposed approach, and remarkably improved results, compared to the existing edge-detection techniques, are achieved. Performance evaluation of the proposed approach using both subjective as well as objective methods is presented.
IL-17 receptor signaling influences virus-induced corneal inflammation

IL-17 has been associated with selected inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We characterized the expression of this proinflammatory cytokine following HSV-1 corneal infection and investigated whether IL-17R signaling modulated the host response to the viral pathogen at early time-points postinfection. IL-17 was elevated in the murine cornea 24 h after high-dose virus infection and subsequently persisted at low levels during the first week. Immunofluorescent studies showed that the IL-17R was expressed by cultured mouse corneal fibroblasts. Exposure of corneal cells to IL-17 led to production of IL-6 and MIP-2 in vitro and in vivo, indicating that the IL-17R was functional. Mice lacking IL-17R displayed significantly reduced neutrophil infiltration and corneal opacity. However, this effect was transient, as corneal pathology and neutrophil influx resembled that of wild-type (WT) hosts 4 days postinfection. HSV-1 growth and clearance in IL-17R(-/-) hosts were similar to that of the WT controls. Infection of IFN-gamma gene knockout mice was associated with elevated IL-17 levels and accelerated corneal opacity, suggesting that IFN-gamma negatively regulated IL-17 expression. Collectively, our results establish that IL-17 is rapidly produced in the cornea after HSV-1 infection and is regulated at least in part by IFN-gamma. The absence of IL-17 signaling results in a transient decrease in the expression of proinflammatory mediators, neutrophil migration, and corneal pathology, but control of virus growth in the cornea and trigeminal ganglia is not compromised. Thus, IL-17 actively influences early virus-induced corneal inflammation.
The Challenge of Democracy: Explorations in American Racial Politics

I address you on August 28, 2008, on the same evening as the Democratic nominee Barack Obama speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.
Design and generation of recombinant rabies virus vectors

Rabies viruses, negative-strand RNA viruses, infect neurons through axon terminals and spread trans-synaptically in a retrograde direction between neurons. Rabies viruses whose glycoprotein (G) gene is deleted from the genome cannot spread across synapses. Complementation of G in trans, however, enables trans-synaptic spreading of G-deleted rabies viruses to directly connected, presynaptic neurons. Recombinant rabies viruses can encode genes of interest for labeling cells, controlling gene expression and monitoring or manipulating neural activity. Cre-dependent or bridge protein-mediated transduction and single-cell electroporation via the EnvA-TVA or EnvB-TVB (envelope glycoprotein and its specific receptor for avian sarcoma leukosis virus subgroup A or B) system allow cell type-specific or single cell-specific targeting. These rabies virus-based approaches permit the linking of connectivity to cell morphology and circuit function for particular cell types or single cells. Here we describe methods for construction of rabies viral vectors, recovery of G-deleted rabies viruses from cDNA, amplification of the viruses, pseudotyping them with EnvA or EnvB and concentration and titration of the viruses. The entire protocol takes 6-8 weeks.
A microfluidic model for single-cell capillary obstruction by Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes

Severe malaria by Plasmodium falciparum is a potentially fatal disease, frequently unresponsive to even the most aggressive treatments. Host organ failure is associated with acquired rigidity of infected red blood cells and capillary blockage. In vitro techniques have played an important role in modeling cell deformability. Although, historically they have either been applied to bulk cell populations or to measure single physical parameters of individual cells. In this article, we demonstrate the unique abilities and benefits of elastomeric microchannels to characterize complex behaviors of single cells, under flow, in multicellular capillary blockages. Channels of 8-, 6-, 4-, and 2-μm widths were readily traversed by the 8 μm-wide, highly elastic, uninfected red blood cells, as well as by infected cells in the early ring stages. Trophozoite stages failed to freely traverse 2- to 4-μm channels; some that passed through the 4-μm channels emerged from constricted space with deformations whose shape-recovery could be observed in real time. In 2-μm channels, trophozoites mimicked “pitting,” a normal process in the body where spleen beds remove parasites without destroying the red cell. Schizont forms failed to traverse even 6-μm channels and rapidly formed a capillary blockage. Interestingly, individual uninfected red blood cells readily squeezed through the blockages formed by immobile schizonts in a 6-μm capillary. The last observation can explain the high parasitemia in a growing capillary blockage and the well known benefits of early blood transfusion in severe malaria.
Enthesitis as a component of dactylitis in psoriatic juvenile idiopathic arthritis: histology of an established clinical entity.

Context Imaging of dactylitis in adult psoriatic arthritis suggests a pathophysiological role for enthesitis. However, histological definition of the dactylitic digit is unavailable.
On the Relationship between Face Movements, Tongue Movements, and Speech Acoustics

This study examines relationships between external face movements, tongue movements, and speech acoustics for consonant-vowel (CV) syllables and sentences spoken by two male and two female talkers with different visual intelligibility ratings. The questions addressed are how relationships among measures vary by syllable, whether talkers who are more intelligible produce greater optical evidence of tongue movements, and how the results for CVs compared to those for sentences. Results show that the prediction of one data stream from another is better for C/a/ syllables than C/i/ and C/u/ syllables. Across the different places of articulation, lingual places result in better predictions of one data stream from another than do bilabial and glottal places. Results vary from talker to talker; interestingly, high rated intelligibility do not result in high predictions. In general, predictions for CV syllables are better than those for sentences.
Regulation of Greatwall kinase during Xenopus oocyte maturation.

Greatwall kinase has been identified as a key element in M phase initiation and maintenance in Drosophila, Xenopus oocytes/eggs, and mammalian cells. In M phase, Greatwall phosphorylates endosulfine and related proteins that bind to and inhibit protein phosphatase 2A/B55, the principal phosphatase for Cdk-phosphorylated substrates. We show that Greatwall binds active PP2A/B55 in G2 phase oocytes but dissociates from it when progesterone-treated oocytes reach M phase. This dissociation does not require Greatwall kinase activity or phosphorylation at T748 in the presumptive T loop of the kinase. A mutant K71M Greatwall, also known as Scant in Drosophila, induces M phase in the absence of progesterone when expressed in oocytes, despite its reduced stability and elevated degradation by the proteasome. M phase induction by Scant Greatwall requires protein synthesis but is not associated with altered binding or release of PP2A/B55 as compared to wild-type Greatwall. However, in vitro studies with Greatwall proteins purified from interphase cells indicate that Scant, but not wild-type Greatwall, has low but detectable activity against endosulfine. These results demonstrate progesterone-dependent regulation of the PP2A/B55–Greatwall interaction during oocyte maturation and suggest that the cognate Scant Greatwall mutation has sufficient constitutive kinase activity to promote M phase in Xenopus oocytes.
Eliminating the Blood: Ongoing Outbreaks of Hepatitis B Virus Infection and the Need for Innovative Glucose Monitoring Technologies

Background: As part of routine diabetes care, capillary blood is typically sampled using a finger-stick device and then tested using a handheld blood glucose meter. In settings where multiple persons require assistance with blood glucose monitoring, opportunities for bloodborne pathogen transmission may exist. Methods: Reports of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection outbreaks in the United States that have been attributed to blood glucose monitoring practices were reviewed and summarized. Results: Since 1990, state and local health departments investigated 18 HBV infection outbreaks, 15 (83%) in the past 10 years, that were associated with the improper use of blood glucose monitoring equipment. At least 147 persons acquired HBV infection during these outbreaks, 6 (4.1%) of whom died from complications of acute HBV infection. Outbreaks appear to have become more frequent in the past decade, primarily affecting long-term care residents with diabetes. Each outbreak was attributed to glucose monitoring practices that exposed HBV-susceptible persons to blood-contaminated equipment that was previously used on HBV-infected persons. The predominant unsafe practices were the use of spring-loaded finger-stick devices on multiple persons and the sharing of blood glucose testing meters without cleaning and disinfection between uses. Conclusion: Hepatitis B virus infection outbreaks associated with blood glucose monitoring have occurred with increasing regularity in the Unites States and may represent a growing but under-recognized problem. Advances in technology, such as the development of blood glucose testing meters that can withstand frequent disinfection and noninvasive glucose monitoring methods, will likely prove useful in improving patient safety.
Computing equilibria by incorporating qualitative models

We present a new procedure for solving large games of imperfect information. Our approach involves---somewhat counterintuitively---solving an infinite approximation of the original game, then mapping the equilibrium to a strategy profile in the original game. Our main algorithm exploits some qualitative model of equilibrium structure as an additional input to find an equilibrium in continuous games. We prove that our approach is correct even if given a set of qualitative models (satisfying a technical property) of which only some are accurate. We compute equilibria in several classes of games for which no prior algorithms have been developed. In the course of our analysis, we also develop the first mixed-integer programming formulations for computing an epsilon-equilibrium in general multiplayer normal and extensive-form games based on the extension of our initial algorithm to the multiplayer setting, which may be of independent interest. Experiments suggest that our approach can outperform the prior state of the art, abstraction-based approaches. In addition, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our main algorithm on a subgame of limit Texas hold'em---the most studied imperfect-information game in computer science.
Laser enhanced diffusion of nitrogen in high purity semi-insulating 4H silicon carbide substrates for non-rectifying contact formation to photoconductive semiconductor switches

Non-rectifying (ohmic) contacts are essential for efficient photoconductive semiconductor switch performance and maximizing breakdown voltage. Fabricating ohmic contacts requires a very heavily doped surface layer (> 1018 cm−3), and in silicon carbide (SiC) is typically done by ion implantation. The high energy ions from this process often cause surface and bulk damage, and a high temperature anneal is required to repair the crystal structure and activate the impurities. This paper investigates the use of a gas immersion laser enhanced diffusion system to selectively dope the SiC as an attractive, low cost alternative to ion implantation. A pulsed 260 nm laser with a peak irradiance of 69.9 MW/cm2 was used to dope a high purity semi-insulating (HPSI) 4H-SiC sample with nitrogen to a depth of 150 nm, with measured a surface concentration greater than 1020 cm−3. Using a one dimensional thermal model, the experimental data was fit to diffusion coefficients that are orders of magnitude greater than typically seen in SiC. The gas immersion laser doping technique has been demonstrated as a viable alternative to ion implantation for selective area doping of SiC bulk photoconductive switches.
Supporting QoS-aware transactions in a system on mobile devices (SyD)

With the rapid progress in wireless communications, mobile devices are likely to form a new computing platform in the next few years. More and more complex data management operations are expected to be executed in such mobile devices. Current transaction processing techniques do not apply to the area very well. They provide very limited flexibility and performance, and they cannot respond and adapt to the changes very well. In this paper, we propose a QoS-aware transaction processing framework which gracefully adapts to the changes in mobile devices, provides great flexibility to the transaction service and improves performance. The work is done in the context of an ongoing research project called SyD, System on Mobile Devices.