cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stochastic Scheduling of Linear Construction Sites

Essential basic data of scheduling linear construction sites are subject to stochastically variable influence factors, e.g., weather conditions. To evaluate economical low-cost alternatives which determine the production sequence of segments of a linear site through a projected construction time, a mathematical model is developed which is formulated as a two-stage stochastic linear programming problem and can be solved by standard linear programming methods. Criteria for interpretation and evaluation of model solutions in terms of a time-velocity diagram are derived and illustrated with a simple example problem. By means of stability analysis, risk factors and probability distributions of project duration and cost can be obtained for different construction alternatives to prepare a final decision. It is emphasized that the methodology presented is not seen as an approach to determine “the optimal decision,” but rather as a tool to facilitate decision making, since this ultimately relies on practical engineering judgment.
A comparison between adenylate cyclase solubilized from normal and rous sarcoma virus-transformed chicken embryo fibroblasts

Abstract The specific activity of adenylate cyclase in membrane preparations obtained from Rous Sarcoma virus-transformed chicken embryo fibroblasts is two to four times lower than that found in untransformed membranes. Adenylate cyclase was solubilized from normal and transformed membranes in order to evaluate the influence of the membrane phase on the properties of the enzyme. Adenylate cyclase in normal and transformed membranes differed in specific activity, V for ATP, activation entropies, sensitivity to Ca 2+ , and stability at 37°C. Solubilization with Brij 96 abolished or greatly reduced these differences. These data suggest that the differences between adenylate cyclase activities in normal and transformed chichen embryo fibroblasts are due either to differential modulation of enzyme activity by an effector which requires intact membranes for its effects, or indirect effects due to altered membrane properties.
Effects of topical analgesics on the pressor response evoked by muscle afferents.

Purpose Pressor responses are reflexly evoked by the activation of groups III and IV muscle afferents, which are also known to mediate nociceptive responses. In this experiment, the effects of analgesic balm (AB) application on these responses were investigated without the interference of other types of anesthesia or effects from the higher brain. Methods Heart rate (HR), blood pressure, and end-tidal CO(2) were monitored in midcollicularly decerebrated cats. Static contractions (30 s) of hindlimb muscles were evoked by electric stimulation of L7 and S1 ventral roots. After control runs, a commercial AB (1% capsaicin, 12.5% methyl salicylate) was applied to the skin surface over the contracting muscles. Muscle contractions were evoked every 10 min, alternating between the two hindlimbs. Results Changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) evoked by static ipsilateral muscular contraction were significantly attenuated 20 min and 40 min after AB application. The decreases in the pressor response were significant at both the initial and the last parts of the stimulus intervention after 20 min of AB application. There were no significant changes in the response to contraction of the hindlimb contralateral to the AB application. Application of AB to the contralateral leg did not add to the ipsilateral effects. Conclusions AB application to the skin surface over contracting muscles significantly decreased autonomic responses to static muscular contraction. This effect was independent of higher cortical processing and strongly suggests that application of methyl salicylate and capsaicin on the skin has analgesic effects on signals from receptors located in muscle.
Improving semi-automated segmentation by integrating learning with active sampling

Interactive segmentation algorithms such as GrowCut usually require quite a few user interactions to perform well, and have poor repeatability. In this study, we developed a novel technique to boost the performance of the interactive segmentation method GrowCut involving: 1) a novel "focused sampling" approach for supervised learning, as opposed to conventional random sampling; 2) boosting GrowCut using the machine learned results. We applied the proposed technique to the glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumor segmentation, and evaluated on a dataset of ten cases from a multiple center pharmaceutical drug trial. The results showed that the proposed system has the potential to reduce user interaction while maintaining similar segmentation accuracy.
Patterns and predictors of follow-up in patients with mild traumatic brain injury

AbstractBackground: This study was undertaken to identify factors that influence follow-up for patients with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).Methods: One hundred and ninety-nine consecutive inpatients diagnosed with MTBI at a Trauma Centre (or TC) were monitored for establishment of care with a brain injury specialist after discharge. Bivariate statistics were calculated to determine subject characteristics impacting the decision to pursue TBI-related specialty care.Results: One hundred and nineteen patients (59.8%) followed up with the TC for routine post-injury care. Patients who followed up were older (age >40: OR = 2.48, p = 0.01, 95% CI = 1.03–8.96) and had longer hospital lengths of stay (LOS > 3 days: OR = 2.99, p < 0.001, 95% CI = 1.33–7.67). Upon follow-up, providers identified 20 patients (16.8%) with persistent neurologic symptoms, seven (3.5%) of whom saw a brain injury specialist. Lack of insurance significantly decreased the likelihood of follow-up with the TC and/or establishment of care...
Underlying dimensions of barriers to market entry in consumer goods markets

The importance and underlying dimensions of twenty-five market entry barriers in consumer markets were examined through a survey of marketing executives from 151 U.S. firms. The results indicate that there are three major underlying dimensions of entry barriers.
Separating application and security concerns in use case models

This paper describes an approach to model complex applications by modeling application requirements separately from security requirements in use case models. By careful separation of concerns, the security requirements are captured in security use cases separately from the application requirements, which are captured in application use cases. The approach reduces system complexity caused by mixing security requirements with business application requirements with the goal of making complex systems more maintainable. Furthermore, the security use cases can be reused by other software applications. This paper describes how the application and security concerns are modeled separately, and how they can be woven together into an application.
Modular Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Youth with Anxiety Disorders: A Closer Look at the Use of Specific Modules and their Relation to Treatment Process and Response

Recent data have emerged suggesting the benefits of a modular rather than manualized approach to treating anxiety disorders, particularly in school settings. However, little is known about the use of specific modules or their relation to treatment process or response. Using data from a modular cognitive behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders delivered by school clinicians, this study examined (a) the frequency of module use (e.g., exposure, cognitive restructuring), (b) whether therapy session process variables (e.g., therapeutic relationship) varied by module, and (c) the relation between specific module use and treatment response. Data from 124 therapy sessions were used to address these questions. Therapy sessions were delivered by 11 school-based clinicians to a sample of 16 volunteer youth (mean age 11.1 years; 68.8 % female, 87.5 % African-American) as part of a randomized controlled trial (Ginsburg et al. in Child Youth Care Forum 41:1–19, 2011). After each therapy session, clinicians identified the module used and rated various process variables. Treatment response was assessed by blind evaluators who conducted diagnostic interviews with children and parents post-intervention and at a 1-month follow-up. The most frequently used modules were exposure (47 % of sessions), psychoeducation (20 % of sessions), and cognitive restructuring (18 % of sessions). Session process variables (e.g., child involvement, therapeutic relationship) varied by module. No individual module predicted treatment response. Findings suggest that newly trained clinicians do not use CBT modules with equal frequency and type of module does not appear to affect key treatment variables. Future studies are needed to explore the reasons clinicians select specific modules as well as the quality of implementation.
Solubilization and purification of A-esterase from mouse hepatic microsomes.

Abstract A-esterase(s), an enzyme(s) that hydrolyzes certain organophosphate compounds, is located in mammals, primarily in serum and liver. Although considerable information is available regarding serum A-esterase(s), little is known about the hepatic form(s) of this enzyme. In the present study, hepatic A-esterase activity was quantified by measuring the EDTA-sensitive hydrolysis of the organophosphate paraoxon ( O , O -diethyl- O - p -nitrophenyl phosphate). EDTA-insensitive hydrolysis was assumed to be the nonenzymatic phosphorylation of proteins with appropriate serine hydroxyl groups. Resuspension of mouse hepatic microsomes in 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, containing 100 μM calcium chloride, 0.25% sodium cholate, and 0.1% Triton N-101, resulted in the solubilization of A-esterase activity, as evidenced by the failure of activity to sediment after centrifugation at 100,000 g for 1 hr. Gel permeation chromatography followed by ion-exchange chromatography and nonspecific affinity chromatography resulted in a peak of A-esterase activity judged to be homogeneous by SDS-PAGE. A typical purification resulted in a 1531-fold increase in specific activity, with a recovery of 10%. SDS-PAGE with and without an acrylamide gradient indicated a molecular weight of 40,000 and 39,000 Da, respectively, while analyses of amino acid composition revealed similarities with human and rabbit serum paraoxonase. And finally, although this protein hydrolyzed both paraoxon and methyl paraoxon ( O , O -dimethyl- O - p -nitrophenyl phosphate), it did not hydrolyze p -nitrophenyl acetate.
Influence of precursor feeding rate on vapor–liquid–solid nanowire growth

The yield of Ge nanowires (NWs) synthesized using the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) method was discovered to be highly sensitive to the rate of precursor feeding. When other parameters were fixed, fast filling of precursors yielded nearly 100% Ge NWs with regard to the growth seeds. By contrast, slow feeding produced nearly no or very low yield of Ge NWs. The dramatic difference was attributed to a layer of Ge coating on the surface of growth seeds. The coating formed at relatively low precursor pressures as a result of the imbalance in the VLS process. The results shed new light on the VLS mechanism in general.
A Fourier analysis of the US dairy industry

Measurement of economies of scale and scope is particularly important for predicting growth and product diversification. However, estimates are useful only to the extent the underlying production technology is modelled accurately. This study measures economies of scale and scope in the rapidly changing US dairy industry with a Fourier flexible cost function, which provides a global approximation of the unknown function. We use the high quality national Agricultural and Resource Management Survey (ARMS) survey data. We find economies of scale at most firm sizes and persistent economies of scope across firm sizes in this industry, which is counter to estimates from two Diewert‐flexible functional forms.
Hepatic clearance and metabolism in the rat of a human breast cancer associated glycoprotein (GCDFP-15).

Gross Cystic Disease Fluid Protein (GCDFP-15) is a 60,000 dalton glycoprotein isolated from human breast cyst fluid, composed of four 15,000 dalton monomers. Carbohydrate analysis indicates that each monomer has a single carbohydrate chain of the complex type. GCDFP-15 intravenously injected into rats showed a rapid circulatory clearance, the rate of clearance being faster in female animals [t1/2 = 12.8 (± 2.0) min. females, and 16.7 (± 2.6) min. males]. The major organs of clearance were the liver (70%) and kidneys (15%). Immunoperoxidase staining showed localization in Kupffer cells and the proximal convoluted tubules of the kidney. Removal of sialic acid from GCDFP-15 resulted in a more rapid clearance (t1/2 = 2.2 min) by the liver (85%). This clearance was inhibited by coinjection of asialo alpha1 acid glycoprotein. About 3% of GCDFP-15 was excreted in bile with a transit time through the liver of 38 min. Examination of the uptake of GCDFP-15 by isolated rat Kupffer cells showed that yeast mannan, fucosylated BSA, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) failed to inhibit uptake, though the binding of GCDFP-15 was clearly saturable. This suggests that a novel receptor system on the rat Kupffer cell may be responsible for GCDFP-15 clearance.
Dynamic Internal Electromagnetic Pulse Calculations in Three Spatial Dimensions

When a photon pulse impinges on a cavity, it causes electrons to be emitted from the cavity walls, thereby producing electromagnetic fields in the cavity. This constitutes what is known as Internal Electromagnetic Pulse (IEMP). The produced fields for a given incident photon pulse and spectrum (in the case where transient space charge effects are important) is calculated by means of a particle-in-cell numerical simulation. The calculations are three-dimensional and fully electromagnetic. The calculated fields for pressures of 0.4? and 720? show good quantitative agreement with recent underground test results. Both the calculations and the experimental data show that the presence of background gas in the cavity greatly affects the magnitude of the fields in the cavity. At 0.4? the emitted current is heavily space charge limited and the magnetic fields are comparatively low. At 720?, the emitted currents ionize the background gas and the secondary currents neutralize the space charge barrier. Then, almost the full emission current traverses the cavity causing much higher magnetic fields. The space charge neutralization process causes the risetime of the fields to be shorter than that of the emitted currents. System implications of these phenomena are discussed.
A comparison of classification methods for differentiating fronto-temporal dementia from Alzheimer's disease using FDG-PET imaging

Flurodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is being explored to determine its ability to differentiate between a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and fronto-temporal dementia (FTD). We have examined statistical discrimination procedures to help achieve this purpose and compared the results to visual ratings of FDG-PET images. The methods are applied to a data set of 48 subjects with autopsy confirmed diagnoses of AD or FTD (these subjects come from a multi-centre collaborative study funded by the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center). FDG-PET images are composed of thousands of voxels (volume elements) so one is left with a situation where there are vastly more variables than subjects. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a data reduction before a statistical procedure can be applied. Approaches using both the entire image and summary statistics calculated on a number of volumes of interest (VOI) are examined. We performed the data reduction techniques of principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least-squares (PLS) on the entire image and then used linear discriminant analysis (LDA), quadratic (QDA) or logistic regression (LR) to classify subjects as having AD or FTD. Some of these methods achieve diagnostic accuracy (as assessed by leave-one-out cross-validation) that is similar to visual ratings by expert raters. Methods using PLS appear to be more successful. Averaging or using VOI data may also be helpful.
Attachment and Play: Convergence Across Components of Parent-Child Relationships and their Relations to Peer Competence

Two components of the parent-child relationship, attachment and play, are associated with peer competence, but have not been related to one another. This study examines: (a) linkages between attachment security and physical play interactions in mother-child and father-child dyads, and (b) linkages between these parenting components and peer competence. A total of 54 preschoolers (27 girls) participated with their mothers and fathers. Parents completed the Attachment Q-set (Waters, 1987) and parent-child dyads were observed in a physical play session that was evaluated for play engagement and quality. Preschool teachers evaluated children's popularity and friendly-cooperative behavior. Mother-child dyads with more securely attached children had higher rates of play engagement. In father-child dyads with more securely attached children, fathers issued more directives and children made more suggestions and positive responses. Mother-child play quality and father-child attachment were most strongly associated...
Connecting strategy‐linked outsourcing approaches and expected performance

Purpose – This study aims to examine the connection between strategy‐linked outsourcing goals and measures of outsourcing performance. The strategies of growth, cost, and differentiation (core competence) are examined in terms of their relationship with goal achievement and cost performance measures.Design/methodology/approach – Regression analysis and ANOVA were applied to survey data collected from 165 purchasing executives.Findings – Findings support a positive relationship between goal intensity for a single strategy and achievement of goals related to that strategy. Findings also suggest that firms with high commitment to growth and cost strategies tend to achieve cost‐related performance at higher levels than firms with a lower commitment to same. Finally, the findings also suggest that firms pursuing a single or dominant strategy achieve lower levels of cost saving performance, as compared with firms pursuing a “balanced” approach that emphasizes two or three different strategies in roughly equal m...
The Expectation and Perceived Receipt of Filial Piety Among Chinese Older Adults in the Greater Chicago Area

Objective: Filial piety is a key Chinese cultural value that determines children’s caregiving obligation to older adults. This study aims to evaluate the expectations and perceived receipt of filial piety from the perspectives of Chinese older adults. Method: Data were drawn from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE) study, a population-based study of U.S. Chinese older adults aged 60 and above in the Greater Chicago area. Filial care was examined in six domains, including care, respect, greeting, happiness, obedience, and financial support. Socio-demographics correlate with expectations and receipt of filial piety were also reported. Results: Participants reported high level of overall expectations and receipts of filial piety, and highest expectation and perceived receipt were placed on the domain of respect. Discussion: This study provides insights on the extent to which U.S. Chinese older adults expect and perceive receipt of filial care. Our findings have implications for the prov...
THE MONOECIOUS AND DIOECIOUS CONDITIONS IN SAGITTARIA LATIFOLIA L. (ALISMATACEAE).

Field botanists recognize that many populations of plants, largely sexually monoclinic, may contain some individuals with diclinous flowers and that some generally monoecious species may include dioecious individuals in contradiction to descriptions in the taxonomic literature. These deviates, if they comprise a small proportion of the total population, are usually considered mere curiosities. Changes in sexual expression may, however, be a phenotypically plastic characteristic or may be the result of a genetic mutation. The latter may then, if selectively favored, result in a change from monoecious to dioecious structure. The positive results in attempts to control sexual expression in seed plants in general by either environmental modification or hormonal application seem to have little bearing on the problem of sex expression in Sagittaria latifolia. Experimental modifications serve to indicate environmental and genetic parameters which may affect the sex expression of a flower. They do not enable one to ascribe a causative factor or to predict changes in flower sex that may occur in field populations. The purposes of this research were first, to determine if sex expression is genetically or environmentally controlled in plants of S. latifolia L. Genecological experiments conducted on dioecious and monoecious populations of plants determine plasticity of sex expression. The second purpose was to ascertain if reproduction within populations is sexual or asexual. Dioecious spatially isolated plants without sex chromosomes, must maintain their population flower sex by asexual reproduction or natural selection. The third purpose was to plot distributions of plants to determine the frequency and geographical range of dioecious populations. Plant distribution can give an indication of the occurrence of differential selection and disruptive gene flow. The characterizations of Smith's (1894) five forms of S. latifolia include differences in sex distribution. S. latifolia proper is described as "monoecious or subdioecious. Form A is dioecious; New Brunswick to Minnesota, Louisiana and South Carolina; Form C is monoecious or dioecious; Prince Edward Island to British Columbia and southward to New York, Kentucky and Nebraska." All other forms are characterized as being monoecious. Recent treatments describe the flowers of species as "lower whorls pistillate or all unisexual" (Fernald, 1950); "sometimes the two kinds of flowers on different plants" (Fassett, 1940); "staminate above and the pistillate below on the same scape" (Bogin, 1955); "monoecious or polygamomonoecious" (Radford et al., 1968). Monoecious S. latifolia var. pubescens (Muhl.) J. G. Smith is a densely pubescent plant distributed primarily in the mountain and Piedmont areas of the southeastern United States (Radford et al., 1968).
Research on religion and serious mental illness

According to this review, religion plays a largely positive role in mental health; future research on severe mental disorders should include religious factors more directly.
Liquid drainage from high-expansion (HiEx) aqueous foams during and after filling of a container

Abstract An aqueous foam drains interstitial liquid as it fills a container after an induction period. We obtain solutions of quasi-steady and volume-averaged conservation equations containing the moving foam front to describe the induction period and the subsequent drainage, respectively. The quasi-steady theory predicts that the induction period increases with decreasing foam injection velocity. After the induction period, the theory shows a constant liquid drainage rate when the foam front propagates at a constant velocity. The space-averaged liquid fraction of the foam decreases with time and reaches a constant (pseudo-steady state) value because of the drainage. The theory shows that the liquid drainage is significant when the foam injection velocity is less than or equal to the terminal velocity of the liquid in a channel (Plateau border), which is shown to depend on foam parameters including initial liquid volume fraction and bubble diameter. At large injection velocity, the theory predicts induction time and drainage rate corresponding to free drainage from stationary foams. We also present experiments measuring liquid drained from dry foams (high-expansion foams), which are generated by forcing air through a liquid-covered metal screen at bench-scale. The experimental data show significant liquid drainage during filling in good agreement with the theoretical predictions for foams with liquid volume fraction less than 0.01. After the container is filled with the foam and the foam addition is stopped, both the theory and experiments show that the drainage rate decreases exponentially with time until equilibrium between capillarity and gravitational forces is reached and drainage ceases to occur. Thus, the theory shows striking differences in drainage behavior during and after filling in agreement with the experimental data.
Ionic motion in the defect pyrochlore NH4TaWO6

Abstract Measurement of both spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation time for protons in NH 4 TaWO 6 suggest rapid ionic motion in this compound. Analysis of the data gives an activation energy of ∼0.3 eV and an attempt frequency of ∼1×10 10 sec −1 . The data is used to suggest a model for ionic motion which involves movement of individual protons rather than the NH 4 + ion.
Ambient Carbon Monoxide and Fine Particulate Matter in Relation to Preeclampsia and Preterm Delivery in Western Washington State

BackgroundPreterm delivery and preeclampsia are common adverse pregnancy outcomes that have been inconsistently associated with ambient air pollutant exposures.ObjectivesWe aimed to prospectively e...
The effects of running in an exerted state on lower extremity kinematics and joint timing

Runners rarely run to the point of maximum fatigue or exhaustion. However, no studies have investigated how the level of exertion associated with a typical running session influences running mechanics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects that running in an exerted state had on the kinematics and joint timing within the lower extremity of uninjured, recreational runners. Twenty runners performed a prolonged treadmill run at a self-selected pace that best represented each runner's typical training run. The run ended based on heart rate or perceived exertion levels that represented a typical training run. Kinematics and joint timing between the foot, knee, and hip were analyzed at the beginning and end of the run. Increases were primarily observed at the end of the run for the peak angles, excursions, and peak velocities of eversion, tibial internal rotation, and knee internal rotation. No differences were observed for knee flexion, hip internal rotation, or any joint timing relationship. Based on these results, runners demonstrated subtle changes in kinematics in the exerted state, most notably for eversion. However, runners were able to maintain joint timing throughout the leg, which may have been a function of the knee. Thus, uninjured runners normally experience small alterations in kinematics when running with typical levels of exertion. It remains unknown how higher levels of exertion influence kinematics with joint timing and the association with running injuries, or how populations with running injuries respond to typical levels of exertion.
Clinical review: Turner syndrome: updating the paradigm of clinical care

Context: Turner syndrome (TS), in which there is loss of all or part of one sex chromosome, occurs in one in 2500 live-born females and is associated with characteristic findings. Detailed healthcare checklists and screening guidelines are commonly used to detect known complications affecting individuals with TS. Even with the use of these guidelines, there remains an increased morbidity and mortality seen in TS as compared to the general population, leading to significant controversy on optimal management of several aspects of TS. Evidence Acquisition and Synthesis: A PubMed search of articles from the past 15 yr identified available studies related to the diagnosis and management of common issues related to TS as well as important historical articles. This review summarizes studies through January 2012 and highlights recent developments. Conclusions: There remain many areas of uncertainty in the diagnosis and management of TS. Generalizations from experience in the care of other conditions in isolation ...
Development of CMOS Based Circuits for 60GHz WPAN applications

Recent interest in the 60 GHz band for high data rate short range wireless links has led to the significant progress in the development of integrated circuits for RF front-ends. CMOS process technology is being widely discussed for low-cost, low power mm-wave radio systems applications. In this paper we discuss various CMOS based circuits which have been developed considering carefully all the aspects such as device characterizations, the circuit topology, the circuit layouts, integration on a lost packaging for high volume fabrication lowering the cost and opening huge commercial opportunities of millimeter wave technology in the consumer electronic market place in a fairly near future.
Immunotherapy targets in pediatric cancer

Immunotherapy for cancer has shown increasing success and there is ample evidence to expect that progress gleaned in immune targeting of adult tumors can be translated into pediatric oncology. Herein we review first the principles that guide selection of targets for immunotherapy of cancer, emphasizing the similarities and distinctions between oncogene inhibition targets and immune targets. This is followed by a detailed review of molecules expressed by pediatric tumors that are already under study as immune targets or are good candidates for future studies of immune targeting. Distinctions are made between cell surface antigens that can be targeted in an MHC independent manner with antibodies, antibody derivatives or chimeric antigen receptors versus intracellular molecules which must be targeted with T cell therapies rendered in an MHC restricted fashion. Among the most developed immune targets for childhood cancer are CD19 and CD22 on hematologic malignancies, GD2 on solid tumors, and NY-ESO-1 expressed in a majority of synovial sarcomas, but several other molecules reviewed here also have properties which suggest that they too could serve as effective targets for immunotherapy of childhood cancer.
The Virtual Counseling Center: Its Niche, Resources, and Ongoing Research and Development Activity

Thomas Friedman’s best sellers have raised awareness of our nation’s need to remain competitive in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. However, advances in these fields cannot occur without the proper cultivation of human potential. The usual costs of career assessment and planning systems preclude their scalability to non-wealthy populations and their services are inevitably not integrated with supportive counseling interventions. In contrast, the Virtual Counseling Center (VCC) is freely available to everyone and contains a comprehensive array of resources including career exploration tests scored online with results linked to massive occupation and education databases; programs for stimulating interest and persistence in STEM studies and careers; academic and life skill programs; and resources for counseling research and practice. The VCC has received considerable support from the National Science Foundation; this article describes its niche, resources, and ongoing research a...
Technology as a tool for attaining music cognition

Technology is primed to cause a paradigm shift in educational methodologies. This is especially true in the discipline of music appreciation. Educators facing the problem of relating verbal explications to music, with its ephemeral quality, had to rely on methods that prevented many learners from attaining full cognition of the listening component of this subject.Because of the availability of technology, methods can be developed that endows the learner with tools that can help bridge effectively the gap between what is being explained and what is being heard.One such tool is a hypermedia program, The Anatomy of Music. This program is currently used for a self-paced, computer based, Internet mediated course at Northeastern University in Boston. This tool is interactive and permits the learner to develop listening skills by experimentation and practice. It makes is possible to relate discussions about the music with the music itself and to do so within the context of the whole composition.
Prostatic extramedullary leukemia as a first site of relapse of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia

Extramedullary leukemia (EML) is an uncommon clinical diagnosis in patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). Prostatic EML as a first site of ANLL relapse is even more rare. To our knowledge, only three cases have been reported. We describe an additional case of prostatic EML as a site of ANLL relapse. An asymptomatic male in ANLL remission was found to have a normal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and a myeloid leukemic infiltrate in a newly diagnosed prostate nodule. Staging was negative for ANLL relapse. Local prostate radiation resolved the nodule, and the post-treatment needle biopsies were negative. He subsequently developed clinical relapse in bone marrow, blood, and small bowel and received salvage chemotherapy with mitoxantrone and etoposide.
The relationship between fishing methods, fisheries management and the estimation of maximum sustainable yield

The allocation of effort among fishing gears is as important as controlling effort with respect to both sustainable yield and ecosystem management. Differences in age-specific vulnerability to the fishing method can modify the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) that is obtainable from a fish stock. Different gears or methods are more or less selective for the species targeted, and MSY is rarely, if ever, attainable simultaneously for all species. The different fishing methods capture different types of nontarget species. Some methods will often be more profitable than others, and different user groups will prefer different methods. In many fisheries, it is unlikely that fishing can be limited to a single gear or method, so compromises among them will be required. Global MSY is discussed as a possible reference point for fisheries management. The yellowfin tuna fishery in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) shows all the above characteristics and is used to illustrate effort allocation among fishing methods.
Oligomerization properties of GCN4 leucine zipper e and g position mutants

Putative intersubunit electrostatic interactions between charged amino acids on the surfaces of the dimer interfaces of leucine zippers (g-e' ion pairs) have been implicated as determinants of dimerization specificity. To evaluate the importance of these ionic interactions in determining the specificity of dimer formation, we constructed a pool of > 65,000 GCN4 leucine zipper mutants in which all the e and g positions are occupied by different combinations of alanine, glutamic acid, lysine, or threonine. The oligomerization properties of these mutants were evaluated based on the phenotypes of cells expressing lambda repressor-leucine zipper fusion proteins. About 90% of the mutants do not form stable homooligomers. Surprisingly, approximately 8% of the mutant sequences have phenotypes consistent with the formation of higher-order (> dimer) oligomers, which can be classified into three types based on sequence features. The oligomerization states of mutants from two of these types were determined by characterizing purified fusion proteins. The Type I mutant behaved as a tetramer under all tested conditions, whereas the Type III mutant formed a variety of higher-order oligomers, depending on the solution conditions. Stable homodimers comprise less than 3% of the pool; several g-e' positions in these mutants could form attractive ion pairs. Putative repulsive ion pairs are not found among the homodimeric mutants. However, patterns of charged residues at the e and g positions do not seem to be sufficient to predict either homodimer or heterodimer formation among the mutants.
Implementation of a global clocking scheme for ULP radio networks

In this paper we demonstrate the first 3-node synchronization of on-chip CMOS impulse radios. The synchronization scheme presented here is fast, scalable, low jitter and facilitates aggressive duty-cycling. We show experimentally that in steady state, the nodes are synchronized with cycle-to-cycle jitter of 1% of the period.
Preliminary Biomarkers for Identification of Human Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm

Background Human ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (ATAAs) are life threatening and constitute a leading cause of mortality in the United States. Previously, we demonstrated that collagens α2(V) and α1(XI) mRNA and protein expression levels are significantly increased in ATAAs. Methods and Results In this report, the authors extended these preliminary studies using high-throughput proteomic analysis to identify additional biomarkers for use in whole blood real-time RT-PCR analysis to allow for the identification of ATAAs before dissection or rupture. Human ATAA samples were obtained from male and female patients aged 65±14 years. Both bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve patients were included and compared with nonaneurysmal aortas (mean diameter 2.3 cm). Five biomarkers were identified as being suitable for detection and identification of ATAAs using qRT-PCR analysis of whole blood. Analysis of 41 samples (19 small, 13 medium-sized, and 9 large ATAAs) demonstrated the overexpression of 3 of these transcript biomarkers correctly identified 79.4% of patients with ATAA of ≥4.0 cm ( P <0.001, sensitivity 0.79, CI=0.62 to 0.91; specificity 1.00, 95% CI=0.42 to 1.00). Conclusion A preliminary transcript biomarker panel for the identification of ATAAs using whole blood qRT-PCR analysis in men and women is presented.
An optimized direct digital frequency synthesizer based on even fourth order polynomial interpolation

In this paper, an optimized direct digital frequency synthesizer (DDFS) utilizing even fourth order polynomial is introduced. The spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) upper bound of the design is evaluated and an optimized digital system is designed to implement the method. It is shown that SFDR of the implemented digital system is 72.2dBc, which is only 2.15dBc less than the theoretical SFDR upper bound. Finally, the proposed system is realized in a chip using a 0.13/spl mu/m standard cell library. The maximum clock frequency, the chip area and the chip power consumption are calculated equal to 210 MHz, 1048/spl mu/m/sup 2/ and 11.57 /spl mu/W/MHz, respectively.
The measurement of skeletal maturity.

A new approach to the measurement of skeletal maturity has been described. This was applied to the distal end of the femur in boys aged one month to four years. It is planned to extend this study to girls and to other ages and sites and to other bones in the knee area. The study began with the testing of reported indicators of skeletal maturity in respect of replicability, validity, discrimination and universality. As a result, seven qualitative graded indicators and three quantitative ratios were selected for further investigation. Maturity scores based on each qualitative indicator can be estimated using parameters from a simple probit analysis with chronological age as the independent variable. The statistical factors that influence the usefulness of these indicators have been discussed. The quantitative indicators investigated appear very useful as measures of maturity although some are redundant. The planned extension of the present study should allow the formulation of an appropriate model for the measurement of skeletal maturity by combining qualitative and quantitative data.
Prolonged Gestation, Elevated Preparturitional Plasma Progesterone and Reproductive Aging in C57BL/6J Mice

Gestation is prolonged during aging in previously parous C57BL/6J mice from 18.6 days at 3-7 months to 20.8 days at 11-12 months. Plasma progesterone, measured by radioimmunoassay, decreased sharply after Day 16 of gestation in 3-7 month-old-mice, whereas the rate of decrease in 11-12-month-old mice was 55% less than in the younger group. In 3-7-month-old mice, preparturitionalprogesterone levelswere inverselycorrelated (P<0.05) with the number of viable fetuses on Day 18, whereas such a correlation (P<0.05) persisted from Days 19-22 in the older mice. In 11-12-month-old mice, gestationlength was inversely correlated with litter size; no significant correlation was found in the younger group at first or second pregnancy. Because the decline of progesterone is generally considered necessary for parturition in rodents, the retarded decrease of progesterone in 11-12-month-old mice is likely to be a major factor in their prolonged gestation. In 3-7-month-old mice at firstpregnancy, the gestationlength was significantly longer (19.0 days) and the littersizesmaller (6.5 pups) than at second pregnancy. Average littersizedecreased with age in previously parous mice from 7.8 pups in 3-7-month-old mothers to 4.6 pups in 11-12month-old mothers. Mortality at birth increased with gestation length in 11-12-month-old mice. The influence of litter size on the luteotropic and luteolytic mechanisms during the period preceeding parturition is discussed,
Optical Foundations of Digital Communication and Information Processing

Modern communications require the transmission, storage and display of information in pictorial form, both for data (documents) as well as for information in actual “image” form. Digital implementations are likely to be the most practical, in general cases, when certain current limitations are surmounted. Both the transmission as well as the processing of the information represent, currently, digital implementations of fundamental optical principles. Therefore, the solution of the digital communication and processing problems requires the consideration and application of solutions which have reached a very advanced stage in the optical implementations, generally known as “coherent optical processing”, “holography” and “optical computing”.
Immunosuppression of the thymectomized fetal lamb and its neonatal reconstitution.

The importance of the thymus as a central lymphoid control organ governing the maturation and maintenance of an immunologically significant population of lymphoid cells is attested to by numerous observations, both experimental and clinical. These fall generally into three categories: a) the demonstration of a lasting immunologic defect following neonatal thymectomy, usually of small laboratory rodents (1, 2), or of analogous defects associated with congenital thymic aplasia or alymphoplasia in the human (3); b) the demonstration of a slowly developing immunologic deficit following adult thymectomy (4, 5); and c) the demonstration that immunologic reconstitution following profound immunosuppression by irradiation (6) or antilymphocyte serum treatment (7) requires the presence of a functioning thymus. In each of these instances, the defect is found to be associated with that class of thymus-de rived or thymus-dependent lymphocytes (T-cells) responsible for cellular immunity or for cooperation in the formation of humoral antibody (8–10). In each instance, of course, reconstitution may be effected by passive transfer of thymus or some other suitable source of T-cells.
The Threshold Model of Dementia

The ability of people to maintain a high level of cognitive function in the presence of substantial Alzheimer pathology is often attributed to brain or cognitive reserve. An early model proposed that dementia occurred when a critical number of Alzheimer lesions or brain softening secondary to infarcts was reached. Reformulation of this model to consider the amount of functional brain reserve instead of the amount of pathology permitted differences in the initial level of brain reserve to affect the risk of dementia. Measurement of the amount of reserve has been an important challenge, with most estimates based on education, literacy, IQ, occupational characteristics, brain volume, or head circumference. Studies have shown that low education is a strong risk factor for dementia and AD. An additional risk factor is maximum brain size, individuals with larger brains having a lower risk of AD. Recent studies have suggested that the amount of reserve is likely as important as the severity of Alzheimer lesions in predicting dementia.
Using Sermon Text Archives to Investigate the Construction of Social Values: A Proposal for a Collaborative Research Agenda in Social Epistemology

This article presents a detailed description of a research agenda and methodology inspired by Jesse Shera’s notion of social epistemology as the study of “the ways in which society generates new knowledge, disseminates it, and uses it to contribute to the values the society seeks.” The research agenda is ambitious and echoes the call that Shera put forth with Margaret Egan that librarianship be a discipline “for the effective investigation of the whole complex problem of the intellectual processes of society.” The research agenda focuses on sermons as a communication medium that significantly influences the social construction of knowledge. With the advent of the World Wide Web and the increasing ease by which anyone may publish messages of every sort for all the world to receive and for scholars to study, Egan and Shera’s vision of macrocosmic bibliography and documentation is coming to fruition. The article proposes a collaborative effort between theological librarians and researchers in the field of religion and information science in order to facilitate Egan and Shera’s call to analyze “the production, distribution, and utilization of intellectual products [i.e., sermons] in much the same fashion as that in which the production, distribution, and utilization of material products have long been investigated.”
Renal cell carcinoma metastases to the pancreas: value of arterial phase imaging at MDCT

BackgroundThe pancreas is an increasingly recognized site of renal cell carcinoma metastases. It is important to determine the optimal MDCT protocol to best detect RCC metastases to the pancreas.PurposeTo compare the rate of detection of renal cell carcinoma metastases to the pancreas between arterial and portal venous phase MDCT.Material and MethodsA retrospective review of CTs of the abdomen yielded six patients with metastatic RCC to the pancreas. Five of six patients had pathologically proven clear cell RCC. Two blinded reviewers independently reported the number of pancreatic lesions seen in arterial and venous phases. Each lesion was graded as definite or possible. The number of lesions was determined by consensus review of both phases. Attenuation values were obtained for metastatic lesions and adjacent normal pancreas in both phases.ResultsThere were a total of 24 metastatic lesions to the pancreas. Reviewer 1 identified 20/24 (83.3%) lesions on the arterial phase images and 13/24 (54.2%) lesions ...
Probing insertion and solubilization effects of lysolipids on supported lipid bilayers using microcantilevers.

The interaction of surfactants with lipid membranes can result in composition change, area expansion, solubilization, or the formation of protrusion features of the membranes. Amphipathic surfactant molecules are simplified analogues to membrane-active drugs and peptides which are known for inserting into lipid bilayers; however, the effect of these amphipathic molecules on supported membranes is not well characterized. In this paper we explore the use of microcantilever sensors to quantify surfactants’ effects on lipid membranes. We use microcantilevers which are coated with lipid membranes to probe the interactions between lysolipids and supported lipid bilayers (SLBs). In particular, we investigate the effects of four zwitterionic surfactants similar to phospholipids: lysolipids of different aliphatic chain lengths (lysophosphocholines, lysoPCs, 12:0, 14:0, 16:0, and 18:0) on 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine-supported lipid bilayers. By monitoring the deflection of the microcantilevers,...