cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radiation-Associated Toxicities in Obese Women with Endometrial Cancer: More Than Just BMI?

Purpose. The study characterizes the impact of obesity on postoperative radiation-associated toxicities in women with endometrial cancer (EC). Material and Methods. A retrospective study identified 96 women with EC referred to a large urban institution’s radiation oncology practice for postoperative whole pelvic radiotherapy (WPRT) and/or intracavitary vaginal brachytherapy (ICBT). Demographic and clinicopathologic data were obtained. Toxicities were graded according to RTOG Acute Radiation Morbidity Scoring Criteria. Follow-up period ranged from 1 month to 11 years (median 2 years). Data were analyzed by χ2, logistic regression, and recursive partitioning analyses. Results. 68 EC patients who received WPRT and/or ICBT were analyzed. Median age was 52 years (29–73). The majority were Hispanic (71%). Median BMI at diagnosis was 34.5 kg/m2 (20.5–56.6 kg/m2). BMI was independently associated with radiation-related cutaneous () and gynecologic-related () toxicities. Younger women also reported more gynecologic-related toxicities (). Adjuvant radiation technique was associated with increased gastrointestinal- and genitourinary-related toxicities but not gynecologic-related toxicity. Conclusions. Increasing BMI was associated with increased frequency of gynecologic and cutaneous radiation-associated toxicities. Additional studies to critically evaluate the radiation treatment dosing and treatment fields in obese EC patients are warranted to identify strategies to mitigate the radiation-associated toxicities in these women.
Adverse Reactions to and Altered Biodistribution of Radiopharmaceuticals

A drug administered to humans is likely to elicit some adverse reactions, so radiopharmaceuticals, when administered in vivo, also are expected to have some adverse reactions. Diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals are normally less toxic than therapeutic agents. In this chapter, the adverse reactions induced in humans by common radiopharmaceuticals are presented in a table. Also in vivo biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals may be altered by interaction with the drugs or chemicals which the patient is taking. These drug interactions are shown in a table.
Teaching the Dewey Decimal Classification System

SUMMARY The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system is a logical approach to a hierarchical categorization of recorded knowledge that makes sense to many people. It both illustrates classification theory and provides a practical way to organize information. It is taught in several different settings with content relying upon the purpose of the education or training. With reference to communications from colleagues, the author identifies some problems in teaching DDC, followed by some of the content covered and some methodologies used to overcome the problems. Several examples of teaching tools are included as appendices.
Educating Professional Psychologists: History and Guiding Conception

Historical Context and Critical Issues The Education of a Professional Psychologist - a Personal Introduction Is Psychology a Profession? Connection and Disconnection of Research and Practice in the Education of Professional Psychologists Practitioner Programs and the Doctor of Psychology Degree Need for the Doctor of Psychology Degree in Professional Psychology The Doctor of Psychology Degree Twenty Years of Practitioner Training in Psychology PsyD Programs - Early Ideals, Factual Outcomes, Critical Concerns, and Institutional Realities Quality Control in Professional Education Essentials of Quality in the Education of Professional Psychologists Organizing for Quality - the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology Accreditation in Psychology - A Historical View The Future of Professional Psychology Making Psychology Indispensable Ways of Knowing in a Profession - Toward an Epistemology for the Education of Professional Psychologists The Reflective Educator Dark Concerns and Rays of Hope - Semi-Random Recollections and Observations on the Education of Professional Psychologists.
Fingertip contact suppresses the destabilizing influence of leg muscle vibration.

Touch of the hand with a stationary surface at nonmechanically supportive force levels ( 0.05) from each other and both had significantly less mean sway amplitude of head and of center of pressure than the other conditions (P < 0.01). In experiment 2, eight subjects stood heel-to-toe under touch and no-touch conditions involving 40-s duration trials of peroneus tendon vibration at different duty cycles: 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-s ON and OFF periods. The vibrator was attached to the subject's leg and remotely activated. In the no-touch conditions, subjects showed periodic postural disruptions contingent on the duty cycle and mirror image rebounds with the offset of vibration. In the touch conditions, subjects were much less disrupted and showed compensations occurring within 500 ms of vibration onset and mirror image rebounds with vibration offset. Subjects were able to suppress almost completely the destabilizing influence of the vibration in the 3- and 4-s duty cycle trials. These experiments show that haptic contact of the hand with a stable surface can suppress abnormal proprioceptive and motor signals in leg muscles.
The Role of Antiangiogenic Therapy in the Development of Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

There is an increasing use of established and newer medications that have antiangiogenic properties. Inhibition of angiogenesis likely has either a primary or secondary role in the development of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). These medications are being used in the treatment of various cancers and in the treatment of several non-oncologic conditions. Antiangiogenic medications when used in combination with antiresorptive medications, such as nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates or denosumab, seem to increase the likelihood of osteonecrosis of the jaw. This review highlights the role of inhibitors of angiogenesis and their role in the development of osteonecrosis of the jaws.
Assessing capability of semiconductors to split water using ionization potentials and electron affinities only

We show in this article that the position of semiconductor band edges relative to the water reduction and oxidation levels can be reliably predicted from the ionization potentials (IP) and electron affinities (AE) only. Using a set of 17 materials, including transition metal compounds, we show that accurate surface dependent IPs and EAs of semiconductors can be computed by combining density functional theory and many-body GW calculations. From the extensive comparison of calculated IPs and EAs with available experimental data, both from photoemission and electrochemical measurements, we show that it is possible to sort candidate materials solely from IPs and EAs thereby eliminating explicit treatment of semiconductor/water interfaces. We find that at pH values corresponding to the point of zero charge there is on average a 0.5 eV shift of IPs and EAs closer to the vacuum due to the dipoles formed at material/water interfaces.
Familial Leiomyomatosis: A Review and Discussion of Pathogenesis

Multiple cutaneous leiomyomas of pilar origin have long been recognized to have an autosomal dominant inheritance. While the skin tumors are relatively uncommon and benign, women of affected families often develop uterine fibroids with associated infertility, pain and bleeding. In addition, a subset of these families harbors a predisposition to papillary renal cell carcinoma. Germline mutations in a recently identified classical tumor suppressor gene encoding fumarate hydratase are observed in these individuals. Appropriate screening measures for associated disorders are mandatory.
The molecular electronic structure of the twenty-six lowest lying states of Li2 at short and intermediate internuclear separations

Abstract We compute and analyze the potential energy for the 26 lowest lying states of Li 2 which correspond asymptotically to the interaction of Li(2s 2 S) with Li(2s 2 S), Li(2p 2 P) or Li(3s 2 S), and the interaction of Li(2p 2 P) with Li(2p 2 P). Results are compared with available experimental and quantum mechanical potential energy curves and molecular constants. The errors in the present calculations are of nearly equal magnitude to, and in the opposite sense of, the optimized valence configuration calculations of Konowalow and Olson. Thus, a composite of the two forms a “most likely” ab initio potential curve which compares favorably with the most recent experimental results.
The energy challenge

Global energy consumption is expected to grow by 50% by 2030, squeezing already scarce water resources. Mike Hightower and Suzanne A. Pierce recommend ways to integrate water and energy planning. Over a billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water and over two billion have little or no sanitation. Do we have the resources — and the will — to provide the water to support a booming population? This issue of Nature (see introduction, p. 269 and Editorial, p. 253) tackles the science, economics and politics of the global water crisis. Climate scientists say that unreliable rains and drier summer soils will become more common: Quirin Schiermeier reports on water strategies for a drier world. The pressure is on farmers to get maximum crop yields with minimum water use. As Emma Marris reports, the collaboration between plant breeders, agronomists and geneticists to that end has been far from smooth. As the population of India grows, the demand for water keeps rising. Daemon Fairless investigates an ambitious plan to redistribute the country's water supplies by linking rivers in a vast canal network. Jamie Bartram says it is time to improve the global targets for access to water and sanitation to make them relevant to all. In most countries, crop irrigation accounts for most freshwater use — more than drinking water and domestic consumption — but water use in energy production is catching up fast. Mike Hightower and Suzanne Pierce describe the measures being developed to economize on water use in the energy sector. The need for research into water purification is pressing. In an extensive Review Article, Mark Shannon et al. highlight the developing technologies that — it is hoped — can provide our drinking water in the decades ahead. Water is (almost) everywhere, yet physicists still trade theory and counter theory to explain its structure: Phil Ball explains. And Books & Arts looks at a documentary on water security, and at art inspired by water's surprising patterns. Go to http://www.nature.com/news/specials/water/index.html for the on-line start-page.
Uses of Insecticides in the Production of Milk

Summary Insects and their near relatives are among man's most serious enemies. The dairy industry is affected by many of these pests in several stages of milk production. They feed on the farmer's forage and pastures, attack his livestock, and are nuisances in barns and milk rooms as well as in processing plants. Several highly effective insecticides for application to forage, directly on dairy cattle, and in barns can not be recommended because small amounts of residues are stored in the milk. To determine to what degree insecticides contaminate forage, meat, and milk, extensive and costly studies have been completed. The cost of this work is shared by industry, state, and federal agencies, but ultimately must be borne by the taxpayer and consumer. Research is needed to develop safe and effective insecticides for use by the dairy industry in providing high-quality milk at low costs. Many of the currently recommended materials and methods are costly and not as effective as desired.
Squinted array beamforming for wall back plate detection

We consider the problem of detection of wall back plates, which intentionally or unintentionally block electromagnetic wave penetrations and prevent the waves from reaching the indoor scene. This renders the result of through-the-wall radar imaging incorrect and misleading. The proposed approach employs squint beamforming to avoid the strong direct returns from the front side of the exterior wall and allow the diffraction for the plate placed against or near to the back side of the wall to be detected. We aid squint beamforming with a wall removal technique based on eigenstructure of the data matrix. This technique is applied prior to imaging and mitigates sidelobe wall scattering residuals, which may still obscure the relative weak plate radar return.
ε-Topological formulation of tolerant solid modeling

Classical theory of solid modeling relies on the notion of regular sets and presupposes exactness in both geometric data and algorithms. In contrast, modeling, exchange and translation of geometric models in engineering applications usually involve data approximations and algorithms with different numerical precisions. We argue that an appropriate formulation of these geometric modeling problems require finite size neighborhoods, leading to the notion of @e-topological operations. These operations are then used to formulate the definitions of @e-regularity and @e-solid that extend and subsume the corresponding classical concepts as exact special cases. Furthermore, the proposed theory suggests how the classical solid modeling paradigm should be extended in order to deal with the outstanding problems in geometric robustness, validation, and data translation. In particular, it explains why the current methods for validating boundary representaetions are not always sufficient and demonstrates that widely adapted geometric repairs are often unnecessary for maintaining solidity in the presence of numerical inaccuracies.
Solid-solution theory and spinodal decomposition

Abstract The free energy of solid solution varies with the atomic arrangement or degree of mixing in solution. The change of free energy with solution state in an alloy system with a miscibility gap was examined step by step from the random state toward the equilibrium state by a series of approximations provided by the cluster-variation method. As equilibrium is approached, the gap corresponding to the non-equilibrium state gradually shrinks to the equilibrium gap, while the chemical spinodal region expands and eventually approaches the solubility limits. The effects of these features on the spinodal decomposition are discussed. Several experimental observations of spinodal decomposition that cannot be explained satisfactorily by the current theory can be accounted for when the free energy is considered to vary with the state of solution.
Synthesis and characterization of peptides containing a cyclic Val adduct of diepoxybutane, a possible biomarker of human exposure to butadiene.

1,3-Butadiene, a potential human carcinogen widely used in industry, is oxidized by cytochrome P450 to diepoxybutane (DEB), which is the most mutagenic of the known butadiene metabolites. Assessment of the toxicological significance of DEB formation in humans and animals requires identification of a biomarker uniquely associated with DEB for use in molecular dosimetry studies. We wished to develop a specific and sensitive assay for one such suitable marker, the cyclic adduct 2-(3,4-dihydroxypyrrolidin-1-yl)-3-methylbutyramide (pyr-V), which is formed from addition of DEB to the terminal Val of the α- and β-chains of hemoglobin. We needed to prepare a pure, rigorously characterized DEB-modified N-terminal oligopeptide for raising antibodies both to use in an immunoaffinity purification step and to standardize the assay. In addition, we needed a pure isotopomer to serve as an internal standard for quantitation by LC-MS. Direct modification of the globin sequences by reaction with DEB in vitro proved to be u...
Comparison of the femtosecond time-resolved excited state dynamics in copper oxide and copper sulfide quantum dots

The relaxation dynamics of Cu2O and Cu1.8S quantum dots (QDs) are compared via time-resolved femtosecond pump probe experiments. It is found that Cu2O shows extremely long-lived excited states on the microsecond time scale and Cu1.8S exhibits much shorter lifetimes in the picosecond time regime. While copper sulfide systems are described in the literature as p-type direct band gap materials, the Cu2O system is direct band gap, however it has a forbidden lowest-energy state. These differences are expressed in the different lifetimes displayed in the time-resolved femtosecond and nanosecond measurements. Moreover, it is confirmed by photoluminescence spectroscopy that reveals that only the Cu1.8S QDs show efficient PL and the Cu2O QDs do not luminescence. In all of the systems, carrier trapping is probably the lifetime limiting process for the conduction band edge depopulation.© (2004) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Convergence of iterative methods in penalty finite element approximation of the Navier-Stokes equations

Abstract Sufficient conditions for convergence are established here for some common iterative methods applied to a penalty finite element formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations. The methods analyzed are iterative linearization, successive approximation, Newton's method, and certain standard modifications of Newton's method. The results are obtained under assumptions on the data that ensure that a unique solution exists. Supporting numerical experiments, including a study of the effect of the penalty parameter and finite precision arithmetic on the iteration convergence, are described.
Regulation of CONSTANS and FLOWERING LOCUS T Expression in Response to Changing Light Quality

In addition to pathways that regulate flowering in response to environmental signals such as photoperiod or cold temperatures (vernalization), flowering time is also regulated by light quality. In many species, far-red (FR) light is known to accelerate flowering. This is environmentally significant because leaves absorb more red light than FR light; thus, plants growing under a canopy experience light that is enriched in FR light. In this article, we have explored the promotion of flowering by FR-enriched light (FREL) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Previous work has shown that the floral promoter CONSTANS (CO) plays a critical role in day-length perception and exhibits complex regulation; CO mRNA is regulated by the circadian clock and CO protein is stabilized by light and degraded in darkness. We find that plants grown under FREL contain higher levels of CO mRNA in the early part of the day than plants under white light. Furthermore, transgenic plants expressing CO under the control of a constitutive promoter accumulate higher levels of CO protein under FREL, indicating that FREL can increase CO protein levels independently of transcription. Consistent with the model that FREL promotes flowering through CO, mutants for co or gigantea, which are required for CO transcript accumulation, are relatively insensitive to FREL. Because the red:FR ratios used in these experiments are in the range of what plants would experience under a canopy, these results indicate that the regulation of CO by light quality likely plays a key role in the regulation of flowering time in natural environments.
Immunosenescence and germinal center reaction.

Dysfunction of the immune system in aged individuals includes at least two important factors: accumulation of immunocytes with reduced function and accumulation of lymphocyte clones with self-reactive potential. Coincidently, there is a profound reduction of the germinal center reaction in the aged. While this reduction is likely the result of age-associated impairment in lymphocyte function (e.g. diminished response to costimulus, altered lymphokine production etc.), the reduction of germinal centers may itself make an important contribution to further immunological dysfunction.
Vivre en prison à l'époque abbasside

Nous proposons dans cet article d'examiner les conditions de vie dans les prisons a l'epoque abbasside. Le croisement des chroniques, des dictionnaires biographiques, de l'adab et de la litterature juridique permet de reconstituer les principales caracteristiques de l'univers carceral. Il apparait que les detenus n'etaient entretenus qu'a minima par l'institution carcerale et dependaient dans une large mesure de leurs familles ou de la charite publique. La promiscuite, la faim et la salete, d'un degre comparable dans les prisons du pouvoir politico-militaire et dans celles des cadis, contribuait au châtiment des malfaiteurs dans les premieres et a la pression exercee sur les debiteurs dans les secondes.
Influences of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) residue on the flocculation behavior of oily wastewater produced from polymer flooding

Abstract Polymer flooding technology has been used successfully in some oil field, but the produced water is more difficult to treat than that from water flooding. The influences of temperature and concentration of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) residue on the treatment of simulated oily wastewater from polymer flooding were studied in this paper. Polyaluminum chloride (PAC) and cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) were used as flocculant, respectively. The results indicated that the light transmission of wastewater got to the maximum in a range of flocculants concentration and then decreased with the increasing flocculants concentration. Flocculation performance improved with the increasing temperature while PAC was used. However, the performance decreased while CPAM was used. The flocculation performance decreased markedly with the concentration of HPAM residue increasing as to these two kinds of agents. When HPAM residue in wastewater increased from 100 mg/l to 600 mg/l, the light transmission decreased from 96.4% to 70% after treating with PAC of 600 mg/l at 37 °C. It decreased from 87.3% to 50% with CPAM of 150 mg/l. The flocculation effect of PAC was excellent. However, the floc was abundant, small, loose and unstable. While CPAM was used, the floc was less and more stable, but the performance was poor and the cost was expensive.
Palpable Purpura Complicated by Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome Resulting in Limb Necrosis and Amputation: A Case of Levamisole and Cocaine Coingestion

Palpable purpura resulting from cocaine and levamisole coingestion has been reported with increasing frequency over the last several years as distribution of this drug combination becomes more universal. Toxicity from ingestion of this dangerous combination is difficult to diagnose due to the multitude of possible clinical presentations, variety of possible adulterants, and elusive nature of levamisole given its short half-life and limited availability of detection methods. Levamisole is a chemotherapeutic and immunomodulatory agent currently marketed as a veterinary anthelmintic. We describe the case of a 48-year-old woman admitted to our intensive care unit with a diagnosis of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), confirmed from fluid taken from an elbow lesion that grew Streptococcus pyogenes. She was noted to have bullae of the elbow and diffuse purpura with necrotic centers covering a large portion of her body (trunk, legs, arms, back, toes, fingers, and tip of nose). On further evaluation, she was found to have ingested levamisole-tainted cocaine. The patient's complications related to either cocaine and levamisole coingestion or STSS included thrombocytopenia, acute renal failure, and limb necrosis. Thrombocytopenia gradually improved upon treatment with prednisone, and acute renal failure improved with intravenous fluid resuscitation; however, she subsequently required several appendage amputations due to severe gangrene. Clinicians must have high suspicion for ingestion of this drug combination and request prompt testing of urine samples for levamisole if a patient who admits to illicit drug use presents with purpuric or necrotic skin lesions.
Low temperature heat capacity and thermodynamic properties of zinc ferrite

Abstract The heat capacity of zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) has been determined over the range 5 to 350°K. Molal values of Cp,S0, and H0−H00 computed from the thermal data are 32.99±0.03 cal/deg., 36·01 ±0·03 cal/deg., and 18·00±0·02 cal, respectively, at 298.15°K. A co-operative thermal anomaly associated with antiferromagnetic ordering occurs at 9.5° and extends toward higher temperatures probably as a consequence of persisting short range order.
Drought stress and irrigation effects on germination of harvested soybean seed

Drought stress consistently reduces soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield, while irrigation increases yields above nonirrigated levels in the southern USA in most years. Little information is available regarding drought stress and irrigation effects on quality of harvested soybean seed in this region, however. Field experiments using Maturity Group (MG) IV, V, and VI soybean cultivars were conducted in 1990 and 1991 at Stoneville, MS, to evaluate effects of drought and irrigation during reproductive development on subsequent germination of harvested seed (.)
Acoustical Study of a Rapid Transit System

Noises generated by trains of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) were recorded and analyzed. The data was used to evaluate the hazard of noise exposure among crew members and passengers and the extent of speech interference between passengers. The results indicated that some crew members and passengers may develop small amounts of temporary threshold shift in hearing sensitivity and that the probability of incurring permanent hearing loss from exposure to this source is very low. Speech interference among passengers was extensive in most cases.
Making "making" accessible

Assistive technologies empower individuals to accomplish tasks they might not be able to do otherwise. Unfortunately, a large percentage of assistive devices that are purchased (35% or more) end up unused or abandoned [8], leaving many people with assistive technology that is inappropriate for their needs. This paper describes our ongoing work to help more people gain access to the assistive technology they need by empowering non-engineers to "Do-It-Yourself" (DIY), and thus create, modify, or build their own assistive technology. We discuss how a new generation of rapid prototyping tools and online communities can empower more individuals, and we describe two technologies we have developed to enable novices to prototype and create physical objects.
Time domain numerical calculations of unsteady vortical flows about a flat plate airfoil

A time domain numerical scheme is developed to solve for the unsteady flow about a flat plate airfoil due to imposed upstream, small amplitude, transverse velocity perturbations. The governing equation for the resulting unsteady potential is a homogeneous, constant coefficient, convective wave equation. Accurate solution of the problem requires the development of approximate boundary conditions which correctly model the physics of the unsteady flow in the far field. A uniformly valid far field boundary condition is developed, and numerical results are presented using this condition. The stability of the scheme is discussed, and the stability restriction for the scheme is established as a function of the Mach number. Finally, comparisons are made with the frequency domain calculation by Scott and Atassi, and the relative strengths and weaknesses of each approach are assessed.
Semiconducting polymers based on charge‐transfer complexes. IV. Electrical properties and structure of polymeric charge‐transfer complexes

Model electron donor molecules, 10-methylphenothiazine and 4-(methylthio)anisole, and polymeric electron donors which contained these molecules on the side chains of N-acyl-substituted polyethylenimines, were complexed with the electron acceptors, dichlorodicyanoquinone (DDQ), tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), and tetranitrofluorenone (TNF). The model donors formed 1:1 complexes with all the acceptors except TCNE. The polymeric donors formed amorphous complexes with DDQ, TCNQ, and TCNE. Crystalline complexes were formed with TNF which had low melting points (lower than the model complexes and the pure polymer). This is apparently due to poor lateral packing of the polymer chains. Electrical resistivities were lower for all the polymer complexes than for the corresponding model complexes. Electrical resistivity also decreased with increase in complex crystallinity. In the best case the polymer complex was two hundred times as conducting as the model. The concentration of unpaired electrons measured by EPR was nearly independent of temperature. Most of the electrons seen are trapped and do not participate in conduction. Thermal activation energies for conduction were in the range of 0.5–1.8 eV and were nearly equal for the model and corresponding polymeric complexes. Elongation of polymer complex with TCNQ by rolling produces a decrease in resistivity in the roll direction, although the complex is amorphous. This reinforces the hypothesis that conduction is parallel to the polymer backbone. A polymer–tetranitrofluorenone complex was photoconducting, though the photoconductivity was smaller than the dark conductivity at the level of illumination used. Dember and Seebeck effects indicated that the major carrier in the complex was holes.
Modeling the student and the discipline in CAI drill and practice

Models built into computer assisted instructional courses have several advantages. They make the underlying theoretical assumptions more explicit and, at the same time, give a clearer direction to the actual development of the CAI program. The purpose of this discussion is to present some of the areas in which models have had an implicit or explicit impact and to indicate how our current work is focused by these efforts.The main purpose of the modeling discussed here is to provide better, more effective instruction (models of the learner) with substantially generated curriculum (models of the discipline). The drill and practice context is emphasized because that is one with a history of models in both areas and one which has demonstrated potential.
Specialty fibers for fiber optic sensor application

Over the last several years, Fiber Optic Sensor (FOS) applications have seen an increased acceptance in many areas including oil & gas production monitoring, gyroscopes, current sensors, structural sensing and monitoring, and aerospace applications. High level optical and mechanical reliability of optical fiber is necessary to guarantee reliable performance of FOS. In this paper, we review recent research and development activities on new specialty fibers. We discuss fiber design concepts and present both modeling and experimental results. The main approaches to enhancing fiber attributes include new index profile design and fiber coating modification.
Tour guide performances as sight sacralization.

Abstract According to sociologist Dean MacCannell, sights are transformed into tourist attractions through five stages of “sight sacralization”: naming, framing and elevation, enshrinement, mechanical reproduction, and social reproduction. This paper hypothesizes that these stages of sight sacralization should have spoken correlates in the performances of tour guides. Through an ethnographic analysis of tour performances at the Lindheimer Home, this study shows how spoken correlates of these stages ritually transform an unimposing cottage into a valued cultural sight. The enshrinement stage, more than any other, has the potential to accomplish a ritual transformation of liminoid tourists into a state of communitas with the hostess and tour sight. The only sacralization stage without spoken correlates is mechanical reproduction. Yet the printed brochure serves as an analogue to tour performances. The paper suggests ideas for future studies of tour guide sacralization based on an examination of the structural oppositions and symbolic inversions which define types of tour performances.
Phase II Study of Abarelix Depot for Androgen Independent Prostate Cancer Progression During Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist Therapy

ABSTRACTPurpose: We determine the clinical efficacy of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) antagonist abarelix in patients with androgen independent prostate cancer, and measure its effect on serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone.Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients with prostate cancer progression during Gn-RH agonist therapy received 100 mg. abarelix depot by intramuscular injection on days 1, 15 and 29, and then every 28 days for up to 24 weeks. Gn-RH agonist therapy was not continued. Patients who met criteria for prostate specific antigen (PSA) response after 24 weeks of therapy could receive treatment for up to 52 weeks. PSA response was the primary end point and was defined as a 50% decrease confirmed 4 weeks later. Secondary end points of this study were the effect of therapy on serum FSH and testosterone.Results: No patient met the criteria for PSA response. At the end of the 6 cycles of therapy 2 patients remained stable without PSA progression or other signs ...
An investigation of the relationship between displacements of the finger and wrist joints and the extrinsic finger flexor tendons

Abstract Several investigators have developed biomechanical models of finger flexor tendon displacements during pinching or gripping exertions of hands. Landsmeer has developed the most comprehensive set of models for this purpose. This paper describes experiments in which various sized cadaver hands were used to statistically evaluate the Landsmeer models. In so doing, the effects of hand and wrist anthropometry are included. The results indicate that the tendons displace in relation to joint positions as described by that Landsmeer model in which the tendon is depicted as sliding over the curved articular surface of the proximal bone of the joint. Joint thickness effects were found to modify the parameters in the model as intuitively expected. An empirical prediction model of the anthropometric effects was developed. Further, the tendon displacements for various wrist orientations were expressed empirically for the first time and were shown to be consistent with expected anatomical considerations.
Acetate uptake by the unicellular cyanobacteria Synechococcus and Aphanocapsa.

Acetate uptake by strains of Synechococcus and Aphanocapsa in short experiments required light, and was strongly inhibited by m-dichlorocarbonyl cyanide phenylhydrazone and dichlorophenyl dimethyl urea. Acetate carbon was distributed in amino acids and in the acyl portion of lipids in the same way as during growth experiments when CO2 was available, but the reduced incorporation in the absence of CO2 was primarily into the lipid fraction. An apparent K m for uptake by Synechococcus and for Aphanocapsa 6308 of 20 and 180 μM at pH 7.4 was obtained; corresponding V max values were 6 and 11 nmol x min-1 x mg protein-1. Uptake with Synechococcus was affected by pH, with affinity decreased and maximal rate increase with rising pH. Acetate uptake was not affected by propionate or butyrate when both were added at the same time, but a light and concentration dependent inhibition developed if suspensions were preincubated with propionate. Acetate carbon moved rapidly into acid insoluble material, but after 10–15 s 75% or more of the recovered intracellular counts were in acetyl CoA. Counts in this compound were reduced by preincubation with propionate. Kinetic measurements of acetyl CoA synthetase in fractionated cell extracts gave values for K m of about 50 μM for acetate, 5 mM for propionate, 100 μM for CoA and 0.38 mM for ATP. The internal pool of free CoA was measured to be about 20 μM, and was reduced by preincubation with propionate. This suggests that the activity of CoA-mediated reactions may be regulated by the availability of this cofactor.
Three-dimensional global scale permanent-wave solutions of the nonlinear quasigeostrophic potential vorticity equation and energy dispersion

The three-dimensional nonlinear quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity equation is reduced to a linear form in the stream function in spherical coordinates for the permanent wave solutions consisting of zonal wavenumbers from 0 ton andr n vertical components with a given degreen. This equation is solved by treating the coefficient of the Coriolis parameter square in the equation as the eigenvalue both for sinusoidal and hyperbolic variations in vertical direction. It is found that these solutions can represent the observed long term flow patterns at the surface and aloft over the globe closely. In addition, the sinusoidal vertical solutions with large eigenvalueG are trapped in low latitude, and the scales of these trapped modes are longer than 10 deg. lat. even for the top layer of the ocean and hence they are much larger than that given by the equatorialΒ-plane solutions. Therefore such baroclinic disturbances in the ocean can easily interact with those in the atmosphere.
Extreme value analyses of VOC exposures and risks: A comparison of RIOPA and NHANES datasets.

Extreme value theory, which characterizes the behavior of tails of distributions, is potentially well-suited to model exposures and risks of pollutants. In this application, it emphasizes the highest exposures, particularly those that may be high enough to present acute or chronic health risks. The present study examines extreme value distributions of exposures and risks to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Exposures of 15 different VOCs were measured in the Relationship between Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA) study, and ten of the same VOCs were measured in the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Both studies used similar sampling methods and study periods. Using the highest 5 and 10% of measurements, generalized extreme value (GEV), Gumbel and lognormal distributions were fit to each VOC in these two large studies. Health risks were estimated for individual VOCs and three VOC mixtures. Simulated data that matched the three types of distributions were generated and compared to observations to evaluate goodness-of-fit. The tail behavior of exposures, which clearly neither fit normal nor lognormal distributions for most VOCs in RIOPA, was usually best fit by the 3-parameter GEV distribution, and often by the 2-parameter Gumbel distribution. In contrast, lognormal distributions significantly underestimated both the level and likelihood of extrema. Among the RIOPA VOCs, 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DCB) caused the greatest risks, e.g., for the top 10% extrema, all individuals had risk levels above 10−4, and 13% of them exceeded 10−2. NHANES had considerably higher concentrations of all VOCs with two exceptions, methyl tertiary-butyl ether and 1,4-DCB. Differences between these studies can be explained by sampling design, staging, sample demographics, smoking and occupation. This analysis shows that extreme value distributions can represent peak exposures of VOCs, which clearly are neither normally nor lognormally distributed. These exposures have the greatest health significance, and require accurate modeling.
Cells by Design: A Mini-Review of Targeting Cell Engineering Using DNA Microarrays

Recent studies have demonstrated the utility of DNA microarray technology in engineering cellular properties. For instance, cellular adhesion, the necessity of cells to attach to a surface in order to to proliferate, was examined by comparing two distinct HeLa cell lines. Two genes, one encoding a type II membrane glycosylating sialyltransferase (siat7e) and the other encoding a secreted glycoprotein (lama4), were found to influence adhesion. The expression of siat7e correlated with reduced adhesion, whereas expression of lama4 correlated with increased adhesion, as shown by various assays. In a separate example, a gene encoding a mitochondrial assembly protein (cox15) and a gene encoding a kinase (cdkl3), were found to influence cellular growth. Enhanced expression of either gene resulted in slightly higher specific growth rates and higher maximum cell densities for HeLa, HEK-293, and CHO cell lines. Another investigated property was the adaptation of HEK-293 cells to serum-free media. The genes egr1 and gas6, both with anti-apoptotic properties, were identified as potentially improving adaptability by impacting viability at low serum levels. In trying to control apoptosis, researchers found that by altering the expression levels of four genes faim, fadd, alg-2, and requiem, apoptotic response could be altered. In the present work, these and related studies in microorganisms (prokaryote and eukaryote) are examined in greater detail focusing on the approach of using DNA microarrays to direct cellular behavior by targeting select genes.
Communal nursing in mice: Strain-specific effects of multiple mothers on growth and behavior

Female mice of two inbred strains (A/J and C57BL/6J) raised litters with a fixed ratio of offspring to single or multiple mothers under same- and mixed-strain conditions. Communal nursing enhanced growth in offspring of both strains; for the A/J strain, higher levels of activity were obtained particularly for those offspring raised with mixed-strain mothers and littermates.
The effects of total knee arthroplasty on physical functioning in the older population

Objective Clinical research provides convincing evidence that total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is safe and improves joint-specific outcomes. However, higher-level functioning associated with self care and independent living has not been studied. Furthermore, most previous studies of the effects of TKA relied on relatively small clinical samples. We undertook this study to estimate the effects of TKA on 3 levels of physical functioning in a national sample of older adults. Methods Data were obtained from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey from 1992 to 2003. Medicare claims data identified participants with osteoarthritis of the knee who received TKA (n = 259) or no TKA (n = 1,816). Propensity scores were used to match treatment and no-treatment groups according to demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, and baseline functioning. Three levels of physical functioning were examined as outcomes of TKA. These levels were represented by items on the Nagi Disability Scale, the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Scale, and the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale. These items were measured after TKA and at comparable intervals for the no-treatment group. Average treatment effects were calculated for relevant Nagi Disability Scale, IADL Scale, and ADL Scale tasks. Results Between baseline and outcome assessments, TKA recipients improved on all 3 levels of physical functioning; the no-treatment group declined. Statistically significant average treatment effects for TKA were observed for one or more tasks for each measure of physical functioning. Conclusion TKA is associated with sizeable improvements in 3 levels of physical functioning among elderly Medicare beneficiaries.
Laser Intracavity Phase Lock Control System

With a dual channel control system, experiments have been conducted to demonstrate the ability to control the relative frequencies and phases among an array of lasers to a high degree of accuracy in a noisy environment. Both piezoelectric and intracavity electrooptic length control were used in the processing system. Success of this implementation demonstrates the feasibility of using laser arrays to produce optical waveforms of arbitrary specification.
Nuclear volume changes in southeastern tree species before spring growth

Abstract The nuclear volume of shoot apex cells of most of 14 local tree species at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, increased before spring growth. Between January and March Pinus strobus and P. taeda showed the greatest increase in nuclear volumes from 631μ 3 ± 38.49 SE to 1113μ 3 ±43.12 and from 638μ 3 ± 26.67 to 1026μ 3 ± 23.41 respectively. The nuclei of Comus florida showed no response to approach of spring activity, remaining unchanged from 99μ 3 ± 2.85 to 100μ 3 ± 5.79, while four species of Acer showed increases (45–199μ 3 in January to 83–264μ 3 in March).
Temporary threshold shift after impulse-noise during video game play: Laboratory data

AbstractObjective: Prevention of temporary threshold shift (TTS) after laboratory-based exposure to pure-tones, broadband noise, and narrowband noise signals has been achieved, but prevention of TTS under these experimental conditions may not accurately reflect protection against hearing loss following impulse noise. This study used a controlled laboratory-based TTS paradigm that incorporated impulsive stimuli into the exposure protocol; development of this model could provide a novel platform for assessing proposed therapeutics. Design: Participants played a video game that delivered gunfire-like sound through headphones as part of a target practice game. Effects were measured using audiometric threshold evaluations and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). The sound level and number of impulses presented were sequentially increased throughout the study. Study sample: Participants were normal-hearing students at the University of Florida who provided written informed consent prior to partici...
Neutron Production by Ne and Si Ions on a Thick Cu Target at 670 MeV · a with Application to Radiation Protection

Beams of neon and silicon at 670 MeV A from the Bevalac were stopped in a copper target. Neutron yields and angular distributions were measured with activation detectors. Attenuation of neutrons through a concrete shield was measured at 7°, 54° and 72° to the beam direction. Dose equivalent estimates were made in adjoining areas by using moderated BF3 proportional counters and carbon and aluminum activation detectors. Data are presented and radiation protection aspects discussed.
Quantitative evaluation of bromodichloromethane metabolism by recombinant rat and human cytochrome P450s

Abstract We report quantitative estimates of the parameters for metabolism of bromodichloromethane (BDCM) by recombinant preparations of hepatic cytochrome P450s (CYPs) from rat and human. Earlier work identified CYP2E1, CYP2B1/2 and CYP1A2 as activating enzymes necessary for hepatotoxicity in rat. In order to extend an existing PBPK model for rat to include a capability for extrapolation to humans, it is necessary to evaluate quantitatively the principal metabolic pathways in both species. We have conducted in vitro experiments using recombinant preparations of the three rat CYP isoenzymes mentioned above and for CYP2C11 and CYP3A1 as well. Similar experiments have been performed with human recombinant isoenzymes for CYP2E1, CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4. Results indicate that the principal metabolizing enzymes in rat are those identified previously, CYP2E1, CYP2B1/2 and CYP1A2. CYP3A1 may also have some activity. In human, CYP2E1, CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 show substantial activity, and CYP2A6 also measurably metabolizes BDCM. In both species, CYP2E1 is the low Km isoenzyme, with Km approximately 27-fold lower than those for the isoenzymes with the next lowest Km. In addition, the metabolic parameters, Km and kcat, for rat and human CYP2E1 were nearly identical. The metabolic parameters for CYP1A2, the only other isoenzyme active in both species, were not similar across species. In addition, calculations based on the kinetic constants obtained are compared to results from two in vivo experiments to show that the in vitro kinetic data is relevant to in vivo exposures. We conclude that although several CYPs metabolize BDCM, at low concentration/exposure, BDCM metabolism is dominated by CYP2E1 in both rat and human, but that other isoenzymes can be important at higher concentrations. We further conclude that the kinetic data are consistent with existing in vivo results.