cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An ultrasound system for simultaneous ultrasound hyperthermia and photon beam irradiation

Abstract Purpose: An existing ultrasound system has been adapted for simultaneous use with external photon beam irradiation. The system is being used to investigation the potential for increased biological benefit of simultaneously combined hyperthermia and external beam irradiation with currently achievable temperature distributions. Methods and Materials: An existing clinical ultrasound system has been modified for simultaneous operation with a 60 Co teletherapy machine. The generator, thermometry system, computer, and applicators are located inside the treatment room, while the monitor and system control are located at the control console. Two approaches have been used clinically to combine the two modalities. In the first approach, an en-face setup is used in which the ultrasound beam and the photon beam travel through the same window of entry to the tumor. This is achieved by a reflecting system designed to deflect the ultrasound to the tumor while positioning the ultrasound transducer outside the radiation beam. The reflecting system consists of water and water-equivalent materials except for a 1 mm sheet of polished brass that is used as the reflector. The relative pressure fields were measured in water at the same distance from the ultrasound source using a scanning hydrophone with and without the reflector at the two operating frequencies of the device (1.0 and 3.4 MHz) for two applicators. Radiation dosimetry measurements were performed to determine the relationship between 60 Co irradiation through the reflector and absorbed dose. In the second approach the ultrasound and the radiation beam travel into the tumor from different windows of entry such that the radiation beam passes through no portion of the water bolus prior to entering the patient. We have termed this approach the orthogonal approach. For both approaches, the radiation fraction is given in the middle of an uninterrupted 60-min hyperthermia treatment. Results: The system modifications did not impair the ability to effectively deliver ultrasound hyperthermia or 60 Co teletherapy. With the en-face approach the ultrasonic patterns generated with and without the reflector demonstrated that the ultrasound system maintained both a uniform and controllable heating pattern. The 60 Co beam had no effect on the performance of the thermocouple thermometers. The radiation beam is attenuated nearly uniformly by the reflector system. To date, 10 patients have been treated with the en-face approach and 12 have been treated with the orthogonal approach (90 treatments). Conclusions : The clinical implementation of ultrasound hyperthermia simultaneous with 60 Co irradiation is technically and clinically feasible without any complications or hazards to the patient. The implementation of a reflecting device allows en-face delivery of both the ultrasound and 60 Co irradiation. Temperatures obtained during simultaneous treatments are comparable to those historically obtained during sequential treatments with the same commercial ultrasound device.
Peer Ratings of Depression, Anxiety, and Aggression in Inpatient and Elementary School Children: Rating Biases and Influence of Rater's Self-Reported Depression, Anxiety, and Aggression

Using parallel self-, peer, and teacher rating scales, several rating biases in children's peer ratings of depression, anxiety, and aggression were examined. Participants were 66 inpatient and 133 elementary school children (N = 199, 109 boys, 90 girls; 61% white, 39% black) aged 8 to 12, and their teachers. Results showed significant halo bias in both the children's peer ratings and the teachers' ratings. Children's self-reports on each of the three traits were significantly related to their peer ratings of the same trait, while adjusting for socioeconomic status and the peers' teachers' ratings of the same trait. Children who rated themselves as high on each trait rated their peers significantly higher on the same trait than children who rated themselves as medium or low; and for depression and anxiety, those who rated themselves as medium rated their peers significantly higher on those traits than those who rated themselves as low. For both depression and aggression, children's self-reports on the trait were significantly related to their peer ratings of the same trait, but not significantly related to their peer ratings of different traits. Disagreements between children's and teachers' ratings of the peers on all three traits were significantly related to child self-reports on each trait, indicating a possible distortion in children's peer ratings due to self-report. The implications of the results for both peer and others' assessments are discussed, and further investigation of rating biases in other informants' assessments is encouraged.
Tolterodine Extended Release With or Without Tamsulosin in Men With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Including Overactive Bladder Symptoms: Effects of Prostate Size

Abstract Background Some men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) including overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms may benefit from antimuscarinic therapy, with or without an α-adrenergic antagonist. Objectives To evaluate the safety and efficacy of tolterodine extended release (ER), tamsulosin, or tolterodine ER+tamsulosin in men meeting symptom entry criteria for OAB and prostatic enlargement trials, stratified by prostate size. Design, setting, and participants Subjects with an International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) ≥12; frequency and urgency, with or without urgency urinary incontinence; postvoid residual volume (PVR) max ) >5mL/s were randomized to receive placebo, tolterodine ER (4mg), tamsulosin (0.4mg), or tolterodine ER+tamsulosin for 12 wk. Data were stratified by median baseline prostate volume ( Measurements Endpoints included week 12 changes in bladder diary variables, IPSS scores, and safety variables. Results and limitations Among men with larger prostates, tolterodine ER+tamsulosin significantly improved frequency ( p =0.001); urgency ( p =0.006); and IPSS total ( p =0.001), storage ( p p p =0.030). Among men with smaller prostates, tolterodine ER significantly improved frequency ( p =0.016), UUI episodes ( p =0.036), and IPSS storage scores ( p =0.005). Tolterodine ER+tamsulosin significantly improved frequency ( p =0.001) and IPSS storage scores ( p =0.018). Tamsulosin significantly improved nocturnal frequency ( p =0.038) and IPSS voiding ( p =0.036) and total scores ( p =0.044). There were no clinically or statistically significant changes in Q max or PVR; incidence of acute urinary retention (AUR) was low in all groups (≤2%). Conclusions Men with smaller prostates and moderate-to-severe LUTS including OAB symptoms benefited from tolterodine ER. Therapy with tolterodine ER+tamsulosin was effective regardless of prostate size. Tolterodine ER, with or without tamsulosin, was well tolerated and not associated with increased incidence of AUR.
Study of video distortion for real-time video transmission over wireless channels

Transmitting video over wireless with good quality is a challenging problem since video may get distorted by bit errors caused by fading and thermal noise. To address this problem, one can use adaptive transmission strategies, e.g., adapt the transmission power or the transmission data rate according to the channel condition. To achieve this adaptive control, we need to have the closed-form relationship between the video layer performance (the control objective) and the parameters in each layer (the control parameters). This paper is to analyze video distortion caused by fading and thermal noise, which we call "transmission distortion". The major contribution of this paper is that for the first time, we provide a method to predict how the transmission distortion process evolves over time, i.e., we obtain the analytical form of instantaneous transmission distortion as a function of system parameters in real-time video transmission over fading channels. We also obtain the analytical form of instantaneous transmission distortion under various conditions, e.g., data partitioning and the condition that one frame consists of multiple packets transmitted over the wireless channel; these results do not exist in the literature. A nice property of our prediction method is that it is not required for a receiver to acknowledge whether a packet is correctly received. Experimental results show that the transmission distortion predicted by our formula agrees well with the true distortion. The prediction formulae derived in this paper are crucial for real-time control in wireless video transmission.
The effects of the sputtering conditions on bismuth doped gadolinium iron garnet films

The effects of sputtering conditions on the magnetic and magnetooptic properties of bismuth-substituted gadolinium-iron-garnet (GdIG) films were studied. GdIG films with uniaxial perpendicular anisotropy and room-temperature coercivities greater than 1 kOe were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. These films have Faraday rotations ( theta /sub f/) between 0.6 degrees / mu m and 1.3 degrees / mu m and temperature-dependent coercivities similar to those of rare earth-transition metal alloys. Increasing the RF power or argon bleeding pressure results in an increase in the compensation temperature with little change in the Curie temperature (T/sub c/). A negative substrate bias lowers T/sub c/, lowers theta /sub f/, and raises the crystallization temperature. >
Induction of CYP1A1 gene expression in H4-II-E rat hepatoma cells by benzo[e]pyrene

In the rat, expression of the CYP1A1 gene is closely associated with arylhydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) enzyme activity. AHH is an inducile enzyme activity known to play an important role in the bioactivation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to mutagenic and carcinogenic metabolites. PAH-induced expression of the CYP1A1 gene appears to be regulated by several trans-acting factors, including the Ah receptor and the 4S PAH-binding protein. In this study, we used the PAH isomers benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and benzo[e]pyrene (BeP) to further evaluate the role of the 4S PAH-binding protein in induction of the CYP1A1 gene in H4-II-E rat hepatoma cells. Although BaP is believed to bind to both the Ah receptor and the 4S protein, BeP has been reported to bind exclusively to the 4S protein. The results of the study presented here indicate that BaP and BeP induce the expression of the CYP1A1 gene, as measured by ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity, in a concentration-dependent manner. However, BaP is about 25 times as potent as BeP in inducing EROD activity in these cells. Slot-blot analysis of total RNA isolated from these cells indicated that BeP, BaP, and 3-methylcholanthrene increased the level of CYP1A1 mRNA expression. Sucrose-gradient analysis of BeP binding activity indicated that BeP bound with high affinity to the 4S PAH-binding protein, but not to the Ah receptor. These results suggest that the 4S protein may play a role in the PAH-induced expression of the CYP1A1 gene in rat H4-II-E cells.
Efficacy of green tea in the prevention of cancers

Understanding the literature about the efficacy of green tea consumption in preventing and slowing the progression of cancers is critical. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using an electronic search to identify studies from 2000 to 2008 in the following database: Alt HealthWatch, CINAHL, Medline, Health Source--Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Web of Science (ISI), and the Cochrane Library. Although the evidence from this review suggested associations between green tea consumption and a decreased risk for some cancers, the findings were inconclusive. In selected cases, green tea was effective in slowing the progression of the earlier stages of cancer. However, contrary evidence is reported and the dose and duration of use is variable. Most evidence stems from self-reports. Research using more rigorous designs to investigate the efficacy of green tea in humans is needed.
Attitudes toward allergy: what do the pediatricians think?

Abstract Background In 1971, we published a survey regarding pediatricians' attitudes toward the field of allergy/immunology (A/I). Results indicated general attitudes and practices fell short of what most allergist-immunologists would hope. We revisited this in 1998 to determine how pediatricians' attitudes toward A/I had changed nearly 3 decades later. Despite some advances, results from 1998 revealed that A/I remained a misunderstood specialty. With the increasing incidence of atopic disorders and improving awareness of primary immunodeficiency, it is more important today than ever before that pediatricians and general practitioners have a strong appreciation for the scope of disorders the subspecialty of A/I encompasses. Objective To reevaluate attitudes and practices of pediatricians toward A/I 40 years after the initial study and 13 years after this topic was last addressed. Methods A 25-question survey was mailed to 293 pediatricians in the St Louis area. Surveys were completed confidentially. Pearson correlation and χ 2 analyses were performed. Results Of 293 pediatricians polled, 135 (46%) responded. Referrals to allergist-immunologists for urticaria have increased. Fewer pediatricians are referring asthma and atopic dermatitis patients to allergist-immunologists. Personal experience referring to an allergist-immunologist remains the greatest influence on current attitudes toward A/I. Prior exposure to A/I during medical education continues to have the least influence on pediatricians' attitudes toward A/I. Conclusion Increased appropriate referrals and improved patient outcomes could result from efforts to enhance A/I education during medical school and residency, maintain effective communication with referring physicians, and break down referral barriers to improve physicians' attitudes toward A/I.
Electrostatic Contributions to Cyanine Dye Aggregation on Peptide Nucleic Acid Templates

A symmetrical benzothiazole-based dicarbocyanine dye with anionic propylsulfonate substituents was synthesized in order to assess the importance of electrostatic forces in the assembly of helical dye aggregates on peptide nucleic acid (PNA) templates (Smith, J. O.; Olson, D. A.; Armitage, B. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 2686−2695). UV−vis and circular dichroism spectroscopy demonstrate effective aggregation of the dye on a 10 base pair PNA−PNA duplex but weak aggregation on the analogous PNA−DNA duplex. The CD spectra are consistent with a left-handed helical morphology for the dye aggregate, as expected for the left-handed PNA−PNA double helical template. Continuous variations analysis indicates formation of a 6:1 aggregate of the dye on a 10 base pair PNA−PNA duplex. An analogous dye bearing two cationic side chains and a net charge of +3 does not aggregate on the PNA−PNA duplex but can be recruited into a mixed aggregate with the anionic dye due to partial charge neutralization. Finally, charged gro...
Efficacy of an ems quality improvement program in improving documentation and performance

Objective. Change from quality assurance (QA) to quality improvement (QI) in EMS has been adopted by many systems. This study sought to determine whether QI is effective in this setting.Methods. A QI program comprised of prospective, concurrent, and retrospective components was instituted in 1994 by the Salt Lake City Fire Department. The retrospective component of the program consisted of monthly random audits of approximately 6% of EMS patient care reports (PCRs), both ALS and BLS. PCRs were evaluated for adequate documentation of six patient assessment parameters, appropriate treatment, and short-term outcome. Time intervals and adherence to protocol were also evaluated. Overall documentation and performance were rated. Monthly and cumulative QI reports were circulated to all providers, and both positive feedback and negative feedback were provided to specific crews. Continuing medical education sessions were tailored to address problems identified by the QI audits and scene observation. Results of 1,8...
Great Vessel and Cardiac Trauma

Thoracic great vessel and cardiac trauma are characterized by anatomic location and mechanism of injury: blunt or penetrating. Management strategies are also directed by the extent and mechanism of injury. Advances in imaging and catheter-based technologies have allowed easier and more accurate diagnosis and less-invasive treatments. Although the advantages of endovascular techniques are attractive, open surgical repair remains the definitive treatment for many of these thoracic injuries. Given the increasing sophistication of these technologies and the demonstrated usefulness of a disease-oriented approach toward patient management, trauma centers have adopted a multidisciplinary team model for management of multitrauma victims. In this review, the authors detail the diagnosis and management of blunt aortic, nonaortic great vessel, blunt cardiac, and penetrating cardiac injuries.
Conceptualizing and measuring pharmacist-patient communication: a review of published studies

Abstract Background Pharmacist-patient communication in community pharmacies has been studied for over 25 years with little effort to evaluate this research comprehensively. Objective The main objective of this review is to examine and summarize how researchers have conceptualized, defined, and measured pharmacist-patient communication across studies and identify gaps in the literature. Methods Articles were compiled from a search of (1) Medline, IPA, CINAHL, and PubMed databases using the keywords, "counseling", "patient communication", "patient counseling", "patient education", "patient consult ∗ ", and/or "pharmacists", (2) bibliographies of selected articles. The search generated 56 studies on community pharmacy, of which 39 studies met the inclusion criteria. Results Most studies (72%) have used the term patient counseling, although pharmacist-patient communication and patient education were also used. The definition of patient counseling varies across studies. Almost half of the studies (49%) conceptualized pharmacist-patient communication solely as a pharmacist information provision activity. A total of 16 studies (41%) also focused on pharmacists' interpersonal behavior in addition to the information provision activity of the pharmacist. In contrast, patient communication behavior and the exchange process between both parties has been understudied. A total of 16 studies (41%) used a retrospective design. All studies used a cross-sectional design, with varying modes of data collection such as mail surveys, telephone interviews, nonparticipant observation, and shopper studies. Taped encounters are rare. Summary/Implications This review revealed that most studies have focused on a one way communication of pharmacists to patients. A need for examining the patient-pharmacist dyad is apparent. Future research could explore a greater use of taped encounters to analyze the interactive communication process, affective components of communication such as collaborative problem solving, interpersonal relationship development, and the expertise that patients bring into the encounter.
On the development of verbal and nominal morphology in four lusophone creoles

This article attempts to reconstruct the plausible evolution of inflectional and freestanding morphemes in three historically related lusophone creoles (Cape Verdean Creole, Guinea-Bissau Creole, Papiamentu), and compares their morphological properties to Angolar, believed to have followed an independent developmental path. I examine their synchronic morphological properties and seek insights into their origins by studying Black speech in Portuguese 15th- and 16th-century literature. This reconstruction seeks to address several questions. Within the historically related creoles, is it possible to identify a set of formally and functionally common morphemes? If so, what is their source? Are they likely to have been inherited through diffusion? Are the common morphemes in the three related creoles distinct from those of Angolar or do they overlap? Resume: Cet article tente de reconstruire l'evolution plausible de morphemes flexionnels et libres dans trois creoles portugais historiquement lies, le creole cap-verdien, le creole de Guinee-Bissau et le papiamentu. Je compare leurs proprietes morphologiques a celles de l'angolar, qui semble avoir suivi un developpement independant. Dans ce but, j'examine leurs proprietes synchroniques et tente de decouvrir leurs origines en etudiant le parler des Noirs relatee dans la litterature portugaise des 15e et 16e siecles. L'objectif de cette reconstruction est de repondre aux questions suivantes : Parmi les creoles qui sont historiquement affilies, est-il possible d'identifier des morphemes qui sont formellement et fonctionnellement communs? Si tel est le cas, quelle est leur source? Seraient-ils le resultat de la diffusion entre le CGB et le CCV et de la Haute-Guinee a Curacao? Les morphemes dans les trois creoles affilies sont-ils distincts de ceux de l'angolar ou y a-t-il du chevauchement?
Universality in an integer quantum Hall transition

An integer quantum Hall effect transition is studied in a modulation-doped $p$-SiGe sample. In contrast to most examples of such transitions the longitudinal and Hall conductivities at the critical point are close to 0.5 and 1.5 ${(e}^{2}/h),$ the theoretically expected values. This allows the extraction of a scattering parameter, describing both conductivity components, which depends exponentially on filling factor. The strong similarity of this functional form to those observed for transitions into the Hall insulating state and for the $B=0$ metal-insulator transition implies a universal quantum-critical behavior for the transitions. The observation of this behavior in the integer quantum Hall effect, for this particular sample, is attributed to the short-ranged character of the potential associated with the dominant scatterers.
Small molecules in an RNAi world

In this Opinion, we compare and contrast small molecules and RNAi. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both technologies focusing on timing, specificity, dose and therapeutic use.
Real-time digital heterodyne interferometry: a system

A system for obtaining real-time optical path difference maps is described. Results of applications to characterize thermally driven optical phenomena and active optical components are presented. Demonstrated performance parameters include a serial data acquisition rate of 50-microsec/point, spatial resolution to 500 points/line, and phase accuracy of lambda/70.
Kinetic perturbation theory for dilute gases

Abstract We prove, for two classes of smooth, repulsive interparticle potentials o(r) = o0(r) + δo1(r), that the collision integ rals of the linearized Boltzmann equation are analytic functions of λ in the neighborhood of λ = 0. It then follows, for example, that the first Enskog approximation for the transport coefficients can be represented by a power series in λ.
Numerical solution of the Hele-Shaw equations

Abstract An algorithm is presented for approximating the motion of the interface between two immiscible fluids in a Hele-Shaw cell. The interface is represented by a set of volume fractions. We use the simple line interface calculation method along with the method of fractional steps to transport the interface. The equation of continuity leads to a Poisson equation for the pressure. The Poisson equation is discretized. Near the interface where the velocity field is discontinuous, the discretization is based on a weak formulation of the continuity equation. Interpolation is used on each side of the interface to increase the accuracy of the algorithm. the weak formulation as well as the interpolation are based on the computed volume fractions. This treatment of the interface is new. The discretized equations are solved by a modified conjugate gradient method. Surface tension is included and the curvature is computed through the use of osculating circles. For perturbations of small amplitude, a good agreement is found between the numerical results and linearized perturbation theory. Numerical results are presented for the finite amplitude growth of unstable fingers.
An experimental investigation of the vertical temperature structure of homogeneous stratified shear turbulence

The vertical temperature structure of homogeneous stratified shear turbulence is investigated using new rapid vertical temperature measurements in a thermally stratified wind tunnel. Six cases of gradient Richardson number, Rig = N 2 /(dU/dz) 2 , where N is the Brunt-Vaisala frequency (N 2 = (g/T)dT/dz), are studied, spanning a range 0.015 ≤ Ri g ≤ 0.5. Three- to five-hundred high-resolution temperature profiles are made for several streamwise stations for each case of Ri g . These measurements are supplemented with standard fixed-point, Eulerian measurements of streamwise and vertical velocity fluctuations and temperature fluctuations and with an eight-point vertical rake of temperature probes using standard hot-wire and cold-wire techniques. Vertical profiles uniquely enable the computation of available potential energy (APE), Thorpe scales (L Th ), and the diapycnal flux (o d ), as well as one-dimensional vertical wavenumber temperature spectra. These quantities are compared with Eulerian measurements of turbulent kinetic energy (KE), potential energy (PE), and buoyancy flux. It is found that the one-dimensional vertical wavenumber temperature spectrum contains more energy at smaller scales compared to the horizontal spectrum, owing in part to shear distortion, which leads to larger mean square vertical gradients of fluctuating temperature as compared to mean square horizontal gradients. The combination of shear and stratification, especially for cases where the turbulence decays with evolution, accelerates the evolution toward small-scale anisotropy compared to just shear or just stratification. It is found that in highly stratified cases, the diapycnal flux can persist after buoyancy flux has collapsed to negligible values, indicating enhanced heat transfer without turbulent mixing. For low Rig, large-scale vertical advection creates both high local temperature gradients and regions of static instability. Associated with the regions of instability is APE, which grows relative to KE for the least stratified cases. For high Ri g , the turbulence evolves to a wavelike state, containing some counter gradient fluxes and unstable patches. This wavelike state has higher heat flux efficiency than the more turbulent states owing to the low dissipation but relatively high diapycnal flux.
Observation of the hybridization gap and Fano resonance in the Kondo lattice URu2Si2.

The nature of the second-order phase transition that occurs in ${\mathrm{URu}}_{2}{\mathrm{Si}}_{2}$ at 17.5 K remains puzzling despite intensive research. A key question emerging in the field is whether a hybridization gap between the renormalized bands can be identified as the ``hidden'' order parameter. We report on the measurement of a hybridization gap in ${\mathrm{URu}}_{2}{\mathrm{Si}}_{2}$ employing a spectroscopic technique based on quasiparticle scattering. The differential conductance exhibits an asymmetric double-peak structure, a clear signature for a Fano resonance in a Kondo lattice. The hybridization gap opens well above 17.5 K, indicating that it is not the hidden order parameter. Our results put stringent constraints on the origin of the hidden order transition in ${\mathrm{URu}}_{2}{\mathrm{Si}}_{2}$ and demonstrate that quasiparticle scattering spectroscopy can probe the band renormalizations in a Kondo lattice via detection of a novel type of Fano resonance.
SU‐FF‐T‐315: Measurement of the Leakage From Linear Accelerators in the Backward Direction for 4, 6, 10, 15 and 18 MV X‐Rays

Purpose: NCRP 49 stipulates that the x‐ray leakage from the housing of an x‐ray source > 500 kV should be no more than 0.1% of the useful beam exposure at 1m from the source. This figure is used by manufacturers to design the shielding in linacs and by physicists when designing room shielding. It is expected that the machine leakage in the backward direction would be less since the gantry and stand contain significant amounts of metal to attenuate x‐rays. Method and Materials: X‐ray leakage has been measured from linacs having energies of 4, 6, 10, 15 and 18 MV using chambers and TLDs. Measurements were made for 9 positions at the rear wall in the linac room on a 2m × 2m grid covering one side of the linac, starting from a line through he isocenter and target, and for the four cardinal gantry angles: 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°. A 100cc ionization chamber was used because of its high sensitivity; the chamber was calibrated against a Farmer chamber using the method of Biggs and Nogueira1. The TLDs read neutron as well as x‐ray dose. Results: The ion chamber results show that the leakage is greatest when the gantry is horizontal with the head on the same side as the chamber and least when it is on the opposite side. The readings for gantry angles of 0° and 180° lie midway between those extremes. The greatest leakage is for 10 MV (0.041%), followed by 18 MV (0.028%), 6 MV (0.016%), 15 MV (0.011%) and 4 MV (0.006%) [numbers refer to average of 9 points]. Conclusion: These average values are significantly lower than 0.1%, although at some locations, the value does exceed 0.1%, but only for 10 and 18 MV.
Modification of PCBM Crystallization via Incorporation of C60 in Polymer/Fullerene Solar Cells

The morphological effects of the incorporation of C60 into blended thin-films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) are investigated. The results show that addition of C60 readily alters the growth-rate and morphology of PCBM crystallites under different environmental conditions. The effect of C60 on the growth of large PCBM crystallites is thoroughly characterized using optical microscopy, electron microscopy and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. Results show that C60 incorporation modifies fullerene aggregation and crystallization and greatly reduces the average crystallite size at C60 loadings of ≈50 wt% in the fullerene phase. Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are prepared to evaluate the electron mobility of PCBM/C60 films and organic solar cells (OSCs) are fabricated from mixed-fullerene active layers to evaluate their performance. It is demonstrated that the use of fullerene mixtures in organic electronic applications is a viable approach to produce more stable devices and to control the growth of micrometer-sized fullerene crystals.
Orientation to a new book: More than a picture walk

This article provides information to support teacher practice of providing thoughtful, individually crafted, book orientations. Supporting emergent and struggling readers to access meaning, structure, and visual information keeps reading work easy, yet provides opportunities for problem solving that allows engagement in independent and successful processing behaviors. توفر هذه المقالة معلومات لتدعيم ممارسة المعلمين في تقديم مناهج كتابية ذات التفكير العميق والخلق المبدع الشخصي. ويجعل تدعيم القراء المنبثقين والمواجهين صعوبات في القراءة لوجود وسيلة إلى المعنى والتركيب والمعلومات البصرية عملية القراءة مسألة سهلة بل يوفر فرصا لإيجاد حل للمشاكل الأمر الذي يسمح بالانشغال في التصرفات المعالجة المستقلة والناجحة. 本文是有关支援教师实践为学生提供富有思想性和为个别而设的阅书指导方法。支援萌发期和有困难的阅读者，帮助他们领略书中的意义、结构和视觉信息，能使他们的阅读变得容易，又能为他们提供机会解决问题，让他们投入独立和成功的信息处理学习。 Cet article apporte une information pour aider la pratique des enseignants a s'orienter vers des livres pleins d'idees et illustres personnellement. Aider les lecteurs debutants et ceux qui ont des difficultes a acceder au sens, a la structure, et a l'information visuelle facilite le travail de lecture, tout en procurant des occasions pour resoudre des problemes qui permettent de s'engager dans des modalites de traitement autonomes et qui reussissent. Cтатья предлагает информацию, позволяющую учителям вдумчиво, исходя из индивидуальных особенностей и пристрастий детей, формировать и направлять их читательские пристрастия. Поддерживая начинающих читателей или тех, кому чтение дается нелегко, учитель уделяет внимание смыслу и структуре текста, а также визуальной информации, содержащейся в книгах. Это не только облегчает процесс чтения, но и дает юным читателям возможность самостоятельно и успешно размышлять над вопросами, поднятыми автором. La informacion en este articulo apoya la practica pedagogica de dar orientaciones cuidadosas e individuales sobre los libros. Apoyar a los lectores emergentes, y los que luchan con la lectura, a encontrar el significado, la estructura, y la informacion visual hace que la lectura sea mas facil, y les da oportunidades a estos lectores para resolver problemas permitiendoles asi a comportarse de manera independiente y exitosa.
Normal values for blood immunoglobulins in the beagle dog

The measurement of circulating immunoglobulins in laboratory animals may be a valuable tool to check their immune status and to ensure that the animals were not exposed to pathogens prior to their incorporation into preclinical safety studies. The aim of this study was to establish normal values for total immunoglobulins G, M and E in young beagle dogs purchased from an external breeder and to evaluate the possible variations between batches and the effect of a 3-week acclimatisation period under our own housing conditions. Immunoglobulins were measured by radial immunodiffusion using commercially available canine-specific assays on three successive batches at two sampling time points after their arrival in our facilities. There were no clear differences between batches and sampling time points (1 and 4 weeks after arrival). IgG was found to be the dominant class of immunoglobulin, followed by IgM and IgE. A slight sex-related difference was found for IgG and IgM, but not for IgE. Overall, the values we obtained were lower than those given in the literature for clinically normal companion animals of various strains and ages. This was interpreted to reflect the relative young age of our dogs and/or the strictly controlled environmental conditions of their housing. Based on our findings, comprehensive reference values are provided in this article.
Step-economic synthesis of (±)-debromoflustramine A using indole C3 activation strategy

Abstract A concise and practical strategy to obtain C3 reverse-prenylated pyrrolidinoindoline scaffold has been executed in 28.8% overall yield. The key conjugative step involved a Booker-Milburn–Feudoloff reaction involving an NCS-mediated activation of indole, followed by coupling to C5 dimethylallylalcohol. This linchpin step proceeded in 74% yield. The overall sequence proceeded in five steps from commercially available N-methyltryptamine with a single protection–deprotection operation and a single redox manipulation. Mechanistic insights of NCS activation, and an ensuing rearrangement of the isoprene unit were gained by rationally varying the C3 substituent.
Temperature-dependence of auditory nerve response properties in the frog.

Abstract Response properties of the auditory nerve fibers of the Pacific treefrog, Hyla regilla, were shown to be comparable to other Hylids at a standard temperature of 20°C. This species from a rather variable thermal habitat was compared to the neotropical aboreal species, Eleutherodactylus coqui, in a study of auditory responses under conditions of changing temperatures. We found that as temperature increased: the center frequencies (CFs) of tuning curves remained constant for neurons from the basilar papilla but shifted to higher frequencies for neurons from the amphibian papilla (the amount of frequency shift decreased as CF increased); tone response thresholds decreased; phase-locking became stronger; the phase of the preferred response showed a lag in neurons with CFs below 500 Hz, a lead for CFs above 600 Hz, and almost no changes for CFs between 500 and 600 Hz; the variance of the click response and the average latency of the first spike in the response decreased. Threshold and vector strength measurements suggest a thermal optimum of about 20–22°C in H. regilla whereas this optimum in E. coqui seems to lie at 25°C or higher.
Comparative Studies of Glucose Catabolism by Escherichia coli Grown in a Complex Medium under Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions

Escherichia coli HB101 was grown in complex medium under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Cells prepared under these two different conditions were characterized by two-dimensional protein gel electrophoresis, by NMR measurements under identical (anaerobic) conditions, and by measuring the kinetics of glucose uptake and catabolite end-product appearance in the medium under identical anaerobic conditions. Specific rates of glucose uptake and end-product formation were significantly greater for the anaerobically grown cells, which also exhibited lower intracellular concentrations of sugar phosphates, nucleoside di- and triphosphates, UDPG, and NAD(H). Two-dimensional gel electrophoretic analyses reveal changes in the intracellular levels of proteins involved in pyruvate catabolism that have been observed previously for E. coli grown in minimal medium under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Enzymes involved in the TCA cycle were not detected in cells grown aerobically or anaerobically in complex medium.
Method for reducing dimensionality in ATR systems

A method for robustly selecting reduced dimension statistics for pattern recognition systems is described. A stochastic model for each target or object is assumed parameterized by a finite dimensional vector. Data and parameter vectors are assumed to be long. As the size of these vectors increases, the performance improves to a point and then degrades; this trend is called the peaking phenomenon. A new, more robust method for selecting reduced dimension approximations is presented. This method selects variables if a measure of the amount of information provided exceeds a given level. This method is applied to distributions in the exponential family, performance is compared to other methods, and an analytical expression for performance is asymptotically approximated. In all cases studied, performance is better than with other known methods.
Tunneling study of Fermi-liquid effects in amorphous gallium.

Determination du parametre de liquide de Fermi Go dans le gallium amorphe. On utilise des jonctions tunnel Al/Al 2 O 3 /Ga-a pour observer la renormalisation due aux interactions de liquide de Fermi, de la decomposition de spin de la densite d'etats supraconductrice de Ga-a dans un champ magnetique
The Martian magnetosheath: how Venus-like?

Abstract The planets Mars and Venus, because of their weak global magnetic fields, have small-scale magnetosheaths amenable to detailed analysis and model comparisons. In this paper we examine some of the similarities and contrasts between the Venus and Mars cases based on Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) magnetometer observations from the PVO prime mission, and Mars Global Surveyor magnetometer observations obtained during the MGS Science Phasing Orbits (March–September, 1998). The combination of a mass-loaded magnetohydrodynamic magnetosheath model and a data-based model of the Martian crustal fields is used to illustrate the differences produced by the presence of the Martian crustal fields. While Venus at solar maximum exhibits a nearly classical magnetosheath formed by the solar wind interaction with a practically impenetrable blunt body, Mars in late 1998 represents a complicated obstacle whose own magnetic fields compromise this simplicity within at least several hundred km of the nominal obstacle boundary inferred from the bow shock position. In particular, the results suggest the presence of a thick inner magnetosheath boundary layer when the strong southern hemisphere crustal fields are located on the sunward hemisphere.
Policy statement of the American Society of Gene Therapy on reporting of patient adverse events in gene therapy trials.

The current ORDA web site shows that this office has taken on additional responsibilities. As the Office of Biotechnology Activities (OBA), there is now the mandate to administer three separate advisory committees that address disparate topics. To fulfill the challenges inherent in administering pertinent data, entering them into the system and keeping the system updated, the OBA will need to be given appropriate resources so that the objectives of reporting serious adverse events in gene therapy trials can be met. The NIH has a continuing obligation to both maintain and improve public access to human gene transfer information.In conclusion, the American Society of Gene Therapy expects its members to adhere to the tenets of all the regulatory schema that are in place, as well as those provisions in the Proposed Amendments of the NIH Guidelines that are adopted in the future. Adherence to oversight principles is important in maintaining public credibility about a newer form of biotechnology that still seeks hard evidence of success, but that has tremendous potential in shaping future therapies for a wide variety of diseases. In that context, the ASGT fully supports the NIH in its efforts to establish clear directives about serious adverse events reporting so that tragic incidences can be reduced to the lowest possible level and so that the field can move forward in the most efficient and responsible manner.Thank you for your attention.
Regional variations in the crustal structure of Northern Canada from surface wave dispersion

Abstract Rayleigh and Love wave group velocities in the Arctic islands and adjacent mainland of northern Canada exhibit large regional variations which can be attributed to variations in crustal structure. The shield and platform regions, the eastern Sverdrup basin, and the western Sverdrup basin are characterized by progressively slower velocities. Inversions of the regionalized group velocity data lead to three distinct shear-velocity models. The shield and platform model is similar to earlier models obtained for the Canadian shield. The Sverdrup basin models have low near-surface velocities which may correspond to thick accumulations of sediment. A sediment thickness of about 12 km obtained for the eastern basin corresponds to the maximum thickness inferred from earlier geological studies. An even thicker zone of low velocities occurs in the upper crust of the western basin. This zone may represent the true thickness of a very deep basin or slow velocities in basement rock may underlie the shallower sediments. A third alternative is that low apparent velocities for the western Sverdrup basin result from systematic errors in group velocity determinations produced by epicentral mislocations or origin time errors of the earthquakes used, but such mislocation or errors would have to be quite large to explain the observations. It is not possible to explain the group velocities across the basin areas by simply adding sediments to the shield and platform model. The resulting discrepancies with the data suggest an altogether different crustal structure beneath the basin than that beneath the shield and platform areas.
Pointwise stabilization in the middle of the span for second order systems nonuniform and uniform exponential decay of solutions

Two vibrating strings are coupled at the connecting point, where a damping device is installed. This device, modeled by one of two sets of intermediate nodal conditions, causes the vibration to dissipate energy. A good design should satisfy the requirement that all modes be uniformly damped.In this paper, we show a “simultaneous diagonalization procedure” which can determine the rate of damping for certain coupled strings by solving a simple matrix eigenvalue problem. In particular, we show how to choose the “impedance coefficient” so that all of the vibration energy is absorbed within finite time duration. We can also see that for certain systems with symmetry, there exist modes which are not damped at all; therefore the vibration energy does not decay uniformly.We then use the Legendre spectral method to compute the eigenvalues of the damped operators. Numerical results have confirmed the theoretical estimates and eigenvalue distributions patterns.Possible mechanical designs of those damping devices are...
Dust Absorption and the Ultraviolet Luminosity Density at z ≈ 3 as Calibrated by Local Starburst Galaxies*

We refine a technique to measure the absorption-corrected ultraviolet (UV) luminosity of starburst galaxies using rest-frame UV quantities alone and apply it to Lyman-limit U dropouts at z ? 3 found in the Hubble Deep Field (HDF). The method is based on an observed correlation between the ratio of far-infrared (FIR) to UV fluxes with spectral slope ? (a UV color). A simple fit to this relation allows the UV flux absorbed by dust and reprocessed to the FIR to be calculated, and hence the dust-free UV luminosity to be determined. International Ultraviolet Explorer spectra and Infrared Astronomical Satellite fluxes of local starbursts are used to calibrate the FFIR/F1600 versus ? relation in terms of A1600 (the dust absorption at 1600 ?) and the transformation from broadband photometric color to ?. Both calibrations are almost completely independent of theoretical stellar-population models. We show that the recent marginal and nondetections of HDF U dropouts at radio and submillimeter wavelengths are consistent with their assumed starburst nature and our calculated A1600. This is also true of recent observations of the ratio of optical emission-line flux to UV flux density in the brightest U dropouts. This latter ratio turns out not to be a good indicator of dust extinction. In U dropouts, absolute magnitude M1600,0 correlates with ?: brighter galaxies are redder, as is observed to be the case for local starburst galaxies. This suggests that a mass-metallicity relationship is already in place at z ? 3. The absorption-corrected UV luminosity function of U dropouts extends up to M1600,0 ? -24 AB mag, corresponding to a star formation rate ~200 ? yr-1 (H0 = 50 km s-1 Mpc-3 and q0 = 0.5 are assumed throughout). The absorption-corrected UV luminosity density at z ? 3 is ?1600,0 ? 1.4 ? 1027 ergs-1 Hz-1 Mpc-1. It is still a lower limit since completeness corrections have not been done and because only galaxies with A1600 3.6 mag are blue enough in the UV to be selected as U dropouts. The luminosity-weighted mean dust-absorption factor of our sample is 5.4 ? 0.9 at 1600 ?.
Hypertension Augments Ethanol-Induced Depression of Cell Shortening and Intracellular Ca2+ Transients in Adult Rat Ventricular Myocytes☆

Ethanol, a risk factor for myocardial dysfunction, depresses myocardial contraction. This study was to determine whether ethanol-induced myocardial depression is affected by hypertension. Mechanical properties of ventricular myocytes isolated from both normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats were evaluated using a video edge-detection system. Myocytes were electrically stimulated to contract at 0.5 Hz. Contractile properties analyzed include peak twitch amplitude (PTA), time-to-PTA (TPS), time-to-90% relengthening (TR(90)), and maximal velocities of shortening/relengthening (+/-dL/dt). Intracellular Ca(2+) transients were measured as fura-2 fluorescence intensity (DeltaFFI) changes. Acute ethanol exposure (80-640 mg/dl) caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of PTA and DeltaFFI in both WKY and SHR myocytes. The extent of maximal inhibition of PTA and FFI was significantly greater in SHRs (53.7 and 38.9%) compared to the WKY group (21.0 and 25.4%). Ethanol did not affect TPS but shortened TR(90) and slowed +/-dL/dt at high concentration ranges. Interestingly, the augmented ethanol-induced inhibition of cell shortening in hypertension was greatly attenuated by Ca(2+) channel opener BayK 8644 (1 microM). These results suggest that ethanol-induced myocardial depression may be augmented in hypertension, possibly due to mechanism(s) involving sarcolemmal Ca(2+) channels.