cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A NEW INSTRUMENT FOR LOCALIZATION OF INTRAUTERINE CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES: THE BEOLOCATOR.

CONFIRMATION of the presence and proper po’sition of the intrauterine contraceptive device is a vital part of the care after insertion, both to the patient and her physician. This becomes more of a challenge when using devices without visible appendages or when retraction of these appendages has occurred. In The New York HospitalCornell Medical Center intrauterine contraceptive device study, initiated in March, 1964, simple x-ray was not found to be a consistent parameter for definitively establishing proper intrauterine position. The study showed that unless the intrauterine contraceptive device was grossly out of position, x-ray exposures without contrast media could not detect a displaced device. Hysterogram as a routine procedure, however, is impractical.
Inference-security analysis using resolution theorem-proving

A nonnumeric analog of statistical methods for proving security is described and implemented. The approach involves analyzing facts and inference rules assumed to be known to a compromiser and deriving all their possible consequences using resolution theorem-proving, a technique which is argued to be far more appropriate to this problem than rule-based expert systems or information-flow analysis. An important contribution of this method is augmentation of resolution to handle associated time intervals and probabilities of statements being true. The augmentation is simple to use by domain experts untrained in computers, and it is believed to provide the first truly practical tool for analysis of indirect logical inferences in information systems. Its capabilities are demonstrated with an example from military security. >
Albon, D., & Rosen, R. (2014). Negotiating Adult–Child Relationships in Early Childhood Research

Negotiating Adult–Child Relationships in Early Childhood Research provides a deep and thoughtful response to the “messiness” of qualitative research, particularly when it involves young children an...
Positron emission tomography findings in clinical mimics of lymphoma

The use of positron emission tomography (PET) scans is rapidly evolving in the diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of lymphoma. However, significant challenges exist in differentiating lymphomatous from benign lesions. Herein we describe the clinical and radiographic uptake patterns seen in common clinical mimics of lymphoma, including infections such as human immunodeficiency virus and tuberculosis, inflammatory disorders such as sarcoidosis and connective tissue disorders, and other benign lymphoproliferative disorders such as Kikuchi's disease and Rosai-Dorfman disease. The clinical utility of PET scans has encompassed varying fields, not just oncology. Future challenges with the use of improved radiopharmaceuticals in accurately defining and differentiating lesions that would affect clinical treatment would be of paramount importance.
On the colonial formation of comparison: the virgin of Chiquinquirá, the virgin of Guadalupe and Cloth

En su trabajo, Tom Cummins se aparta del metodo comparativo tradicional utilizado en la historia del arte latinoamericano, que tiende a tomar la produccion artistica europea como modelo para los primeros artistas americanos, quienes se encuentran en notoria desventaja si se les mide con los parametros occidentales. Cummins estudia la devocion colombiana de la Virgen de Chiquinquira —uno de los eventos religiosos de la America hispanica mas estudiados y documentados—, y compara su gestacion y evolucion con el itinerario que siguio en Mexico la Virgen de Guadalupe. Estudia los escritores que relataron sus apariciones y fundamentaron la creencia, y sobre todo, la forma en que se forjo la imagen mexicana, para reconocer el influjo que debio causar toda esta parafernalia en la devocion colombiana de Chiquinquira. Los paralelismos que encuentra el autor entre los dos mitos revelan, entre otras cosas, que en ambas regiones se trato de un movimiento religioso nacionalista que se opuso a los espanoles peninsulares y que estaba, por tanto, mas alla de la clase criolla que lo tomo como bandera.
MiRNAs as Biomarkers in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that is frequently characterized by the constitutive expression of the oncogenic protein BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting breakpoint cluster region-ABL are the first-line therapy for most CML patients and have drastically improved the prognosis of CML. However, some CML patients are unresponsive to TKI treatment, and a notable proportion of initially responsive patients develop drug resistance. Several molecular pathways have been correlated with resistance to TKI treatment, however, the exact mechanism of developing drug resistance remains ambiguous. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in the progression of CML and the development of resistance to TKI treatment based on their important regulatory function in cell homeostasis, and the deregulation observed in the initiation and progression of many leukemia subtypes. In this review, we summarize some of the major discoveries regarding miRNAs in CML, and their relevance as biomarkers for diagnosis, disease progression, and drug sensitivity.
Aerobic exercise and neurocognitive performance: a meta-analytic review of randomized controlled trials.

Objectives—Although the effects of exercise on neurocognition have been the subject of several previous reviews and meta-analyses, they have been hampered by methodological shortcomings and are now outdated as a result of the recent publication of several large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods—We conducted a systematic literature review of RCTs examining the association between aerobic exercise training on neurocognitive performance conducted between January, 1966 and July, 2009. Suitable studies were selected for inclusion according to the following criteria: randomized treatment allocation, mean age ≥ 18 years of age, duration of treatment > 1 month, incorporated aerobic exercise components, exercise training was supervised, the presence of a nonaerobic-exercise control group, and sufficient information to derive effect size (ES) data. Results—Twenty-nine studies met inclusion criteria and were included in our analyses, representing data from 2,049 participants and 234 effect sizes. Individuals randomly assigned to receive aerobic exercise training demonstrated modest improvements in attention and processing speed (g = .158 [95% CI: .055 to .260], P = .003), executive function (g = .123 [95% CI: .021 to . 225], P = .018), and memory (g = .128 [95% CI: .015 - .241], P = .026). Conclusions—Aerobic exercise training is associated with modest improvements in attention and processing speed, executive function, and memory, although the effects of exercise on working memory are less consistent. Rigorous RCTs are needed with larger samples, appropriate controls, and longer follow-up periods.
Stages of degradation of timing information in the cochlea: A comparison of hair-cell and nerve-fiber responses in the alligator lizard

Responses to clicks and tone bursts of hair cells and nerve fibers in the free-standing region of the alligator lizard cochlea were compared. The objective was to determine the extent to which the hair-cell processes that produce the receptor potential are also responsible for the attenuation of the synchronized responses of nerve fibers. The AC component of the receptor potential of these hair cells has a high-frequency attenuation of 20 dB/decade [Holton and Weiss (1983) J. Physiol. 345, 205-240], whereas the synchronized response of cochlear neurons is attenuated at a rate of least 80 dB/decade [Rose and Weiss (1988) Hear. Res. 33, 151-166]. Therefore, the processes that link the receptor potential to the nerve discharge act as a lowpass filter with a high-frequency attenuation of at least 60 dB/decade. This could be obtained from a cascade of at least three first-order lowpass filter processes.
Cherokee Slaveholders and Baptist Missionaries, 1845–1860.

(1983). Cherokee Slaveholders and Baptist Missionaries, 1845‐1860. The Historian: Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 147-166.
Possible high-current superconductivity at room temperature in oxidised polypropylene and other quasi one-dimensional systems

Abstract Application is made to quasi one-dimensional systems of the idea of Parmenter, that, in narrow cylindrical regions with thicknes smaller than the magnetic-field penetration depth, pairing may be enhanced at very high drift velocities. Enhancements for drift velocities equal to the velocity of sound or to an appropriate phase velocity of optical phonons, of excitonic excitations or of plasmons may be considered. Such enhancements can be larger in quasi one-dimensional systems. Calculations made here, based on Eliashberg theory, indicate that the enhancement of interactions is not great enough to produce high-current superconductivity which has an energy gap in the laboratory frame which is comparable to or greater than that at zero current if the Fermi energy EF is large compared with the relevant phonon, plasmon or exciton energy, ħω, but simpler calculations indicate that, if EF≪ħω, high-current superconductivity with strong pairing may occur. A theory for EF≈ħω would be useful. The applicability of these ideas to explain reports of room-temperature superconductivity in narrow channels perpendicular to surfaces of films of oxidised polypropylene is discussed.
Effect of applying inoculants with heterolactic or homolactic and heterolactic bacteria on the fermentation and quality of corn silage

Abstract This study examined the effect of applying different bacterial inoculants on the fermentation and quality of corn silage. Corn plants were harvested at 35% DM, chopped, and ensiled in 20-L mini silos after application of (1) deionized water (CON) or inoculants containing (2) 1 × 10 5 cfu/g of Pediococcus pentosaceus 12455 and Propionibacteria freudenreichii (B2); (3) 4 × 10 5 cfu/g of Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 (BUC); or (4) 1 × 10 5 cfu/g of Pediococcus pentosaceus 12455 and 4 × 10 5 cfu/g of L. buchneri 40788 (B500). Four replicates of each treatment were weighed into polyethylene bags within 20-L mini silos. Silos were stored for 575 d at ambient temperature (25°C) in a covered barn. After silos were opened, aerobic stability, chemical composition, and yeast and mold counts were determined. The DNA in treated and untreated silages was extracted using lysozyme/sodium dodecyl sulfate lysis and phenol/chloroform and used as a template for a conventional PCR with primers designed on the 16S rRNA gene to detect the presence of L. buchneri in all silage samples. Acetic acid concentration was greater in B2 silages versus others (6.46 vs. 4.23% DM). Silages treated with BUC and B500 had lower pH and propionic acid concentration and greater lactic acid concentration than others. The B500 silage had the greatest lactic:acetic acid ratio (1.54 vs. 0.41), and only treatment with BUC reduced DM losses (5.0 vs. 14.3%). Yeast and mold counts were less than the threshold (10 5 ) typically associated with silage spoilage and did not differ among treatments. Consequently, all silages were very stable (>250 h). Aerobic stability was not improved by any inoculant but was lower in B500 silages versus others (276 vs. 386 h). The conventional PCR confirmed the presence of similar populations of L. buchneri in all silages. This may have contributed to the prolonged aerobic stability of all silages.
Art, War and Truth: Nomonhan 1939

This paper is about two paintings by the Japanese artist Fujita Tsuguharu (1886–1968) of separate incidents that occurred during the Battle of Nomonhan, a summer-long conflict between Japan and the Soviet Union that took place in 1939 and ended in costly defeat and humiliation for Japan. Following the theme of art, war and truth, I attempt to reconstruct the original context of the paintings from historical sources and to discover or uncover, as reasonably as possible, their meaning and relationship to truth.
Alkane activation: The adsorption and reaction of ethane on W(100)

Abstract The adsorption and reaction of ethane on W(100) have been investigated under ultrahigh vacuum conditions using temperature programmed reaction spectroscopy as the primary technique. At a crystal temperature of 110 K, the initial adsorption probability is 0.95 ± 0.05. For low coverages, ethane adsorbed at 110 K is completely decomposed during temperature programmed reaction, yielding surface carbon and gaseous dihydrogen. With higher exposures, molecular ethane is desorbed below 150 K. At reaction saturation, 0.19 ± 0.04 ethane molecules are decomposed per surface W atom. Both the initial sticking coefficient and the maximum amount of decomposition observed under our experimental conditions decrease for exposures made at elevated surface temperatures. Studies using ethane- d 6 show a strong isotope effect in the desorption/decomposition branching ratio. Additionally, sequential adsorption and displacement experiments with ethane- d 0 and ethane- d 6 demonstrate that at least some of the surface ethane undergoes dehydrogenation upon adsorption at 110 K.
The Emerging Role of Patent Law in Risk Finance

Until recently, financial intermediaries have behaved as though immune from the bite of intellectual property law. However, recent decisions of the federal courts and acquiescence by Congress have created a new legal landscape. This article explores the basic principles and implications of patent law for risk finance, specifically in terms of emerging opportunities and incentives related to structured risk management solutions. In so doing, the discussion introduces the trade‐off between past reliance on trade secret law versus the evolving trend toward financial patents. The author addresses its influence within the convergence markets, and argues that patents may play a significant role in future financial and insurance innovation.
Abstract 5111: Nitric oxide and its role in photodynamic therapy

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Porphyrinic pigments are used as photosensitizers (PS) in photodynamic detection (PDD) and therapy (PDT) that is a minimally invasive modality in the fight against cancer. When the PS is activated by visible light at a given wavelength, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated, which cause cancer cells to undergo cell death. Despite significant advances, drawbacks of the PSs in clinical use include their non-selectivity in cellular-targeting causing cell death by necrosis leading to tissue inflammation. Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to play a key role in modulating apoptotic cell death pathways and to react with reactive oxygen species to form additional lethal reactive nitrogen species (RNS). In our efforts to enhance the effectiveness of PDT, we set out to investigate the role of NO in PDT. We hypothesized that NO delivered to cancer cells at the time that the PS was administered would enhance the efficacy of PDT by promoting mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. To this end, we incubated androgen-sensitive human prostate adenocarcinoma (LNCaP) cells with both a PS and an NO releasing agent that was most effective in NO release as was spectrophotometrically determined by its oxidation of hemoglobin. Phototoxicity experiments were carried out at 37 OC with a noncoherent light source. Cell viability, damage and death were assessed in both illuminated and non-illuminated cells and were quantified by MTT staining as well as trypan blue and propidium iodide exclusion. To corroborate the cell viability results, we assayed clonogenic recovery in response to PDT in pigmented cells both in the presence and absence of NO. Our results indicate that the effectiveness of PDT in causing cell death depends on the NO concentration. PDT with NO alone was toxic to the cancer cells at high concentration of NO, whereas at low NO concentration no significant cell damage was observed after light illumination. PDT with the PS alone was not as effective in promoting cell death as PDT in the presence of both NO and the PS. Depending on the concentrations of the PS and NO, we observed that either necrosis or apoptosis were the prevailing modes of cell death after PDT. Our results indicate that the phototoxicity of the compounds is mainly determined by their intracellular concentration. Thus, understanding the combined effects of NO and the PSs in enhancing cell phototoxicity will aid in determining the roles that NO plays in improving the efficacy of PDT and may provide an alternate regimen to enhance PDT efficacy. Citation Format: Marco Monroy, Pooncharas Tipgunlakant, Ursula Simonis, Raymond Esquerra. Nitric oxide and its role in photodynamic therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5111. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5111
Behavioral contrast in the pigeon: a study of the duration of key pecking maintained on multiple schedules of reinforcement.

Pecks on an operant key were reinforced on either multiple variable-interval variable-interval or multiple variable-interval extinction schedules of reinforcement. The stimuli that signalled the multiple-schedule components were located on a second key (signal key), and a changeover delay prevented reinforcement of signal key-peck—operant key-peck sequences. No behavioral contrast was observed on the operant key, and appreciable responding to the signal key occurred during the variable-interval component of the multiple variable-interval extinction procedure. Peck durations on the signal key were markedly shorter than peck durations on the operant key. Moreover, most responses on the signal key occurred just after the multiple-schedule components changed. These data support an account of behavioral contrast in terms of the summation of pecks that are separately controlled by stimulus-reinforcer and response-reinforcer dependencies, and suggest that the stimulus-reinforcer dependency is responsible primarily for local contrast. In addition, the data suggest that pecks that are controlled by these two dependencies may belong to topographically different classes.
Provenance of the Paleocene–Eocene Wilcox Group, western Gulf of Mexico basin: Evidence for integrated drainage of the southern Laramide Rocky Mountains and Cordilleran arc

Laramide basement blocks of the U.S. Rocky Mountain Province have long been considered the sediment source of the Paleocene–Eocene Wilcox Group, implying that large-scale progradation driven by Laramide uplift induced a transition from carbonate to clastic deposition in the Gulf of Mexico. Detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra from 10 samples collected from the Wilcox Group in south Texas reveal a complex grain assemblage with major age populations at ca. 1800–1300 Ma and 350–50 Ma and minor populations at 1300–950 Ma, 3250–1850 Ma, and 900–400 Ma. Modal data for Wilcox Group sand grain populations from the same region suggest a diverse provenance, including sources from the Cordilleran magmatic arc and subordinate reworked sedimentary rocks. Sediment was primarily derived from a mix of crystalline basement blocks in the U.S. southern Rocky Mountains and northern Mexico, the Cordilleran arc of western Mexico and the southwestern United States, and Mesozoic–Paleogene magmatic rocks of northern Mexico. Secondary sources include recycled strata from Sevier-Laramide basins in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Comparisons of detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra show that the Lower Wilcox subunit contains significant magmatic arc–derived sediment, whereas the Upper Wilcox subunit is more enriched in basement and recycled sedimentary detritus. Therefore, the relatively quartzose composition of the bulk detrital assemblages throughout the Wilcox Group of south Texas is not an accurate reflection of the range of volcanic and basement sources indicated by the associated U-Pb ages, suggesting significant attrition of unstable grains during long-distance (>500–1000 km) transport.
Empathy and the Vietnam Veteran: Touching the Forgotten Warrior

The psychological aftermath for some Vietnam veterans is severe and lasting. A discussion of the war, along with implications for counseling, are delineated.
Regulation of Uterine 5α-Reductase Type 1 in Mice

A null mutation in the murine gene encoding steroid 5 alpha-reductase type 1 (5 alpha R1) leads to failure of normal parturition at term. This observation, together with the finding that mRNA levels of uterine 5 alpha R1 increase significantly at term in normal pregnant animals, indicates that 5 alpha R1 plays an important role in murine parturition. The current studies were conducted to elucidate the regulation of 5 alpha R1 in uterine tissues of nonpregnant and pregnant animals. Nonpregnant, ovariectomized ICR mice were treated with vehicle (control), 17 beta-estradiol (E(2)), progesterone (P(4) ), or E(2)+P(4) for 3 days. Thereafter, uterine tissues were obtained for histology, quantification of 5 alpha R1 specific activity, and Northern blot analysis of 5 alpha R1 mRNA expression. The 5 alpha R1 enzyme activity was significantly increased in animals treated with E(2)+P(4). However, activity was much less in uterine tissues from E(2)+P(4)-treated animals than in uterine tissues from pregnant animals near term. To evaluate further the regulation of 5 alpha R1 during gestation, mice underwent unilateral tubal ligation before timed matings. The 5 alpha R1 activity increased eightfold in uterine tissues from the fetal horn from Gestational Days 12 to 18. This temporal pattern in 5 alpha R1 activity paralleled marked increases in uterine diameter. Taken together, these studies indicate that expression of 5 alpha R1 is regulated by E(2)+P(4) in uterine tissues. Whereas E(2) alone is insufficient to induce enzyme activity, E(2) may be required to increase P(4) receptors and, thereby, mediate the effects of P(4) on 5 alpha R1 gene expression. Further increases in enzyme activity during late gestation are mediated by fetal occupancy, possibly through stretch-induced increases in endometrial growth. Thus, like other genes involved in parturition, expression of 5 alpha R1 is regulated by both hormonal and fetal-derived signaling pathways.
Spermatogonial intercellular bridges in whole-mounted seminiferous tubules from normal and irradiated rodent testes.

Whole-mounted seminiferous tubules from normal and irradiated rodent testes were examined by light microscopy. These studies reveal the presence of intercellular bridges in all classes of spermatogonia except for the single As stem cells. It was demonstrated that As stem cells divide to produce new As spermatogonia or paired daughter cells that are united by a cytoplasmic bridge. Evidence was given that all subsequent progeny of these paired A's up to and including the production of type B spermatogonia remain linked by cytoplasmic bridges in increasingly larger and more complex syncytial networks. It is proposed that the intercellular bridges mediate both differentiation and degeneration of spermatogonia. The maintenance of synchronous development within cohorts of spermatogonia is attributed to the bridges. Moreover, the fact that spermatogonia in both normal and irradiated testes degenerate in clusters is determined by the presence of intercellular bridges. Lastly, the integrity of the bridges appears essential for normal germ cell development.
A new species of chigger of the genus Schoengastia Oudemans (Acari: Trombiculidae) from Cryptoblepharus boutonii africanus (Sternfeld) (Reptilia: Scincidae) on the Tanzanian coast

Abstract The chigger, Schoengastia cryptoblepharsia n. sp. (Acari: Trombiculidae), is described from the snake-eyed skink, Cryptoblepharus boutonii africanus (Sternfeld, 1918) (Reptilia: Scincidae). Host skinks were captured on the sea coast along Oyster Bay, near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Habitat notes and taxonomic data are provided.
The oldest hand-axes in Europe

A key transition in the history of technology was that from the simple chopper-like tools used by the earliest stone-using hominins to the more finely worked, bifacial artefacts known as hand-axes. The very long time lag between the appearance of hand-axes in Asia and their earliest records in Europe — about a million years — has long puzzled palaeoanthropologists. In general, the first hand-axes to appear in Europe have been thought to be about half a million years old. Gary Scott and Luis Gibert have reassessed the dating of two hand-axe-bearing Palaeolithic sites in southern Spain, and they come up with dates of 0.76 and 0.9 million years old for the La Solana del Zamborino and the Estrecho del Quipar rock shelter sites respectively, significantly closing the time gap between Asia and Europe. A key development in the history of technology was the transition to hand-axes and bifacial chopping tools during the Early Pleistocene (about 1.5 million years ago) in Africa. Puzzlingly, the earliest records in Europe of hand-axes lag behind this date by a million years, at around 0.5 million years ago. Here, palaeomagnetic analysis of two sites in southeastern Spain where hand-axes have been found yields revised dates of up to 0.9 million years ago, significantly closing the time gap. Stone tools are durable reminders of the activities, skills and customs of early humans, and have distinctive morphologies that reflect the development of technological skills during the Pleistocene epoch. In Africa, large cutting tools (hand-axes and bifacial chopping tools) became part of Palaeolithic technology during the Early Pleistocene (∼1.5 Myr ago)1,2,3. However, in Europe this change had not been documented until the Middle Pleistocene (<0.5 Myr ago)4,5. Here we report dates for two western Mediterranean hand-axe sites that are nearly twice the age of the supposed earliest Acheulian in western Europe. Palaeomagnetic analysis of these two sites in southeastern Spain found reverse polarity magnetozones, showing that hand-axes were already in Europe as early as 0.9 Myr ago. This expanded antiquity for European hand-axe culture supports a wide geographic distribution of Palaeolithic bifacial technology outside of Africa during the Early Pleistocene.
Inheritance of seed coat color of Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun)

The inheritance of seed coat color was investigated in Brassica carinata in F1, F2, F3 and backcross progenies of crosses between brown- and yellow-seeded pure lines. Seed coat color in B. carinata was not influenced by xenia effect. Segregation pattern followed a mono-genic incomplete dominance inheritance model The occurrence of yellow/light yellow-brown seed trait in B. carinata may be due to an interaction between brown seed coat color gene and dominant repressor (Rp) genes. Key words: Brassica carinata, inheritance, seed coat color, dominant repressor
Affective meaning and depression: A semantic differential analysis

While depressive symptomatology is typically discussed in terms of a cognitive-behavioral-affective triad, research and clinical work has tended to focus primarily on thought and behavior. Disengagement from incentives in depression should also be examined explicitly from the affective sphere. In the present study, the semantic differential technique was used to map the reactions of depressed and nondepressed college students to global concepts of a self-referent (self, past, future) versus external (friends, family, school) nature. Findings revealed that depressed subjects rated all concepts significantly less potent, less active, and less evaluatively positive as compared to their nondepressed peers.
Tracking multiple moving objects by binary object forest segmentation

Abstract In an earlier study it was shown that the low level image segmentation technique known as binary object forest (BOF) analysis could be successfully used to extract one or two moving objects from complex backgrounds, even when the motion involved was very large. The method involved performing BOF analysis on each of a pair of images from a sequence and then matching the vertices of the resulting graphs. In the present study the problem of tracking multiple objects in complex backgrounds and in difficult circumstances such as partial occlusion, is considered. The approach taken is once again to perform an initial BOF analysis of each image but now to attempt matching over subgraphs of the BOF rather than simply on individual vertices. It is shown theoretically and experimentally that this results in a much more robust matching scheme. This increase in robustness not only allows multiple objects to be tracked but facilitates correct matching even when partial object occlusion occurs and when motion towards the sensor results in large (apparent) size changes between frames.
Vacuum states and the S matrix in dS / CFT

We propose a definition of dS/CFT correlation functions by equating them to S-matrix elements for scattering particles from ${\mathcal{I}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ to ${\mathcal{I}}^{+}.$ In planar coordinates, which cover half of de Sitter space, we consider instead the S vector obtained by specifying a fixed state on the horizon. We construct the one-parameter family of de Sitter invariant vacuum states for a massive scalar field in these coordinates, and show that the vacuum obtained by analytic continuation from the sphere has no particles on the past horizon. We use this formalism to provide evidence that the one-parameter family of vacua corresponds to marginal deformations of the CFT by computing a three-point function.
Combined transtemporal access for large (>3 cm) meningiomas of the cerebellopontine angle.

Objectives Large meningiomas of the cerebellopontine angle present a formidable surgical challenge due to tumor vascularity, neural attachment, and brain stem compression. The purpose of this paper is to present our use of the combined transtemporal approach in the surgical treatment of 29 large meningiomas. Study design and setting Twenty-nine patients with large meningiomas of the CPA were surgically treated through a combined retrosigmoid-transpetrosal-transcochlear approach at our tertiary care academic medical center from July 1995 through July 2004. Data was collected from a retrospective medical records review. Results Total tumor removal was achieved in 19 of 29 (67%) of the patients and the facial nerve was anatomically preserved in 26 of 29 (89%) of the cases. Cerebrospinal fluid leakage was seen in 3.5% of the patients and additional transient cranial nerve deficits were noted in 14% of the cases, but no significant neurologic sequelae occurred. Of the 10 patients with residual tumor, 6 have been stable without growth, 2 were treated with reoperation for regrowth of disease, and 2 were controlled with localized radiotherapy. Conclusions This combined lateral transtemporal approach provided wide exposure to the cerebellopontine angle and optimized the surgical extirpation of 29 large meningiomas presented in this series. EBM rating: C-4
Steroid signaling in plants and insects—common themes, different pathways

Outside of mammals, two model systems have been the focus of intensive genetic studies aimed at defining the molecular mechanisms of steroid hormone action—the flowering plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, and the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Studies in Arabidopsis have benefited from a detailed description of the brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthetic pathway, allowing the effects of mutations to be linked to specific enzymatic steps. More recently, the signaling cascade that functions downstream from BR production has been defined, revealing for the first time how the hormone can exert its effects on gene expression through a cell surface receptor and phosphorylation cascade. In contrast, studies of steroid hormone action in Drosophila began in the nucleus, with a detailed description of the transcription puffs activated by the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) in the giant polytene chromosomes. Subsequent genetic studies have revealed that these effects are exerted through nuclear receptors, much like mammalian hormone signaling. Most recently, genetic studies have begun to elucidate the ecdysteroid biosynthetic pathway which, until recently, remained largely undefined. Our current understanding of steroid hormone signaling in Arabidopsis and Drosophila provides a number of intriguing parallels as well as distinct differences. At least some of these differences, however, appear to be due to deficiencies in our understanding of these pathways. Below we discuss recent breakthroughs in defining the molecular mechanisms of BR biosynthesis and signaling in plants, and we compare and contrast this pathway with what is known about the mechanisms of ecdysteroid action in Drosophila. We raise some current questions in these fields, the answers to which may reveal other similarities in steroid signaling in plants and animals.
Vowel Classification and Identification Using the QOBE Algorithm

Speech classification and identification is a wide field of research that has many applications in digital systems employing speech processing. In this paper we explore the use of the quasi-optimal bounding ellipsoid (QOBE) algorithm in classifying and identifying several vowel signals from different speakers. QOBE algorithms have proved to be potential candidates in many digital signal processing applications for their efficiency in estimating the parameter set of an unknown system. We obtain vowels from the TIMIT database for both the training and testing sets. We conduct simulations to evaluate the performance of the QOBE in vowel classification and identification using central estimates. We conclude by comparing the use of QOBE estimates in accurate vowel identification.
The Specificity of Milk Lipase. I. Determination of the Lipolytic Activity in Milk toward Milk Fat and Simpler Esters

Summary A study of the optimum conditions for the activity of milk toward different esters was made. This will provide the basis for the assay methods used in further specificity studies. The reactions were carried out with constant shaking. Under those conditions, appreciable hydrolysis of milk fat occurred with nonhomogenized cream. The emulsion was more stable, however, with homogenized creams. Cream homogenized at 2,500 p.s.i. was therefore used for the milk fat hydrolysis. The pH optima for the milk fat, Tween-20, and methyl butyrate hydrolyses were 8.8–9.1, 8.8, and 8.0, respectively. The pH optimum of 8.7–8.9 for the tributyrinase activity of milk was confirmed.
CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF RESPONSE

The availability of effective chemotherapeutic agents to physicians treating patients with neoplastic diseases has had a significant impact upon the natural history of these diseases over the past 25 years. Single agent chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide in Burkitt’s lymphoma15 or with methotrexate in gestational choriocarcinoma’ is frequently curative. Combination chemotherapy may be curative in advanced Hodgkin’s disease’ and in childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia.’ The natural history of Wilms’ tumor and certain testicular tumors and sarcomas has been favorably altered when multimodality therapy including surgery, with or without radiotherapy and chemotherapy is employed. Recent data have shown that employing chemotherapeutic agents as surgical adjuvant therapy leads to a significantly prolonged disease-free interval, if not cure, in patients with osteogenic sarcoma who are treated by radical surgery followed by adiamycni’ or high dose methotrexate and citrovorum rescue,” and in patients with breast carcinoma and positive lymph nodes who at the time of mastectomy are treated with L-PAM6 or cytoxan, methotrexate and 5 FU.’
WE-D-BRE-04: Modeling Optimal Concurrent Chemotherapy Schedules

Purpose: Concurrent chemo-radiation therapy (CCRT) has become a more common cancer treatment option with a better tumor control rate for several tumor sites, including head and neck and lung cancer. In this work, possible optimal chemotherapy schedules were investigated by implementing chemotherapy cell-kill into a tumor response model of RT. Methods: The chemotherapy effect has been added into a published model (Jeong et al., PMB (2013) 58:4897), in which the tumor response to RT can be simulated with the effects of hypoxia and proliferation. Based on the two-compartment pharmacokinetic model, the temporal concentration of chemotherapy agent was estimated. Log cell-kill was assumed and the cell-kill constant was estimated from the observed increase in local control due to concurrent chemotherapy. For a simplified two cycle CCRT regime, several different starting times and intervals were simulated with conventional RT regime (2Gy/fx, 5fx/wk). The effectiveness of CCRT was evaluated in terms of reduction in radiation dose required for 50% of control to find the optimal chemotherapy schedule. Results: Assuming the typical slope of dose response curve (γ50=2), the observed 10% increase in local control rate was evaluated to be equivalent to an extra RT dose of about 4 Gy, from which the cell-killmore » rate of chemotherapy was derived to be about 0.35. Best response was obtained when chemotherapy was started at about 3 weeks after RT began. As the interval between two cycles decreases, the efficacy of chemotherapy increases with broader range of optimal starting times. Conclusion: The effect of chemotherapy has been implemented into the resource-conservation tumor response model to investigate CCRT. The results suggest that the concurrent chemotherapy might be more effective when delayed for about 3 weeks, due to lower tumor burden and a larger fraction of proliferating cells after reoxygenation.« less
Toxoplasmosis in sheep--the last 20 years.

Sheep are important to the economy of many countries because they are a source of food for humans Sheep are commonly infected with the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Infection with the parasite may cause early embryonic death and resorption, fetal death and mummification, abortion, stillbirth, and neonatal death. Severity of infection is associated with the stage of pregnancy at which the ewe becomes infected, the earlier in gestation, the more severe the consequences. Infected sheep meat is a source of T. gondii infection for humans and carnivorous animals. Most sheep acquire T. gondii infection after birth, and less than 4% of persistently infected sheep transmit the parasite vertically to the next generation. Recent studies by a group of researchers in England reported that repeat ovine transmission of T. gondii may be more common than previously believed but these findings are soley based on PCR data and require additional data using other techniques to verify the findings. Following infection with T. gondii, sheep develop humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against the parasite that provides effective protection against disease in subsequent pregnancies. A commercial vaccine is available, comprising a live, incomplete strain of T. gondii. The vaccine is administered to sheep prior to mating to protect against lamb losses due to toxoplasmosis. In the present paper, information on the prevalence, transmission, and control of ovine toxoplasmosis in the last 20 years is reviewed.
Intrinsic motivation and human-centred design

This essay seeks to clarify the paradigm shift from object-centred to human-centred research and design. It suggests abandoning the technological determinism that underlies the industrial era conce...
Saliva and serum cortisol dynamics following intravenous dexamethasone in normal volunteers

In order to further explore the utility of saliva cortisol as an accurate measure of adrenal steroid production, dexamethasone (DEX) and saline were administered intravenously at 0800h to eight normal male volunteers in a randomized design, and the effects on serum and saliva cortisol concentrations were measured at hourly intervals from 0800h-2300h. Saliva cortisol values were highly correlated to serum cortisol levels within-subjects under both conditions (r = 0.78, p less than 0.025), however correlations were reduced in the DEX day sample pairs. Across-subject correlations at each time point were considerably more variable, reflecting interindividual differences in the saliva to serum cortisol ratios. No consistent time lag of saliva cortisol values in response to serum cortisol fluctuations was observed. These data suggest that saliva cortisol is an excellent index of changes in adrenal production of cortisol over time within individuals; however, it also suggests that salivary cortisol measures have less usefulness in comparing values across groups of individuals.
Dispersal patterns of clay minerals in the sediments of the eastern Mediterranean Sea

Abstract A semiquantitative X-ray diffraction study of the finer-than-2μ-size fraction of the surface sediments of the eastern Mediterranean Sea has been carried out. On the basis of the abundances and the distributional patterns of the different clay minerals six mineral assemblages are distinguished. These assemblages have distinctive sources and their dispersal reflects different agents of transport in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. A Nile assemblage with very high amounts of well-crystallized smectite (> 50%) and 15–25% kaolinite is found on the eastern Nile cone and within the eastern Levantine Basin. Its distribution has resulted from the dispersal by the easterly directed surface water currents which form part of the counter-clockwise gyre in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Levantine intermediate water has transported from the southeast Aegean Sea on to the Mediterranean ridge southeast of Crete a southeast Aegean assemblage characterized by 40–60% well-crystallized smectite and higher contents of chlorite and illite than in the Nile assemblage. A kaolinite-rich assemblage (20%– > 30% kaolinite), coinciding with high carbonate values, occurs on the western section of the Mediterranean ridge and to some extent in the western Nile cone, as a consequence of transport by wind from North Africa. The restriction of Kithira and Messina assemblages (illite- and chlorite-rich assemblages) to deep parts of the Ionian Basin is chiefly due to water movements involved in deep circulation. A Sicilian assemblage with 20– > 30% kaolinite and 30–50% smectite in the westernmost part of the Ionian Basin south of Sicily, has mainly resulted from the dispersal by easterly moving surface waters from the western Mediterranean Sea.
Termination of tonic immobility in chickens by auditory stimulation

The experiment investigated the effects of 60-, 70-, 80-, or 90-dB, 250-Hz tones presented at 30-sec intervals during tonic immobility (TI) on the duration of the response. Results indicated that all birds in the 90-dB condition terminated TI with tone onset, 60% of the birds in the 80-dB condition showed the maximal response (1800 sec), and 30% terminated with tone onset. Two parallel responses were hypothesized to result from such stimulation: (l)fear, which increases TI duration and (2) a startle reaction, which terminates TI.
On the Holonomic Systems of Linear Differential Equations, II.

In this paper we shall study the restriction of holonomic systems of differential equations. Let X be a complex manifold and Y a submanifold, and let (9 x and D x be the sheaf of the holomorphic functions and the sheaf of the differential operators of finite order, respectively. If a function u on X satisfies a system of differential equations, the restriction of u onto Y also satisfies the system of differential equations derived from the system on X. This leads to the following definition. Let JC{ be a Dx-Module. The restriction of ~ / o n t o Y is, by definition, (gr | J//. ~x In [4] it is proved that if Jr is a coherent Dx-Module and if Y is noncharacteristic to Jg, then the restriction of Jg is also a coherent Dr-Module. However, if Y is characteristic, the restriction is no longer coherent in general. For examples, if X=II2" and Y = { x = ( x 1 . . . . , x , ) eX ; x l = O } and J g = D x , the restriction JC[/xlJCl is a free Dr-Module generated by D~(m=0, 1,2,...) and is not coherent. We shall prove the following theorems in this paper.
Reliability and Accuracy of In-Depth Inspection of Highway Bridges

In-depth inspection is one of the two most common types of bridge inspection. In contrast with routine inspection, in-depth inspection is a close-up, hands-on inspection that generally covers only a portion of a bridge. The Federal Highway Administration's Nondestructive Evaluation Validation Center recently completed a study of the reliability of visual inspection of highway bridges. Part of this study focused on the accuracy and reliability of in-depth inspections as completed by state bridge inspectors from across the United States. Three in-depth inspection tasks were completed, two focusing on the inspection of steel superstructures and one focusing on the inspection of concrete bridge decks. Visual inspection techniques were used, with the possible use of simple inspection tools. Results show that many in-depth inspections completed by state bridge inspectors do not accurately represent the condition of the structure. In-depth inspections of the steel superstructures revealed that certain deficiencies for which this type of inspection is frequently prescribed were rarely detected. Specifically, only a small minority of state bridge inspectors located the presence of any of the existing crack indications. The delamination survey of a concrete bridge deck indicated that the accuracy of this type of inspection is relatively poor. Very few state bridge inspection teams provided results that could be considered to portray the condition of the deck accurately.
Consolidation therapy with weekly paclitaxel infusion in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer and primary peritoneal cancer: An extended follow-up

Abstract Objective. To determine the impact of weekly paclitaxel consolidation on progression-free survival (PFS) of women undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer. Methods. All women with advanced epithelial ovarian or primary peritoneal carcinoma, treated with paclitaxel consolidation therapy from August 1997 to March 2002, were identified. Patients received weekly paclitaxel infused at a median dose of 80 mg/m 2 (range: 60–80 mg/m 2 ) for a maximum of 12 weeks. A chart review was performed to assess disease status and chemotherapy-related toxicities. PFS was calculated from the date of initiation of induction chemotherapy until the date of documented disease recurrence. Results. 31 women received paclitaxel consolidation therapy over the study period (29 stage III and 2 stage IV). 24 women had epithelial ovarian carcinoma and 7 were diagnosed with primary peritoneal carcinoma. The median PFS was 27 months (range: 12–62 months). The overall 2-year survival was 94%, where 17 women (55%) were without evidence of disease and 12 (39%) were alive with disease. The median follow-up was 41 months (range: 15–77 months). Over 337 weeks of consolidation therapy, 1 patient experienced Grade 3 neuropathy and 1 patient developed Grade 3 neutropenia. Conclusion. Consolidation therapy with weekly paclitaxel infusion is a well-tolerated regimen that resulted in a median PFS of 27 months in women who obtained a complete clinical response following induction therapy. Given the lack of side effects and the potential for extending the PFS of those treated, a prospective randomized study of weekly paclitaxel should be considered.