cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Distortion of Probability and Outcome Information in Risky Decisions.

Abstract Substantial evidence indicates that information is distorted during decision making, but very few studies have assessed the distortion of probability and outcome information in risky decisions. In two studies involving six binary decisions (e.g., banning blood donations from people who have visited England, because of “mad cow disease”), student and nonstudent participants distorted their evaluations of probability and outcome information in the direction of their preferred decision alternative and used these biased evaluations to update their preferences. Participants also evaluated the utilities of possible outcomes more positively when the outcomes could follow only from the preferred alternative and more negatively when they could follow only from the competing alternative. Such circular reasoning is antithetical to the normative consequentialist principles underlying decision analysis. Presenting numerical information as precise values or as ranges of values did not significantly affect information distortion, apparently because the manipulation did not affect perceived ambiguity as intended.
Game-O-Matic: Generating Videogames that Represent Ideas

In this paper, we describe Game-O-Matic, a videogame authoring tool and generator that creates games that represent ideas. Through using a simple concept map input system, networks of nouns connected by verbs, Game-O-Matic is able to assemble simple arcade style game mechanics into videogames that represent the ideas represented in the concept map. Inspired by a view that videogames convey messages through their mechanics, Game-O-Matic makes use of the rhetorical affordances of explicitly defined abstract gameplay patterns, which we call micro-rhetorics. This paper explains how Game-O-Matic uses the concept map input to select appropriate abstract patterns of gameplay and then how these mash ups of patterns are shaped into coherent playable games that can be said to represent the user's intent.
Pharmacodynamics of clonidine therapy in pregnancy: a heterogeneous maternal response impacts fetal growth.

BACKGROUND Clonidine, a centrally acting antihypertensive agent, has been used successfully in pregnancy. We sought to describe the pharmacodynamic effects of clonidine in pregnancy and the associated impact on fetal growth. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was performed. Maternal hemodynamics were measured before and after treatment. Responses to clonidine were categorized by the predominant hemodynamic effect: decreased vascular resistance, decreased cardiac output (CO), or mixed. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate predictors of hemodynamic response to clonidine and association between response group and birth weight. RESULTS Sixty-six pregnant women were studied. Treatment was associated with a reduction of mean arterial pressure (MAP) (-9.2 mm Hg, P < 0.001), a reduction in total peripheral resistance (TPR) (-194 dyne·cm·sec⁻⁵, P < 0.001), and an increase in CO (+0.5 l/min, P < 0.001). The hemodynamic response was characterized by decreased resistance in 34 women; decreased CO in 22; and mixed effect in 10. No maternal demographic characteristics were associated with a reduction in CO. Mean birth weight percentile was lower in the group that experienced a reduction in CO compared to the group with a reduction in vascular resistance (26.1 vs. 43.6, P = 0.02). The rate of birth weight <10th percentile was also higher in the group experiencing decreased CO (41 vs. 8.8%, P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS The hemodynamic effect of clonidine in pregnancy is heterogeneous. The category of effect, reduction in vascular resistance vs. reduction in CO, significantly impacts fetal growth. A reduction in heart rate (HR) after therapy identifies pregnancies at risk for reduced fetal growth.
Lack of persistence of influenza vaccine antibody titers in patients with heart failure.

Abstract Background Patients with heart failure (HF) have lower initial antibody responses to the influenza vaccine compared with healthy individuals. Whether antibody titers wane faster in this population remains unknown. Methods and Results We studied 62 HF patients (18 ischemic, 44 idiopathic) and 40 healthy control subjects (HC) during the 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 influenza seasons. Antibody titers were measured before and 2–4 weeks and 11–12 months after vaccination. Serum antibody production was measured by hemagglutination inhibition assay, and antibody titers to individual vaccine viral strains between the HF and HC groups were compared after the influenza season to measure persistence of antibody response. All participants demonstrated early antibody seroprotection (titers 40 hemmaglutination inhibition units to 1 strain). Although antibody titers waned over time in both groups, titers to A/H3N2 and A/H1N1 strains decreased more in HF than in HC participants ( P = .004 and P = .04, respectively). Titers to the B-type strain decreased to below seroprotective levels in both groups. Conclusions Antibody titers to influenza A vaccine strains wane to below seroprotective levels in HF patients compared with HC, despite similar rates of initial seroprotection and seroconversion. These findings suggest that HF patients may remain at increased risk for influenza infection despite annual vaccination.
Different cytotoxic and mutagenic responses induced by X-rays in two human lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from a single donor

Abstract Two human lymphoblastoid cell lineages derived from the same parental line exhibit markedly different survival and mutational responses to X-irradiation, but not to chemical point mutagens. WI-L2-NS (ATCC CRL 8155) and TK6 (ATCC CRL 8015) both are derived from the original WI-L2 isolate described by Levy et al. (1968). Both lines are near diploid with stable and indistinguishable karyotypes (47,X,Y 13+). However, differences in the extent of heterozygosity of chromosome 17 RFLP markers have been detected in these lines. Relative to TK6, WI-L2-NS and several cell lines subsequently derived from it exhibit enhanced survival after X-ray treatment. This is due partly to a more pronounced shoulder in the dose response curve for WI-L2-NS and partly to a higher D 0 than is observed in TK6. X-ray-induced mutant frequencies also are markedly different. At the hprt locus, the overall magnitude of the response is similar in the two cell lines. However, in TK6, a linear equation appears to be the best fit to the data, as compared to a linear quadratic curve for WI-L2-NS. Induced mutant frequencies at the tk locus in heterozygotes derived from WI-L2-NS are 20–50-fold higher than those seen in TK6 and tk heterozygous derivatives of TK6. Analysis of the mutability of the two tk alleles in various tk heterozygotes of WI-L2-NS reveals a similar pattern to that described previously in heterozygotes derived from TK6; 3 times as many mutants were recovered from one tk allele than the other. A possible explanation for the higher survival and induced mutant frequencies seen in WI-L2-NS and its derivatives is the presence in these lines of an error prone repair system not functioning in TK6.
The Oompa-Loompas of the genome factories

Abstract Automation Technologies for Genome Characterization edited by Tony J. Beugelsdijk, John Wiley and Sons, 1997. UK£55.00 hbk (xvi +306 pages) ISBN 0 471 12806 6
Role of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 in Regulation of Hypothalamic Proopiomelanocortin Gene Expression by Leptin

Leptin acts on the brain to regulate body weight and neuroendocrine function. Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the hypothalamus are important targets of leptin. These cells express the leptin receptor ObRb, and leptin can regulate POMC mRNA levels, but the cellular mechanisms by which this occurs is unknown. Here we show evidence that leptin stimulates pomc gene transcription via activation of intracellular signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) proteins. In pomc-promoter assays using transfected cells, leptin induces pomc promoter activity. Expression of dominant negative STAT3 strongly suppresses this effect. Furthermore, maximal activation requires the presence of the STAT3-binding site, tyrosine 1138, of ObRb. Mutational analysis identifies a 30-bp promoter element that is required for regulation by leptin. In rats, robust leptin-dependent induction of STAT3 phosphorylation is demonstrated in hypothalamic POMC neurons using double immunohistochemistry. In total, approximately 37% of POMC cells are positive for phospho-STAT3 after leptin treatment. Furthermore, leptin-responsive POMC neurons are concentrated in the rostral region of the hypothalamus. Combined, our data show that a subpopulation of POMC neurons is leptin-responsive and suggest that stimulation of hypothalamic pomc gene expression in these cells requires STAT3 activation. We speculate that STAT3 is critical for leptin-dependent effects on energy homeostasis that are mediated by the central melanocortin system.
Verification of Probabilistic Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts over the Southwest United States during Winter 2002/03 by the RSM Ensemble System

Abstract The National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Regional Spectral Model (RSM) is used to generate ensemble forecasts over the southwest United States during the 151 days of 1 November 2002 to 31 March 2003. RSM forecasts to 24 h on a 12-km grid are produced from 0000 and 1200 UTC initial conditions. Eleven ensemble members are run each forecast cycle from the NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) ensemble analyses (one control and five pairs of bred modes) and forecast lateral boundary conditions. The model domain covers two NOAA River Forecast Centers: the California Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC) and the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC). Ensemble performance is evaluated for probabilistic forecasts of 24-h accumulated precipitation in terms of several accuracy and skill measures. Differences among several NCEP precipitation analyses are assessed along with their impact on model verification, with NCEP stage IV blended analyses selected to represent “truth.” Forecast quali...
Effects of 12-o-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate on glycerolipid metabolism in cultured myoblasts

Abstract We recently reported that treatment of differentiated chick embryo myoblasts in culture with the potent tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) caused a 2-fold increase in the level of 1,2-diacylglycerol in the plasma membrane fraction within 15–30 min (Grove, R.I. and Schimmel, S.D. (1981) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 102, 158–164). This system has been characterized further and the metabolic origin and fate of the stimulated diacylglycerol have been investigated. The stimulation of 1,2-diacylglycerol was insensitive to alterations of Ca2+ concentration in the medium and to the presence of inhibitors of Ca2+ flux, protein synthesis and prostaglandin synthesis. The fatty acid composition of the newly formed diacylglycerol was similar to that of phosphatidylcholine. In addition, the glycerol moiety of the diacylglycerol was shown to be derived from a lipid with metabolic turnover similar to that of phosphatidylcholine. The tumor promoter was also found to stimulate rapidly synthesis of phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine. A possible model is proposed, therefore, in which the tumor promoter stimulates a membrane-associated phospholipase C which generates 1,2-diacylglycerol via the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine. The newly formed diacylglycerol is then metabolized back to phosphati-dylcholine or to phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol.
Probing the warm dense copper nano-foil with ultrafast electron shadow imaging and deflectometry

Abstract We conducted ultrafast electron shadow imaging and deflection measurements of the optical laser-produced warm dense copper nano-foil. The results show that a significant amount of charge is ejected from the foil, forming electron clouds of hundreds of microns on both sides of the pumped foil. Furthermore, even for a thin 30-nm copper film, we found that the electron clouds develop asymmetry between the pumped front side and the rear side at the pump fluence of 4.5 J/cm 2 . The possible mechanism leading to this ejected charge asymmetry and its implication are discussed.
Isolated systolic hypertension, obesity, and hyperkinetic hemodynamic states in children☆☆☆

Objective: To determine the factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of isolated systolic hypertension in children. Methods: School-based measurement was performed of blood pressure (BP), heart rate, weight, and height in 2460 students (49% Hispanic, 31% black, 13% white) 12 to 16 years of age in 8 urban public schools. An independent group of 71 untreated children underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) to confirm clinic hypertension and assess circadian BP patterns. Results: Hypertension and obesity were found in 17% and 23% of students, respectively. Among hypertensive students, 88% (363/413) had isolated systolic hypertension. Hypertension was more prevalent in obese than nonobese students (33% vs 11%, P <.0001). Obese hypertensive students had higher resting heart rate than nonobese normotensive patients (85.9 vs 79.6 beats/min, P <.001). Among patients who underwent ABPM, isolated systolic hypertension was found in 51% (36/71) by clinic BP and in 62% (18/29) with confirmed hypertension by ABPM. Blood pressure variability during daytime and sleep periods was higher in obese than nonobese patients for systolic BP (P <.01) and diastolic BP (P <.05). Conclusions: The findings of increased heart rate and BP variability in obese children with isolated systolic hypertension suggest that sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity may contribute to its pathogenesis. (J Pediatr 2002;140:660-6)
A non-local approximation to the exchange energy of the non-homogeneous electron gas

Abstract A non-local approximation to the exchange energy in an inhomogeneous electron gas is proposed which preserves the main characteristics of the correct Fermi hole. Tested for the atoms He and Ne, it gives a substantial improvement over the local approximation in the calculation of the exchange energy and the exchange energy density and reproduces closely the Hartree-Fock results. The results show that this approximation should be useful in solids.
Estimating the asymptotic covariance matrix for quantile regression models a Monte Carlo study

Abstract This Monte Carlo study examines several estimation procedures of the asymptotic covariance matrix in the quantile and censored quantile regression models: design matrix bootstrap, error bootstrapping, order statistic, sigma bootstrap, homoskedastic kernel, and heteroskedastic kernel. The Monte Carlo samples are drawn from two alternative data sets: 1. (a) the unaltered Current Population Survey (CPS) for 1987 and 2. (b) this CPS data with independence between error term and regressors imposed. This special setup allows one to evaluate the estimators under various realistic scenarios. The results favor the design bootstrap for the general case, but also support the order statistic when the error term is independent of the regressors.
Temporal correlations between photon detections from damped single-mode radiation

Radiation in a single-mode cavity will evolve from some given initial state to thermal equilibrium with the cavity mirrors. The temporal, time-dependent, photon intensity correlation functions (joint detection probabilities) have been obtained to all orders. The result is a sum over combinatorial products connecting the detection times.
Acute Pulmonary Embolism

CT pulmonary angiography has become a first-line imaging test for evaluation of PE because of its high accuracy, ease of use, and ready availability. PIOPED II supports the use of multidetector CT as a first-line test especially in outpatients. Technological advances continue to evolve, and with refinements in technology, we will continue to optimize imaging for PE detection. lonizing radiation remains a concern particularly in the young and in pregnant patients, and methods to decrease these are being advocated. SPECT V/Q may play a bigger role in PE diagnosis in the future and the role of MR is yet to be determined in the PIOPED ll study, with the potential of solving some of the issues regarding radiation in a select group of patients.
Differential Trafficking of TLR1 I602S Underlies Host Protection against Pathogenic Mycobacteria

We recently identified I602S as a frequent single-nucleotide polymorphism of human TLR1 that greatly inhibits cell surface trafficking, confers hyporesponsiveness to TLR1 agonists, and protects against the mycobacterial diseases leprosy and tuberculosis. Because mycobacteria are known to manipulate the TLR system to their advantage, we hypothesize that the hyporesponsive 602S variant may confer protection by enabling the host to overcome this immune subversion. We report that primary human monocytes and macrophages from homozygous TLR1 602S individuals are resistant to mycobacterial-induced downregulation of macrophage MHC class II, CD64, and IFN-γ responses compared with individuals who harbor the TLR1 602I variant. Additionally, when challenged with mycobacterial agonists, macrophages from TLR1 602S/S individuals resist induction of host arginase-1, an enzyme that depletes cellular arginine stores required for the production of antimicrobial reactive nitrogen intermediates. The differences in cell activation mediated by TLR1 602S and TLR1 602I are observed upon stimulation with soluble mycobacterial-derived agonists but not with whole mycobacterial cells. Taken together, these results suggest that the TLR1 602S variant protects against mycobacterial disease by preventing soluble mycobacterial products, perhaps released from granulomas, from disarming myeloid cells prior to their encounter with whole mycobacteria.
Formulary Management of Recombinant Factor VIIa at an Academic Medical Center

Background:Recombinant human coagulation factor VIIa (rVIIa) is a procoagulant indicated for treatment of bleeding in patients with hemophilia. A large proportion of rVIIa utilization is for off-label administration in nonhemophiliac patients with acute hemorrhage. Concerns of potentially inappropriate use, safety, and cost of rVIIa led to efforts to standardize use of this agent.Objective:To comparatively describe the utilization of rVIIa upon implementation of an evidence-based guideline at a university hospital.Methods:With advisory direction from a multidisciplinary task force, an evidence-based guideline for use of rVIIa was developed, approved, and fully implemented. Assessment of appropriateness of use and retrospective review were required for all cases. Effects of these actions were evaluated by auditing and comparing rVIIa use in patients treated in two 6-month observation periods before and after guideline implementation. Outcomes assessed were proportions of patients deemed appropriate to rece...
Noninvasive Ultrasonic Glucose Sensing with Large Pigs (∼200 Pounds) Using a Lightweight Cymbal Transducer Array and Biosensors

Background:To prevent complications in diabetes, the proper management of blood glucose levels is essential. Since conventional glucose meters require pricking fingers or other areas of the skin, a noninvasive method for monitoring blood glucose levels is desired. Using a lightweight cymbal transducer array, this study was conducted to noninvasively determine the glucose levels of pigs having a similar size to humans.Method:In vivo experiments using eight pigs (∼200 pounds) were performed in five groups. A cymbal array with four biosensors was attached to the axillary area of the pig. The array was operated at 20 kHz at special peak-temporal peak intensity (Isptp) equal to 50 or 100 mW/cm2 for 5, 10, or 20 minutes. After the ultrasound exposure, glucose concentrations of the interstitial fluid were determined using biosensors. For comparison, glucose levels of blood samples collected from the ear vein were measured by a commercial glucose meter.Result:In comparison, glucose levels determined by a cymbal a...
ACCT: Automatic Collective Communications Tuning

The performance of the MPI's collective communications is critical in most MPI-based applications. A general algorithm for a given collective communication operation may not give good performance on all systems due to the differences in architectures, network parameters and the buffering scheme of the underlying MPI implementation. In this paper, we discuss an approach in which the collective communications are tuned for any given system by conducting a series of experiments on the system. We also discuss a dynamic topology method that uses the tuned static topology shape, but re-orders the logical addresses to compensate for changing run time variations. A series of experiments were conducted comparing our tuned MPI_Bcast to various native vendor MPI implementations. The results obtained were encouraging, and show that our implementations of collective algorithms can significantly improve the performance of current MPI implementations.
The Interactive Effects of Dispositional Affectivity, Sex, and a Positive Mood Induction on Student Evaluations of Teachers

This study was designed to examine the effects of disposition, sex, and a positive mood induction on student evaluations of teachers. In 33 laboratory classes, 339 students filled out measures of negative affectivity (NA) and positive affectivity (PA). Several weeks later, participants filled out a research-based teacher evaluation form. Students in half of the classes received a positive mood induction prior to filling out the evaluation form, whereas participants in the other classes received the positive mood induction after filling out the evaluation form. Results indicated that PA and the positive mood induction both related positively with evaluation measures. Moreover, NA and PA moderated the relationship between the positive mood induction and teacher evaluations for males, but not for females. Implications for organizations and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Patient selection and listing policies for liver transplantation

Liver transplantation expanded rapidly during the first three decades of its application but has undergone slower growth over the past few years because of a limited supply of donor organs. The growing discrepancy between available donor organs and patients listed for transplantation has fuelled recent debate regarding patient selection criteria and listing policies for liver transplantation. Allocation and distribution regulations of the United Network for Organ Sharing have also recently undergone changes to balance the principles of utility (i.e. the overall benefits of liver transplantation to society) and justice (i.e. the needs of the individual patient). The ideal geographical area over which organs can be distributed to balance utility and justice remains uncertain, although there are pressures to widen sharing of donor organs. The sickest patient who has been waiting the longest still receive the next available donor organ, but listing policies for the sickest patients, those with fulminant hepatic failure or acute decompensation of chronic liver disease, were recently revised. A uniform minimal listing criteria that proposes listing patients when their estimated survival with liver disease is less than that expected after liver transplantation was recently proposed and has generally been accepted. Finally, cost-outcome analyses and the reality of managed care with the transfer of financial risk from insurers to providers is beginning to have an influence on patient selection criteria.
THE ROLE OF HISTOPATHOLOGY OF THE TESTIS IN SHORT-TERM TOXICOLOGY TESTING PROTOCOLS

AbstractA reexamination of methodology employed for histopathological evaluation of the testis is currently underway in light of changing and upgraded regulatory requirements/guidelines. With the current general trend toward shortening of testing protocols it will be imperative to change the way the testis is examined. Although testis cells are exposed to a toxicant, usually only some will be affected, and the effect seen upon histological examination is dependent on a variety of factors that are considered herein. Histopathology must be more sensitive than in the past for the detection of treatment-related effects. To improve the sensitivity of this endpoint, it is necessary to obtain better quality tissue for the histopathologist to examine and to have histopathologists well trained in evaluation of the testis. Quantitation of testis germ-cell types is fundamentally important to provide objective information for risk assessment analysis, either to show that the tissue is normal or to show the degree to ...
Ventricular Tachycardia Associated With Myocardial Infarct Scar A Spectrum of Therapies for a Single Patient

Case: A 73-year-old woman is referred for management of recurrent ventricular tachycardia (VT). She had suffered an inferior wall myocardial infarction in 1970. Fifteen years later, she presented with a wide QRS tachycardia, palpitations, and dizziness. Therapy with amiodarone was initiated but discontinued in 1997 because of toxicity, and she received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). She did well until July 2000, when she had several shocks from the ICD, all of which were preceded by syncope. Interrogation of the ICD confirmed 23 episodes of VT, 20 asymptomatic runs terminated by antitachycardia pacing (ATP), and 3 episodes requiring cardioversion from the ICD. Her left ventricular ejection fraction was 25%. Sotalol failed to prevent VT recurrences and mexiletine produced nausea and tremor. She was referred for catheter ablation. An echocardiogram revealed akinesis of the inferior wall and no left ventricular thrombus. In the electrophysiology laboratory, programmed stimulation induced 5 different morphologies of VT (Figure 1) with rates ranging from 180 to 220 bpm. Because the induced VTs were unstable, producing hypotension and often changing from one VT to another, catheter mapping and ablation were performed largely during sinus rhythm, guided by electrogram characteristics and pacing during sinus rhythm (pace-mapping) that marked the location of the infarct scar and likely reentry paths in the subendocardium. After placement of lines of radiofrequency (RF) lesions through these abnormal regions, only ventricular flutter (280 bpm) was inducible; the slower VTs were no longer inducible. There have been no VT recurrences in the 18 months of follow-up after ablation. Figure 1. Twelve-lead ECGs of the inducible VTs were obtained in the electrophysiology laboratory. Ventricular arrhythmias associated with myocardial infarction (MI) occur in 2 distinct phases. During the acute phase of infarction, polymorphic VT that degenerates to ventricular fibrillation is most common. In the weeks that follow, the …
Filtering for increased power for microarray data analysis

Background Due to the large number of hypothesis tests performed during the process of routine analysis of microarray data, a multiple testing adjustment is certainly warranted. However, when the number of tests is very large and the proportion of differentially expressed genes is relatively low, the use of a multiple testing adjustment can result in very low power to detect those genes which are truly differentially expressed. Filtering allows for a reduction in the number of tests and a corresponding increase in power. Common filtering methods include filtering by variance, average signal or MAS detection call (for Affymetrix arrays). We study the effects of filtering in combination with the Benjamini-Hochberg method for false discovery rate control and q-value for false discovery rate estimation.
The Politics of Local Economic Development

This article, written in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of Economic Development Quarterly, reviews the literature on the politics of local economic development. It asks what is known-and not known-about this topic. The article summarizes, assesses, and critiques the literature; indicates its shortcomings; and suggests paths for future research. It examines what the literature says about the forces driving local governments to engage in economic development activity, the factors that account for variation in such activity, the way local officials think about economic development-including its political logic-and the political activity that characterizes local economic development policy. With respect to the local politics of economic development, the article focuses on the interests involved and particularly on the question of how dominant business is in the process, the nature and degree of conflict, and the openness of local economic development decision making to public participation.
Identification of NTCP as an HBV Receptor: The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning?

See “Hepatitis B and D viruses exploit sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide for species-specific entry into hepatocytes,” by Ni Y, Lempp FA, Mehrle S, et al, on page 1070.
Do Institutions Really Matter? Taxation in Industrialized Democracies

New institutionalism has emerged as one of the most prominent research agendas in the field of comparative politics, political economy, and public policy. This article examines the role of institutional variation in political/economic regimes in shaping tax burdens in industrialized democracies. An institutionalist model for tax policy variation is tested across the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) democracies. Countries are conceptualized and statistically modeled in terms of majoritarian, shifting coalition, and dominant coalition governments. Regression analysis and cluster analysis are used to statistically model crossnational tax burdens relative to the strength of labor organization and party dominance in parliament. This study finds that political and economic institutions are important in explaining tax policy variation. Specifying the structure of political and economic institutions helps to explain the size of the state in modern capitalist democracies. This article specifies and demonstrates which institutions matter and how much they matter.
Transient dopaminergic inhibition of prolactin release from hybrid cells derived by fusion of normal rat pituitary and GH4C1 tumor cells.

The clonal rat pituitary tumor cell line GH4C1 secretes PRL but does not respond to dopamine, a physiological inhibitor of PRL. In an attempt to generate a dopamine-responsive cell line, GH4C1 cells, which lack the enzyme hypoxanthineguanine phosphoribosyltransferase, were fused with cells from the pituitary glands of lactating rats to generate cell hybrids. The GH4C1 cells were fused with dispersed normal pituitary cells by either chemical fusion in 40% polyethylene glycol or electrofusion. The fused cells were grown in medium with hypoxanthine, aminopterin, and thymidine (HAT) for 4 weeks to select for hybrid cells. Control fusions between GH4C1 cells only or normal cells only did not produce viable colonies. Of 36 HATselected colonies, 3 responded to 10 nM bromocryptine (BCR) with inhibition of TRH-stimulated PRL release. These hybrid colonies had an inhibitory response similar to that of normal pituitary cells in culture. Both TRH- and vasoactive intestinal peptide-stimulated PRL release were inhibite...
The Market Research Laboratory: The Addition of One Credit Hour to the Undergraduate Market Research Class

This article describes experiences with the addition of a mandatory one-credit-hour laboratory to the undergraduate market research class. Its main objective was to give students an intense exposure to the microcomputer. Student reactions to the laboratory experience were measured through self-administered surveys. The results indicate strongly that such structured exposure to computer work is quite useful.
An Accurate Fault Location Estimator for Transmission Lines

A fault location methodby dynamic system parameter estimation is presented for a double-end fed transmission line using a 1/4 to 1 cycle window of data at one local end only. The system differential equations are based on a lumped parameter line model, Thevenin equivalents for transients at both ends of the line and an unknown fault resistance. Simplification of the equations is obtained by using instantaneous symmetrical components. The estimation algorithm does not require filtering of d.c. offset and high-frequency components from the recorded signals and its accuracy is illustrated in digital simulation studies.
Radiation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide, and its incidence is on the rise. The primary therapy is resection or liver transplant, but only a minority of patients present with resectable disease. Historically, radiotherapy has not played a significant role in the treatment of liver malignancies because of the low tolerance of the whole liver to radiation. With improvements in 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy, higher doses of radiation can be delivered to target lesions with low doses to the noninvolved liver; thus, experience in the use of radiation for the treatment of focal HCC has increased. At the same time, our understanding of the relationships between radiation dose and volume and the risk of classic radiation-induced liver disease and other toxicities more likely to occur in HCC patients has improved considerably. These developments have led to a body of evidence that now supports the careful use of radiotherapy for unresectable HCC. The rationale for studying radiotherapy in a randomized trial is strong.
Viscosity ratio effects on the coalescence of two equal-sized drops in a two-dimensional linear flow

The effect of the dispersed to continuous-phase viscosity ratio on the flow-induced coalescence of two equal-sized drops with clean interfaces was experimentally investigated. The experimental systems consisted of polybutadiene drops suspended in polydimethylsiloxane. The bulk-phase rheological properties of the fluids are Newtonian under the very weak flow conditions of the coalescence experiment (strain rate, is more prevalent for the higher viscosity ratio systems. On the other hand, the maximum offset for coalescence decreased with the viscosity ratio as expected.
The development of differentiation agents for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Abstract Given their novel mechanisms of action and relatively favorable toxicity profiles, differentiation agents have been the focus of much investigation in the field of oncology. Among the most well studied of these agents in prostate cancer have been the retinoids, vitamin D, peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) ligands, and, most recently, the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. While the clinical activity of these agents has been limited, several obstacles to the development of these novel drugs have become apparent. A lack of validated measures of outcome and uncertainty regarding the appropriate disease states in which to test these agents have led to difficulty in trial design. Furthermore, a better understanding of the biologic targets and genes manipulated by these therapies is required such that more potent and selective drugs may be developed. By overcoming these obstacles, the full potential of this therapeutic class may be realized.
The Timing of Asset Purchases to Achieve Earnings Thresholds

ABSTRACT: This study examines whether managers use capital investment decisions, and the resulting depreciation expense, to achieve quarterly earnings thresholds. We also address whether these actions merely facilitate short-term earnings management or whether firms may trade off investment decisions to deliver earnings. We posit that managers may view capital expenditures as an alternative for earnings considerations because of the process for capital expenditure decision making and the accounting for these investments. Our findings suggest that managers use discretion over capital expenditures to achieve two well-documented earnings thresholds, but that these decisions largely reverse in the following quarter. We document the deferral of capital expenditures to avoid depreciation for industries where the median useful life averages approximately seven years. Cross-sectional tests also suggest that the use of capital expenditures for achieving thresholds varies depending upon the firm's capital intensity...
NLCTA injector experimental results

The purpose of the Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator (NLCTA) at SLAC is to integrate the new technologies of X-band accelerator structures and RF systems for the Next Linear Collider (NLC), demonstrate multibunch beam-loading energy compensation and suppression of higher-order deflecting modes, measure the transverse components of the accelerating field, and measure the dark current generated by RF field emission in the accelerator. For beam loading R&D, an average current of about 1 A in a 120 ns long bunch train is required. The initial commissioning of the NLCTA injector, as well as the rest of the accelerator have been progressing very well. The initial beam parameters are very close to the requirement and we expect that injector will meet the specified requirements by the end of this summer.
Repeated Games against Budgeted Adversaries

We study repeated zero-sum games against an adversary on a budget. Given that an adversary has some constraint on the sequence of actions that he plays, we consider what ought to be the player's best mixed strategy with knowledge of this budget. We show that, for a general class of normal-form games, the min-imax strategy is indeed efficiently computable and relies on a "random playout" technique. We give three diverse applications of this new algorithmic template: a cost-sensitive "Hedge" setting, a particular problem in Metrical Task Systems, and the design of combinatorial prediction markets.
Boson realizations of Fairlie's two-parameter deformedSU(2)

Explicit realizations of Fairlie's two-parameter quantum deformation ofSU(2) are developed in terms of single (undeformed) boson operators involvingm-th powers of creation and destruction operators. Results are simplified through utilization ofm-quanta creation and destruction operators and their corresponding Fock space. Finite irreducible representations, analogous to the Holstein-Primakoff realizations forSU(2), are obtained on finite-dimensional subspaces of the infinite-dimensional Fock space of them-quanta number operator.
Employing in-memory data grids for distributed graph processing

In-memory data grid (IMDG) is a new technology that enables scalable and low-latency processing of big data by sharding it over the RAMs of multiple servers. In this paper, we explore the design space of IMDGs to identify their advantages and avoid their drawbacks. We present the performance tradeoffs of IMDGs using unit tests on core distributed operations and data structures. For evaluation, we use large-scale graph processing, a challenging task that requires a high degree of communication and coordination between vertices. We find that while IMDGs cannot compete with specialized distributed frameworks (such as Giraph and GraphLab) for batch-mode graph processing, they excel for online graph processing and offer exciting opportunities for social networks and web services applications.
Growth and characterization of ZnCdSe/ZnCdMgSe two-color quantum well infrared photodetectors

The authors report, for the first time, the new two-color quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) from a non-III-V semiconductor material system. The samples were grown on InP substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements showed high structural and optical quality of the samples. Two intersubband (ISB) absorption peaks in two different wavelength regions are observed in Fourier transform infrared measurements. The two-color photodetectors can be turned on separately or simultaneously in the two spectral regions. (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Assessing the short-term and long-term burden of illness in cervical cancer.

Abstract Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with significant clinical, social, and financial burdens. Infection is often asymptomatic, which increases the risk of unwitting transmission. Up to 29 million American women between the ages of 14 and 59 years are currently infected, and 80% of women will contract the infection by 50 years of age. Persistent oncogenic HPV infection is the leading cause of cervical dysplasia and neoplasia, and evidence shows that oncogenic HPV is present in 99.7% of cervical cancer specimens. Cervical cancer and cervical dysplasias are responsible for the vast majority of morbidities and deaths associated with HPV-related illness. The direct annual healthcare costs for screening, treating, and managing abnormalities related to cervical cancer and cervical dysplasias in the United States are estimated to be as high as $4.6 billion. Although the direct costs of cervical cancer are substantial, only 10% of all expenditures derive from invasive disease; more than two thirds of the total cost is attributable to screening and testing. Annual indirect costs resulting from lost productivity and loss of earnings due to premature death are also significant and are estimated to be higher than direct costs.
The Kinetics of Ordering in Gadolinium Zirconate: an Unusual Oxygen Ion Conductor

Gadolinium zirconate, Gd{sub 2}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 7}, undergoes an order-disorder transition at {approximately} 1,550 C, transforming from a defect fluorite structure (Fm3m) to a pyrochlorine structure (Fd3m). Both cations and anions are ordered in the low-temperature, pyrochlore structure. In order to understand the interplay between anion and cation order parameters and ordering rates, the transformation kinetics of Gd{sub 2}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 7} have been examined via X-ray diffraction. Gadolinium zirconate is of particular interest because the oxygen ion conductivity of the ordered phase is significantly greater than that of the disordered phase, in contrast to virtually every other known solid electrolyte. This difference in conductivity has provided a second technique for characterizing the transformation kinetics: in situ A.C. impedance spectroscopy. Results of the X-ray diffraction showed the growth of superstructure peak intensity to follow an apparent (time){sup 1/2} dependence, rather than that expected from a nucleation and growth model. The impedance spectroscopy measurements, on the other hand, showed the conductivity to increase linearly with time. These results suggest the transition is second order in nature.
Nonlinear Optical Properties of Rigid Rod Polymers and Model Compounds

Picosecond and femtosecond degenerate four-wave mixing have been used to measure third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility of several rigid-rod polymers and model compounds. A significant X (3) with femtosecond response was observed. The effects of processing conditions and structural variations on X (3) were studied. Four-wave mixing studies can also be conveniently used to generate ultrasonic phonons of well defined wave length and propagation direction. From this result one can investigate mechanical properties of polymers. Using this technique both the longitudinal and shear components of the elastic moduli for a uniaxially oriented rigid-rod polymer, poly-p-phenylene bis benzooxazole (PBO), were determined.
Significant clinical and biologic activity of RAF/VEGF-R kinase inhibitor BAY 43-9006 in patients with metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC): Updated results of a phase II study

5534 Purpose: Oncogenic defects in the genes involving RAS-RAF-MAPK signaling pathway (RAS, BRAF, or RET/PTC) occur in ∼60% of PTC. VEGF also plays a critical role in thyroid cancer progression. Du...
Holographic Space-time, Newton's Law and the Dynamics of Black Holes

We revisit the construction of models of quantum gravity in d dimensional Minkowski space in terms of random tensor models, and correct some mistakes in our previous treatment of the subject. We find a large class of models in which the large impact parameter scattering scales with energy and impact parameter like Newton`s law. These same models also have emergent energy, momentum and angular conservation laws, despite being based on time dependent Hamiltonians. Many of the scattering amplitudes have a Feynman diagram like structure: local interaction vertices connected by propagation of free particles (really Sterman-Weinberg jets of particles). However, there are also amplitudes where jets collide to form large meta-stable objects, with all the scaling properties of black holes: energy, entropy and temperature, as well as the characteristic time scale for the decay of perturbations. We generalize the conjecture of Sekino and Susskind, to claim that all of these models are fast scramblers. The rationale for this claim is that the interactions are invariant under fuzzy subgroups of the group of volume preserving diffeomorphisms, so that they are highly non-local on the holographic screen. We review how this formalism resolves the Firewall Paradox.
Maternal mortality in Mississippi: 1987-1991.

OBJECTIVE To characterize the maternal mortality in the state of Mississippi for 1987-1991 and compare the maternal mortality from 1977-1986 with that of the last 5 years. STUDY DESIGN Factors associated with maternal mortality were obtained from death certificates, replies to questionnaires, medical records, and autopsy reports. RESULTS The maternal mortality rate in Mississippi for 1987-1991 (14.1/100,000) was not significantly different than for 1977-1986 (11.8/1000,000; P = 0.45). Over the last 5 years there was an increased incidence of direct obstetric deaths (50% vs 73%). During 1987-1991, toxemia as a cause of death for parturients decreased, while hemorrhage as a cause of maternal death increased. There was a rise in the incidence of patient related factors which were avoidable and which led to several deaths during 1987-1991. CONCLUSION The state's maternal mortality rate remains stable. Improved patient and health care provider's education are necessary to further decrease the incidence of maternal death in Mississippi.
Effect of Plant-Derived and other Carbon Substrates on Asymbiotic N2-Fixation

Asymbiotic N2-fixation (also called associative N2-fixation when plants are involved) is highly variable over different sites and conditions but can occur at magnitudes great enough to be agronomically important. We previously reported finding highly active associative N2-fixation sites in a statewide search of Florida. Since energy that drives associative No-fixation is plant derived and restricting, we questioned whether N2-fixing bacteria in those highly active soils could utilize a greater proportion of the substrate in fixing nitrogen than those in low activity soils. We further questioned whether those highly active soils could utilize plant structural carbohydrates to fix nitrogen, and also wanted to get estimates of efficiency of substrate use for fixing nitrogen relative to other metabolic uses.