cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enabling the benefits of Supply Chain Management Systems: an empirical study of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in manufacturing

Although informative, the literature related to Supply Chain Management Systems (SCMS) needs to be developed further to provide insight related to the realized benefits of adopting firms. Specifically, there is a need to analyse empirically and systematically the potential benefits and variables that explain the differences in benefit variation. To contribute to this need, the study analysed SCMS benefits in four steps. First, drawing from survey responses of a diverse group of manufacturing plants, the study sought evidence of the claimed benefits found in the literature. Second, the study built on the claims and findings of previous researchers to formulate and test hypotheses related to factors that help explain differences in benefits. Third, once the explanatory variables were analysed in isolation, they were then analysed for the incremental effects. Finally, based on the results of the first three steps, the study refined the results to produce a synthesized explanatory SCMS benefit model.
Test generation in combinational networks by decomposition

Abstract Hierarchical Systems Theory attempts to analyze complex systems by decomposition. The computational benefit of decomposition is a substantial reduction in both computer memory and processing time. This paper investigates the application of the theory to the problem of generating tests for the detection of digital faults. The digital network is decomposed into two or more loosely coupled subnetworks. For each subnetwork, a parametric test is derived. An optimal test for the entire network is then obtained from these parametric tests by selecting appropriate values for the parameters. A complete and near-minimal test set can be constructed by repeated use of the above procedure. In each iteration, an optimal test is selected and the faults detected by this test are excluded from further consideration. The process is then repeated on the remaining undetected faults. The algorithm terminates when all faults in the original fault set have been excluded. It is shown that as a result of decomposition, a reduction in the required amount of memory space of as much as 50% can be realized.
Provision Recognition: Increasing Awareness of the Library's Value in Delivering Electronic Information Resources

ABSTRACT Academic libraries are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their value to their communities. As academic libraries transition from collection-based institutions into service-based organizations, it is important that the value of their services is recognized. This article describes some of the challenges facing academic libraries in retaining visibility during the provisioning (i.e., delivery) process, and it explores new and creative approaches that academic libraries might undertake to address these challenges.
On groups of hypersubstitutions

Groups of (proper) hypersubstitutions are symmetries of algebraic theories. Symmetry at this abstract level is broken at the level of concrete algebras, because the complexity of operations may vary over the orbits of a hypersubstitution group.
Full Waveform Inversion for Seismic Velocity and Anelastic Losses in Heterogeneous Structures

We present a least-squares optimization method for solving the nonlinear full waveform inverse problem of determining the crustal velocity and intrinsic at- tenuation properties of sedimentary valleys in earthquake-prone regions. Given a known earthquake source and a set of seismograms generated by the source, the in- verse problem is to reconstruct the anelastic properties of a heterogeneous medium with possibly discontinuous wave velocities. The inverse problem is formulated as a constrained optimization problem, where the constraints are the partial and ordinary differential equations governing the anelastic wave propagation from the source to the receivers in the time domain. This leads to a variational formulation in terms of the material model plus the state variables and their adjoints. We employ a wave propaga- tion model in which the intrinsic energy-dissipating nature of the soil medium is mod- eled by a set of standard linear solids. The least-squares optimization approach to inverse wave propagation presents the well-known difficulties of ill posedness and multiple minima. To overcome ill posedness, we include a total variation regulariza- tion functional in the objective function, which annihilates highly oscillatory material property components while preserving discontinuities in the medium. To treat multi- ple minima, we use a multilevel algorithm that solves a sequence of subproblems on increasingly finer grids with increasingly higher frequency source components to re- main within the basin of attraction of the global minimum. We illustrate the metho- dology with high-resolution inversions for two-dimensional sedimentary models of the San Fernando Valley, under SH-wave excitation. We perform inversions for both the seismic velocity and the intrinsic attenuation using synthetic waveforms at the observer locations as pseudoobserved data.
Nephrotic syndrome related to systemic lupus erythematosus after griseofulvin therapy.

We report a 16-year-old male who developed nephrotic syndrome related to membranous glomerulopathy with clinical and serological evidence of systemic lupus erythematosus after treatment with griseofulvin. To ourknowledge, this is the first case of griseofulvin-exacebated lupus in which nephrotic syndrome has been observed.
Diagnostics of stellar evolution: The oxygen isotopes

Abstract The oxygen isotope ratios provide a probe of the physics of stellar interiors. Among the phenomena that can be studied through the oxygen isotope ratios are the maximum depth of penetration of the convective envelopes on the giant branch, the efficiency of nonconvective mixing, as well as restrictions on the mass loss that occurs. The oxygen isotope ratios also provide an indicator of the nuclear processing that occurs during third dredge up and carbon star formation. In addition to the oxygen isotopes, we indicate the expected behavior of nitrogen and the light elements.
Mediation and mechanism

The concepts of mediation and mechanism are contrasted and logical implications holding between theses two concepts are described. The concept of mediation can be formalized using counterfactual definitions of indirect effects; the concept of mechanism can be formalized within the sufficient cause framework. It is shown that both concepts can be illustrated using a single causal diagram. It is also shown that mediation implies mechanism but mechanism need not imply mediation. Discussion is given regarding how the distinction between "statistical causality" and "mechanistic causality" is blurred by recent work in causal inference concerning methods for testing for mediation and mechanism.
How do fixes become bugs

Software bugs affect system reliability. When a bug is exposed in the field, developers need to fix them. Unfortunately, the bug-fixing process can also introduce errors, which leads to buggy patches that further aggravate the damage to end users and erode software vendors' reputation.This paper presents a comprehensive characteristic study on incorrect bug-fixes from large operating system code bases including Linux, OpenSolaris, FreeBSD and also a mature commercial OS developed and evolved over the last 12 years, investigating not only themistake patterns during bug-fixing but also the possible human reasons in the development process when these incorrect bug-fixes were introduced. Our major findings include: (1) at least 14.8%--24.4% of sampled fixes for post-release bugs in these large OSes are incorrect and have made impacts to end users. (2) Among several common bug types, concurrency bugs are the most difficult to fix correctly: 39% of concurrency bug fixes are incorrect. (3) Developers and reviewers for incorrect fixes usually do not have enough knowledge about the involved code. For example, 27% of the incorrect fixes are made by developers who have never touched the source code files associated with the fix. Our results provide useful guidelines to design new tools and also to improve the development process. Based on our findings, the commercial software vendor whose OS code we evaluated is building a tool to improve the bug fixing and code reviewing process.
Direct Inhibitory Effect of Estrogen on Leydig Cell Function of Hypophysectomized Rats

The effects of estrogen upon testicular gonadotropin receptors and Leydig cell responses were studied. Immature hypophysectomized rats were treated for 7 days with 50 μg FSH, with or without diethylstilbestrol (DES). Daily injections of FSH induced a marked increase in testis weight; this weight increase was inhibited by concomitant DES treatment. FSH also induced an increase in testicular LH/hCG receptor content; the increase in [125I]iodo-hCG binding was not affected by daily injections of low doses (0.01 and 0.2 μg) of DES but was prevented by treatment with high doses (5 and 20 μg) of DES. In contrast, no significant change in testicular [125I]iodo-FSH-binding capacity was detected in any treatment group. Functional responses of the Leydig cells of hypophysectomized rats were studied by incubation of decapsulated testes with or without a saturating concentration of hCG. Daily treatment of FSH caused a marked increase in both basal and stimulated levels of testosterone production. In contrast, with or ...
Hormonal Regulation of Hepatic Drug‐Metabolizing Enzyme Activity During Adolescence

Activities of drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) are known to change throughout the course of physical and sexual maturation, with the greatest variability noted during infancy and adolescence. The mechanisms responsible for developmental regulation of DME are currently unknown. However, the hormonal changes associated with puberty/adolescence provide a theoretical framework for understanding the biochemical regulation of DME activity during growth and maturation. Important information regarding potential influences of growth and sex hormones can also be extrapolated from studies that evaluate changes in activities of DMEs occurring as a consequence of physiological, pathological, and/or pharmacological hormonal fluctuations. Collectively, current data support the hypothesis that isoform-specific alterations in DME activity during adolescence are mediated by sex and/or growth hormones. Characterization of the underlying biochemical alterations responsible for developmental changes in DME activity will require additional studies in which relationships between DMEs and important hormonal axes are evaluated during the course of pubertal development.
PHERMEX Standing-Wave Linear Electron Accelerator

The PHERMEX standing-wave rf electron linac is a high-current pulsed electron beam generator that is used for flash x-radiography. This accelerator is being upgraded to 1000-A peak current and 50-MeV peak energy over a 150-ns pulse or over three 40-ns pulses. This upgrade is a result of increasing the rf power in the cavities and installing a new (Physics International) injector pulser.
Community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in children with no identified predisposing risk

Context.—Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in children have occurred primarily in individuals with recognized predisposing risks. Community-acquired MRSA infections in the absence of identified risk factors have been reported infrequently.Objectives.—To determine whether community-acquired MRSA infections in children with no identified predisposing risks are increasing and to define the spectrum of disease associated with MRSA isolation.Design.—Retrospective review of medical records.Patients.—Hospitalized children with S aureus isolated between August 1988 and July 1990 (1988-1990) and between August 1993 and July 1995 (1993-1995).Setting.—The University of Chicago Children's Hospital.Main Outcome Measures.—Prevalence of community-acquired MRSA over time, infecting vs colonizing isolates, and risk factors for disease.Results.—The number of children hospitalized with community-acquired MRSA disease increased from 8 in 1988-1990 to 35 in 1993-1995. Moreover, the prevalence of community-acquired MRSA without identified risk increased from 10 per 100000 admissions in 1988-1990 to 259 per 100000 admissions in 1993-1995 (P<.001), and a greater proportion of isolates produced clinical infection. The clinical syndromes associated with MRSA in children without identified risk were similar to those associated with community-acquired methicillin-susceptible S aureus. Notably, 7 (70%) of 10 community-acquired MRSA isolates obtained from children with an identified risk were nonsusceptible to at least 2 drugs, compared with only 6 (24%) of 25 isolates obtained from children without an identified risk (P=.02).Conclusions.—These findings demonstrate that the prevalence of community-acquired MRSA among children without identified risk factors is increasing.
Effect of Frentizole on Mitogen-Induced Blastogenesis in Human Lymphocytes

AbstractFrentizole is a new immunoregulatory agent developed as an alternative to cytotoxic agents. In human lymphocytes, Frentizole inhibits the response to various phytomitogens without decreasing cell viability. Frentizole (500 ng/ml) inhibited thymidine incorporation into DNA most effectively when added to lymphocyte cultures at the same time as the addition of the mitogen. Frentizole (500 ng/ml) markedly inhibited the response to Con A (% inhibition, (58%) to PHA (30%) and to PWM (39%). Inhibition of thymidine incorporation was dose dependent with 125 ng/ml of Frentizole sufficient to inhibit significantly the response of all three mitogens. Frentizole (62.5 ng/ml) maximally inhibited uridine incorporation, and inhibition of uridine incorporation was independent of the phytomitogen employed. Increasing concentrations of Frentizole were found to have no effect on thymidine or uridine incorporation into unstimulated normal lymphocytes.
Gigapixel-size real-time interactive image processing with parallel computers

The parallel computational environment for imaging science, PiCEIS, is an image processing package designed for efficient execution on massively parallel computers. Through effective use of the aggregate resources of such computers, PiCEIS enables much larger and more accurate production processing using existing off the shelf hardware. Goals of PiCEIS are to decrease the difficulty of writing scalable parallel programs, reduce the time to add new functionalities, and provide for real-time interactive image processing. In part this is accomplished by the PiCEIS architecture, its ability to easily add additional modules, and the use of a shared-memory programming model based upon one-sided access to distributed shared memory. In this paper, we briefly describe the PiCEIS architecture and our shared memory programming tools and examine some typical techniques and algorithms. Initial image processing performance testing is encouraging - for very large image files, processing time is less than 10 seconds.
A pilot study to examine the effects of a nutrition intervention on nutrition knowledge, behaviors, and efficacy expectations in middle school children.

BACKGROUND: This was a pilot study to determine the impact of the Michigan Model (MM) Nutrition Curriculum on nutrition knowledge, efficacy expectations, and eating behaviors in middle school students. METHODS: The study was conducted in a large metropolitan setting and approved by the Institutional Review Board. The participants for this study were divided into an intervention group (n = 407) and a control group (n = 169). An MM instructor trained health teachers in the use of the curriculum, and the teacher subsequently taught the curriculum to students in the intervention group. A valid and reliable questionnaire was used to determine pre-post differences. It consisted of 3 subscales assessing eating habits, nutrition knowledge, and efficacy expectations toward healthy eating. Subscale scores were analyzed using a 2 groups (intervention vs control) 3 2 times (pre vs post) analysis of variance. RESULTS: The intervention group increased their nutrition knowledge at post. There was also a significant main effect for groups in the subscales ‘‘Eating Behaviors’’ and ‘‘Efficacy Expectations Regarding Healthy Eating.’’ Subsequent post hoc analysis revealed that the intervention group was significantly more likely to eat fruits and vegetables and less likely to eat junk food than the control group. Students in the intervention group also felt more confident that they could eat healthy. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this pilot study suggest that the MM Nutrition Curriculum delivered by trained professionals resulted in significant positive changes in both nutrition knowledge and behaviors in middle school children. Further research needs to be conducted to determine the long-term impact.
Pharmacological Analysis of Nod Factor-Induced Calcium Spiking in Medicago truncatula. Evidence for the Requirement of Type IIA Calcium Pumps and Phosphoinositide Signaling

Bacterial Nod factors trigger a number of cellular responses in root hairs of compatible legume hosts, which include periodic, transient increases in cytosolic calcium levels, termed calcium spiking. We screened 13 pharmaceutical modulators of eukaryotic signal transduction for effects on Nod factor-induced calcium spiking. The purpose of this screening was 2-fold: to implicate enzymes required for Nod factor-induced calcium spiking in Medicago sp., and to identify inhibitors of calcium spiking suitable for correlating calcium spiking to other Nod factor responses to begin to understand the function of calcium spiking in Nod factor signal transduction. 2-Aminoethoxydiphenylborate, caffeine, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), 2,5-di-(t-butyl)-1,4-hydroquinone, and U-73122 inhibit Nod factor-induced calcium spiking. CPA and U-73122 are inhibitors of plant type IIA calcium pumps and phospholipase C, respectively, and implicate the requirement for these enzymes in Nod factor-induced calcium spiking. CPA and U-73122 inhibit Nod factor-induced calcium spiking robustly at concentrations with no apparent toxicity to root hairs, making CPA and U-73122 suitable for testing whether calcium spiking is causal to subsequent Nod factor responses.
Evaluating the potential of buckwheat and cahaba vetch as nectar producing cover crops for enhancing biological control of Homalodisca vitripennis in California vineyards

Abstract The glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) is a significant pest of grapevines in California due to vectoring Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al., Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and vetch (Vicia sativa L. cv. ‘cahaba white’) are potential nectar-producing cover crop plants in California vineyards that could enhance Gonatocerus ashmeadi Girault, a parasitoid of H. vitripennis. Three aspects of these 2 plant species were evaluated. (1) Effect on parasitoid fitness: In the laboratory, buckwheat and vetch enhanced survival of G. ashmeadi by 9 and 6 days, respectively, compared to water. G. ashmeadi offspring production was 81% and 142% greater when females were provided vetch or buckwheat, respectively, compared to water. Buckwheat decreased G. ashmeadi female offspring by 19% compared to water and vetch. (2) Nectar production phenology in southern California: From April through September, buckwheat required only 23–32 days from sowing to nectar-producing flowers. Vetch required an additional 14–33 days to produce extrafloral nectar during June–August. The range in length of the nectar producing period between August 2007 and November 2007 was 41–52 days and 163–164 days for buckwheat and vetch, respectively. (3) X. fastidiosa Wells et al. host testing and H. vitripennis transmission studies: Needle inoculation of cover crop plants showed that X. fastidiosa successfully infected and replicated in buckwheat, vetch, sweet alyssum [Lobularia maritima (L.) Desv.] and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), plants that were assessed here or elsewhere as nectar producing cover crops for use in vineyards. H. vitripennis successfully transmitted X. fastidiosa between buckwheat and grapevine in the greenhouse and field. H. vitripennis successfully transmitted X. fastidiosa from grapevine to vetch in the field, while transmission studies investigating movement from vetch to grapevine in the greenhouse were inconclusive.
Case series of 148 tongue-tied newborn babies evaluated with the assessment tool for lingual frenulum function.

Abstract Objective the Assessment Tool for Lingual Frenulum Function (ATLFF) is the only available tool designed to assess newborn babies for the severity of tongue-tie. The aim of this study was to describe the ATLFF scores obtained on a series of 148 tongue-tied newborn babies. Design prospective case series. Setting a 420-bed community hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Participants newborn babies admitted to the normal newborn nursery from October 1, 2000 to May 1 2002. Measurements and findings all babies in the nursery were examined for tongue-tie. One-hundred and forty-eight tongue-tied babies were examined using the ATLFF by at least one of three examiners. The ATLFF could not be completed on five babies. Of the remaining babies, 40 (28%) received ‘perfect' scores, five (3.5%) received ‘acceptable' scores, and 19 (13.3%) received ‘function impaired' scores. The remaining 79 (55.2%) babies received scores that did not fall into any of the three categories of scores. The inter-rater agreement on whether or not the baby had a score of ‘function impaired' on the ATLFF was moderate (kappa=0.44). Key conclusions and implications for practice few tongue-tied babies had a score of ‘function impaired' on the ATLFF. It is a major limitation of the ATLFF that it does not classify most babies. The development and testing of a useful tool to determine which tongue-tied babies will have difficulty with breast feeding remains a research priority.
Heterozygote Advantage in a Finite Population: Black Color in Wolves

There is a striking color polymorphism for wolves in the Yellowstone National Park where approximately half the wolves are black. The genetic basis for this polymorphism is known, and fitnesses of the genotypes are estimated. These estimates suggest that there is strong heterozygote advantage but substantial asymmetry in the fitness differences of the 2 homozygotes. Theoretically, such fitnesses in a finite population are thought to reduce genetic variation at least as fast as if there were no selection at all. Because the color polymorphism has remained at about the same frequency for 17 years, about 4 generations, we investigated whether this was consistent with the theoretical predictions. Counter to this general expectation of loss, given the initial frequency of black wolves, the theoretical expectation in this case was found to be that the frequency would only decline slowly over time. For example, if the effective population size is 20, then the expected black allele frequency after 4 generations would be 0.191, somewhat less than the observed value of 0.237. However, nearly 30% of the time the expected frequency is 0.25 or greater, consistent with the contemporary observed frequency. In other words and in contrast to general theoretical predictions, because of the short period of time in evolutionary terms and the relatively weak selection at low frequencies, the observed variation and the predicted theoretical variation are not inconsistent.
Reliability considerations in parallel optical interconnects

Random failure in a population of lasers after burn-in has profound consequences for the deployment of the optical backplane in high performance computing. It is argued that without an effective field repair strategy the mean time between fails for a large population of lasers can become prohibitive. A field repair strategy must be an integral part of the system design from the outset and must be based on low component replacement cost, minimum system down time, minimum redundancy, and low mass fabrication cost for the replaceable sub-assembly. It is further argued that an example of an acceptable repair strategy is based on an active and electrically pluggable optical harness consisting of a parallel array of polymer waveguides on a flexible substrate. Lasers and photodetectors are pre-aligned to the waveguides and make the harness active. Low cost is ensured by a parallel fabrication process in which all waveguides are simultaneously aligned to their respective lasers and photodetectors in one step.
Sulfide capacities of MnO−SiO 2 slags

Sulfide capacities of binary MnO−SiO2 slags at 1773 and 1923 K were calculated thermodynamically. Only known data, such as the standard free energy of formation of MnO and MnS and activities of MnO in the melt, are used in making calculations based on fundamental concepts. Excellent agreement is found between our calculations and published experimental data. Correlations of sulfide capacities, based on optical basicity using Pauling electronegativities or empirically deduced optical basicities, differ from the experimental data in both magnitude and concentration dependence. Our method provides useful predictions of sulfide capacitiesa priori.
The Alzheimerization of Aging

The NIA invests a disproportionately large share of its resources in research on Alzheimer's Disease at the expense of other interests of the broader scientific community in gerontology. Complex social forces that continue to shape this outcome embrace discipline-specific traditions of science advocacy, as well as science-driven intellectual growth.
Modeling and percept of transcorneal electrical stimulation in humans

Retinal activation via transcorneal electrical stimulation (TcES) in normal humans was investigated by comparing subject perception, model predictions, and brain activation patterns. The preferential location of retinal stimulation was predicted from 3-D admittance modeling. Visual cortex activation was measured using positron emission tomography (PET) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Two different corneal electrodes were investigated: DTL-Plus and ERG-Jet. Modeling results predicted preferential stimulation of the peripheral, inferior, nasal retina during right eye TcES using DTL-Plus, but more extensive activation of peripheral, nasal hemiretina using ERG-Jet. The results from human FDG PET study using both corneal electrodes showed areas of visual cortex activation that consistently corresponded with the reported phosphene percept and modeling predictions. ERG-Jet was able to generate brighter phosphene percept than DTL-Plus and elicited retinotopically mapped primary visual cortex activation. This study demonstrates that admittance modeling and PET imaging consistently predict the perceived location of electrically elicited phosphenes produced during TcES.
Lesions from patients with sporadic cerebral cavernous malformations harbor somatic mutations in the CCM genes: Evidence for a common biochemical pathway for CCM pathogenesis

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are vascular lesions affecting the central nervous system. CCM occurs either sporadically or in an inherited, autosomal dominant manner. Constitutional (germline) mutations in any of three genes, KRIT1, CCM2 and PDCD10, can cause the inherited form. Analysis of CCM lesions from inherited cases revealed biallelic somatic mutations, indicating that CCM follows a Knudsonian two-hit mutation mechanism. It is still unknown, however, if the sporadic cases of CCM also follow this genetic mechanism. We extracted DNA from 11 surgically excised lesions from sporadic CCM patients, and sequenced the three CCM genes in each specimen using a next-generation sequencing approach. Four sporadic CCM lesion samples (36%) were found to contain novel somatic mutations. Three of the lesions contained a single somatic mutation, and one lesion contained two biallelic somatic mutations. Herein, we also describe evidence of somatic mosaicism in a patient presenting with over 130 CCM lesions localized to one hemisphere of the brain. Finally, in a lesion regrowth sample, we found that the regrown CCM lesion contained the same somatic mutation as the original lesion. Together, these data bolster the idea that all forms of CCM have a genetic underpinning of the two-hit mutation mechanism in the known CCM genes. Recent studies have found aberrant Rho kinase activation in inherited CCM pathogenesis, and we present evidence that this pathway is activated in sporadic CCM patients. These results suggest that all CCM patients, including those with the more common sporadic form, are potentially amenable to the same therapy.
Modeling and analysis of power systems under periodic steady state conditions

Two basic analysis problems are addressed for power systems with topology-changing components. The first problem is that of determining the periodic steady-state operation of such components. The second problem is that of determining the linearized models. The authors present a method which addresses both problems simultaneously. The method is based on state-space representations of the power system components and the theory of optimal control. The mathematical formulation of the method is presented. Results obtained from testing the algorithm on a single-phase AC controller are also presented. >
Mechanical Response of a Tubular Braided Cable with an Elastic Core

A model is developed for the linear clastic response of a diamond tubular braid containing a flexil le elastic core. The analysis assumes small displacements, and special assumptions are made regar...
Radiotherapy and survival in prostate cancer patients: a population-based study.

Purpose To investigate the association of overall and disease-specific survival with the five standard treatment modalities for prostate cancer (CaP): radical prostatectomy (RP), brachytherapy (BT), external beam radiotherapy, androgen deprivation therapy, and no treatment (NT) within 6 months after CaP diagnosis. Methods and Materials The study population included 10,179 men aged 65 years and older with incident CaP diagnosed between 1999 and 2001. Using the linked Ohio Cancer Incidence Surveillance System, Medicare, and death certificate files, overall and disease-specific survival through 2005 among the five clinically accepted therapies were analyzed. Results Disease-specific survival rates were 92.3% and 23.9% for patients with localized vs. distant disease at 7 years, respectively. Controlling for age, race, comorbidities, stage, and Gleason score, results from the Cox multiple regression models indicated that the risk of CaP-specific death was significantly reduced in patients receiving RP or BT, compared with NT. For localized disease, compared with NT, in the monotherapy cohort, RP and BT were associated with reduced hazard ratios (HR) of 0.25 and 0.45 (95% confidence intervals 0.13–0.48 and 0.23–0.87, respectively), whereas in the combination therapy cohort, HR were 0.40 (0.17–0.94) and 0.46 (0.27–0.80), respectively. Conclusions The present population-based study indicates that RP and BT are associated with improved survival outcomes. Further studies are warranted to improve clinical determinates in the selection of appropriate management of CaP and to improve predictive modeling for which patient subsets may benefit most from definitive therapy vs. conservative management and/or observation.
Endovascular Treatment of Intracranial Atherosclerosis

Intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAD) is responsible for a significant proportion of ischemic strokes worldwide. Conservative medical management is the appropriate first step in the treatment of ICAD. The clinical presentation of ICAD is heterogenous, with ischemia resulting from more than one mechanism. Delineating the mechanism of ischemia needs careful clinical analysis and usually necessitates multimodal imaging. An endovascular treatment approach based on the mechanism of stroke may be beneficial for select patients. Patient selection will be a critical factor in the design of future ICAD clinical trials.
Economics, postcolonial theory and the problem of culture. institutional analysis and hybridity.

Postcolonial theory has not yet made an impact in economics. This may be explained by the different treatment of culture in each field. In postcolonial theory, culture serves as a central analytical category. In economics, despite increased attention in recent history, general approaches to culture continue to underestimate its role in economic behaviour and decision making. Borrowing some insights from postcolonial theory, this paper calls for further attention to culture in economics. It is argued that such a turn improves current understanding of contemporary economic phenomena, and allows subaltern cultures (currently theorised as less developed) to equally participate in the global construction of social meaning and economic well being. It is further argued that incorporating the postcolonial idea of hybridity into the institutional economic approach holds the most promise for theorising contemporary postcolonial economies. This argument is illustrated by examining some hybrid economic patterns within Africa. Copyright The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.
Comparative Physiology of Respiration in Aquatic Fungi II. The Saprolegniales, Especially Aphanomyces astaci

The endogenous respiration of six members of Saprolegniaceae (Oomycetes), Saprotegnia sp., Thraustotheca sp., Achlya sp., Dichtyuchus sp., Aphanomyces euteiches, and A. astaci were studied in the presence and in the absence of exogenous substrate using conventional manometric techniques. Glucose stimulated the rate of oxygen uptake of unstarved mycelia to some extent in all the fungi. Attempts to increase the weak stimulation of respiration by glucose in A. astaci were not successful. The respiratory quotients of the fungi tested were usually in the range of 0.7 to 0.9 during endogenous respiration, and addition of glucose increased these values more than expected. L-leucine and L-glutamic acid stimulated respiration of A. astaci only when the fugus was starved, and acetic acid and butyric acid were inhibitory. Fructose and acetic acid increased respiration in starved mycelium of A. euteiches while L-leucine and L-glutamic acid had little effect. Antimycin A, HOQNO, HCN, and fluoroacetate strongly inhibited endogenous oxygen uptake by A. astaci. Amytal and azide were also markedly inhibitory while rotenone and CO had little effect. DNP and diphenylamine inhibited respiration at a high concentration but at a lower concentration DNP was stimulatory. In contrast the respiration of Saprolegnia sp. was resistant to cyanide, antimycin A, and HOQNO. Spectrophotometric observations on homogenized mycelia of Saprolegnia sp. and of A. astaci indicated the presence of cytochrome c (551 nm), two b-type cytochromes (557 and 564 nm) and cytochrome a-a3 (605 nm) all in approximately equimolar concentrations. In both strains CO combined with cytochrome a3 and an unidentified pigment. A remarkable similarity in the cytochrome system seems to exist between these two strains and some members of the Leptomitales.
PUPILS-enabling a dialogue between the machine and the brain

The human eye has been called the window to the soul. One component of the eye, the pupil, is considered by some psychologists to be the single involuntary indicator of cognitive activity in the human brain. Much research is currently directed toward eye tracking for the purpose of determining the focus of a subject's attention. This information is then used in various HCI applications (e.g., to operate a system GUI visually). Our efforts in this area are quite unique in that the goal is to use the pupil response as a measure of attentiveness to a particular visual task. We first discuss the role of the pupil in this capacity and the feasibility of a system designed to monitor and interpret pupil response relative to specific visual stimuli. We then demonstrate our approach in implementing a machine vision system (PUPILS-PUPil InterLocution System) that endeavors to gauge a subject's degree of attentiveness relative to a specific visual task. Finally, we present the results of initial experiments using PUPILS, discuss the contributions and shortcomings of this initial prototype and expound our plan for continued research in this area.
Jamestown Canyon Virus Disease in the United States—2000–2013

Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) is a mosquito-borne orthobunyavirus in the California serogroup that can cause an acute febrile illness, meningitis, or meningoencephalitis. We describe epidemiologic and clinical features for JCV disease cases occurring in the United States during 2000-2013. A case of JCV disease was defined as an acute illness in a person with laboratory evidence of a recent JCV infection. During 2000-2013, we identified 31 cases of JCV disease in residents of 13 states. The median age was 48 years (range, 10-69) and 21 (68%) were male. Eleven (35%) case patients had meningoencephalitis, 6 (19%) meningitis, 7 (23%) fever without neurologic involvement, and 7 (23%) had an unknown clinical syndrome. Fifteen (48%) were hospitalized and there were no deaths. Health-care providers and public health officials should consider JCV disease in the differential diagnoses of viral meningitis and encephalitis, obtain appropriate specimens for testing, and report cases to public health authorities.
Welfare state policy determinants of fertility level: A comparative analysis:

One of the biggest demographic issues that many advanced industrialized countries face is the persistence of low fertility rates. Declining fertility rates pose potential obstacles to economic growth. Government budgets have to accommodate more pension and health services as the number of adults of working age who contribute to older generations’ pensions diminishes. In this paper, I examine the determinants of fertility rates at the national level of 17 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Specifically, I perform a pooled time-series analysis covering the time period 1990—9. The analysis yields evidence that the types of state policies — active labor market programs, family-friendly policies and employment protection laws — play a significant role in either helping or hindering fertility levels. I find that active labor market policies and generous work and family policies encourage higher fertility rates, while the presence of employment protection legislation — rules...
Central neurotransmitters and control of specific appetite for the macronutrients

Studies of brain monoamines and neuropeptides have provided extensive evidence in support of their role in the control of food intake, meal patterns and appetite for specific macronutrients. In this process, the medial and lateral portions of the hypothalamus have a critical responsibility in balancing signals for hunger and satiety. Via its rich and biologically active neurotransmitter substances, the hypothalamus monitors and integrates the complex sensory and metabolic input concerning the nutritional status of the organism and transduces this information into appropriate quantitative and qualitative adjustments in food intake. The specific neurotransmitters for which there is the most extensive evidence for a physiological function include the eating-stimulatory substances norepinephrine, opioid peptides, pancreatic polypeptides, galanin and gamma-aminobutyric acid; and the eating-inhibitory substances dopamine, epinephrine, serotonin and several gut-brain peptides. From biochemical, pharmacological and anatomical studies, hypotheses have been generated to explain the role of these various monoamines and neuropeptides in controlling total energy intake, in determining the amount and pattern of macronutrient selection, and in maintaining normal energy and nutrient stores under dynamic conditions within the external environment.
Systematic Errors in the Analysis of the Infrared Transmission Data Of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon

The validity of the Brodsky, Cardona and Cuomo (BCC) [1] and the Connell and Lewis (CL) [2] methods to analyze infrared transmission data of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) was examined using computer simulations. Transmission spectra for a-Si:H films 0-5¼m thick and containing up to 30 atomic% hydrogen were simulated assuming coherent reflections in the film and incoherent reflections in the c-Si substrate. Analysis of the simulated data for the 640cm −1 Si-H wagging mode shows that the BCC and CL techniques systematically overestimate the absorption coefficeint, α, and hence hydrogen content, C H , when the film thickness, d, is less than ∼l¼m. The error is nearly independent of C H and is as large as 80% in the limit d→0. On this basis, previously reported experimental evidence for the dependence of C H on d is shown to be an analysis artifact. A simple method to correct the hydrogen content determined by the BCC or CL analysis using only the film thickness is presented.
Relative Twospotted Spider Mite Damage to Cultivars of Gossypium sp.

Cotton cultivars were subjected to infestation by Tetranychus urticae Koch beginning at the 4-leaf stage until maturity in greenhouse experiments. Line weight was reduced in ‘Deltapine 16’ and ‘Acala SJ-1’ cult ivars and increased in Pima S-3 as a result of mite infestation. Stalk and lint weight were reduced equally in Deltapine 16 and Acala SJ-1. Fruiting efficiency based on the amount of stalk weight required to produce 1 g of lint was not affected greatly for Pima S-3 plants infested by mites. The most efficient cultivar, Deltapine 16, was the most affected. Its fruiting efficiency was reduced 21%, while that of Pima S-3 was increased.
32 THE QUANTITATIVE VALIDATION OF NONINVASIVE DISEASE ACTIVITY INDICES IN ULCERATIVE COLITIS.

Background and Aims There are no validated disease activity measures for ulcerative colitis. Current methods of validation are qualitative and provide no means to compare the validity of different indices. Recent data have suggested that two noninvasive indices for ulcerative colitis, the Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI) and the Seo Index, can predict clinical outcomes of remission and improvement. We performed a quantitative analysis of the psychometric and performance validity of these indices in the measurement of ulcerative colitis. Methods A longitudinal cohort study of 66 patients with ulcerative colitis was performed at a tertiary care center with repeated measurement of disease activity. Subjects were evaluated with the two noninvasive indices, the St. Mark9s Index, and the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire. Subjects were also asked at each visit whether they were in remission and at the return visit whether their disease activity had changed. Psychometric validity was evaluated by quantitatively measuring the content, construct, criterion-convergent, and criterion-predictive validity on a 0-1 scale. Performance validity was evaluated by measuring the reproducibility and responsiveness on a 0-1 scale. These items were totaled to provide an overall validity score for each index. Results The two noninvasive indices had good criterion-convergent and criterion-predictive validity and good reproducibility. The SCCAI was weak in its content validity and in its responsiveness. The Seo Index had weaknesses in its content validity, construct validity, and responsiveness. Both indices had fair overall validity scores, and the SCCAI was superior to the Seo Index. Conclusions These two noninvasive indices for ulcerative colitis have fair overall validity and are now the most rigorously validated disease activity indices for ulcerative colitis. Both indices predict the clinical end point of patient-defined remission. These noninvasive indices can lower costs and subject discomfort in future clinical trials. Quantitative evaluation of validity identifies weaknesses in disease activity indices that can be improved and can lead to better indices of disease activity in ulcerative colitis and in other disease states.
Real-time digital modeling of gas-steam combined cycle power plant

At present, there is very limited research on dynamic modeling of gas-steam combined cycle power plant(CCPP) units domestically, and the commonly used power system simulation software still lack CCPP models, to build a CCPP units model based on the characteristics of the domestic 9F heavy duty CCPP units with unfired heat recovery steam generator, single shaft and sliding pressure control, a real time digital simulation model of CCPP units is established. Firstly a non-real-time digital simulation model is established in the Matlab/Simulink environment, and then the model is converted into C language code. Secondly by using CBuilder, C language code is encapsulated in a simulation model which can run in real time. Finally the model is tested on Real Time Digital Simulator(RTDS), and verified with the field test results, which demonstrates that the developed CCPP model can meet the real time simulation requirements of power system in terms of computation efficiency and model accuracy.
Commitments and the Problem of Order in International Relations

States need order in their environment, in their relations with each other, just as they need it internally. Generally, they know that they need international order and they therefore want it and seek it. The hedging of this statement is required by the recognition that states frequently give priority to values other than and even opposed to order, that they sometimes find exploitable advantage in disorder, and that their concern about order usually has a regional rather than a global focus. Despite these qualifications, it is broadly true that the problem of external order is treated by statesmen as a major concern.
Speech Acts, Decisions, and Community in The Mayor of Casterbridge

This book’stopic is new ways of reading Hardy today, in the light of recent developments in literary and critical theory. Should we read Hardy’swork differently from the way it was read thirty or forty years ago? If so, what would those new ways be? In a sense, these are non-questions, since it is natural that a major writer like Hardy will be read anew in different ways by each new generation of critics. It follows that there will be, as indeed there have been, readings of Hardy that are Lacanian, feminist, new historicist, Foucauldian-Marxist, inspired by cultural studies, and so on. Already in 1977 the editor of the Norton Critical Edition of The Mayor of Casterbridge reported the existence of ‘approaches which are philosophical, sociological, formalist, stylistic, archetypal, and psychological’ (Hardy 1977, viii). Since then, the list of approaches has lengthened and become even more diverse. The multiplicity of these may be a sign of the desperation or even of the death-throes of old-fashioned literary study. These new readings reflect the broad, heterogeneous, even, if I may dare to say so, incoherent field of literary studies today. By ‘incoherent’ I mean, for example, that one cannot logically be a Lacanian and a devotee of cultural studies at the same time, since the two modes of explanation cannot be reconciled. Il faut choisir. Eclecticism in literary study, a little of this and a little of that, is a vice. That vice should be avoided at all costs.
Chain Refolding and Subunit Interactions in Enzyme Molecules Covalently Bound to a Solid Matrix

The biological and chemical properties of functionally active proteins are dependent upon their three-dimensional molecular structures. Insight into the role of the gene-determined primary sequence of a protein molecule in providing a thermodynamically stable tertiary structure with biological activity was obtained through the classical experiments of White, Anfinsen, and their colleagues on the renaturation of reductively denatured ribonuclease A (1–3). In these and subsequent investigations, it has been demonstrated that the acquisition of functional tertiary structures in relatively simple, single-chained protein molecules can occur spontaneously as a result of the inherent thermodynamics of the system; i.e., interactions among the linear array of amino acid residues and the molecular environment.