cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of two methods to identify live benthic foraminifera: A test between Rose Bengal and CellTracker Green with implications for stable isotope paleoreconstructions

[1] The conventional method to distinguish live from dead benthic foraminifers uses Rose Bengal, a stain that reacts with both live and dead cytoplasm. CellTracker Green CMFDA is a fluorogenic probe causing live cells to fluoresce after proper incubation. To determine the more accurate viability method, we conducted a direct comparison of Rose Bengal staining with CellTracker Green labeling. Eight multicore tops were analyzed from Florida Margin (SE United States; 248–751 m water depths), near Great Bahama Bank (259–766 m), and off the Carolinas (SE United States; 220 and 920 m). On average, less than half the Rose Bengal–stained foraminifera were actually living when collected. Thus, while Rose Bengal can significantly overestimate abundance, combined analyses of CellTracker Green and Rose Bengal can provide insights on population dynamics and effects of episodic events. Initial stable isotope analyses indicate that the CellTracker Green method does not significantly affect these important paleoceanographic proxies.
Study of interconnect vias by the discrete surface integral method

A non-orthogonal time-domain full-wave solver, is developed based on the discrete surface integral (DSI) technique. Closed form expressions are derived for the coefficients used in the leap-frog computation scheme so that the DSI technique can be implemented as a generalised finite-difference procedure. This procedure is employed to investigate the propagation characteristics of a typical interconnect via in printed circuits. The numerically calculated scattering parameters show consistent behavior with measured results. A square via with equal area is also evaluated.
Development of a Hydrogen Gas Sensor Using Microfabrication Technology

Microfabrication and micromachining technologies are used to produce a hydrogen gas sensor based on a palladium-silver film. The sensor uses a heater that is fabricated by diffusing p-type borones into the substrate, forming a resistance heater. A diode for temperature measurement is produced using p-type boron and n-type phosphor diffused into the substrate. A thickness of the palladium-silver film is approximately 300 arcsec. The hydrogen gas sensor employs the proven palladium-silver diode structure and is surrounded by a phosphor doped resistance heater which can be heated up to a temperature of 250 C. Experimental results show that the sensor is capable of operating over a wide range of hydrogen concentration levels between 0-95 percent without any hysteresis effects.
Cigarette smoking accelerates the development of diminished ovarian reserve as evidenced by the clomiphene citrate challenge test

Objective To test whether the reduced fecundity in women who smoke cigarettes may be attributed to the accelerated development of diminished ovarian reserve. Design Retrospective evaluation of clomiphene citrate (CC) challenge tests in women from a general infertility population who did and did not smoke cigarettes (part 1) and retrospective evaluation of the impact of smoking on pregnancy rates (PRs) in IVF among women with normal ovarian reserve (part 2). Setting Large military tertiary care center. Patients Sixty-five women who smoked cigarettes and 145 women who did not smoke cigarettes in the general infertility population (part 1) and women undergoing IVF for strict tubal factor infertility with normal ovarian reserve who did (n=29) and did not (n=73) smoke (part 2). Interventions Clomiphene citrate challenge tests, composed of FSH levels on cycle days 3 and 10 with 100mg of CC administered on cycle days 5 through 9. Main Outcome Measures Comparison of the incidence of abnormal CC challenge test results between women who did and did not smoke, and comparison of peak E 2 levels, number of mature follicles, number of mature oocytes retrieved, fertilization rates, and total and ongoing PRs. Results The incidence of diminished ovarian reserve was increased in women who smoked (8 of 65 [12.31%]) when compared with age-matched controls who did not smoke (7 of 145 [4.83%]). Among women with normal CC challenge tests who were undergoing IVF, there were no differences in peak E 2 levels, the number of mature follicles, the number of mature oocytes retrieved, fertilization rates, or total and ongoing PRs. Conclusion Women who smoke have an accelerated development of clinically detectable diminished ovarian reserve. Additionally, the fact that women who smoke cigarettes with normal ovarian reserve have ovarian responses and PRs that are equivalent to age-matched nonsmoking controls suggests that diminished ovarian reserve may be a principal mechanism reducing fecundity among women who smoke cigarettes.
Behavioral effects of estrogen in the human female

A review of the behavioral effects of estrogen has to be divided on the basis of different time periods. During the critical phase of brain differentiation (which is species specific and takes place either before birth or neonatally), various sex hormones have long-term and permanent effects on behavior. Therefore, their action has been termed developmental or organizational. In contrast, hormones in adulthood, after the critical phase has passed, affect reversible changes in behavior and have been called activational. THE ROLE OF ESTROGEN IN BRAIN DIFFERENTIATION The different action of hormones during the organizational phase vs the activational time period has been demonstrated by those researchers who work directly on the brain level of animals and who use techniques such as autoradiography of the implantation of minute amounts of specific hormones in different brain regions. From scientists like Roger Gorski at the University of California at Los Angeles, we have learned that sexual differentiation of the brain appears to be located in the preoptic area and the hypothalamus. The exposure to specific steroids during the organizational phase affects permanent alterations of the neural connections of the preoptic area in male and female rat brains (they change the "wiring" of the brain), while hormones in adulthood activate temporal changes in neuronal function of hormone-sensitive cells lying within developmentally fixed neural circuits. We also have considerable evidence about the events of the cellular level itself from neurochemical research, as from Bruce McEwen9s laboratory at Rockefeller University, New York. It appears to be proved at this point that testosterone is the crucial steroid during normal male and female sexual differentiation, but that a portion of testosterone is converted into estradiol on the target brain cell level and insteracts with estrogen receptors. 1
A nude mouse model for the in vivo production of hepatitis B virus.

Abstract Hepatitis B virus genome-transfected HepG2 cells (2.2.15 cells) inoculated into nude mice produced tumors within 2–8 wk. Dane particles, hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase activity, hepatitis B surface antigen, and hepatitis B e antigen were detected in the serum, and 36% of mice developed antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen. In the tumors, hepatitis B surface, core, and e antigens were observed by electron microscopy and immunoenzymatic techniques. In-situ hybridization and Southern blot analysis showed hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid in the tumor. Tumors could be propagated by injection of minced tumor tissue or of a tumor-derived cell line. Liver of tumor-bearing mice as well as sera and tissues of mice inoculated with control cell lines did not show hepatitis B virus genome or viral markers. Tumors induced by both 2.2.15 and nontransfected HepG2 cells exhibited myc oncogene protein and various hepatoma-associated antigens (α-fetoprotein, α-1-antitrypsin, α-1-antichymotrypsin, carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin), suggesting that viral formation does not interfere with expression of these antigens. This experimental model will be helpful to study the effect of drugs on in-vivo hepatitis B virus replication and viral antigen expression.
Cytoplasmic Suppression of Tumorigenicity in Reconstructed Mouse Cells

Previous cybrid studies aimed at demonstrating cytoplasmic suppression of tumorigenicity have been generally inconclusive because of (a) the use of mutagens or carcinogens to introduce nuclear-coded and cytoplasmic-coded genetic markers and (b) dilution of putative cytoplasmic suppressors with tumorigenic cytoplasm of whole cells used in the cybrid construction. We have circumvented these potential problems by examining tumorigenicity in reconstructed cells made from tumorigenic karyoplasts and nontumorigenic cytoplasts and by using a ricin-antiricin selection to obtain the reconstructed cells. Karyoplasts from tumorigenic NIH/3T3 cells that were derived from a clone that had survived incubation with benzo(a)pyrene-trans-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxy (anti) and been passaged 17 times were fused to NIH/3T3 cytoplasts derived from nontumorigenic cells. The cytoplasts were loaded with antiricin antibody prior to fusion. Ten clones which survived ricin selection were not tumorigenic in nude mice. These findings offer support for the presence of cytoplasmic factors in nontumorigenic mouse cells that suppress benzo(a)pyrene epoxide-induced tumorigenicity.
In situ velocity profiles in gassy sediments: Kiel Bay

Acoustic behavior of gas-bearing sediments is significantly different from that of gas-free sediments. In situ velocity profiles and acoustic signal characteristics in gas-bearing sediments of the upper several meters of the sea floor in Kiel Bay are presented in this study. Observed velocities in gas-bearing sediments are both higher and lower than those of the gas-free sediments. Small amounts of gas appear to cause signal reverberation without much attenuation. whereas large amounts of gas cause substantial attenuation.
Chemically phosphorylated protamine: a new substrate for the study of phosphoprotein phosphatase activity.

Abstract A method for the chemical phosphorylation of seryl residues in protamine has been developed. Both non-radioactive and [33P]phosphoprotamine have been prepared and characterized. Phosphoprotein phosphatases from a variety of mammalian tissues release inorganic phosphate from phosphoprotamine. Chemically phosphorylated protamine is a useful new substrate for the study of these phosphoprotein phosphatases.
Charles Tilly, German Historicism, and the Critical Realist Philosophy of Science

This paper examines Charles Tilly’s relationship to the schools of thought known as historicism and critical realism. Tilly was committed to a social epistemology that was inherently historicist, and he increasingly called himself a “historicist.” The “search for grand laws in human affairs comparable to the laws of Newtonian mechanics,” he argued, was a “waste of time” and had “utterly failed.” Tilly’s approach was strongly reminiscent of the arguments developed in the first half of the 20th century by Rickert, Weber, Troeltsch, and Meinecke for a synthesis of particularization and generalization and for a focus on “historical individuals” rather than abstract universals. Nonetheless, Tilly never openly engaged with this earlier wave of historicist sociology, despite its fruitfulness for and similarity to his own project. The paper explores some of the possible reasons for this missed encounter. The paper argues further that Tilly’s program of “relational realism” resembled critical realism, but with main two differences: Tilly did not fully embrace critical realism’s argument that social mechanisms are always co-constituted by social meaning or its normative program of explanatory critique. In order to continue developing Tilly’s ideas it is crucial to connect them to the epistemological ideas that governed the first wave of historicist sociology in Weimar Germany and to a version of philosophical realism that is interpretivist and critical.
Spatio-spectral tomography of luminescent objects with volume holograms

Volume holograms as optical imaging elements provide maximum flexibility in the design of the optical response. For example, when a polychromatic incoherent object illuminates a spherical-reference volume hologram, the shift selectivity effect extracts only a color-dependent slice of the object, which is reconstructed on a planar detector. In this presentation we characterize the performance (resolution and dynamic range) of a tomographic imaging system based on this effect.
Pain associated with aminolevulinic acid-photodynamic therapy of skin disease.

Background Pain during topical aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) limits the use of this treatment of skin diseases. Objective We sought to summarize the effectiveness of interventions to reduce ALA-PDT–related pain, and to explore factors contributing to pain induction. Methods A PubMed search was performed to identify all clinical PDT trials (2000-2008) that used ALA or methyl-ALA, enrolled at least 10 patients per trial, and used a semiquantitative pain scale. Results In all, 43 articles were identified for review. Pain intensity is associated with lesion size and location and can be severe for certain diagnoses, such as plaque-type psoriasis. Results are inconsistent for the correlation of pain with light source, wavelength of light, fluence rate, and total light dose. Cooling represents the best topical intervention. Limitations Pain perception differs widely between patients and can contribute to variability in the reported results. Conclusion Gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors, cold/menthol receptors (transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily M, member 8), and vanilloid/capsaicin receptors (transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 1) may be involved in pain perception during ALA-PDT and are therefore worthy of further investigation.
(R)evolution in the Land of the Lonely: Murakami Ryū and the Project to Overcome Modernity

Using a form of fictional reportage he terms the ‘document novel’ Murakami Ryū has spent the past ten years probing the underlying causes of many of Japan's most critical social problems, from domestic violence and the rising school drop-out rate to phenomena such as ‘compensated dating’ and the hikikomori problem. At the root of these issues stands one seemingly insurmountable culprit: the recent completion of Japan's ‘project of modernization’. The present essay offers a close reading of three recent Murakami novels, two dealing with mass killers (In za miso sūpu, 1997, and Kyōseichū, 2000), the third with a ten year-long popular uprising of middle school students (Kibō no kuni no ekusodasu, 2000). Its purpose is to show how two radically different works express essentially the same message: that Japan has reached a point where its current social and political structures, grounded in modernization (kindaika), must give way to a new evolutionary stage of social development. Within the slightly futuristic...
Parathyroid hormone and bone biomechanics

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) treatment, either in the form of teriparatide or recombinant human PTH(1–34), reduces the fracture risk of osteoporotic women by enhancing both structural and material biomechanical properties. Cortical bone thickness and cross-sectional moment of inertia increase because of new bone formation on periosteal and endocortical surfaces. Intracortical porosity is increased yet preferential localization near the endocortical surface limits any negative biomechanical effects. Greater trabecular bone volume results from a positive basic multicellular unit bone balance and renewed modeling. Initial increases in trabecular thickness are eventually reduced as a result of trabecular tunneling, increasing trabecular number, and connectivity. These geometrical and architectural alterations are the predominant mechanism by which PTH increases structural strength, stiffness, and energy absorption. PTH also positively alters material-level strength, modulus, and toughness. These changes are counterintuitive based on known effects of decreasing average tissue mineralization and increasing tissue heterogeneity. This combination of enhanced structural and material biomechanical properties makes PTH an effective treatment for reducing fracture risk despite smaller gains in bone mineral density compared to other osteoporosis agents.
Quantitation of digitoxin, digoxin, and their metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography using pulsed amperometric detection

Abstract A novel detection method for the cardiac glycosides digitoxin, digoxin, and their metabolites is described. Both isocratic and gradient water-acetonitrile elutions were employed with an octadecylsilane column. The effluent was monitored by integrated pulsed amperometry in an alkaline medium (pH > 12) by adding sodium hydroxide post-column. Using isocratic elution, peak responses were linear from 10 to 70 ng, with lower limits of detection between 4 and 15 ng. This method allows easy modification of well-established high-performance liquid chromatographic systems, as well as comparable sensitivity and greater selectivity than UV detection.
Clinical neuropathy scales in neuropathy associated with impaired glucose tolerance

Abstract Aims Disagreement exists on effective and sensitive outcome measures in neuropathy associated with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Nerve conduction studies and skin biopsies are costly, invasive and may have their problems with reproducibility and clinical applicability. A clinical measure of neuropathy that has sufficient sensitivity and correlates to invasive measures would enable significant future research. Methods Data was collected prospectively on patients with IGT and symptomatic early neuropathy (neuropathy symptoms Results All seven clinical scales were determined to be excellent in discriminating between patients with neuropathy from controls without neuropathy. The strongest discrimination was seen with the mTCNS. The best sensitivity and specificity for the range of scores obtained, as determined by using receiver operating characteristic curves, was seen for the mTCNS followed by the TNSc. Most scales show a stronger correlation with measures of large rather than small fiber neuropathy. Conclusions All seven scales identify patients with neuropathy. For the purpose of screening potential patients for a clinical study, the mTCNS followed by the TNSc would be most helpful to select patients with neuropathy.
Multiple bonding configurations for Te adsorbed on the Ge(001) surface

Using high-resolution x-ray standing waves and low-energy electron diffraction, the structure of Te adsorbed on Ge(001) was studied. A coverage-dependent structural rearrangement was observed between Te coverages of 1 and 0.5 monolayer (ML). At Te coverages near 1 ML, Te was found to adsorb in a bridge site, as expected. However, at Te coverages near 0.5 ML, a structure unanticipated for Group VI/Group IV adsorption was discovered. Te-Ge heterodimers were formed with an average valency of 5, allowing them to satisfy all surface dangling bonds. The results help explain the efficacy of Te as a surfactant in epitaxial growth of Ge/Si(001). {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
On completeness theorems for feature logics

We formulate a sequent calculusF and prove that it is sound, and complete in a strong sense with respect to a class offeature structures. The proof of completeness involves proving, first, a general characterization of the conditions under which any sequent calculus (that permits unrestricted use of Gentzen's structural rules) is strongly complete with respect to a semantical interpretation. With this general characterization, we prove completeness of the sequent calculus as well as a uniform relativization of strong completeness underappropriateness conditions. This establishes various completeness theorems from the literature as applications of the results here. To demonstrate the generality of our results, we also prove, with exactly the same technique, the completeness of an intuitionistic version of the calculus with respect to a class of Kripke structures. We next turn to a proof theoretic result that is intimately related to completeness: cut elimination. We prove a version of cut elimination for the classical calculus under appropriateness conditions, and as a corollary that various fragments of the calculus are also sound and strongly complete. Finally, completeness of the fragments allows us to investigate a correspondence between certain information systems and certain calculi. With this, we show that Pereira and Shieber's Domain of Descriptions is sound and complete, but only in a weak sense, with respect to its intended semantics.
Examining antidepressant drug response by smoking status: why is it important and how often is it done?

Despite an increasingly recognized relationship between depression and smoking, little is known about the degree to which treatment studies for depression consider the impact of smoking on outcomes. The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which smoking is considered in current antidepressant treatment research. We conducted a MEDLINE search of recent randomized clinical trials of pharmacotherapy for depression published between 1 January and 31 December 2007, and a search of current pharmacological intervention studies for depression using www.ClinicalTrials.gov. Only 5% of the 107 pharmacological trials for depression published in 2007 reported the smoking status of their samples. Two studies (1.9%) controlled for smoking in the analyses and no studies analyzed outcomes by smoking status. Excluding the eight studies of combined treatment for depression and nicotine dependence, no other study on www.ClinicalTrials.gov (total n = 920) reported an intention to analyze outcomes by smoking status. E...
Cannabinoid CB1 receptors of the parabrachial nucleus in selective modulation of various diets: A comparison with opioids.

Cannabinoid- and opioid-signaling systems have been implicated in many physiological functions, including regulation of feeding and energy balance. In this series of experiments, we compared macronutrient-specific and temporal effects of activating CB1Rs in the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) with mu-opioid receptors (MOPRs) on the intake of standard-chow (SC), high-fat (60%)/high-sucrose diet (HFHS), rationed standard-chow (RSC-baseline intakes raised to near HFHS levels; 30 g given every 24 h=∼100% of daily intake), Crisco ® (fat) and carbohydrate (sucrose). The PBN is a brainstem region associated with integrating neurotransmission from multiple sensory systems, including information regarding ingestion. Separate groups of 6–7 rats were implanted with bilateral cannulae aimed at the lateral PBN and food intake was measured for 4 h. By 30 min post-infusion, the endogenous CB1R agonist 2-arachidonoyl glycerol ([2-AG]; 1.0–2.0 nmol/0.5 μl/side) increased ingestion above baseline of HFHS (from 6.2±0.4 to 10.1±0.8 g), fat (2.6±0.6 to 5.6±1.4) and sucrose (1.9±0.4 to 3.2±0.7). In contrast, 2-AG did not modify eating of SC (0.1±0.1 to 0.1±0.1) and RSC (4.7±0.4 to 4.3±0.7). Thus, hedonically positive sensory properties of the food, rather than the baseline consumption of food, appear to enable CB1R agonists in the PBN to increase eating. In the same animals, the MOPR agonist DAMGO (2 nmol) increased intake of all diets at 4 h (but not 30-min) postinfusion: SC (0.8±0.4 to 3.7±0.9), HFHS (7.7±0.8 to 11.7±1.6), RSC (9.9±1.8 to 11.8±1.6), fat (4.5±0.8 to 6.7±1.2) and sucrose (4.5±0.5 to 5.9±0.3). Parabrachial CB1Rs and MOPRs appear to modulate different temporal components of scheduled meals. Additionally, PBN CB1Rs may interact more selectively than MOPRs with sensory qualities of food. USPHS Grant No. DK067648 to KJS.
Rates, timing, and cyclicity of Holocene eolian activity in north-central United States: Evidence from varved lake sediments

Most of the sediment components that accumulated in Elk Lake, northwestern Minnesota, during the Holocene are autochthonous or biogenic, delivered to the sediment-water interface on a seasonal schedule, preserved in distinct annual laminae (varves). The main allochthonous component is detrital clastic material, as measured by bulk-sediment concentrations of aluminum, sodium, potassium, titanium, and quartz, that enters the lake mostly as eolian dust. The eolian clastic influx to Elk Lake was considerably greater during the mid-Holocene (8–4 ka) than it has been for the past 4000 yr, when periods of increased eolian activity correspond to the time of the Little Ice age and the dust bowl. Geochemical records of eolian activity exhibit distinct cyclicities with dominant periodicities of 400 and 84 yr.
α-Actinin from red and white porcine muscle

Properties of purified α-actinin prepared from red and white sections of porcine semitendinosus muscle were compared. Although Z-lines were 2.25 times wider in red semitendinosus than in white semitendinosus, identical yields of α-actinin were obtained from these two sections of the semitendinosus. Since α-actinin is located in the Z-line, this result indicates that the Z-line contains proteins in addition to α-actinin. Reconstituted actomyosin prepared from red semitendinosus had a lower Mg2+-modified ATPase activity and a slower rate of turbidity increase than reconstituted actomyosin made from white semitendinosus; this result and the fact that red semitendinosus had wider Z-lines than the white semitendinosus confirmed that red semitendinosus contained a predominance of red fibers, whereas the white semitendinosus contained a predominance of white fibers. Red α-actinin contained more aspartic acid than white α-actinin; this difference was mainly responsible for red α-actinin having 17 more negatively charged amino acids per 1000 total amino acids than white α-actinin. Because of this difference in negatively charged, amino acid side chains, red α-actinin could be separated from white α-actinin by DEAE-cellulose chromatography or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Red α-actinin did not differ from white α-actinin in sedimentation pattern (both 6.1 S), in circular dichroic spectra (both about 59% α-helical), in rate of digestion by trypsin, or in ability to increase the Mg2+-modified ATPase activity or rate of turbidity increase in suspensions of either red or white reconstituted actomyosin. The properties of porcine α-actinin are very similar to those of rabbit α-actinin, but the physiological role of α-actinin remains undetermined.
The-elyj adjectives in contemporary Russian

The Obratnyj slovar' russkogo jazyka (1974) lists approximately 500 adjectives that end in -lyj and another 27 or so that end in -loj. It is obvious that this group is not homogenous. It includes adjectives such as veselyj, belyj, malyj, bespalyj, kruglyj, and xudotelyj which are not derived from verbs. It also includes adjectives such as giblyj, bleklyj, puxlyj, kislyj, merzlyj and the prefixed ones, pogiblyj, pobleklyj, opuxlyj, raspuxlyj, perekislyj, zamerzlyj, obmerzlyj, and vymerzlyj. These adjectives have related verbs in Russian, e.g., gibnut\ bleknut', puxnut\ merznut\ etc., but it seems that they are not productively derived from verbs. Finally, there are adjectives such as zakostenelyj, okamenelyj, osatanelyj and zalezalyj, which have closely related verbs: zakostenet\ okamenet\ osatanet\ etc. The 1-adjective is described as a productive type of adjective formation both by the Academy Grammar of 1970 and that of 1980.1 Although the latter claims that verbs which motivate this class of adjectives may be both perfective and imperfective, the truly productive class of 1-adjectives, according to Vinogradov (1972, 180) derives only from prefixed perfective verbs which are intransitive :
Reply to Rey

Rey does not try to achieve an overall statement of the view he is discussing; rather, he fastens on to a series of individual passages in Reference and Consciousness and expresses disagreement with each of them. Most of his complaints rest on imprecision in his understanding of the relevant passage. To make it easier to match my responses to the detail of Rey’s comments, I have organized my responses to the four sections of his article under the same headings as he uses.
Can you have both retention and increased pass rates on the NCLEX-RN?

This article presents a retention project in an associate degree nursing program. Initiatives were taken to retain students in the nursing program as well as to increase the pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)-RN. The first nursing course was primarily targeted for retention but initiatives were used with all students in the program. Preliminary results show a significant increase in retention, graduation, and increase in the scores on the NCLEX-RN.
Heavy quark measurements by single electrons in the PHENIX experiment

Transverse momentum (peT) distribution of electrons for 0.3 < peT < 9.0 GeV/c has been measured in midrapidity (|η| < 0.35) in Au+Au collisions and p+p collisions at GeV by the RHIC-PHENIX experiment. Two methods for background subtraction were applied to determine the electron yield from open charm and bottom decays. The nuclear modification factor was calculated, and significant suppression at high-peT was observed in Au+Au collisions, indicating the substantial energy loss of heavy quarks in a dense medium.
Number of neutrinos from W,Z hadroproduction: Last count.

We determine the number of light neutrinos directly from data on (i) the production of W and Z bosons in pp-bar collisions and (ii) deep-inelastic scattering of leptons on hydrogen and deuterium. Ambiguities related to the use of structure functions are avoided. We conclude that at 95% confidence level, N/sub ..nu../less than or equal to3 and m(top)less than or equal to60 GeV. N/sub ..nu../ = 4 is allowed if the fourth neutrino is accompanied by a heavy charged lepton lighter than M/sub W/. .AE
Empirical likelihood based confidence intervals for copulas

Copula as an effective way of modeling dependence has become more or less a standard tool in risk management, and a wide range of applications of copula models appear in the literature of economics, econometrics, insurance, finance, etc. How to estimate and test a copula plays an important role in practice, and both parametric and nonparametric methods have been studied in the literature. In this paper, we focus on interval estimation and propose an empirical likelihood based confidence interval for a copula. A simulation study and a real data analysis are conducted to compare the finite sample behavior of the proposed empirical likelihood method with the bootstrap method based on either the empirical copula estimator or the kernel smoothing copula estimator.
Self-assembly of carbon nanotubes and antibodies on tumours for targeted amplified delivery

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can deliver imaging agents or drugs to tumours and offer significant advantages over approaches based on antibodies or other nanomaterials. In particular, the nanotubes can carry a substantial amount of cargo (100 times more than a monoclonal antibody), but can still be rapidly eliminated from the circulation by renal filtration, like a small molecule, due to their high aspect ratio. Here we show that SWNTs can target tumours in a two-step approach in which nanotubes modified with morpholino oligonucleotide sequences bind to cancer cells that have been pretargeted with antibodies modified with oligonucleotide strands complementary to those on the nanotubes. The nanotubes can carry fluorophores or radioisotopes, and are shown to selectively bind to cancer cells in vitro and in tumour-bearing xenografted mice. The binding process is also found to lead to antigen capping and internalization of the antibody-nanotube complexes. The nanotube conjugates were labelled with both alpha-particle and gamma-ray emitting isotopes, at high specific activities. Conjugates labelled with alpha-particle-generating (225)Ac were found to clear rapidly, thus mitigating radioisotope toxicity, and were shown to be therapeutically effective in vivo.
Ethnic response to couponing: a motivational perspective

Looks at the difference in the use of money‐off coupons between Anglo‐Americans and African‐Americans ‐ marketers today are currently being challenged to understand the complexities of ethnic markets as they grow in numbers throughout the USA and have an increasing interest in determining how ethnic consumers respond to sales promotion efforts. Of particular interest to marketers is an understanding of the extent to which ethnic consumers use cents‐off coupons. Demographic factors such as education, income and family size have largely been used to explain differences between those who use coupons and those who do not. The current study goes beyond looking at demographics and examines motivational factors. Suggests that Anglo‐ and African‐American consumers have different motivations for responding to coupon promotions.
The method of differential quadrature for transient nonlinear diffusion

Abstract Numerical solutions to transient nonlinear diffusion problems are obtained by the method of differential quadrature. The accuracy of the solutions is inferred by comparison with the analytical solution for the linear case. The particular problems associated with general boundary conditions are handled by the use of integral methods. Examples from heat diffusion include composite media and radiation-enhanced conduction.
Assessing the economic knowledge and economic opinions of adults

Abstract This study investigates public knowledge of basic economics and public opinion on economic issues. The primary data sources are five national surveys, administered from 1992 to 1999, which contain a rich set of questions to conduct multiple tests and comparisons of the factors that affect economic knowledge and public opinion. As a whole, the results offer significantly stronger evidence of factors that influence knowledge and opinion than is possible from a study of a particular sample of adults using a single set of survey questions. The analysis proceeds in two ways following methods that were originally used with one of the five data sets, a 1992 survey of adults ( Walstad, 1997 ). First, a regression model is specified and estimated with each data set to identify how personal characteristics, general education, course work in economics, income, and political party affect economic knowledge. Second, probit analysis is used to evaluate the effect of economic knowledge on public opinion on selected economic issues after controlling for the above variables. The results from the 1992 data serve as the baseline for comparing the findings across the other surveys.
Likelihood of obstructive coronary disease in metabolic syndrome patients with abnormal stress echocardiography

Abstract Background Metabolic syndrome (MetSx) encompasses several risk factors for macrovascular coronary artery disease. An association between MetSx and coronary syndrome X has also been reported, suggesting that patients with MetSx are more likely to have endothelial dysfunction in the setting of angiographically normal coronary arteries. It remains unknown whether MetSx patients with abnormal stress echocardiography (SE) are more likely to have obstructive coronary disease (CAD) compared to patients without MetSx. Methods We identified symptomatic patients without known CAD and abnormal SE who underwent coronary angiography within 4weeks after the SE. Patients were grouped according to their MetSx and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) status. We compared the proportion of patients with obstructive CAD in each subgroup using the x 2 test. Multivariate regression analysis was used to adjust for the pre-test probability of underlying coronary artery disease. Results Among 583 consecutive symptomatic patients who had an abnormal SE and were referred for angiography, 158 (36%) met the NCEP definition of MetSx. MetSx patients had a trend towards having more obstructive CAD than those without MetSx (OR 1.44, p =0.07). After adjusting for pre-test probability of coronary disease, smoking and LDL-C, MetSx/IFG combination was an independent predictor of obstructive CAD (OR 2.06 [1.24-3.44], p p 0.09). Conclusion Symptomatic patients with MetSx and IFG are more likely to have angiographically significant CAD after abnormal SE than patients without MetSx or those with normal fasting blood glucose.
Texture-based instrument segmentation in 3D ultrasound images

The recent development of real-time 3D ultrasound enables intracardiac beating heart procedures, but the distorted appearance of surgical instruments is a major challenge to surgeons. In addition, tissue and instruments have similar gray levels in US images and the interface between instruments and tissue is poorly defined. We present an algorithm that automatically estimates instrument location in intracardiac procedures. Expert-segmented images are used to initialize the statistical distributions of blood, tissue and instruments. Voxels are labeled of voxels through an iterative expectation-maximization algorithm using information from the neighboring voxels through a smoothing kernel. Once the three classes of voxels are separated, additional neighboring information is used to give spatial information based on the shape of instruments in order to correct for misclassifications. We analyze the major axis of segmented data through their principal components and refine the results by a watershed transform, which corrects the results at the contact between instrument and tissue. We present results on 3D in-vitro data from a tank trial, and 3D in-vivo data from a cardiac intervention on a porcine beating heart. The comparison of algorithm results to expert-annotated images shows the correct segmentation and position of the instrument shaft.
Nonconservation of the magnetization current across magnetic heterostructures

We show that when the magnetizations on opposite sides of a junction are not collinear, the magnetization current is not conserved as the junction is crossed. Thus the usual treatment of this problem needs to be modified. We argue that this is due to an implicit assumption of an external torque that is required to clamp the magnetization in place. The physical consequence of this is explored.
Dynamics of the aurora—VII Equatorward motions and the multiplicity of auroral arcs

Abstract Equatorward motions of auroras are described in detail as follows: 1. The equatorward shift associated with the earth's rotation; 2. The equatorward motion during the recovery phase of the auroral substorm; and 3. The equatorward spread of irregular bands during the substorm. The multiplicity of arcs associated with the equatorward motion is also described.
Why is 9+7 harder than 2+3? Strength and interference as explanations of the problem-size effect

In four experiments, the problem-size effect was investigated, using an alphabet-arithmetic task in which subjects verified such problems as A + 2 = C. Problem size was manipulated by varying the magnitude of the digit addend (e.g., A + 2, A + 3, and A + 4). The frequency and similarity of problems was also manipulated to determine the contribution of strength and interference, respectively. Experiment 1 manipulated frequency at low levels of practice and found that strength could account for the problem-size effect. Experiment 2 manipulated frequency at higher levels of practice, and found that strength alone could not account for the problem-size effect at asymptote. Experiment 3 manipulated frequency and similarity and found a substantial problem-size effect at asymptote, suggesting that both strength and interference contribute to the problem-size effect. Experiment 4 manipulated similarity, keeping frequency constant, and found no problem-size effect at asymptote, suggesting that interference alone is not responsible for the problem-size effect. The results are related to findings with number arithmetic.
Systemic autoimmune disorders in celiac disease.

Purpose of reviewCeliac disease is an immune-mediated disorder clinically characterized by a multitude of symptoms and complications. The comorbidity between celiac disease and other autoimmune disorders has been clearly established.Recent findingsTwo main theories have been postulated to explain th
Clinical and pharmacological implications of cancer cell differentiation and heterogeneity.

Abstract Various aspects and interrelationships of intra-neoplastic diversity have been investigated at two levels: (1) differences among multiple subpopulations of tumor cells at any point in time (heterogeneity) and (2) variations among these subpopulations as a result of their maturation with time (differentiation). The importance of tumor cell heterogeneity and differentiation in neoplasia has been studied using cancer cells obtained from murine mammary tumors and rhabdomyosarcoma, as well as from patients with carcinoma of the colon. Several cancer cell lines derived from these tumors have been cloned and characterized. Neoplastic cell differentiation has been induced using a polar solvent, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF); the differentiation is evidenced by morphological maturation, conversion of tumor cell markers and cell culture characteristics to those consistent with a more benign phenotype, and loss of tumorigenicity. Striking morphological and biological heterogeneity has been observed in neoplastic subpopulations isolated from a single tumor, including marked variability in growth potential, surface antigens, and sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. The biological and pharmacological significance of these findings is discussed from the standpoint of their profound implications for clinical therapy.
Krüppel-Like Factor 5 Mediates Transmissible Murine Colonic Hyperplasia Caused by Citrobacter rodentium Infection

Background & Aims: Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) is a transcription factor that is highly expressed in proliferating crypt cells of the intestinal epithelium. KLF5 has a pro-proliferative effect in vitro and is induced by mitogenic and stress stimuli. To determine whether KLF5 is involved in mediating proliferative responses to intestinal stressors in vivo, we examined its function in a mouse model of transmissible murine colonic hyperplasia triggered by colonization of the mouse colon by the bacteria Citrobacter rodentium. Methods: Heterozygous Klf5 knockout (Klf5+/−) mice were generated from embryonic stem cells carrying an insertional disruption of the Klf5 gene. Klf5+/− mice or wild-type (WT) littermates were infected with C rodentium by oral gavage. At various time points postinfection, mice were killed and distal colons were harvested. Colonic crypt heights were determined morphometrically from sections stained with H&E. Frozen tissues were stained by immunofluorescence using antibodies against Klf5 and the proliferation marker, Ki67, to determine Klf5 expression and numbers of proliferating cells per crypt. Results: Infection of WT mice with C rodentium resulted in a 2-fold increase in colonic crypt heights at 14 days postinfection and was accompanied by a 1.7-fold increase in Klf5 expression. Infection of Klf5+/− mice showed an attenuated induction of Klf5 expression, and hyperproliferative responses to C rodentium were reduced in the Klf5+/− animals as compared with WT littermates. Conclusion: Our study shows that Klf5 is a key mediator of crypt cell proliferation in the colon in response to pathogenic bacterial infection.
Clamping a polygon

Aclamping hand has two opposing parallel edges; the distance between them can vary. We define what it means for the edges of a clamping hand and some edges of a polygon to form aclamp on the polygon. We conjecture that any polygon can be clamped by a hand if its edges are of positive length, but only provide proofs that clamps must exist for convex polygons and for certain polygons composed of two convex chains. The proofs involve extensive case analyses, and it is not obvious how to generalize them.
Selection of Management Accounting Systems in Just-in-Time and Theory of Constraints-Based Manufacturing

In today's competitive business environments, a firm's long-term survival rests heavily on its ability to sustain manufacturing superiority over its competitors. To provide the firm with detailed guidelines for sustaining manufacturing superiority, this paper examines the impact of different management accounting systems, manufacturing control systems and time horizon on manufacturing performance in an enterprise resource planning integrated environment. These management accounting systems include traditional costing, activity-based costing and throughput accounting. The manufacturing control systems include Just-In-Time- and Theory of Constraints-based manufacturing. Through a series of simulation experiments, it was found that activity-based costing provided higher short- and long-term profit, better customer service and lower work-in-process inventory than traditional costing and throughput accounting in situations where firms have high overhead costs and relatively low labour and material costs, while...
A Higher Education Leadership Distance Ph.D. Program: An Assessment Using Blocher's Ecological Learning Theory

This study utilized a case study approach to discuss the issues of distance education in the delivery of doctoral education. The case study provided abroad background to the issues of distance education graduate programs and an assessment of the case. Blocher’s (1974) Ecological Learning Theory is applied to the case to provide for analytical generalization. The results support the need for distance delivery of academic programs to consider both the content and the program’s delivery structure as important components in realizing student success.
Creating a Climate of Self-Awareness in Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Programs

This article discusses the importance of helping preservice teachers develop a sense of self-awareness. This involves, in part, helping preservice teachers develop an ability to examine and identify the personal characteristics, beliefs and attitudes that make them who they are and influence the way they think about teaching and learning. The authors offer several suggestions for creating a climate in teacher education programs that will promote a developing sense of self-awareness in preservice teachers.
Abnormal endoscopic pharyngeal and laryngeal findings attributable to reflux

The symptom complex associated with acid-induced injury to the larynx is referred to as laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). Basing the diagnosis of LPR on patient symptoms or 24-hour dual-probe pH data may be inaccurate, as these diagnostic tests are restricted by limitations in both sensitivity and specificity. The clinician must have a thorough understanding of endoscopic findings associated with this disorder. The severity of laryngeal inflammation caused by acid and activated pepsin can be quantified. This article reviews the abnormal endoscopic pharyngeal and laryngeal findings that are attributable to reflux.
Detection of accessory spleens with indium 111‐labeled autologous platelets

In two patients with recurrent immune thrombocytopenia, accessory splenic tissue was demonstrated by radionuclide imaging following administration of indium 111-labeled autologous platelets. In one of these patients, no accessory splenic tissue was seen on images obtained with technetium 99m sulfur colloid. This new technique provides a simple means for demonstrating accessory spleens and simultaneously evaluating the life-span of autologous platelets.