cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PEE8: FOUR YEAR COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF INITIAL TRABECULECTOMY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY IN PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA (POAG)

OBJECTIVES: To determine the cost-effectiveness of the primary treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) with trabeculectomy versus conventional therapy. METHODS: A four-year incremental cost/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) model (year 2000 US dollars) of POAG using a societal perspective; including direct and indirect costs with a 3% annual discount rate for the base case. In the Glasgow trial, patients newly diagnosed with POAG with an intraocular pressure of 26mmHg and/or with glaucomatous field defects were randomized to trabeculectomy or conventional therapy (up to three medications). In the trabeculectomy branch, patients would either be 1) controlled without extra medication, 2) controlled with extra medication or 3) die from natural causes. Annual chance nodes for the conventional were 1) controlled by medication, 2) surgery or 3) death from natural causes. QALYs were calculated assuming a decline in utility would accompany loss in visual field. A 65-year old patient with a 5% rate of decline in utility was used as the base case. Sensitivity analyses were performed on the rate of utility decline, cost of medications, trabeculectomy cost, and discount rate. RESULTS: For the base case, the cost of initial trabeculectomy was $8316 versus $6339 for conventional therapy. The incremental cost was $1977 and the incremental QALY was 0.08, with ICE ratio of $24,830/QALY. CONCLUSIONS: Initial trabeculectomy is cost-effective for POAG. The model was most sensitive to the rate of decline in utility (<2%) and robust to changes in the costs of medications and trabeculectomy. Limitations include the lack of long-term clinical and QALY data on glaucoma patients with different treatments. Currently the standard of practice in the US is to start with conventional therapy for patients with moderate or severe glaucoma. Our results indicate that trabeculectomy may be a cost-effective option for these patients.
Structural and mechanistic aspects of the thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride)

Abstract A critical review of the title subject supports the following major conclusions. Thermal dehydrochlorination of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) begins with internal allylic chloride and tertiary chloride structural defects formed during polymerization. The tertiary chloride is associated with 2,4-dichloro-n-butyl, 1,3-di(2-chloroethyl), and chlorinated long branches. Mechanisms for the formation of all of the labile defects are well established. ‘Carbonylallyl’ structures and certain isotactic conformers of ordinary monomer units are unimportant as initiators of thermal dehydrochlorination. Both the initiation and the subsequent formation of conjugated polyene sequences occur via carbenium chloride ion pairs or by a closely related concerted four-center quasi-ionic route. Six-center concerted processes, pathways involving free radicals, and other mechanistic schemes suggested recently are not involved in polyene elongation. However, during thermal degradation, ordinary monomer units are converted into internal allylic chloride defects by a mechanism that may include the abstraction of hydrogen by triplet cation diradicals derived from polyene intermediates. Cyclization reactions seem likely to contribute to the termination of polyene growth. When PVC is thermolyzed in blends with other polymers, unusual kinetic phenomena are detected that remain to be fully explained.
Mach reflection for the two-dimensional Burgers equation

Abstract We study shock reflection for the two 2D Burgers equation. This model equation is an asymptotic limit of the Euler equations, and retains many of the features of the full equations. A von Neumann type analysis shows that the 2D Burgers equation has detachment, sonic, and Crocco points in complete analogy with gas dynamics. Numerical solutions support the detachment/sonic criterion for transition from regular to Mach reflection. There is also strong numerical evidence that the reflected shock in the 2D Burgers Mach reflection forms a smooth wave near the Mach stem, as proposed by Colella and Henderson in their study of the Euler equations.
Chemical Genetics Analysis of an Aniline Mustard Anticancer Agent Reveals Complex I of the Electron Transport Chain as a Target

The antitumor agent 11β (CAS 865070-37-7), consisting of a DNA-damaging aniline mustard linked to an androgen receptor (AR) ligand, is known to form covalent DNA adducts and to induce apoptosis potently in AR-positive prostate cancer cells in vitro; it also strongly prevents growth of LNCaP xenografts in mice. The present study describes the unexpectedly strong activity of 11β against the AR-negative HeLa cells, both in cell culture and tumor xenografts, and uncovers a new mechanism of action that likely explains this activity. Cellular fractionation experiments indicated that mitochondria are the major intracellular sink for 11β; flow cytometry studies showed that 11β exposure rapidly induced oxidative stress, mitochondria being an important source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additionally, 11β inhibited oxygen consumption both in intact HeLa cells and in isolated mitochondria. Specifically, 11β blocked uncoupled oxygen consumption when mitochondria were incubated with complex I substrates, but it had no effect on oxygen consumption driven by substrates acting downstream of complex I in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Moreover, 11β enhanced ROS generation in isolated mitochondria, suggesting that complex I inhibition is responsible for ROS production. At the cellular level, the presence of antioxidants (N-acetylcysteine or vitamin E) significantly reduced the toxicity of 11β, implicating ROS production as an important contributor to cytotoxicity. Collectively, our findings establish complex I inhibition and ROS generation as a new mechanism of action for 11β, which supplements conventional DNA adduct formation to promote cancer cell death.
Mesenteric and tactile Pacinian corpuscles are anatomically and physiologically comparable.

Pacinian corpuscles (PCs) in cat mesentery have been studied extensively to help determine the structural and functional bases of tactile mechanotransduction. Although we, like many other investigators, have found that the mesenteric receptors are anatomically very similar to those found in mammalian skin, few physiological characteristics of the mesenteric PCs and those of the skin have been compared. Action-potential rate-amplitude and frequency characteristics (10 Hz–1 KHz), as well as interval (IH) and peri-stimulus-time (PSTH) histograms in response to sinusoidal displacements were obtained from nerve fibers innervating mesenteric PCs and from PC fibers innervating cat glabrous skin. The intensity characteristics obtained on both preparations showed similar response profiles, including equal slopes for low stimulus intensities (approximately 10, with impulse ratios/20 dB displacement) and one and two impulse/cycle entrainment. The frequency characteristics of both groups were U-shaped with similar lo...
Pattern analysis of dune-field parameters

As a basic form of pattern analysis, the parameters of dune spacing, defect density, crest orientation and crest length are measured from remote images and treated statistically for dunes at White Sands in New Mexico, the Algodones in California, the Agneitir in Mauritania, and the Namib in Namibia. Statistical populations are identified from frequency plots of dune spacing and crest length, field-scale calculations of defect density, and rose diagrams of crest orientation. Single populations characterize simple dune fields (White Sands), whereas multiple populations characterize compound/complex dunes (Algodones, Namib), and complex dune fields (Agneitir). As time increases, dune fields show an increase in dune spacing and crest length, a decrease in defect density, more tightly clustered crest orientation, and a reduction in the variance associated with measurements of these parameters. The results are consistent with models of dune fields as self-organizing complex systems in which a characteristic pattern emerges as a function of constructional time. Because pattern evolution is a function of time, it may be possible to use pattern analysis to augment current methods of age determination. Statistically defined populations can be used in geomorphic backstripping to unstack generations of simple patterns that give rise to complex patterns, and to reconstruct each generation in terms of construction time and palaeo-wind regime. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Transfer Function Analysis of Numerical Schemes Used to Simulate Geostrophic Adjustment

Abstract Traditional analysis of finite-difference and finite-element schemes used in numerical weather prediction has concentrated almost exclusively on an analysis of the accuracy with which the scheme simulates the phase speeds involved. In this paper we show, using the transfer function formulation common in the design of electrical filters, that these numerical schemes also have important amplitude distortion characteristics, which must be considered in any complete analysis. Our analysis leads to conclusions about the appropriateness of unstaggered arrangements of grid points to primitive equation models commonly used in weather prediction.
Logical minimization of multilevel coded functions.

Discrete numerical values in digital processing systems may be encoded in two-level (binary) or higher-level (multilevel) representations. Multilevel coding can produce smaller and more efficient processors. In truth-table lookup processing, the number of entries (reference patterns) can be reduced using multilevel coding. Since parallel-input/parallel-output optical truth-table lookup processors can be constructed based on holographic content-addressable memories, it is essential to know the minimum storage required to implement various functions. A new simple method for reducing multivalued functions is presented. This method is based on an extension of the Quine-McCluskey minimization method used for binary logic functions. This minimization method is then applied to the truth tables representing (1) modified signed-digit addition, (2) residue addition, and (3) residue multiplication. A programmable logic array gate configuration for the modified signed-digit adder is presented.
Side-Fire Lidar-Based Vehicle Classification

Vehicle classification data are used for numerous transportation applications. Most of the classification data come from permanent in-pavement sensors or temporary sensors mounted on the pavement. This study developed a lidar-based classification system that used data from sensors mounted in a side-fire configuration next to the road. The classification system first distinguished between vehicle returns and nonvehicle returns, and then clustered the vehicle returns into individual vehicles. An algorithm examined each vehicle cluster to check for any evidence of partial occlusion from another vehicle. Several measurements were taken from each nonoccluded cluster to classify the vehicle into one of six classes: motorcycle, passenger vehicle, passenger vehicle pulling a trailer, single-unit truck, single-unit truck pulling a trailer, and multiunit truck. The algorithm was evaluated at six locations under various traffic conditions. When compared with concurrent video ground truth data for more than 27,000 ve...
TEX14 Interacts with CEP55 To Block Cell Abscission

In somatic cells, abscission, the physical separation of daughter cells at the completion of cytokinesis, requires CEP55, ALIX, and TSG101. In contrast, cytokinesis is arrested prior to abscission in differentiating male germ cells that are interconnected by TEX14-positive intercellular bridges. We have previously shown that targeted deletion of TEX14 disrupts intercellular bridges in all germ cells and causes male sterility. Although these findings demonstrate that intercellular bridges are essential for spermatogenesis, it remains to be shown how TEX14 and other proteins come together to prevent abscission and form stable intercellular bridges. Using a biochemical enrichment of male germ cell intercellular bridges, we identified additional bridge proteins, including CEP55. Although CEP55 is highly expressed in testes at the RNA level, there is no report of the presence of CEP55 in germ cells. We show here that CEP55 becomes a stable component of the intercellular bridge and that an evolutionarily conserved GPPX3Y motif of TEX14 binds strongly to CEP55 to block similar GPPX3Y motifs of ALIX and TSG101 from interacting and localizing to the midbody. Thus, TEX14 prevents the completion of cytokinesis by altering the destiny of CEP55 from a nidus for abscission to an integral component of the intercellular bridge.
Some Skew-Symmetric Distributions Which Include the Bimodal Ones

The class of skew-symmetric distributions has received much attention in recent years. In this article, we introduce two distributions which can capture the skew-symmetric unimodal (e.g., skew-Laplace, skew-normal) and the skew-symmetric bimodal ones systematically. Their natural generalizations of the skew-Laplace and the skew-normal distributions provide greater flexibility in modeling real data distributions. These models also avoid the identifiability problems of using mixtures to fit bimodal data. The stochastic representations that provide the random number generation algorithms are presented. The explicit forms of the central moments indicated that the proposed distributions have wide ranges of the skewness and kurtosis measures.
A craftsman and his tool: Andy Powell and the DC‐dot metadata editor

This article details the DC‐dot metadata editor, a tool developed by the UK Office for Library and Information Networking (UKOLN) to promote use of the Dublin Core (DC) Element Set. DC‐dot is one of the oldest and most widely‐used Dublin Core metadata generators. Andy Powell, Distributed Systems and Services Team Leader at UKOLN and creator of DC‐dot, discusses the state RDF, the impact that XML will have on Dublin Core, the challenges facing the DC Metadata Initiative, his role as a member of the DC Advisory Committee, and advice for metadata implementers.
An All Metal UHV Flange Seal for Dissimilar Materials

An inexpensive all metal flange seal has been developed for the all aluminum Aladdin RF accelerating cavity that couples up to stainless steel beam transport lines without using aluminum-stainless steel bonded materials. The seal is capable of at least 10-9 Torr without detectable leakage and can be baked out at temperatures of at least 300°C. It utilizes commercially available sealing rings and slightly modfied Varian CFF flange components.
Regulation of MHC Class II-Peptide Complex Expression by Ubiquitination.

MHC class II (MHC-II) molecules are present on antigen presenting cells (APCs) and these molecules function by binding antigenic peptides and presenting these peptides to antigen-specific CD4+ T cells. APCs continuously generate and degrade MHC-II molecules, and ubiquitination of MHC-II has recently been shown to be a key regulator of MHC-II expression in dendritic cells (DCs). In this mini-review we will examine the mechanism by which the E3 ubiquitin ligase March-I regulates MHC-II expression on APCs and will discuss the functional consequences of altering MHC-II ubiquitination.
Extrinsic Reward and Intrinsic Motivation: the vital link between classroom management and student performance

Abstract This article presents a survey and synthesis of literature on the short‐term and long‐term effects of extrinsic motivation on student performance and subsequent intrinsic motivation. The motivational contexts of extrinsic rewards, including classes of harmful effects and crucial motivational variables, are examined with the purpose of helping teacher educators recognize and avoid the potentially harmful effects of poorly‐designed reward systems.
Selectivity measurements in the production and maintenance of mobile communications receivers

Selectivity measurement techniques, specifications and test equipment requirements for evaluating selectivity in mobile communications receivers are discussed. The trend to greater Government regulation of receiver performance, the anticipated growth of the mobile radio market, and the pressures to increase the cost efficiency of technical personnel will combine to intensify the need for new techniques and equipment capable of more rapid comprehensive evaluation of communication equipment performance. The advent of programmable test equipment and the rapid advancement in micro-computer technology will introduce a new level of sophistication to mobile radio manufacturing test and maintenance procedures.
Measurement of the size and density of colloidal particles by combining sedimentation field-flow fractionation and quasi-elastic light scattering

Abstract A procedure is outlined in which two particle characterization techniques, sedimentation field-flow fractionation (sedimentation FFF) and quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS), can be combined to determine both the size and the density of colloidal particles. After testing both procedures on monodisperse polystyrene latex standards, a polydisperse PVC latex material was fractionated by sedimentation FFF. Fractions were collected and subjected to QELS. With an assumed PVC density of 1.40 g/cm 3 , sedimentation FFF and QELS showed good agreement on the particle diameter of each fraction. When, however, density was considered to be unknown, the combination of the two techniques gave (along with particle diameters) density values in the range 1.37–1.41 g/cm 3 for six fractions free from apparent overloading effects. The value of this kind of information for biological and environmental systems is noted.
Compliance, consensus and counter‐dependence: Foreign policy in Ecuador

Most scholarly work on the foreign policy of dependent states works within the compliance model. Compliance anticipates that dependent states, vulnerable to the core's ability and willingness to punish them, will follow the foreign policy guidance of the core. Bruce Moon has demonstrated that foreign policy alignment between core and periphery often develops not through a coercive process, such as that described by compliance, but through a cooperative procedure. Moon's consensus model anticipates that ideological agreement among elites in periphery and core will lead to foreign policy concordance. Compliance and consensus both expect dependent states to follow the core's foreign policy wishes. Few researchers have attempted to explain the conditions under which foreign policymakers in dependent states defy core preferences. This paper identifies a third dependent foreign policy model to account for this outcome, counterdependence. After introducing the three dependent foreign policy types, the paper exam...
Chaotic to periodic spontaneous pulsing in current driven silicon p-i-n structures

Abstract We report the experimental observations and modeling results confirming the transition to periodicity from chaotic (although still deterministic) spontaneous firing patterns for silicon p-i-n structures at 4.2K controlled by a constant current source. These patterns are determined by measuring the interpulse time interval (IPTI) between pulses. In contrast to a naive view, which suggests periodic patterns under current conservation, we see a rich spectrum of behavior due to the space charge effects, when the control parameter (drive current) is varied. In particular, a bi-modal pattern is found in which the IPTIs occur in two distinct groups rather than as a single continuous distribution. Nonlinear dynamics analysis tools as well as a statistical approach (i.e. Markov process) confirm the change from chaotic to periodic behavior as the control parameter increases. A theoretical model based on device physics for the buildup of space charge in the i-region of the diode giving insight into semiconductor device fabrication is developed to explain the bi-modal pulsing behavior observed. This can be used to enhance our understanding of various pulsing device applications, including IR detectors, parallel processors and neural networks.
Work output of planetary atmospheric engines: dissipation in clouds and rain

[1] We compute the dissipation due to the drag of falling raindrops and cloud droplets, and find both to be significant sources of dissipation on Earth and possibly Titan. On other planets, they appear to be insignificant. We compare this dissipation with the latent heat transported by the drops and the thermodynamic efficiency with which it can be converted into work. This comparison suggests moist convection on Earth and Titan is similar, but on Jupiter latent heat alone does not provide enough work to lift the condensate against gravity.
Modelling a soft X-ray wunder

Abstract Optimization of parameters for a soft X-ray wunder (wiggler-undulator) is discussed. The design goal is to extend existing soft X-ray undulator technology to lower photon energies (10–1000 eV). This is accomplished by making the period of the magnetic field larger than the minimum gap size. This approach is more efficacious than utilizing exceedingly small gaps in terms of the amount of flux emitted in the desired energy range relative to the total radiated power.
Renal artery stenosis by three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography in type 2 diabetics with uncontrolled hypertension and chronic renal insufficiency: Prevalence and effect on renal function

Background: The variable course of renal disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus in part may reflect associated atherosclerotic nephropathy. Methods: To determine the influence of subcritical (<65%) renal artery stenosis (RAS) on the progression of chronic kidney disease, 45 patients with type 2 diabetes with uncontrolled hypertension and serum creatinine levels of 1.8 mg/dL or greater (≥159.1 μmol/L) were screened by three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Mean monthly decrease in reciprocal serum creatinine × 100 and time to initiation of dialysis therapy, adjusting for baseline serum creatinine level, were compared in those with and without RAS. Follow-up was censored at the time of death or angioplasty. Results: At baseline, RAS-negative (RAS−; n = 27) and RAS-positive (RAS+; n = 18) groups were similar in duration of diabetes and hypertension, hyperlipidemia, blood pressure, diabetic management, and renal function. RAS+ subjects were older (P = 0.04) and more likely to have claudication (P = 0.006), smoke (P = 0.02), and have heart disease (P = 0.06). During a median follow-up of 9.4 months, 3 patients underwent stent placement, 2 patients died, and 12 patients progressed to dialysis therapy. The RAS+ group had a more rapid monthly decline in reciprocal serum creatinine × 100 (mean, 1.63 ± 0.9 versus 0.69 ± 1.0 [SD]; P = 0.04). The relative risk for progression to end-stage renal disease was 2.4 in the RAS+ versus RAS− group. Multivariate analysis showed that this effect was not independent of several established atherosclerotic risk factors. Conclusion: MRA-detected RAS is common (40%) in patients with type 2 diabetes with uncontrolled hypertension and renal insufficiency. Subcritical (<65%) RAS is a significant risk factor for progressive renal failure. Am J Kidney Dis 41:351-359.
Minimum User‐Interface Standards and Software for Agricultural Expert Systems

(...) A group of expert system developers resolved to establish uniform standards for the part of an AES a user must interact with. A committee was appointed to draft the standards from their collective experience. Software was developed to implement these standards in expert systems, without sacrificing performance and economy. Two lists of standards were developed: mandatory and desirable. (...)
Public and investor attitudes in relation to the stockmarket

Abstract Opposing predictions regarding stockmarket forecasting were tested in four correlational studies. Market indices were correlated with two types of survey data: The general public's views of their personal finances, and investors' plans. Stockmarket prices were examined before, during, and after the surveys for up to a seven-year span. The general public's attitudes about whether their financial situation is or would get better, when looked at from present and future perspectives, were predictive of stockmarket activity. In contrast, investors' intent to invest in stocks (and bonds) were not. The results were interpreted as favoring neither those who are pessimists nor optimists about stockmarket forecasting, but as partially supporting both.
Two-Loop Renormalization in Coulomb Gauge QED

We study the renormalization of Coulomb gauge QED at two-loop order. A convenient formula is given for the evaluation of the noncovariant Feynman integrals that occur in Coulomb gauge QED. We calculate the two-loop Coulomb gauge vertex renormalization constant Z{sub 1}, and discuss the absence of infrared divergences in this gauge. {copyright} {ital 1996} {ital The American Physical Society}
Characterization of mammary tumor cell lines from wild type and vitamin D3 receptor knockout mice

Abstract 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D3), the active metabolite of vitamin D3, inhibits breast cancer cell growth in vivo and in vitro. To examine mechanisms of 1,25D3 induced growth arrest and apoptosis, cell lines were established from DMBA induced mammary tumors derived from vitamin D3 receptor knockout (VDRKO) and wild type (WT) mice. Two VDRKO (KO240, KO288) and two WT (WT145, WT276) cell lines were selected and characterized. All four cell lines express cytokeratins indicative of an epithelial origin, as well as vimentin, which is expressed in many transformed cell lines. The tumorigenicity of the cells was confirmed in vivo as all four cell lines form estrogen responsive tumors in nude mice. Both WT cell lines express the VDR protein and are sensitive to growth inhibition by 1,25D3 at doses as low as 1 nM. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that 1,25D3 induces G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis in the WT cell lines. In contrast, both cell lines established from tumors that developed in VDRKO mice lack VDR mRNA and protein. Cells from WT mice exhibit 1,25D3 inducible transcriptional activity, as measured by reporter gene assays, but cells from VDRKO mice do not. Cells from VDRKO mice are also completely resistant to 1,25D3 mediated growth arrest and apoptosis over the range of 0.01–100 nM 1,25D3. VDRKO cells are also resistant to the synthetic vitamin D3 analogs EB1089 and CB1093 that are more potent growth inhibitors than 1,25D3 in WT cells. This data conclusively demonstrate that the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells by 1,25D3, EB1089 and CB1093 is dependent on the nuclear VDR. Cells lacking VDR remain sensitive to growth arrest mediated by 9-cis retinoic acid, a ligand for the retinoid x receptor which can heterodimerize with the VDR. Sensitivity to apoptosis induced by the DNA damaging agent etoposide is not altered in VDRKO cells, indicating that VDR ablation does not impair apoptotic pathways in general. All four cell lines display equal sensitivity to tamoxifen induced growth arrest. These estrogen responsive, transformed cell lines which differentially express the VDR provide a novel model system for identification of the mechanisms by which 1,25D3 regulates proliferation and apoptosis in breast cancer cells.
Periodically poled lithium niobate optical parametric amplifier seeded with the narrow-band filtered output of an optical parametric generator.

The results of a simple scheme to generate continuously tunable pulsed narrow-bandwidth (less than 0.1 cm-1) light in the infrared are presented. A periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) optical parametric amplifier is seeded with the filtered output of a PPLN optical parametric generator. A high-finesse Fabry–Perot etalon is used as the filtering element, giving bandwidths as narrow as 0.08 cm-1 and tunable over 18 cm-1 without any adjustments to the PPLN crystals. High efficiency is obtained with a 15-ns 1-kHz Nd:YAG laser, giving energies of up to 180 µJ of signal at 1.6 µm and 60 µJ of idler at 3.3 µm.
Correlating Downward Flame Spread Rates for Thick Fuel Beds

Flame spread rates are presented for polymethylmethacrylate fuel beds as a function of gravitational acceleration and ambient pressure and oxygen concentration. The data are correlated by plotting a dimensionless spread rate that is a measure of the heat transferred forward of the flame, required to sustain the flame, compared to the maximum possible forward heat transfer against a Damkoehler number. The latter parameter indicates the approach of the flame to its maximum temperature, where the maximum possible forward heat transfer occurs, such that the dimensionless spread rate approaches unity at large Damkoehler number. Surface regression effects on the flame spread process are incorporated into the dimensionless spread rate, and the final correlation is independent of bed thickness.
Exploratory Coverage in Limited Mobility Sensor Networks

Autonomous drones are employed with ever increasing frequency in applications ranging from search and rescue, detection of forest fires, and battlefield/ civilian surveillance. In this paper, we study the effects of limited mobility in such mobile sensor platforms, from the perspective of the effect limited mobility has on coverage effectiveness. We define a problem that we call Exploratory Coverage in Limited Mobility Sensor Networks, wherein the objective is to move a number of mobile sensors to fully explore (and hence, sense every point in) a target area in order to detect any critical event that has already occurred in the area. Further, we provide a taxonomy of problems within exploratory coverage as identified by the relationships between sensor range, coverage area, number of sensors, and mobility (range). We then design a purely localized and distributed approximation algorithm for our problem, and provide simulation results to demonstrate the effects of limited mobility on exploratory coverage.
A simple method for fashioning small diameter concentric bipolar electrodes for stimulation of nervous tissues

Abstract A simple method for fashioning small diameter concentric bipolar stimulating electrodes by sputtering gold over Teflon-coated wire is described.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescriptions in hospital inpatients: are we assessing the risks?

Aim To determine non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) prescribing practices in a tertiary referral hospital.
Mercury selenide stoichiometry and phase relations in the mercury-selenium system

Abstract The phase relations in the 0–65 at% Hg portion of the condensed mercury-selenium system were determined from liquidus temperatures to 250°C by evacuated silica tube experiments in which vapor is always a phase. Stoichiometric HgSe melts at 795 ± 2°C whereas Hg0.51Se0.49 melts at 797 ± 2°C and Hg0.49Se0.51 melts at 793 ± 2°C. In the HgSeSe portion of the system a monotectic exists at 683 ± 3°C and 71.5 at% Se and a liquid immiscibility field at this temperature extends from 71.5 to 85.5 at% Se. The presence of HgSe depresses the melting temperature of Se by about 8°C. An eutectic exists between HgSe and Se at 208°C and a composition of more than 99.95 at% Se. In the HgHgSe portion of the system a monotectic exists at 708 ± 3°C and about 25 at% Se. The solubility of Hg in HgSe was found to exceed stoichiometry by 1.11 ± 0.25 at% at 650°C whereas the solubility of Se in HgSe exceeds stoichiometry by 0.75 ± 0.25 at% Se at the same temperature. All synthetic mercury selenides show the sphalerite type structure. The unit cell dimension of stoichiometric HgSe is a0 = 6.080 ± 0.001 A. Mercury selenide synthesized in equilibrium with liquid Se gives a0 = 6.082 ± 0.001 A and mercury selenide synthesized in equilibrium with Hg gives a0 = 6.078 ± 0.001 A.
State and Social Citizenship in Japan

One World of Welfare: Japan in Contemporary Perspective Gregory Kasza (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2006) Japan's Dual Civil Society: Members Without Activities Robert Pekkanen (Stanford: Stan...
Risk of Dementia in First-Degree Relatives of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders

• First-degree relatives of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are at greater risk for dementia when compared with the relatives of their healthy peers, but not when compared with the relatives of patients with Parkinson's disease. This may indicate that the risk of dementia in these relatives is not specific to AD or that these studies are biased. We obtained a family history and vital status information on each first-degree relative of patients attending a clinic and in a group of recruited healthy elderly subjects. Patients formed two groups: probable AD and other forms of dementia or cognitive disorders without dementia. The odds of dementia in first-degree relatives did not differ between patient groups. The odds of dementia in relatives of patients with probable AD or other forms of dementia was six times that in the relatives of the healthy elderly subjects. The cumulative incidence of dementia increased with age in the first-degree relatives of all subjects. Approximately 50% of the first-degree relatives of patients with AD were demented by age 91 years, but almost the same number of the other patient group's relatives were demented as well. That figure was never reached in the healthy elderly subject's relatives. Because the risk of dementia in first-degree relatives of patients with AD was similar to that for patients with other disorders, we cannot exclude the possibility that this is the result of selection and information biases. Our investigation implies that the increased risk of dementia may not be specific to relatives of patients with AD; the risk may also be increased in first-degree relatives of patients with other neurologic disorders.
Factors associated with IT audits by the internal audit function

Abstract Responses from a large sample of 1029 chief audit executives (CAEs) from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK/Ireland, and the US are used to estimate the proportion of time spent by the internal audit functions (IAFs) on information technology (IT) audits. The sample is also used to investigate explanatory and control variables that are associated with the extent of IT audits by the IAFs. The results show that the proportion of the IAF time spent on IT audits was only 7.97% in 2003, 10.61% in 2006, and was projected to be 13.40% in 2009, indicating an approximately 1% increase per year. Multivariate regression indicates that four variables; the certified information system auditor (CISA) certification, IAF age, training, and the number of organizational employees are significantly and positively associated with IT audits by the IAFs. Other common certifications such as CIA, CPA, and CMA are not positively associated with the proportion of IT audits. Also, while CAE experience, education level, and the country of residence did not affect the results, an IS/CS (information system/computer science) was significant and positive in two of the four models tested. Implications for additional research and practice are discussed.
Multiple‐Well, multiple‐path unimolecular reaction systems. II. 2‐methylhexyl free radicals

Vibrationally excited 2-methylhexyl radicals formed by shock wave activation or by chemical activation can isomerize by multiple pathways to form any of six stable isomers, can fragment by multiple C— H and C— C bond fission pathways, and can be collisionally stabilized. Master equation simulations of chemical activation and of shock wave activation are used to explore the generic behavior of this complicated coupled system. Selecting the argon pressure in chemical activation systems that produce the 2-methyl-1-hexyl radical iso- mer (1) can control the yield of specific isomers. Shock heating of 1 also shows a highly regular sequence of isomer formation. This regular behavior is because the first isomerization steps are faster than subsequent steps. Other radical isomers, such as 2-methyl-3-hexyl (3), do not show such regular behavior, because the first isomerization step is slower than subsequent steps. Incubation and unimolecular rate-constant fall-off are observed in the shock wave sim- ulations. The unimolecular rate-constant fall-off for the coupled system produces low-pressure limiting rate constants proportional to (M) n , where n can be greater than unity. The fact that n can be greater than unity is a natural feature of multichannel coupled unimolecular reaction systems, but detection of the effect in experiments may be very demanding. � 2001 John Wiley
Synthesis and immunomodulating activity of 5H-thiazolo[2,3-b]quinazolin-3(2H)-one.

The synthesis and immunomodulating activity of 5H-thiazolo[2,3-b]quinazolin-3(2H)-one (7) are described. When tested in the Kennedy plaque assay, 7 exerted immunosuppressive activity on IgM production in female C3H mice sensitized with sheep erythrocytes.
Neurocysticercosis Among Resettled Refugees From Burma

Taenia solium is the most common helminthic infection of the central nervous system and a leading cause of epilepsy in developing nations. Little is known about neurocysticercosis in refugees from Southeast Asia which is endemic for T solium. We present two cases in a single household of refugees from Burma.
Mechanical behavior of double-aged AA8090

The short-transverse fracture toughness of AA8090 is dramatically improved by double aging treatments, which produce a transition from coarse planar slip to homogeneous deformation. Although the fracture mode remains intergranular, stress concentrations across the weak, highangle boundaries are reduced by homogeneous deformation, ultimately increasing fracture toughness. This behavior is attributed to dissolution of the shearable phase(δ’) and growth of the strong precipitate (S’). Predictions of slip distribution agree fairly well with observed deformation behavior. A number of tempers with improved strength-toughness relationships were developed, and fatigue crack growth behavior in laboratory air was not affected by double aging.
Human Rights Monitoring in Germany: A Rejoinder

Manfred Wiegandt concludes his critique of Human Rights Watch/Helsinki's 1995 Report "Germany for Germans": Xenophobia and Racist Violence of Germany' by proffering six guidelines for future investigations into human rights abuses. His guidelines are eminently sensible and, indeed, already inform the Human Rights Watch/Helsinki fact-finding missions. Our disagreements with his critique lie not with the principles he states, but with Wiegandt's conclusion that these principles were ignored in Human Rights Watch/Helsinki's 1995 Report on violence directed against foreigners in Germany. Wiegandt's first criticism is that the 1995 Report unfairly compared racist violence in Germany with the genocide in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. The very sentences he quotes2 refute his point. They expressly refer to Germany as one of numerous Western European countries that are experiencing violent attacks on people who look foreign. They also acknowledge that more serious violence-of genocidal proportion-is occurring elsewhere, but they do not suggest it is taking place in Germany. We chose to refer to the situations in Western Europe and those in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia for separate but related reasons. We referred to Western Europe because the press in many countries gives greater coverage to incidents of racist violence that occur in Germany than they do to similar attacks occurring in other Western European nations. This results in an impression that violence against foreigners is a peculiarly
Possible piezoelectric composites based on the flexoelectric effect

Current piezoelectric composite materials contain two or more phases out of which at least one reveals piezoelectric properties in itself. We show that this is in fact not a necessary condition. The mechanism of the linear stress-polarization response averaged over a composite sample can be also based on flexoelectric properties of one or more constituents. Proper shaping of the composite constituents is required, such that the system as a whole acquires a symmetry allowing for nonzero piezoelectric coefficients even if none of the components is piezoelectric. Externally applied stress is transformed, due to proper geometry of the constituents with different elastic properties, into a strongly nonhomogeneous distribution of induced strain. Flexoelectric properties which are, by symmetry, allowed in all materials, transform the strain gradient into polarization. The proposed piezoelectric composite falls into the category of composites with product properties since it involves different assets of the phases (elastic, flexoelectric and dielectric) and the interaction between the phases, determining the inhomogeneous distribution of stress, is essential.
Diverse cutaneous side effects associated with BRAF inhibitor therapy: A clinicopathologic study

Background Vemurafenib, a novel selective small molecule inhibitor of BRAF, has recently been shown to be effective in the treatment of melanomas harboring the BRAF V600E mutation. Similar to the broad-spectrum RAF inhibitor sorafenib, vemurafenib induces development of squamous cell carcinomas and keratoacanthomas as a side effect of therapy. Objective We sought to detail additional cutaneous adverse effects of vemurafenib and a similar BRAF inhibitor, dabrafenib. Methods We evaluated the clinical and histologic feature of skin side effects developing on vemurafenib or dabrafenib therapy in 14 patients. Results Eight patients developed one or more squamous cell carcinomas, and 11 patients formed benign verrucous keratoses. Eight patients developed single lesions and/or widespread eruptions with histopathologic findings of acantholytic dyskeratosis, consistent with warty dyskeratomas and Darier- or Grover-like rashes, respectively. One patient developed palmoplantar hyperkeratosis, and darkening of existing nevi and new nevi within 2 months of starting vemurafenib. Side effects presented as early as 1 week after beginning therapy, with a mean time of onset of 12.6 weeks in our cohort. Limitations This study was limited by the small number of cases, all from a single institution. Conclusion Selective BRAF inhibitor therapy is associated with the development of malignant and benign growths, including keratoacanthoma-like squamous cell carcinomas, warty dyskeratomas, and verrucous keratoses, along with widespread eruptions with histologic features of acantholytic dyskeratosis. Given the potential for malignant lesions to develop on treatment, awareness of potential adverse effects of these agents is necessary, and a low threshold for biopsy of new growths is recommended.
CBP80 Choreographs the NMD Two-Step

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Hwang et al. (2010) show that the cap-binding protein CBP80 promotes nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) at two steps. In this dual capacity, CBP80 may facilitate essential communication between the premature termination codon (PTC) and the exon-junction complex (EJC) to trigger NMD.
Analysis of hydrostatic journal bearings with end seals

An approximate analysis,for the pressure, field and dynamic,force coefficients in turbulent flow, centered hydrostatic journal bearings (HJBs) with fluid inertia and liquid compressibility effects is presented. Results, from the analysis show that HJBs with end seals have increased damping, better dynamic stability characteristics, as well as lower flow rates, than conventional HJBs. However, hydrostatic (direct) stiffness may be lost if excessively tight end seals are used
Projection–Reconstruction in MRI

The sections in this article are 1 Introduction 2 Theory of Projection–Reconstruction 3 Pulse Sequence Considerations 4 Reconstruction Techniques 5 Artifacts in Projection–Reconstruction 6 Spiral Techniques 7 Applications and Examples 8 Biographical Sketches Related Articles
The Value of the "Papillon" Anterolateral Thigh Flap for Total Pharyngolaryngectomy Reconstruction: A Retrospective Case Series.

Purpose The tubed, buried anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap is a popular reconstruction method for total pharyngolaryngectomy defects. The “papillon”-designed ALT flap, described by Hayden et al, offers an alternative method of using the ALT flap in this situation. We report our early experience with the papillon ALT flap in a patient cohort. Patients and Methods On retrospective review, all patients who underwent reconstruction of circumferential total pharyngolaryngectomy defects with the papillon ALT flap from February 2012 to February 2015 were identified from our departmental database. Demographic and clinical data, operative details, and complications were analyzed from the records. Results Seven patients were included in this study. The mean length of hospital stay was 15 days (range, 10 to 32 days). Acute complications occurred in 5 of 7 patients, namely, partial flap loss managed by a pectoralis flap (1 of 7 [14%]); an early pharyngocutaneous fistula (4 of 7 [57%]) managed by simple repair, wound packing, or delayed repair; and a donor-site hematoma (1 of 7 [14%]). At follow-up (range, 2 to 24 months), there was 1 stricture formation, but no chronic fistula. All patients were able to swallow orally. Conclusions Early results using the papillon ALT flap suggest that this technique is a viable alternative to the standard tubed ALT flap design. The advantages of this design include the following: 1) it offers simultaneous vascularized skin to resurface anterior neck skin deficiency without resorting to additional tissue elsewhere; 2) direct monitoring of the ALT flap is possible; and 3) any pharyngocutaneous fistula is exteriorized to the surface without compromising the internal neck structures and can be easily identified and repaired directly in the office.
Change point analysis with adaptive mixture models

Adaptive mixture models, an extension of finite mixture models in which the number of terms in the probability density estimate is data-driven, are considered for their utility in investigating change point phenomena in high data rate, nonparametric settings. While probability density estimation is only one small part of exploratory data analysis, the ability of adaptive mixture models to develop these estimates nonparametrically can improve the understanding and detection of change points. >
Optoelectronic Integrated Circuits For High Speed Signal Processing

Advances in computational speed and system complexity are pro-ceeding at a rapid pace. As systems become more complex and demands for computation speed increase, parallel processing becomes the solution to meet-ing the requirements for future systems. A significant bottleneck in these and other systems is interconnect and communication problems between chips and subsystems. In addition, communication systems designers need rugged and reliable high speed transmitters and receivers. This paper discusses the design, development, and performance of GaAs optoelectronic integrated circuits for application in optical interconnection control and signal processing. We review the requirements and approaches for realization of practical optical intercon-nects and report on work in progress at Rockwell. Performance and design criteria of optical transmitters and receivers as well as data obtained on 1:8 demultiplexed receivers are given.