cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parametric sensitivity of vibration transfer path system in frequency domain

By establishing the vibration transfer path system model with path mass,the interrelationship of system vibration source,transfer path and receiver is investigated.Afterwards,the parametric sensitivity of vibration transfer path system in frequency domain is discussed integrating the matrix calculus with vibration mechanics.Subsequently,the sensitivity analysis results from the receiver frequency dynamical responses on path parameters are obtained. Meanwhile,the contribution measurement on path parameters to system receiver frequency responses is resolved.In case of intensive path parameters,the main parameters can be accurately yet rapidly detected to instruct the optimal design and simplify the dynamic design process for vibration transfer path system.Consequently,it is indicated from computational examples that the proposed method is feasible to pave a venue for parametric contribution analysis.
Development of a comprehensive analytical method for furanocoumarins in grapefruit and their metabolites in plasma and urine using UPLC-MS/MS: a preliminary study

To develop a comprehensive analytical method for photoactive furanocoumarins, grapefruit (whole, flesh, peel and juice) was extracted using QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method. Seven furanocoumarins: bergaptol, psoralen, 8-methoxypsoralen, bergapten, 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin (6',7'-DHB), epoxybergamottin and bergamottin were determined in grapefruit using UPLC-MS/MS. The concentrations of furanocoumarins in the plasma and urine of six healthy young adults before and after ingestion of grapefruit or grapefruit juice were also determined. Recovery rates of furanocoumarins by QuEChERS method from matrix spike sample and laboratory calibrate sample were 125.7 ± 25.4% and 105.7 ± 6.3%, respectively. Bergamottin and 6',7'-DHB were predominant compounds in grapefruit flesh, juice and plasma, while bergaptol and 6',7'-DHB were major compounds detected in the urine. The results demonstrated that bergamottin and 6',7'-DHB were metabolized to bergaptol. Overall, the analytical methods developed in the present study can be applied to the analysis of various furanocoumarins in plant sources and biological samples.
Early manifestations of type 1 Gaucher disease in presymptomatic children diagnosed after parental carrier screening

Early manifestations of type 1 Gaucher disease in presymptomatic children diagnosed after parental carrier screening
The Caffeine Dose Response in Habitual Consumers Performing a 90-s Wingate Test

Caffeine is the most commonly used substance to enhance athletic performance; however, the ideal dosage of caffeine to improve long anaerobic exercise is unknown. The purpose of this study was to i...
Modeling the Responses of Alligator Gar Populations to Harvest Under Various Length-based Regulations: Implications for Conservation and Management

AbstractInterest in managing Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula populations as a unique sport fishery has increased over the past decade, but despite this interest, population responses to harvest are poorly understood. Fishing regulations for Alligator Gar vary throughout their distribution; however, to date most regulations have focused on a daily creel limit. We developed an age-structured dynamic-pool model in R to, (1) quantify population level effects of exploitation, and (2) evaluate how these effects were altered under a suite of length-based fishing regulations. The model was parameterized based primarily on empirically estimated dynamic rates for Texas Alligator Gar populations. For each model scenario, we calculated the mean and variance of the number of trophy fish in the population, the population size, Spawning Potential Ratio (SPR), and the fishery yield over a 100-year chronology. Alligator Gar populations were highly sensitive to exploitation in our model simulations. An exploitation rate...
Defining an optimal adherence threshold for patients taking subcutaneous anti-TNFs for inflammatory bowel diseases

Defining an Optimal Adherence Threshold for Patients Taking Subcutaneous Anti-TNFs for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Clinical experience with ceftazidime/avibactam for treatment of antibiotic-resistant organisms other than Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Ceftazidime/avibactam is a newly approved β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination with activity against antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative organisms, including many carbapenem-resistant strains. Although this agent may offer a promising treatment option for serious infections with limited alternatives available, clinical experience with ceftazidime/avibactam in treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms other than Klebsiella pneumoniae is limited.A retrospective case series was performed to evaluate patients treated with ceftazidime/avibactam for infections caused by organisms other than K. pneumoniae at our institution over a 1-year period. Patients aged at least 18 years who received at least one dose of ceftazidime/avibactam were eligible for inclusion. Clinical and microbiological data were collected, and investigators assessed adverse effects, microbiological cure, clinical success, and 30-day in-hospital mortality following completion of ceftazidime/avibactam therapy.Ten patients were included. The most common index infection was pneumonia (n = 6/13, 46%) and the most frequently isolated organism was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 8/21, 38%). Fifty percent of patients received ceftazidime/avibactam as monotherapy. Microbiological cure was achieved in 67% (n = 6/9) of patients and 70% (n = 7/10) of patients met criteria for clinical success. The 30-day in-hospital mortality rate was 30%. No patients experienced adverse events because of ceftazidime/avibactam therapy.For infections caused by antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative organisms other than K. pneumoniae, clinical and microbiological success rates for patients treated with ceftazidime/avibactam were similar to those that have been reported for K. pneumoniae. Ceftazidime/avibactam appears to be a promising treatment option for infections caused by a variety of resistant Gram-negative organisms when limited alternatives exist.
Research on optimal load shedding for active distribution network based on genetic algorithm

This paper presents a mathematical model for active distribution network load shedding considering the number of blackouts and power shortage based on detailed classification of load after power failure. By establishing the output model of fan energy storage and adopting gray model to forecast wind speed and load, the genetic algorithm is used to solve optimal load shedding scheme considering the influence of distributed energy. The simulation results show that the gray model has better accuracy and the load calculation algorithm is more efficient, which satisfies real-time engineering requirements. Load shedding scheme become more reasonable by taking indicators like load priority, power shortage and outage frequency into account, and the weight coefficient in load shedding objective function can be adjusted to satisfy actual needs.
Gender Differences in the Effect of Privacy on Location-Based Services Use on Mobile Phones

More and more businesses implement location-based services (LBS) to attract consumers to purchase their products or services. However, using LBS may pose privacy concerns for consumers. An understanding of what drives consumers to use LBS on their mobile phones and how privacy concerns may prevent them from using would help marketers promote LBS services more effectively. We augmented the technology acceptance model with privacy concerns and subjective norms. Specifically, we investigated the influence of privacy concerns on consumers’ behavioral intentions to use LBS and to spread positive word-of-mouth about LBS. In addition, we also investigate gender differences in the effect of privacy concerns on the outcome measures. The research model was tested using data collected from an online survey of 563 LBS users. The results indicate significant gender differences and that privacy concerns negatively affected intention to spread positive word-of-mouth among females only. Practical implications and theoretical contributions are discussed.
A Channel Model to Explain Regulation of the Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Anion Channel (IMAC)

The mitochondrial inner membrane anion channel (IMAC) is a transport pathway in the inner mitochondrial membrane which is able to transport a wide variety of anions ranging from Cl- to ATP4- (see Beavis (1992) and references therein for a review). In addition to its very broad selectivity, it differs from all the other anion transporters of the inner membrane in that it mediates rapid electrophoretic uniport. On the basis of these properties, we call it a channel. In all other respects, however, its: properties are indistinguishable from those of a uniport carrier. Its turnover number is not known, since it has not yet been identified or purified and therefore its abundance is not known.
Beyond novelty effect: a mixed-methods exploration into the motivation for long-term activity tracker use

Objectives Activity trackers hold the promise to support people in managing their health through quantified measurements about their daily physical activities. Monitoring personal health with quantified activity tracker-generated data provides patients with an opportunity to self-manage their health. Many have been conducted within short-time frames; makes it difficult to discover the impact of the activity tracker's novelty effect or the reasons for the device's long-term use. This study explores the impact of novelty effect on activity tracker adoption and the motivation for sustained use beyond the novelty period. Materials and methods This study uses a mixed-methods approach that combines both quantitative activity tracker log analysis and qualitative one-on-one interviews to develop a deeper behavioral understanding of 23 Fitbit device users who used their trackers for at least 2 months (range of use = 69-1073 days). Results Log data from users' Fitbit devices revealed 2 stages: the novelty period and the long-term use period. The novelty period for Fitbit users in this study was approximately 3 months, during which they might have discontinued using their devices. Discussion The qualitative interview data identified various factors that users to continuously use the Fitbit devices in different stages. The discussion of these results provides design implications to guide future development of activity tracking technology. Conclusion This study reveals important dynamics emerging over long-term activity tracker use, contributes new knowledge to consumer health informatics and human-computer interaction, and offers design implications to guide future development of similar health-monitoring technologies that better account for long-term use in support of patient care and health self-management.
Hormone replacement versus natural frozen embryo transfer for euploid embryos

The goal of this study is to investigate hormone replacement (HR) versus natural frozen embryo transfer outcomes for euploid embryos. This is a retrospective cohort study at an academic medical center of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization with 24-chromosome day 5/6 preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A), from 2014 to 2018 using euploid single embryo frozen transfer. Multivariable logistic regression was used to study the association between transfer outcomes (ongoing pregnancy and miscarriage) with type of frozen euploid embryo transfer (HR versus natural) while controlling for multiple patient and cycle confounders. From a total of 389 cycles, 45.0% utilized HR frozen embryo transfer and 55.0% were natural cycles. We found that when compared to HR frozen embryo transfer, natural cycle frozen embryo transfer had significantly higher ongoing pregnancy rates (aOR 2.05, 1.27–3.31, p = 0.003). There was no significant difference in miscarriage rates between the two groups (aOR for natural 0.69, 95% CI 0.37–1.32, p = 0.27). When limiting the analysis to only the first transfer at our institution, findings were similar of higher ongoing pregnancy rates and no difference in miscarriage rates. In our multivariate analysis, we found that natural cycle single euploid frozen embryo transfer was associated with significantly higher ongoing pregnancy rates than HR transfer, with no difference in miscarriage rates.
Towards Real-Time Traffic Monitoring using Airborne LiDAR

We propose a real time data analysis solution for in-flight object detection. The presented solution is able to perform typical post-flight processing in real time, with minimal computational and power requirements, which allows its implementation on light-weight Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). It utilizes adaptive segmentation and 3D convolutions that take advantage of the structure of the LiDAR point cloud, to identify vehicles and their respective positions within 3D point cloud segments that may include background clutter.
Teaching Adolescents with Autism to Text Message Requests Using Video Prompting.

Mobile technology provides increasingly accessible and normative tools for communication that does not require intelligible oral expression. For adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and...
Structure and Algorithm for Path of Solutions to a Class of Fused Lasso Problems.

We study a class of fused lasso problems where the estimated parameters in a sequence are regressed toward their respective observed values (fidelity loss), with $\ell_1$ norm penalty (regularization loss) on the differences between successive parameters, which promotes local constancy. In many applications, there is a coefficient, often denoted as $\lambda$, on the regularization term, which adjusts the relative importance between the two losses. In this paper, we characterize how the optimal solution evolves with the increment of $\lambda$. We show that, if all fidelity loss functions are convex piecewise linear, the optimal value for \emph{each} variable changes at most $O(nq)$ times for a problem of $n$ variables and total $q$ breakpoints. On the other hand, we present an algorithm that solves the path of solutions of \emph{all} variables in $\tilde{O}(nq)$ time for all $\lambda \geq 0$. Interestingly, we find that the path of solutions for each variable can be divided into up to $n$ locally convex-like segments. For problems of arbitrary convex loss functions, for a given solution accuracy, one can transform the loss functions into convex piecewise linear functions and apply the above results, giving pseudo-polynomial bounds as $q$ becomes a pseudo-polynomial quantity. To our knowledge, this is the first work to solve the path of solutions for fused lasso of non-quadratic fidelity loss functions.
A HoneyNet Environment for Analyzing Malicious Actors

A honeypot is a web application or other resource that is deceptively constructed to log actions of its users, most (but not all) of whom can be assumed to be malicious actors. A honeynet is a network of honeypots. Thanks to their inter-connectedness, honeynets allow for vast amounts of data to be collected for analysis. In this paper we discuss how we came to build a honeynet, its design and implementation, and a few insights gained by analyzing attack data gathered from it.
Polymers with advanced architectures as emulsifiers for multi-functional emulsions

Emulsions have wide applications in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. Emulsions stabilized with polymers having different architectures, such as linear diblock and triblock copolymers, branched polymers, star polymers, graft polymers, and densely grafted bottlebrush polymers, have been used for encapsulation, delivery, and as templates for polymerization reactions. Stimuli-responsive polymers have been used for on-demand demulsification and emulsion engineering. In this review, we highlight the developments in the past decade that used polymers with advanced architectures as multi-functional emulsifiers.
Differential gene expression analysis reveals pathways important in early post-traumatic osteoarthritis in an equine model

Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a common and significant problem in equine athletes. It is a disease of the entire joint, with the synovium thought to be a key player in disease onset and progression due to its role in inflammation. The development of effective tools for early diagnosis and treatment of PTOA remains an elusive goal. Altered gene expression represents the earliest discernable disease-related change, and can provide valuable information about disease pathogenesis and identify potential therapeutic targets. However, there is limited work examining global gene expression changes in early disease. In this study, we quantified gene expression changes in the synovium of osteoarthritis-affected joints using an equine metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ) chip model of early PTOA. Synovial samples were collected arthroscopically from the MCPJ of 11 adult horses before (preOA) and after (OA) surgical induction of osteoarthritis and from sham-operated joints. After sequencing synovial RNA, Salmon was used to quasi-map reads and quantify transcript abundances. Differential expression analysis with the limma-trend method used a fold-change cutoff of log2(1.1). Functional annotation was performed with PANTHER at FDR < 0.05. Pathway and network analyses were performed in Reactome and STRING, respectively. RNA was sequenced from 28 samples (6 preOA, 11 OA, 11 sham). “Sham” and “preOA” were not different and were grouped. Three hundred ninety-seven genes were upregulated and 365 downregulated in OA synovium compared to unaffected. Gene ontology (GO) terms related to extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, angiogenesis, and cell signaling were overrepresented. There were 17 enriched pathways, involved in ECM turnover, protein metabolism, and growth factor signaling. Network analysis revealed clusters of differentially expressed genes involved in ECM organization, endothelial regulation, and cellular metabolism. Enriched pathways and overrepresented GO terms reflected a state of high metabolic activity and tissue turnover in OA-affected tissue, suggesting that the synovium may retain the capacity to support healing and homeostasis in early disease. Limitations of this study include small sample size and capture of one point post-injury. Differentially expressed genes within key pathways may represent potential diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets for PTOA. Mechanistic validation of these findings is an important next step.
The person in the voice

In this audio essay, the author/speaker contemplates the perceived relationship between the voice and the speaker—the person in the voice—and asks the following questions: What does it mean when we...
A comprehensive review of self-powered sensors in civil infrastructure: State-of-the-art and future research trends

Abstract Rapid development in structural health monitoring systems has led to the invention of various sensing technologies. Nonetheless, difficulties in deploying and maintaining traditional wired sensors and managing vast amount of data collated from a dense array of wired sensors were fundamental drawbacks of using such systems. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) were thus introduced to overcome the noted shortcomings. However, the energy required to power WSNs has become an important concern due to battery limitations. Energy harvesting technologies have been developed to extend the lifetime of WSNs by addressing the energy constraint problem. Recently, a new generation of WSNs based on self-powered sensors have become a reality by bridging the gap between the harvested energy and the energy required for sensing, computation, storage, and communication. Self-powered sensors are increasingly being used and establishing themselves as promising solutions to conventional WSNs in civil infrastructure. This review paper summarizes the applications of self-powered sensors in civil infrastructure during the last decade. First, a general introduction to self-powered sensing and its significance in civil engineering are presented. Thereafter, various self-powered sensors currently used in civil engineering arena are reviewed. Finally, the advantages of deploying these sensors are presented, and future research trends for their innovative use are highlighted.
Characterization of surface materials on African sculptures: new insights from a multi-analytical study including proteomics

Multiple analytical techniques were used to characterize materials from the surfaces of two African sculptures in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago: a Bamana power object (boli), and a Yoruba wooden sculpture of a female figure. Surface accretions on objects such as these have received relatively little scientific attention to elucidate their composition and function, in part because they are made with complex mixtures of natural materials, which are often unfamiliar and poorly represented in the scientific literature on artists’ materials. For this reason, a complement of techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry were applied, along with shotgun proteomics to better understand the nature and biological origin, down to the species level, of the proteinaceous materials. The results highlighted the presence of diverse materials including plant resins, oils, polysaccharides, and inorganic (clay or earth) compounds. In particular, mass spectrometry-based proteomics provided new insights on proteinaceous components, allowing us to identify the presence of sacrificial blood, and more specifically, blood from chicken, goat, sheep and dog. This new scientific evidence supports and supplements knowledge derived from curatorial and field work studies, and opens new doors to understanding the objects’ significance and history of use.
Home Language Environment and Executive Functions in Mexican American and Chinese American Preschoolers in Head Start

Research Findings: Using two groups of dual language learners (DLLs), the current study examined links between two developmental constructs closely linked to school readiness: the home language env...
Computing elastic properties of organic-rich source rocks using digital images

Abstract Digital rocks are 3D image-based representations of pore-scale geometries that reside in virtual laboratories. High-resolution 3D images that capture microstructural details of the real ro...
Prospects for the Production of Cereals with Improved Starch Properties

The dominant pathway for the synthesis of starch involves three enzymes; ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase (ADPGlc PPase; EC 2.7.7. 27), which catalyzes the synthesis of ADPglucose; starch synthase (EC 2.4.1.21), which transfers the glucosyl portion of ADPglucose to a maltodextrin primer for synthesis and elongation of the α-1, 4 glucosyl chain and the branching enzyme (EC; 2.4.1.18) which transfers a portion of the elongated α-1, 4 glucosyl chain to form the α-1, 6 branch points present in amylopectin (and to small extent, in amylose). The physical properties of the starch in a plant are dependent on the properties and catalytic activities of the three enzymes mentioned above and alteration of the enzyme amounts and their properties will in turn, affect the properties of the starch synthesized. Recent results demonstrate that transformation of certain plants with a bacterial ADPGlc PPase gene can dramatically increase their starch content. It is quite possible that alteration of the proportion or amounts of branching enzyme and/or starch synthase would alter the structure and physical properties of the starch synthesized. To this end, the purified branching isoenzymes and soluble starch synthase isozymes are characterized to determine their specific roles in the synthesis of amylopectin. Preliminary experiments suggest that maize BE I isoenzyme is mainly involved in synthesis of the B chains of amylopectin while BE IIa and IIb are involved in the synthesis of the A chains.
Fundamental Solutions in Elastodynamics: A Compendium

Preface Part I. Preliminaries: 1. Fundamentals 2. Dipoles Part II. Full Space Problems: 3. Two-dimensional problems in full, homogeneous spaces 4. Three-dimensional problems in full, homogeneous spaces Part III. Half-Space Problems: 5. Two-dimensional problems in homogeneous half-spaces 6. Three-dimensional problems in homogeneous half-spaces Part IV. Plates and Strata: 7. Two-dimensional problems in homogeneous plates and strata Part V. Analytical and Numerical Methods: 8. Solutions to the Helmholtz and wave equations 9. Integral transform method 10. Stiffness (impedance) matrix method Part VI. Appendices: 11. Basic properties of mathematical functions 12. Brief table of integral transforms 13. MATLAB(R) program listings.
NASPE/NCATE Report Preparation for the Accreditation Process

(2006). NASPE/NCATE Report Preparation for the Accreditation Process. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 77, No. 3, pp. 13-31.
Cycle-slip-detector-aided iterative timing recovery algorithm

Summary form only given. Recent research on capacity approaching codes, i.e., low density parity check (LDPC) codes and turbo codes, assumes perfect timing recovery systems. Conventional timing recovery devices tend to experience cycle-slips at low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). In our previous work, we developed a cycle-slip detector (CSD) for AWGN channels using the decoder soft information. In this paper, we generalize the method and develop the CSD for channels with intersymbol interference. We investigate the PR4 (1-D/sup 2/) channel with a rate 4/5 LDPC code. The channel experiences a slowly time-varying phase drift. We use the Mueller and Muller (M&M) synchronizer to track the phase drift. For i.i.d. equally likely binary symbols, the soft information is the symbol a posteriori probability (APP). Both the symbol APPs and the preliminary decisions for the timing recovery algorithm are provided by a forward-only implementation of the BCJR algorithm, with a survival memory length of 6. This paper further investigates an iterative timing recovery scheme with the aid of the CSD.
A Primer on Aspects of Cognition for Medical Informatics

As a multidisciplinary field, medical informatics draws on a range of disciplines, such as computer science, information science, and the social and cognitive sciences. The cognitive sciences can provide important insights into the nature of the processes involved in human–computer interaction and help improve the design of medical information systems by providing insight into the roles that knowledge, memory, and strategies play in a variety of cognitive activities. In this paper, the authors survey literature on aspects of medical cognition and provide a set of claims that they consider to be important in medical informatics.
Ummah, Locality, and In-Between: Muslim American Perspectives on Societal Membership

The concept of the ummah has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years from scholars attempting to “make sense” of Muslim political identities in the West. Muslims in Western societies, it has been argued, increasingly place themselves in a global imagined community of Muslims that transcends the boundaries of nationality and ethnicity. Other scholars, however, argue that the ummah appeals only to a small segment of Muslims, and that most Muslims in the West are primarily interested in participating in local and national political systems. This article explores these diverging interpretations and illustrates how Muslim minorities might, in fact, position themselves simultaneously as members of different imagined communities. The analysis draws on interviews with a small group of Muslim activists in the United States who were participants in a larger study of Arab-origin activists in the United States and Britain. While not intended to be representative of Arab Americans or Muslim Americans, my c...
Novel aspects of charge and lattice dynamics in the hole-doped manganite La0.67Sr0.33MnO3

Previous infrared studies on the hole-doped manganite La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) have analysed its charge dynamics in terms of one type of charge carrier despite evidence of both electron and hole Fermi surfaces. Here, we investigate the charge dynamics of an LSMO film with infrared and optical spectroscopy in order to provide a complete picture of metallic conduction. In the ferromagnetic metallic phase, the low-frequency optical conductivity is best explained by a two-carrier model comprising electrons and holes. The number densities, effective masses and relaxation response of the delocalized electrons and holes are quantified. We discover that only one-third of the doped charges are coherent and contribute to the dc transport. Metallic LSMO cannot be classified as a bad metal at low temperatures because the mean free path of the coherent, mobile charge carriers exceeds the Ioffe–Regel–Mott limit. The incoherent spectral response of the doped charges manifests itself as a broad mid-infrared feature. We al...
N-Acetylglucosamine Prevents IL-1β-Mediated Activation of Human Chondrocytes

Glucosamine represents one of the most commonly used drugs to treat osteoarthritis. However, mechanisms of its antiarthritic activities are still poorly understood. The present study identifies a novel mechanism of glucosamine-mediated anti-inflammatory activity. It is shown that both glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine inhibit IL-1beta- and TNF-alpha-induced NO production in normal human articular chondrocytes. The effect of the sugars on NO production is specific, since several other monosaccharides, including glucose, glucuronic acid, and N-acetylmannosamine, do not express this activity. Furthermore, N-acetylglucosamine polymers, including the dimer and the trimer, also do not affect NO production. The observed suppression of IL-1beta-induced NO production is associated with inhibition of inducible NO synthase mRNA and protein expression. In addition, N-acetylglucosamine also suppresses the production of IL-1beta-induced cyclooxygenase-2 and IL-6. The constitutively expressed cyclooxygenase-1, however, was not affected by the sugar. N-acetylglucosamine-mediated inhibition of the IL-1beta response of human chondrocytes was not associated with the decreased inhibition of the mitogen-activated protein kinases c-Jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-related kinase, and p38, nor with activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that N-acetylglucosamine expresses a unique range of activities and identifies a novel mechanism for the inhibition of inflammatory processes.
A space-time analysis of the proportion of late stage breast cancer in Massachusetts, 1988 to 1997

Background Early detection is the best way to control breast cancer. This observational epidemiologic study uses ten years of data, 1988–1997, to determine whether the observed variations in the proportion of breast cancers diagnosed at late stage are simply random or are statistically significant with respect to both geographical location and time.
Measurements of $A_{LR}$, $A_{lepton}$ and $A_{b}$ from SLD

We present the measurements of the leptonic asymmetries in $Z^0$ decays measured by the SLD experiment at SLAC. A data sample of approximately 550,000 $Z^0$ bosons are used for the preliminary measurement of $A_{LR}(A_{e})$ and the leptonic final state measurements of $A_{e}$, $A_{\mu}$ and $A_{\tau}$, representing the entire set of 1992-1998 SLD runs. When combining all results, a preliminary value for the effective weak mixing angle is obtained: ${\sin}^2{\theta}_{W}^{eff} = 0.23109 \pm 0.00029$. We also present the direct measurements of $A_{b}$ from left-right forward-backward asymmetries, using partial data samples from 1993-1998 SLD runs. The preliminary value combines jet charge, cascade kaon and semileptonic decay analyses to obtain $A_{b} = 0.866 \pm 0.036$.
Regime design matters: intentional oil pollution and treaty compliance

Whether a treaty elicits compliance from governments or nonstate actors depends upon identifiable characteristics of the regime's compliance systems. Within the international regime controlling intentional oil pollution, a provision requiring tanker owners to install specified equipment produced dramatically higher levels of compliance than a provision requiring tanker operators to limit their discharges. Since both provisions entailed strong economic incentives for violation and regulated the same countries over the same time period, the variance in compliance clearly can be attributed to different features of the two subregimes. The equipment requirements' success stemmed from establishing an integrated compliance system that increased transparency, provided for potent and credible sanctions, reduced implementation costs to governments by building on existing infrastructures, and prevented violations rather than merely deterring them.
EFFECT OF METHIONINE AND N—ACETYLMETHIONINE FORTIFICATION ON THE FLAVOR OF SOY BREAD AND SOY MILK

The effect of methionine fortification on the flavor of soy-containing foods was investigated. A sensory panel was used to establish the detection threshold levels of methionine, recrystallized methionine and N—acetylmethionine in both the crust and the interior crumb of a fortified soy bread. Methionine was detectable at 0.10% addition in the bread crust and 0.20% in the interior crumb. Recrystallization of the methionine was not effective in reducing the flavors due to methionine addition. The N-acetylmethionine detection threshold levels were 3–7 times higher than methionine, and neutralization of the N-acetylmethionine allowed even higher levels of incorporation. Soy milk was used to evaluate the influence of methionine level and heat treatment on flavor development. Increasing the heating temperature or fortification level decreased the time required to produce detectable flavor differences. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry were used to identify methional in a heated fortified soy milk.
Age increases the risk of immediate postoperative dysphagia and pneumonia after odontoid screw fixation.

Abstract Introduction Type II odontoid fractures are the most common spinal fracture in the elderly population and may be managed with halo immobilization, posterior fusion, and anterior odontoid screw fixation. Anterior odontoid screw fixation has several advantages over posterior fusion, including: reduced surgical time, decreased post-operative pain, preserved range of motion, earlier mobilization, and decreased postoperative narcotic requirement. We review our experience using anterior odontoid screw fixation in type II odontoid fractures in the elderly and non-elderly populations. Methods Demographic and outcome data were retrospectively collected in 30 consecutive patients with type II odontoid fractures treated with anterior odontoid screw fixation. Results Mean patient age was 70.7 (range 20–92); 18 of the patients were male and 12 were female. All patients had successful placement of a single anterior odontoid screw without intra-operative complication. Complications included pneumonia in nine patients (30%), gastrostomy tube placement due to patient failing swallow evaluation in 13 patients (43%), and vocal cord paralysis in one patient (3.3%). Patients over the age of 75 accounted for 12 of the 13 (92%) gastrostomy tube placements and eight of the nine (88.9%) pneumonias, respectively. The difference in rates of gastrostomy tube placement and pneumonia for the older patients were both found to be statistically significant with P P Conclusions Anterior odontoid screw fixation is an effective treatment option for patients with Type II odontoid fractures. In the elderly population, however, the benefits of the procedure must be weighed against the risks of postoperative dysphagia requiring gastrostomy and pneumonia.
The effect of source number underestimation on MUSIC location estimates

An analytical expression for the variance of MUSIC source location estimates is derived under the assumption that the detection step has already taken place, resulting in an underestimation of the source number. The analytic predictions are compared with Monte-Carlo simulation results for beam-space MUSIC. The derived variance expression is more general than those reported to date and is also valid for other situations where the asymptotic correlation matrix yields biased source estimates. >
Nonlinear water diffusion in nonsaturated concrete

The equations governing drying and wetting of concrete are formulated, assuming the diffusivity and other material parameters to be dependent on pore humidity, temperature and degree of hydration. By fitting of computer solutions for slabs, cylinders and spheres against numerous test data available in the literature it is found that the diffusion coefficient decreases about 10 to 20 times when passing from 0.9 to 0.6 pore humidity. The problem is thus strongly nonlinear. Dependence on temperature is found to agree satisfactorily with the rate process theory. Effect of temperature on equilibrium pore humidity is also studied. The aging effect is defined by means of an equivalent hydration period. To enable easy prediction of drying of simple bodies, charts for the solution in terms of nondimensional variables are presented. Finally, correlation to the diffusion in a saturated concrete is discussed.
The Treatment of Catheterizable Stomal Incontinence With Endoscopic Implantation of Dextranomer/Hyaluronic Acid

Purpose: The creation of a catheterizable stoma has revolutionized the management of complex bladder reconstruction. Unfortunately, urinary incontinence per catheterizable stoma is seen in some patients. We present our experience with the use of submucosal implantation of dextranomer/hyaluronic acid in patients with catheterizable stomas with urinary incontinence.Materials and Methods: A total of 14 patients 9 to 49 years old (mean age 17.8) underwent submucosal implantation of dextranomer/hyaluronic acid for incontinence of catheterizable stoma at our institutions between October 2001 and March 2004.Results: There were 9 males and 5 females. Type of bowel for stoma creation included 12 appendixes and 2 small bowels. All patients had significant leak per stoma and were candidates for revision. The dextranomer/hyaluronic acid volume injected ranged from 2 to 6 cc (mean 3.7). A total of 10 patients were dry after 1 injection, 1 was dry after 2 injections and 3 remained incontinent after the procedure. Our s...
Early loss of peptidergic intraepidermal nerve fibers in an STZ-induced mouse model of insensate diabetic neuropathy

Peptidergic and nonpeptidergic nociceptive neurons represent parallel yet distinct pathways of pain transmission, but the functional consequences of such specificity are not fully understood. Here, we quantified the progression of peptidergic and nonpeptidergic axon loss within the epidermis in the setting of a dying-back neuropathy induced by diabetes. STZ-induced diabetic MrgD mice heterozygous for green fluorescent protein (GFP) in nonpeptidergic DRG neurons were evaluated for sensitivity to mechanical and noxious thermal and chemogenic stimuli 4 or 8 weeks post-STZ. Using GFP expression in conjunction with PGP9.5 staining, nonpeptidergic (PGP+/GFP+) and peptidergic (PGP+/GFP-) intraepidermal nerve fibers (IENFs) were quantified at each time point. At 4 weeks post-STZ, nonpeptidergic epidermal innervation remained unchanged while peptidergic innervation was reduced by 40.6% in diabetic mice. By 8 weeks post-STZ, both nonpeptidergic innervation and peptidergic innervation were reduced in diabetic mice by 34.1% and 43.8%, respectively, resulting in a 36.5% reduction in total epidermal IENFs. Behavioral deficits in mechanical, thermal, and chemogenic sensitivity were present 4 weeks post-STZ, concomitant with the reduction in peptidergic IENFs, but did not worsen over the next 4 weeks as nonpeptidergic fibers were lost, suggesting that the early reduction in peptidergic fibers may be an important driving force in the loss of cutaneous sensitivity. Furthermore, behavioral responses were correlated at the 4 week time point with peptidergic, but not nonpeptidergic, innervation. These results reveal that peptidergic and nonpeptidergic nociceptive neurons are differentially damaged by diabetes, and behavioral symptoms are more closely related to the losses in peptidergic epidermal fibers.
Wettability Switching Technique of a Biocompatible Polymer

In this paper we present data of protein adsorption on topographically altered active polymeric films, investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM), fluorescence microscopy, and contact angle measurement. The surface wettability of biocompatible polypyrrole (PPy) films was altered via low applied currents, and we have demonstrated switchable hydrophobic-hydrophilic surfaces, used as protein adhesion substrates. The preliminary results showed that both BSA and fibronectin have higher affinities for and adhere preferentially to hydrophobic surfaces.
Drop formation in liquid-liquid systems

An experimental method for determining the momentum flux on a drop for a nozzle with an arbitrary fluid velocity profile at the exit has been described. I t was observed that the variation of drop volume with flow rate can differ some-what from that conceived in previous drop formation models, in that drop volume does not necessarily vary smoothly with flow rate. High-speed motion pictures of drop formation and detachment show that the drop oscillates as it grows. I t is believed that this oscillation is related to the observed unsteady variation of drop volume with flow rate.
Verification of Extratropical Cyclones within the NCEP Operational Models. Part I: Analysis Errors and Short-Term NAM and GFS Forecasts

Abstract This paper verifies extratropical cyclones around North America and the adjacent oceans within the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS) and North American Mesoscale (NAM) models during the 2002–07 cool seasons (October–March). The analyzed cyclones in the Global Forecast System (GFS) model, North American Mesoscale (NAM) model, and the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) were also compared against sea level pressure (SLP) observations around extratropical cyclones. The GFS analysis of SLP was clearly superior to the NAM and NARR analyses. The analyzed cyclone pressures in the NAM improved in 2006–07 when its data assimilation was switched to the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI). The NCEP GFS has more skillful cyclone intensity and position forecasts than the NAM over the continental United States and adjacent oceans, especially over the eastern Pacific, where the NAM has a large positive (underdeepening) bias in cyclone central pressure....
Specific in vitro and in vivo drug localisation to tumour cells using a hybrid-hybrid monoclonal antibody recognising both carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and vinca alkaloids

By using a bispecific monoclonal antibody recognising both carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and the cytostatic vinca alkaloid drugs we have been able to show specific tumour localisation of vinca alkaloids. In vitro studies with sections of human colorectal tumours have demonstrated that the hybrid-hybrid 28.19.8 monoclonal is able to specifically localise vindesine to cells expressing CEA. Furthermore, the hybrid-hybrid 28.19.8 localises in vivo preferentially to tumour tissues in nude mice bearing the MAWI human xenograft tumour. This tumour-bound hybrid-hybrid monoclonal antibody induces profound changes in the bio-distribution of vinca alkaloid drugs, targeting them specifically to tumour tissues.
Natural products: seasonal variation in trichome counts and contents in Lycopersicum hirsutum f. glabratum.

Abstract Wild tomato leaves possess a pest-resistance mechanism in their glandular trichomes and the exudates they produce. Type IV and VI glandular trichomes on the leaves of five wild tomato accessions of Lycopersicum hirsutum f. glabratum (PI 126449, PI 134417, PI 134418, PI 251304, and LA 407) grown under greenhouse conditions were counted. Major chemical compounds from glandular leaf trichomes of the accessions tested were extracted, purified, and quantified at different periods during the growing seasons by gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The toxicity of two methylketones (2-undecanone and 2-tridecanone), the major constituents of the accessions tested, to adults of the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) and fourth instar larvae of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), was determined using no-choice bioassays. 2-undecanone caused 80% mortality of the fourth instar larvae of the CPB at the highest concentration tested (100 mg 2-undecan...
ECONOMICS OF CORPORATE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FINANCING

AMERICAN CORPORATIONS have generally been characterized by a high degree of dependence on the internal method of financingretention of funds from the revenue stream. However, the external method-absorption of funds from the capital market-has also been used to a considerable extent. In fact, external financing has shown a remarkable upswing during the postwar period. In this paper attention is focused on the probable effects of alternative corporate financial policies on the total volume of investment in the economy and the allocation of capital resources among various industries. In the literature on corporate finance it is customary to distinguish between net and gross internal financing. The net amount is equal to net profit retained after dividend distributions. The gross amount equals retained net profit plus depreciation and depletion accruals. While the flow of internal funds may, of course, be significantly affected by changes in depreciation methods as well as changes in profit retention policies, it would be impossible to discuss in a short paper the problems pertaining to both components of internal financing. Therefore, depreciation methods are taken here as given and attention is confined to problems arising in connection with net profit retention.