cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Safety and Efficacy Results from a Phase I Trial of Single-Agent Lumiliximab (Anti-CD23 Antibody) for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

The CD23 antigen is expressed at high density on the cell surface of certain B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Lumiliximab (L-mab), a macaque-human chimeric anti-CD23 monoclonal antibody, has been reported to have antitumor activity against CLL in preclinical studies. In this Phase I multicenter study, the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of single-agent L-mab were evaluated in 46 patients with relapsed or refractory CLL. Therapy consisted of intravenous L-mab given as 6 regimens: (1) 125 mg/m2/wk for 4 weeks; (2) 250 mg/m2/wk for 4 weeks; (3) 375 mg/m2/wk for 4 weeks; (4) 500 mg/m2/wk for 4 weeks; (5) 500 mg/m2 for 3 doses during Week 1, then 500 mg/m2/wk during Weeks 2 to 4; and (6) 500 mg/m2 three times a week for 4 weeks. Patient characteristics were as follows: median age of 62 years (range 47 to 80 years), 93% Caucasian, 72% male, 54% fludarabine-refractory, 48% Rai stage III/IV, and 78% WHO Performance Status 1. At study entry, patients had progressive CLL after 1 to 13 prior treatment regimens (median = 4 prior regimens). Antibody infusions, administered over 2 hours in an outpatient setting, were well tolerated. Study-related adverse events (probable, possible, or unknown relationship to study treatment) were reported in 40 of 46 patients (87%). The majority of events were Grade 1 or 2; the most common were headache, constipation, nausea, and cough. Grade 3 or 4 study-related adverse events were reported in 7 of 46 patients (15%) and included neutropenia and dyspnea. Evidence of clinical activity consisted of reductions in absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC) and lymphadenopathy. Decreases in ALC were observed in 42 of 46 (91%) patients, and decreases ≥ 50% were observed in 11 of 40 (28%) patients enrolled at 375 mg/m2/week or higher. Of 37 patients evaluated for change in lymphadenopathy, reductions were observed in 22 (59%). Flow cytometry revealed that L-mab saturated CD23 sites on CLL cells at doses above 375 mg/m2/week without down regulating CD23 expression. These results suggest that single-agent L-mab can be administered safely with evidence of clinical activity in patients with heavily pretreated CLL. Ongoing clinical studies are assessing the potential of L-mab in combination with rituximab and fludarabine-based chemotherapy.
Copolymerization of transition metal salen complexes and conversion into metal nanoparticles supported on hierarchically porous carbon monoliths: a one pot synthesis

Described is the synthesis of metal (Ni, Cr, and Mn) doped macro/mesoporous carbon monoliths by co-polymerization of transition metal complexes with resorcinol/formaldehyde and subsequent pyrolysis. Two salen ligands were synthesized via reaction of ethylene diamine (EDA) and 1,6-diaminohexane (DAH) with 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde to give 4,4′-((1E,1′E)-(ethane-1,2-diylbis(azanylylidene))bis(methanylylidene))bis(benzene-1,3-diol) (=E-salen) and 4,4′-((1E,1′E)-(hexane-1,6-diylbis(azanylylidene))bis(methanylylidene))bis(benzene-1,3-diol) (=D-salen). Their metal salen complexes were prepared. All the samples pyrolyzed at 500 °C had macro and mesopores with a specific surface area ranging from 250–500 m2/g. However, the surface area and porosity of the samples decreased dramatically for the metal containing samples pyrolyzed at 800 °C. This is suggested to result from incomplete co-polymerization of the metal salen complexes. The extent of graphitization determined from Raman increased with the pyrolysis temperature. The electrical conductivity was found to increase with the pyrolysis temperature, and followed the trend Ni > Mn > Cr. The M-E-salen containing samples had significantly lower conductivity than their D-salen counterparts.
Thinking about Talking about Writing about … “Animals”

Taking this volume as a whole, the Afterword asks what assumptions about relations between human and nonhuman vitality emerge from these essays? Secondly, what do these engagements, these struggles, these entanglements between human and nonhuman animals, articulated in these texts, reveal about the current state of and potential for our collective work in “human‒animal studies”? Tying ontology—a theory of “being”—with ethics—a notion of implied and authorized “praxis”—the co-editors push us toward articulating what the ethical stakes are in interpreting largely literary texts. Acknowledging their goal, this afterword probes further to ask how a point of view from animal studies as an interdiscipline can provide an interpretive framework for literary texts based on an ontological‒ethical grounding. The ultimate question we face is how to theorize the complex linkages between literature and its interpretation and the material conditions of living animals.
Making Human Rights Universal in the Age of Economic Globalisation

This article examines the relationship between the process of globalisation and universalisation of human rights. It is divided in four parts. After a brief provisional description of some of the effects of globalisation in section I., it moves in section II. to a more detailed examination of the process by which international human rights have been sought to be made universal since the end of Wodd War II. In section III. are addressed some of the structural obstacles to the universalisation of human rights, with particular attention to some of the trends within the process of globalisation. The fourth and final part explores the present efforts to promote international responsibility in the age of globalisation, before the final conclusions are drawn.
The Invisible Being: Finding Images of God in Secular Children's Literature

Many secular children's books contain explicit or implicit images of God which can be used by educators and parents to enhance the spiritual growth of children. This article discusses stages of spi...
On the Discrete Time Capital Asset Pricing Model

Abstract We give in this chapter a presentation of the capital asset pricing model in discrete time. The presentation is usually done in continuous time. However, the discrete time model is not just a discrete time version of the continuous time model. Some significant differences occur. They are related to the fact that the usual assumption of complete markets is not satisfied in discrete time unless the randomness is modelled by a finite number of events.
Inflammation in stroke: the good, the bad, and the unknown.

It has been known for a very long time (Spielmeyer 1922) that in ‘apoplectic’ brains the hallmarks of inflammation may be found, including pus-filled cavities. Until very recently it was generally believed that brain inflammation following stroke is a secondary reaction to the destruction of brain tissue, which is cleared by invading leukocytes, in particular macrophages (Manoonkitiwongsa et al. 2001). Accordingly, inflammation is supposed to free the brain from the debris of dead cells, but in itself does not participate in ischemic cell damage. Quite clearly, this concept must be modified in view of recent research. Numerous experimental as well as clinical studies have linked stroke-induced brain inflammation to the acute and delayed evolution of brain infarction, as well as to scattered selective neuronal injury in the infarct perimeter. These studies have been reviewed (e.g., Barone and Feuerstein 1999; del Zoppo et al. 2000, 2001; Kumar 2001; Iadecola and Alexander 2001; Emsley and Tyrrell 2002; Frijns and Kappelle 2002; Danton and Dietrich 2003) and we wrote an overview entitled ‘Inflammation in Stroke — A Potential Target for Neuroprotection’ (Priller and Dirnagl 2002) for the 2001 Ernst Schering Foundation Workshop ‘Neuroinflammation — From Bench to Bedside.’
Design, Construction, and Testing of a Large Bore Superconducting Magnet Test Facility (SMTF) at the University of Missouri-Columbia

The University of Missouri-Columbia (UMC) recently obtained a magnet test dewar, which was initially used in the early 1970s at the NASA Lewis Research Center for testing large bore superconducting coils1. In the late 1970s, a 0.4 metre diameter warm tube was added to the original dewar. This configuration was used sparingly and was subsequently surplused to UMC.
Intratreatment Response Assessment With 18F-FDG PET: Correlation of Semiquantitative PET Features With Pathologic Response of Esophageal Cancer to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy.

Purpose This prospective study seeks to extract semiquantitative positron emission tomography (PET) features from 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET scans performed before and during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer and to compare their accuracy in predicting histopathologic response. Methods and Materials From 2012 to 2016, 26 patients with esophageal cancer underwent pretreatment and intratreatment PET scans during chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. Median patient age was 63 years (interquartile range, 58-68 years); 26 patients had esophageal adenocarcinoma, and 3 had esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The intratreatment PET scan was performed at a median of 32.4 Gy (interquartile range, 30.6-32.4 Gy). PET features of the primary site including maximum standardized uptake value (SUV), SUV mean, metabolic tumor volume, and total lesion glycolysis were extracted from the pretreatment and intratreatment PET scans. Patients were histopathologic responders if there was complete or near-complete tumor response by modified Ryan scheme. Mean values of PET features were compared between histopathologic responders and nonresponders. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to compare the accuracy of PET features in predicting histopathologic response. Results Eleven patients (42%) were histopathologic responders. PET features most discriminatory of histopathologic response on AUC analysis were volumetric PET features from the intratreatment PET including metabolic tumor volume based on manual contour (AUC, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.52-0.93) and total lesion glycolysis based on semiautomatic 40% SUV threshold (AUC, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.94). Conclusions Volumetric PET features from the intratreatment PET were the most accurate predictors of histopathologic response.
Thyroid dysfunction in the severely ill and elderly. Forget the classic signs and symptoms

Manifestations of thyrotoxicosis and hypothyroidism are often ill-defined in elderly and seriously ill patients, and signs and symptoms may suggest a nonendocrine disease process instead. It is vitally important that physicians be aware of the possibility of thyroid disease in such patients. Failure to suspect the diagnosis may result in improper treatment and use of invasive diagnostic tests that not only fail to yield helpful results but also are potentially detrimental to the outcome. It is also essential to be able to distinguish between test abnormalities that indicate primary thyroid dysfunction and those that reveal an adaptive response to nonthyroidal illness.
Periodic Coupling in Dielectric/Semiconductor Guided-Wave Bistable Devices

Nonlinear optical effects influence periodic coupling between a dielectric waveguide and a thin semiconductor cladding. Resulting propagation characteristics are used with distributed feedback to design a bistable switch.
Prostate cancer and the role of biomarkers.

To review available prostate cancer biomarkers and their performance in a clinical order, from prostate cancer detection, to treatment of localized and advanced disease. We used an electronic literature search of the PubMed database using the key words “prostate biomarkers,” “genomic markers,” and “prostate cancer screening,” as well as specific biomarkers, until March 2019. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) lacks sensitivity for prostate cancer detection, and PSA derivatives have slightly improved its specificity, but have not resolved the limitations of PSA screening. Prostate cancer biomarkers have emerged as an ancillary tool to guide the clinical decision-making in different clinical scenarios. Urine-based tests can identify patients who may benefit from a prostate biopsy, and issue-based markers are helpful in guiding the decision regarding a second biopsy, stratifying patient with newly diagnosed prostate cancer to active surveillance or treatment, and identifying patients who may benefit from adjuvant treatment after surgery. New biomarkers have improved risk stratification in diagnosing and treating prostate cancer. Many of these markers are still considered experimental, and their efficacy and cost utility have not been determined.
Hospitalization and Its Impact: Stressors Associated with Inpatient Hospitalization for the Child and Family

Each year, between 3 and 6 million children are hospitalized in the United States (Witt et al., Overview of hospital stays for children in the United States, 2012: Statistical brief #187, in Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) statistical briefs, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD, 2014). Hospitalizations are disruptive events for youth and their families, regardless of whether they are planned or unplanned and recurring or single events (Rennick, Johnston, et al., 2014; Vessey, Annu Rev Nurs Res 21:173–201, 2003; Wilson et al., J Pediatr Health Care 24:95–102, 2010). While most families are resilient, many families experience lasting stress and even go on to exhibit signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (Rennick et al., BMC Pediatr 14:276, 2014). Several factors are associated with greater stress, including child’s age, length of stay, type of admission, illness severity, and caregiver presence. The current chapter will discuss the range of stress responses experienced by families undergoing hospitalization, guided by two models, the Pediatric Psychosocial Preventative Health Model (Kazak, Families Syst Health 24:381–395, 2006) and the Integrative Model of Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress (Bruce, Clin Psychol Rev 26:223–256, 2006; Kazak et al., J Pediatr Psychol 31:343–355, 2006; Stuber et al., Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 12:195–209, 2003). This chapter also provides an overview for the Consultation/Liaison (CL) psychologist in predicting families at greater risk for ongoing stress and gives recommendations and treatment guidance to support families to reduce and manage stress during medical care.
P14 Mindful Eating Scores Differ by Body Mass Index and Self-Reported Health Status Among College Students

Background The prevalence of overweight and obesity continues to rise among college students. College students are also adopting mindfulness habits, such as yoga and mindful meditation, at higher rates than the general population. Mindful eating is a “non-dieting” approach that focuses on paying attention to the body's internal hunger and satiety cues, while enjoying the food without distraction. Objective The purpose of this study was to understand whether mindful eating is related to weight and health status among college students. Study Design, Setting, Participants Six hundred and ninety college students participated in an online survey. Outcome Measures/Analysis The survey included: the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ), a validated global health question, self-report of weight and height, and demographics. Mindful eating was reported on a five-point Likert scale where higher scores represented higher mindful eating practices. Multiple regression analysis was used to test for significant differences in mindful eating scores by weight status and health status after adjusting for demographics. Results Among respondents, 19.6% rated their health as fair or poor and 67.8%, 20.7%, and 11.5% were classified as healthy weight, overweight, or obese, respectively. After adjusting for demographics, MEQ scores were significantly higher among students reporting their health as excellent/very good/good vs fair/poor (3.4 ± 0.4 vs 3.2 ± 0.4, P Conclusions Among college students, mindful eating scores were slightly higher for students at a healthy weight and reporting good health compared to their counterparts. Thus, mindful eating interventions may be an effective strategy for addressing overweight and obesity in a university setting.
Finite scale theory: Predicting nature’s shocks

Abstract In this paper, we describe a continuum model that accurately reproduces the experimentally measured structure of physical shocks in a perfect gas. We begin by presenting a history of shock structure research, theoretical, experimental and numerical, to quantify the significant discrepancies between Navier–Stokes predictions and laboratory measurements. In our first main result, we discuss modifications that generalize the Chapman–Enskog approximation and lead to a new continuum model termed the Finite Scale Equations. In our second main result, we use this continuum model to calculate shock structure with results comparable in accuracy to numerical simulations based on the Boltzmann equation.
Encoding Height: Egocentric Spatial Memory of Adults and Teens in a Virtual Stairwell

Commodity-level virtual reality equipment is now available to all ages. To better understand how cognitive development affects people’s spatial memory in virtual reality, we assess how adults (20-29 years old) and teenagers (14-17 years old) represent their spatial memory of objects in an immersive virtual environment (IVE) where height is encoded. Despite virtual reality being a favorable conduit for the study of egocentric spatial memory, prior studies have predominately looked at objects placed at similar heights. Within a stairwell environment, participants learned the positions of nine target objects. In one condition, all objects were placed near eye height. In another, they were placed at varying heights. Our results indicate that participants’ errors and latencies were similar in both environments, and across age groups. Our results have implications for the development of IVEs and the expansion of immersive technology to a more diverse, younger audience.
Geometric Characterization of Data Sets with Unique Reduced Gröbner Bases.

Model selection based on experimental data is an important challenge in biological data science. Particularly when collecting data is expensive or time-consuming, as it is often the case with clinical trial and biomolecular experiments, the problem of selecting information-rich data becomes crucial for creating relevant models. We identify geometric properties of input data that result in an unique algebraic model, and we show that if the data form a staircase, or a so-called linear shift of a staircase, the ideal of the points has a unique reduced Grobner basis and thus corresponds to a unique model. We use linear shifts to partition data into equivalence classes with the same basis. We demonstrate the utility of the results by applying them to a Boolean model of the well-studied lac operon in E. coli.
Diversity of Cultures

“Diversity of cultures” introduces the concept of culture and shows a diversity of types of cultures, going beyond traditional global, transnational, national, and ethnic understanding of cultures. The chapter presents the reasons and research findings that regional populations of societies, religious groups, and communities of people of different socioeconomic status and social class can be considered as cultures. It describes mixed and multicultural cultures as the new cultural realities that need to be explored.
Electrophilic polymerization for specialty polymers

Abstract Electrophilic polymerization has been used for manufacture of elastomer like polyisobutylenes/butyl rubber and plastic like polyacetal. It also has found useful technique for making some specialty plastics like PEEK and PEKK. This paper deals with development of PEEK, PEK, PEKK, and AB-PBI and their respective properties evaluated.
Quality improvement project to improve vaccinations in the pediatric liver transplant population

OBJECTIVES A quality improvement approach was used to increase pediatric liver transplant recipient live and inactive vaccination rates by assessing titers and recommending vaccinations. METHODS A new screening and immunization process for both live and inactive vaccines was discussed with families at their annual visit. Antibody titers for varicella, measles, mumps, rubella, Haemophilus influenzae type B, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B were obtained. Specific criteria were developed for live virus vaccination candidacy. Vaccines were recommended based on patient titers and vaccination candidacy criteria. Surveillance for adverse effects to live vaccines was performed. Repeat titers were obtained approximately 1-month post-vaccine administration. RESULTS After PDSA cycle 1, 99% (71/72) of pediatric liver transplant patients had titers obtained. Live vaccines were recommended for 32 patients and 16 (50%) were vaccinated. Inactive vaccines were recommended to 64 patients, and 31 (48%) were vaccinated. Eight of 13 (62%) patients with follow-up titers achieved immunity for inactive vaccines. Zero patients had an adverse reaction to any live vaccine. Ten of 12 (83%) patients with follow-up titers achieved immunity from live vaccines. The most common barriers to receive live vaccines included not scheduling appointment with primary care provider (n = 3) and "non-vaccinators" (n = 3). CONCLUSIONS Administering live and inactive vaccines to select pediatric liver transplant patients appears to be safe and effective in our studied population. For PDSA cycle 2, we will continue our current practice and consider offering vaccines in transplant clinic, since this was a barrier to vaccination identified during PDSA cycle 1.
Novel Quantitative Ultrasonic Analysis of Patellar Tendon in Collegiate Athlete Following Bilateral Debridement: A Case Report.

An NCAA Division I female basketball athlete (20 years, 190.5 cm, 87 kg) suffered from chronic tendinopathy. After failed conservative treatments, the athlete underwent bilateral open patellar debridement surgery. Pain and dysfunction were assessed via the Victorian Institute of Sport-P (VISA-P) with concurrently collected B-mode ultrasound images of the patellar tendon throughout a 12 month rehabilitation. Peak spatial frequency radius (PSFR), a quantitative ultrasound parameter previously shown to correlate to collagen organization, was compared to changes in VISA-P scores. An overall increase in PSFR values across 0, 30, 60, and 90° of knee flexion were observed throughout recovery. Despite increased PSFR and returning to sport, the athlete still reported significant pain. This level 3 exploration case report provides novel insight into ultrasonically-measured structural changes of the patellar tendon following surgery and during rehabilitation of an athlete suffering from chronic tendinopathy. Perceived pain measurements were not necessarily related to structural adaptations.
Ergonomic Analysis of Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Using Novel Inertial Sensors.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Suboptimal ergonomics during endoscopic sinus surgery can lead to considerable physical discomfort and fatigue for the surgeon. The purpose of this pilot study is to objectively evaluate the ergonomic positions of trainee and attending surgeons while performing functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). STUDY DESIGN Pilot prospective trial. METHODS Six surgeons (two attendings and four trainees) performed FESS while wearing 11 inertial measurement units (IMUs) affixed to either side of each major joint. Screen placement was standardized to be 1 m directly in front of the surgeon and on the patient's left, 0-15° declined from the surgeons' eyes. Bed height was standardized such that the workspace was 0 to 10 cm below the elbows. IMU data were analyzed to calculate joint angles. Ideal joint angles (i.e., <10° for neck and trunk) were determined by the validated Rapid Entire Body Assessment tool. Subjects subsequently completed a modified National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index to assess cognitive and physical burden and pain. Student's t-test was employed to detect differences between groups. RESULTS Trainees adopted positions involving significantly greater neck flexion (9.90° vs. -6.48°, P = .03) and reported significantly higher frustration levels (3.04 vs. 1.33, P = .02) while operating than attendings. For both cohorts, increased operative time was significantly correlated with greater back flexion (r = 0.90, P = .02; r = 0.55, P = .04, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that trainees operate with higher risk neck postures than do attendings. These data indicate high-risk operative postures may be borne of inexperience and present an opportunity for postural interventions at an early stage of training. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE N/A Laryngoscope, 2021.
Genetic ancestry effects on the response to viral infection are pervasive but cell type specific

Humans differ in their susceptibility to infectious disease, partly owing to variation in the immune response after infection. We used single-cell RNA sequencing to quantify variation in the response to influenza infection in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from European- and African-ancestry males. Genetic ancestry effects are common but highly cell type specific. Higher levels of European ancestry are associated with increased type I interferon pathway activity in early infection, which predicts reduced viral titers at later time points. Substantial population-associated variation is explained by cis-expression quantitative trait loci that are differentiated by genetic ancestry. Furthermore, genetic ancestryÐassociated genes are enriched among genes correlated with COVID-19 disease severity, suggesting that the early immune response contributes to ancestry-associated differences for multiple viral infection outcomes. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
The influence of orthographic depth on multilinguals' neural networks.

Orthographic depth, the consistency and complexity of graphene-phoneme correspondence, influences brain activation in multilinguals' first (L1) and second language (L2). The intrinsic functional connectivity of cross language transfer was investigated between two groups of multilinguals, those whose L2 orthography is deeper than their L1 (S-to-D group) and those whose L2 orthography is shallower than their L1 (D-to-S group). Based on previous reports, we focused on two seed regions the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) and the left posterior supramarginal gyrus (pSMG). Group comparisons revealed stronger connectivity for the D-to-S group between the left pSMG and the right precuneus/cuneal cortex the right SMG/angular gyrus. Moreover, we found that the greater the linguistic orthographic distance-the less similar in orthographic depth two languages are-the greater the negative connectivity between the left pSMG and the right pSMG, middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and frontal pole, and a cluster including the IFG pars opercularis, frontal operculum, and insular cortex. When linguistic distance was greater, there was also greater negative connectivity between the VWFA and the left precuneus. Furthermore, stronger connectivity was found between the left pSMG and the right precuneus in multilinguals who spoke at least three languages (trilinguals) compared to those who only spoke two languages (bilinguals). Follow-up analyses revealed that this difference was found to be driven by stronger intrinsic connectivity in D-to-S trilinguals compared to the S-to-D trilinguals. Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that multilinguals' intrinsic functional connectivity is shaped by the orthographic depth of their L2 in relation to L1, as well as differences between bilingualism and trilingualism.
An Examination of the Efficacy of a Brief Educational Program on Driver Distraction

A study examined the influence of a brief educational intervention on self-reports of past and intended future distracted driving behavior, and on perception of the danger of various driver distractions (e.g., map reading, grooming, etc.). Respondents completed a series of rating scales, reporting (A) the frequency with which they had participated in various distracting activities while driving in the past, (B) the frequency with which they expected to participate in those activities in the future, and (C) the perceived danger of those activities. Half of the respondents completed the rating scales after first watching a series of short animated videos from the driver education program. The remaining respondents (controls) completed the surveys prior to viewing the video segments. As compared to the control subjects, participants who viewed the video segments prior to filling out the rating scales reported reliably higher levels of perceived danger for a number of distracting activities. Video segments did not, however, appear to affect respondents' anticipated future behavior.
Marketing Strategies For Asian-Americans: Guidelines Based on Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

United States is a multicultural society. This provides both opportunities and challenges to the marketers. For most of the products the target market comprises of people from different racial or ethnic backgrounds (e.g. Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American). While much research has examined the consumer behavior of Caucasians, African-Americans and Hispanics and its implications for marketers, very few studies have examined the impact of cultural differences of Asian-Americans on marketing strategies.
Map construction in Neurospora crassa.

Publisher Summary In this chapter linkage and centromere data from neurospora crassa have been compiled from all published material, as well as unpublished sources. Tetrad data from gene–centromere and gene–gene intervals have been placed on a uniform basis for mapping by computing map lengths from second-division segregation frequencies and tetratype segregation frequencies, respectively. Maps of the seven linkage groups have been constructed from tetrad data. Seventy-five loci are shown. Confidence limits are indicated for the position of each locus. Two sets of maps are presented, the first is completely uncorrected for multiple crossovers and the second is corrected by means of the mapping function. A few additional genes have been assigned to specific linkage groups on the basis of random isolates. The use of random isolates for mapping is also discussed.
The dehalogenation of the 5-halo-5,6-dihydrouracils: Uracil formation from 5-iodo- and 5-bromo-5,6-dihydrouracil

Abstract The elimination of halide ion from either 5-bromo- or 5-iodo-5,6-dihydrouracil to yield uracil is a slow reaction which, in the case of 5-iodo-5,6-dihydrouracil, is 400 times slower than the enzymatic release of 125I− from 5-[125I]iodouracil. The elimination of HBr from 5-bromo-5,6-dihydrouracil is subject to general base catalysis by tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (k2Tris base = 11 × 10−4 M−1 min−1, 37°C, ionic strength 1.0 M). At pH values near and above physiological, both the bromo- and iododihydropyrimidines are subject to hydrolysis of the dihydropyrimidine ring, a reaction which parallels halide elimination to yield uracil. The resulting 2-halo-3-ureidopropionate then cyclizes via intramolecular attack of the ureido oxygen atom to yield halide ion and 2-amino-2-oxazoline-5-carboxylic acid as final products. In dilute hydroxide ion, the kinetics of 5-bromo-5,6-dihydrouracil hydrolysis (25°C, ionic strength 1.0 M) show a change in rate-determining step as a function of increasing hydroxide ion concentration, a result which, as in the case of 5,6-dihydrouracil, can be explained in terms of the formation of a tetrahedral addition intermediate. The data are discussed relative to enzymatically catalyzed halopyrimidine dehalogenation.
The Ricardian equivalence hypothesis

Abstract This paper analyzes the effects of government debt and provides a test of the Ricardian equivalence hypothesis for the Canadian economy. The empirical evidence for the period 1964.II-1984.IV indicates that the Ricardian equivalence hypothesis cannot be rejected.
Spectroscopic properties of Mo2− and Mo2+

Abstract Potential energy curves and spectroscopic constants for 30 electronic states of Mo 2 + together with the ground states of Mo 2 − anion and Mo 2 have been computed using the complete active space multiconfiguration self-consistent field (CASMCSCF) followed by the multireference singles + doubles configuration interaction (MRSDCI) calculations that included up to 44.4 million configurations. We have reported computed equilibrium distances ( r e ), vibrational frequencies ( ω e ) and energy separations ( T e ). We have predicted several spectroscopic systems for Mo 2 + , which are yet to be observed and the electron affinity of Mo 2 .
Spiking-based matrix computation by leveraging memristor crossbar array

As process technology continues scaling down, the memory barrier becomes more severe. Thus, spiking neuromorphic computing that can significantly enhance computing and communication efficiencies has been widely studied. Both conventional CMOS technology and emerging devices have been used in hardware implementation of spiking neuromorphic computing. Particularly, the memristor technology that can naturally emulate plasticity and energy efficiency of biological synapses have gained a lot of attention. However, the use of memristors in high density computation, such as matrix-vector operation, is still missing. In this work, a spiking (pulse-based) computing component that leverages memristor crossbar array is proposed for matrix-vector operation. We adopt the rate coding model and count the produced spike number during a given time period of T as the computation output. We carefully design the crossbar array structure and the integrate-and-fire circuit. The linear relationship between output spike numbers and the sum-of-production of input vector and matrix entries is observed in our simulation results. The proposed spiking computing design realizes matrix computation successfully and demonstrates good adaptability in neural network.
A design optimization methodology for multiband stochastic antennas

A versatile design optimization approach for miniature multiband loaded fractal dipole antennas has been developed in Werner et al. (2001). This technique combines the robustness of genetic algorithms (GAs) (Haupt and Haupt 1997; Rahmat-Samii and Michielssen 1999) with the flexibility of iterated function systems (IFSs) (Peitgen et al. 1992) to evolve optimal self-affine fractal antenna shapes as well as determine the load locations and corresponding component values required to achieve the specified multiband operation. In this paper, an alternative design methodology for achieving the same objectives is introduced. This new methodology employs a GA to evolve a class of multiband antennas, called stochastic antennas, which offer optimal performance characteristics. This method is more general than the approach outlined in Werner et al. since it is not restricted to fractal geometries and there are no loads required to achieve the desired multiband performance. The only disadvantage of the new method is the fact that the optimization procedure is not as efficient as the GA-IFS technique. Several examples of optimized stochastic antennas are presented and discussed.
Review of The Dutch Rhine, a Restrained River by Wilfried Ten Brinke

The Rhine River in The Netherlands is not a single watercourse but rather a system of river branches fanning out over the country. These fluvial processes are reminders of a more dynamic past and are still recognizable in today’s land surface. After the dikes were constructed, the river and the sea were excluded from the countryside and the rivers were largely restrained. This book centers on dynamic fluvial processes between the dikes, with reference to the lowlands in the period before channel restraint. Wilfried Ten Brinke works for the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management Rijkswaterstaat in Arnhem. He brings a unique perspective on rivers in which old river courses partly determine the processes in modern-day rivers. His primary contribution is to link geology and river science with applications to the Rhine River Branches in the Netherlands. The content is subdivided into twelve chapters, namely; 1 “A Straightjacket of Dikes and Groynes;” 2 “Discharge of Rainwater and Meltwater;” 3 “A Sand and Gravel Bed;” 4 “The Rhine River Courses in the Low Countries;” 5 “Turbid Waters and Shifting Riverbeds;” 6 “Riverbed Erosion: Trends and Causes;” 7 “Floods: The Force of the Water and the Reaction of the River;” 8 “River Bank Beaches: Thanks to the Groynes;” 9 “Levee Formation and Sand Drifts;” 10 “River Bifurcations;” 11 “Flows of Gravel, Sand and Silt: From Germany to the North Sea;” and 12 “Managing and Controlling Restrained Rivers.” The book contains a short bibliography, acknowledgments, and a relatively detailed and useful index. This manuscript was first brought to my attention as a translation from the original Dutch version. The text was easy to read, well-written and interesting; however, it seemed to lack any apparent logical sequence. In hindsight, it is obvious that the main theme of this book is a contrasting view of the Rhine River branches. It contains a well-illustrated perspective on the fascinat-
Real-time inverse planning for Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

The challenges of real-time Gamma Knife™ inverse planning are the large number of variables involved and the unknown search space a priori. With limited collimator sizes, shots have to be heavily overlapped to form a smooth prescription isodose line that conforms to the irregular target shape. Such overlaps greatly influence the total number of shots per plan, making pre-determination of the total number of shots impractical. However, this total number of shots usually defines the search space, a pre-requisite for most of the optimization methods. Since each shot only covers part of the target, a collection of shots in different locations and various collimator sizes selected makes up the global dose distribution that conforms to the target. Hence, planning or placing these shots is a combinatorial optimization process that is computationally expensive by nature. We have previously developed a theory of shot placement and optimization based on skeletonization. The real-time inverse planning process, reported in this paper, is an expansion and the clinical implementation of this theory. The complete planning process consists of two steps. The first step is to determine an optimal number of shots including locations and sizes and to assign initial collimator size to each of the shots. The second step is to fine-tune the weights using a linear-programming technique. The objective function is to minimize the total dose to the target boundary (i.e., maximize the dose conformity). Results of an ellipsoid test target and ten clinical cases are presented. The clinical cases are also compared with physician’s manual plans. The target coverage is more than 99% for manual plans and 97% for all the inverse plans. The RTOG PITV conformity indices for the manual plans are between 1.16 and 3.46, compared to 1.36 to 2.4 for the inverse plans. All the inverse plans are generated in less than 2 min, making real-time inverse planning a reality.
Predictors of Grandmother Participation in a Multigenerational Study

Results of a growing body of literature regarding multigenerational relationships indicate that grandparents directly and indirectly influence their grandchildren's development. However, multiple generations have been difficult to assemble for research purposes, with refusal rates ranging from 40 percent to over 80 percent. Despite difficulties in obtaining information from more than one generation of family members, data examining potential biases in the selection of participants have rarely been reported. The present study explored predictors of grandmother participation in a multigenerational study with 84 mothers, 84 infants, and 52 maternal grandmothers. Results indicated that grandmothers were less likely to participate in the study when grandchildren experienced preterm birth and when mothers reported less family of origin support. However, grandmothers who participated in the study reported high levels of intergenerational involvement and contact with daughters and grandchildren.
Growth Response of Lactobacillus casei variety casei to Proteolysis Products in Cheese during Ripening

Abstract Water extracts of Cheddar cheese at different ages up to 180 days were fractionated on Sephadex G-50 with pyridineacetic acid buffer pH 5.1. Six and nine fractions were obtained from fresh and ripened cheese, respectively, some of which stimulated growth. A fraction containing riboflavin was stimulatory to Lactobacillus casei variety casei . The stimulatory fractions contained N-acetyl-hexosamine and 23 to 27.8% glutamic acid of the constituents amino acids. Most of the alpha s -casein disappeared from the cheese at 35 days while beta-casein remained. Para-kappa-casein was not proteolyzed at 170 days of cheese ripening. The significance of alpha-casein proteolysis in Cheddar cheese is discussed.
Multivariate analysis of diaphragm EMG power spectral moments

A single derived index of the power spectrum of the diaphragm electromyogram (EMG) has been used in detecting fatigue. Additional information in the EMG could be used to study diaphragm function in other respiratory conditions. Diaphragm EMGs and calculated power spectra at 12 frequencies were measured in normal subjects and patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during several respiratory maneuvers both before and after treadmill exercise to dyspnea. The power spectra were characterized by the first five moments. Changes in the EMG were similar when assessed by multivariate analysis of variance of the spectral estimates or of the moments. Factor analysis provided two latent variables that correlated with the first and second moment respectively. The first moment was found to be the most sensitive single discriminant of fatigue and is only slightly improved by adding other information. It is concluded that the first and second moments of the EMG power spectra provide a concise, parsimonious description of the changes in the EMG.
Pt dispersion effects during NOx storage and reduction on Pt/BaO/Al2O3 catalysts

Abstract This study provides insight into the effect of Pt dispersion on the overall rate and product distribution during NOx storage and reduction. The storage and reduction performance of Pt/BaO/A2O3 monoliths with varied Pt dispersion (3%, 8%, and 50%) and fixed Pt (2.48 wt.%) and BaO (13.0 wt.%) loadings is reported. At low temperature (
The Maximum Standardized Uptake Values on Integrated FDG-PET/CT Is Useful in Differentiating Benign From Malignant Pulmonary Nodules

Background Positron emission tomography (PET) is often used for an indeterminate pulmonary nodule. Methods This is a prospective study on a consecutive series of patients who had an indeterminate pulmonary nodule that was 2.5 cm or less, underwent integrated positron emission tomography using fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/computed tomographic [FDG-PET/CT] scan with the maximum standardized uptake values (maxSUVs) reported, and who underwent complete resection. Results There were 585 patients (401 men). A total of 496 patients had a malignant nodule and the median maxSUV was 8.5 (range, 0 to 36). Eighty-nine patients had a benign nodule and the median maxSUV was 4.9 (range, 0 to 28, p Conclusions Although integrated FDG-PET/CT is a valuable study for an indeterminate pulmonary nodule, one must be aware of causes of false positives and negatives. There is a 24% chance a suspicious nodule that has a maxSUV of 0 to 2.5 is cancer. The higher the maxSUV of the primary mass the more likely the nodes are to be involved with either malignancy or infection, and this may help direct nodal biopsy instead of pulmonary resection.
Dakota jewel : An attractive, new, bright red-skinned, fresh market potato cultivar with improved storage characteristics

‘Dakota Jewel’ is a medium- to late-maturing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivar; however, tuber maturity is early. Tubers are smooth, round to oblong in shape, with bright red skin and white flesh. Dakota Jewel is suitable for the fresh tablestock market, both directly from the field and following storage. Yield potential is medium, with total yield, U.S. No. 1s and percentage U.S. No. 1s of Dakota Jewel equal to those of Red Norland; size distribution is similar. Dakota Jewel sizes early, retains its color in storage, and has strong dormancy. It is susceptible to hollow heart. A mean specific gravity of 1.077 across non-irrigated and irrigated sites in North Dakota is much higher than Red Norland and Red Pontiac, standard red tablestock cultivars. Sensory evaluation scores of baked, boiled, and microwaved tubers are similar to Red Norland and Red Pontiac. Dakota Jewel was released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station on 26 March 2004.
Sex Differences in Cartilage Topography and Orientation of the Developing Acetabulum: Implications for Hip Preservation Surgery

Background Increased attention is being placed on hip preservation surgery in the early adolescent. An understanding of three-dimensional (3-D) acetabular development as children approach maturity is essential. Changes in acetabular orientation and cartilage topography have not previously been quantified as the adolescent acetabulum completes development.
Encapsulation of foreign targets by hemocytes of the moth Pseudoplusia includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) involves an RGD-dependent cell adhesion mechanism

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that an insect immune response, encapsulation, involves an RGD-dependent cell adhesion mechanism by examining the effects of the tetrapeptide RGDS on hemocyte spreading and encapsulation. Soluble RGDS at concentrations of 0.5–2 mM inhibited the spreading of the primary encapsulating hemocyte, the plasmatocyte, on the surface of plastic tissue culture plates. At concentrations of 5–10 mM, the spreading of granular cells was also inhibited. RGES did not inhibit plasmatocyte or granular cell spreading, indicating that the effect was specific for RGDS. RGDS-Sepharose beads were encapsulated by hemocytes in vitro, whereas RGES-Sepharose beads were not. Furthermore, soluble RGDS, but not RGES, inhibited in vitro encapsulation of RGDS-Sepharose. When injected into the hemocoel of P. includens larvae, RGDS-Sepharose was encapsulated in 3 h, whereas RGES-Sepharose was not encapsulated until 24 h. The only hemocyte morphotype to encapsulate RGDS-Sepharose was the plasmatocyte. Lastly, RGDS. but not RGES, inhibited plasmatocyte spreading in response to cell-free plasma. These results indicate that the molecular basis of cell adhesion mediating hemocyte spreading and encapsulation in insects involves cell adhesion molecules containing the RGD recognition sequence.