cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oncology professionals and patient requests for cancer support services

To examine the kinds of psychosocial support services that cancer patients most often request across a multidisciplinary sample of currently practicing U.S. oncological health care professionals (OHCPs) representative of a typical cancer care team. Primary data collection. A randomly selected sample of 1,180 OHCPs (44% physicians, 24% nurses, 32% social workers) who were active members of their respective oncological associations completed a brief four-page mailed survey during the spring of 2001. Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Descriptive statistics were computed for all study variables. ANOVA procedures were used to examine demographic difference between respondents and nonrespondents. Frequencies were calculated for patient inquires for cancer support services inquiries, and logistic regression was used to evaluate professional group differences on inquiries. Chi-square statistics were used to test for significant differences between professional groups. Approximately 94% of OHCPs were asked about cancer-related support services by their patients. Quantitative data indicated that information and education about cancer (72%), support groups (65%), and hospice referral (52%) were paramount among patient concerns. Qualitatively, comments about transportation, lodging during treatment, and alternative medicine reflected the general sentiment that basic needs and opportunities for options may still be unmet. Patient inquiries for services varied significantly by professional group (p <.001). This information reflects the need for a multidisciplinary perspective and will be useful for planning patient-based cancer education and support initiatives, refining existing programs, and targeting materials to specific oncological professionals.
Beyond oil: The threat to food and fuel in the coming decades

This book represents an effort thru mainframe computer simulations to predict the nation's future energy needs beyond the year 2000. The study concludes clearly that: future energy supplies will not be as plentiful as is currently believed. For example, it appears that by 2005 at the latest, and perhaps as early as 1995, on average it will take more energy to explore for new U.S. oil and gas than the wells will produce. Naturally one will continue to pump old oil fields after 2005 - but not long after; U.S. oil will be virtually exhausted by 2020; neither the supply of alternative fuels nor the nation's energy efficiency can be increased quickly enough to completely offset the effect of declining supplies of oil and gas, which now account for almost 70 percent of U.S. fuel use; A long-term downturn in U.S. gross national product is likely soon, probably starting in the 1990s; and because U.S. agriculture is heavily oil-dependent, it is vulnerable - so vulnerable that we could lose our ability to be a net exporter of food within the next twenty to thirty-five years, unless agricultural energy efficiency is raised dramatically.
Plasticity of gray matter volume: The cellular and synaptic plasticity that underlies volumetric change

Fifty years ago, Mark Rosenzweig and coworkers described environmental effects on brain chemistry and gross brain weight. William Greenough then used stereological tools, electron microscopy, and the Golgi stain to demonstrate that enrichment led to dendritic growth and synapse addition. Together these forms of plasticity accounted for cortical expansion and a reduction in cell density. In parallel with other investigators, Greenough demonstrated that these effects were not limited to the rodent, the cortex, or development, but instead generalize to many species, brain regions, and life stages. Studies of the anatomical effects of enrichment foreshadowed the recent empirical evidence for cortical volumetric increases after environmental experience and training in humans. Since research in humans is limited to regional effects, the analysis of the cellular and synaptic effects of enrichment, and their contribution to volumetric increases can inform us of the potential cellular and subcellular plasticity the leads to volume change in humans.
Database support for interactive computer graphics

Software applications involving interactive computer graphics are made up of several components. One of these is a data modeling component. This data modeling component is often application dependent and therefore difficult to integrate with the data model of other related applications. One solution to this problem is to interface a DBMS with an interactive graphics system to reduce data model dependency and increase sharing of data. This also has the advantage of allowing novice users to use computer graphics by eliminating the need for the user to write complex programs invoking the graphics system.This paper explores these ideas by discussing the implementation of a prototype interface between a relational DBMS and an interactive computer graphics system. It presents both the database structures used to manage the data and the techniques used to design the interface. It concludes by discussing an approach for making the interface portable.
Václav Havel's Postmodernism

Examining the nature of Vaclav Havel's ‘postmodernism,’ we suggest that his use of this ambiguous label can be best understood if interpreted outside the conventional binary framework of modern/postmodern philosophy, which does not sufficiently answer to the lingering crisis of foundational certainty in political theory. In our view, the Czech playwright-turned-politician offers not merely a less confining sense of what it means to be ‘postmodern,’ but his commitment to moral political action also lends itself to overcoming some of the limitations of contemporary postmodern theorizing by reentering the depreciated terrain of ontology. Specifically, we argue that an assessment of Havel's brand of postmodernism yields a rich interpretive harvest when read through ontological lenses. Indeed, Havel's theoretical posture serves as an instructive example of what political theorist Stephen K. White has called a ‘felicitous weak ontology.’
Kinetics of thermalization of fast nitrogen atoms beyond the hard sphere approximation

Abstract The thermalization of fast nitrogen atoms through elastic collisions with thermal oxygen atoms is studied by obtaining the energy distribution function of fast nitrogen atoms from a direct numerical solution of the Boltzmann kinetic equation. The kernel of the Boltzmann equation is constructed using quantum mechanically evaluated differential scattering cross sections. The contributions to the cross sections that arise from the six lowest NO molecular potential curves exhibit a marked dependence on both the energy and the scattering angle. It is shown that the classical scattering cross sections are an excellent approximation to the smooth curve obtained by averaging the quantum mechanical cross sections. The differences between the results of calculations of the collision kernel for the hard sphere cross sections and the actual cross sections are discussed and the steady state distribution function of the fast N atoms is compared with the results of kinetic calculations with the hard sphere approximation.
Molecular Characterization of the Men1 Tumor Suppressor Gene in Sporadic Pituitary Tumors

Anterior pituitary tumors arise sporadically, and also as part of the inherited multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) syndrome. To investigate the role of the recently isolated men1 gene in sporadic pituitary tumorigenesis, the complete coding sequence was screened for mutations in 45 sporadic anterior pituitary tumors, including 14 hormone-secreting tumors and 31 nonsecreting tumors, by dideoxy fingerprinting and sequence analysis. No pathogenic sequence changes were found in the men1 coding region. The men1 gene was expressed in 43 of these tumors with sufficient RNA, including one tumor with loss of heterozygosity (LOH) for several polymorphic markers on chromosomal region 11q13. Furthermore, both alleles were expressed in 19 tumors in which the constitutional DNA was heterozygous for intragenic polymorphisms. Thus, inactivation of the men1 tumor suppressor gene, by mutation or by imprinting, does not appear to play a prominent role in sporadic pituitary adenoma pathogenesis.
GaAs-GaAlAs heterostructure single-mode channel-waveguide cutoff modulator and modulator array

A GaAs single-mode channel-waveguide cutoff modulator that utilizes a GaAs-GaAlAs heterostructure and a linear array of such modulators are reported for the first time. We have measured a cutoff voltage as low as 9.0 V and an extinction ratio greater than 20 dB at an optical wavelength of 1.3 μm in a basic modulator that utilized a GaAs-Ga 0.93 Al 0.07 As heterostructure with a 0.9 μm thick GaAs epitaxial layer together with a ridge channel 2.5 mm in length and 5.0 μm in width. We have also succeeded in the realization of a high packing density (500 channels/cm) linear array of such cutoff modulators in the same GaAs substrate with equally satisfactory results. An RF bandwidth of 2.5 GHz has also been measured with the elementary modulator of such array. As in the case for LiNbO 3 substrates, the GaAs-based integrated optic modules that result from integration of such cutoff modulator arrays, microlens arrays, and planar acoustooptic or electrooptic Bragg diffraction grating arrays in a common substrate may be used to perform multiport switching, computing, and RF signal processing.
Natural occurrence of Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae in the eastern grey fox and the eastern raccoon.

PREVIOUS investigations of wild life in the United States have established the grey fox and the raccoon as natural hosts of leptospires. Leptospira ballum1, L. australis A2, and L grippotyphosa2 have been isolated from the grey fox. Leptospira ballum1, L. pomona1, L. australis A3, L. grippotyphosa2, L. autumnalis4, and L. mini-Georgia5 have been isolated from the raccoon.
Pharmacologic specificity of antidepressive activity by monoaminergic neural transplants

Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated the ability of monoaminergic transplants in the rat frontal cortex to produce antidepressive activity in both the learned helplessness model and the forced swimming test, as well as to increase monoamine levels in the implanted frontal cortex. These findings implicate increased cortical levels of norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT) in the antidepressive activity of monoaminergic transplants. The goal of the present study was to characterize the pharmacologic mechanisms involved in the monoaminergic graft-induced antidepressive activity. Immobility scores in the forced swimming test (FST) were assessed after transplantation of 5-HT-containing pineal gland tissue, NE-containing adrenal medullary tissue, a combination of both tissues, or sciatic nerve (control) into the rat frontal cortex and compared to non-transplanted and chronic imipramine-treated rats. Monoaminergic transplants and imipramine treatment significantly reduced immobility scores in the FST in contrast to control transplanted or untreated animals. All groups were assessed pharmacologically with the adrenergic antagonists phentolamine (α) and propranolol (β), and serotonergic antagonists metergoline (5-HT1/5-HT2) and pirenperone (5-HT2). Serotonergic antagonists, particularly the 5HT2 antagonist, blocked the reduction in FST immobility induced by the pineal implants. Adrenergic antagonists not only blocked FST immobility reductions in adrenal medullary grafted animals, but overcompensated for the adrenal transplants, producing a large increase in immobility. The FST reduction induced by pineal and adrenal cografts was blocked by all four monoaminergic antagonists. FST immobility scores in control transplanted and non-transplanted animals were not altered by any of the antagonists. The immobility reduction produced by chronic imipramine treatment was blocked significantly only by propranolol. These results indicate that adrenal medullary and pineal transplants produce sustained antidepressive activity via local interaction withα-andβ-adrenergic receptors or 5HT2 receptors, respectively, and may be mediated by mechanisms distinct from antidepressant drugs.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Cocaine Abuse

Recent research has shown that comorbid cocaine abuse and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) occur frequently in clinical populations. These patients are challenging, both diagnostically and clinically, but may respond to combined standard treatment for ADHD and cocaine abuse.
The Immunodominant Region of Staphylococcal Nuclease Is Represented by Multiple Peptide Species

Several published reports have lead to the characterization of naturally processed peptides that are presented in association with either class I or class II MHC molecules. Most peptides isolated from class II molecules are heterogeneous in length and exhibit ragged amino and carboxy termini. An intriguing finding was that one region of a molecule was often represented by many distinct peptides, rather than by a single dominant peptide species. Each of the peptides representing this dominant region exhibited a common core of amino acids, suggesting that this core may play a significant role in the binding of the peptide to class II and the recognition by peptide-specific T cells. Work from our laboratory has focused on the mechanisms involved in the immunodominance of antigenic determinants using the bacterial antigen Staphylococcal nuclease (Nase) as a model. Using truncated synthetic peptides, we have identified the immunodominant determinant of Nase to be located within the region 81-100 with a minimal antigenic core of 91-100 as determined. Addition of five residues to the carboxy terminus of this peptide had a negative effect on T cell recognition of this region. The present studies were undertaken in an effort to determine the sequence of the naturally processed immunodominant Nase determinant(s) presented in association with I-Ek class II. Our results indicate that the dominant region of the Nase molecule is represented by at least four distinct peptide species that are predicted to lie between residues 86 and 106 with a common core sequence of 91-96. These results indicate that the negative effects of flanking regions are dependent upon length and amino acid composition, and thus the use of truncated peptides to study minimal antigenic determinants may be misleading.
Female adolescents and health status perceptions: Clinical relevance to the primary care gynecologist

Abstract Study Objective: The purpose was to examine the relationship between the perceptions of health status and related biobehavioral variables of female youth attending an outpatient adolescent gynecology clinic. Background: Inquiry into a female patient's perception of personal health is important, especially when providing health services because females experience more days of restricted activity than males. Design: A cross-sectional survey was employed using standardized measures of mental health and health status. The health status measure assesses the perception of the female's physical functioning or functional status, well-being, and general health. Self-report questionnaires were also completed on sexual behaviors and menstrual pain. Data were obtained from 160 females aged 12–21 years with a mean age of 16.8 years. Results: Multiple regression analyses conducted on each of the three health status indices revealed that the endorsement of many symptoms of depression explained 26% of the variance in perceptions of functional status scores; symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as third party coverage accounted for 47% of the variance in perceptions of well-being scores; and symptoms of depression were responsible for explaining almost 30% of their general health perception. Conclusions: The strength of the relationship between health status and related biobehavioral variables indicates that primary care OB/GYN would benefit from conducting some type of health status examination. Assessment of mental health status, especially characteristics or symptoms of depression, would inform health care practitioners, as these features may have a negative impact on the patient's health perceptions.
Analysis of morphogenetic movements in the neural plate of the newt Taricha torosa.

Abstract These time-lapse cinematographic studies provide measurements and descriptions of the pathways and speeds of displacement of cell groups in the forming neural plate of a newt. At speeds ranging from 4 to 95 μ per hour, cell groups are displaced almost as much as 1 mm (896 μ) on a 2.5 mm embryo during plate development prior to neural tube formation. Changes in area of regions of the surface of the neural plate are presented and are found to correlate inversely with changes in height of the neural plate epithelium. Observations with high magnification time-lapse films establish that cells retain their contact relationships with neighboring cells throughout the period of study. The newt neural plate is a sheet of cells just one cell thick. Observed displacements of groups of neural plate cells are the consequence of deformations of the sheet. Observations and correlations indicate that these deformations are the result of regional differences in the amounts of change in cell shape of the constituent cells. Thus one consequence of primary embryonic induction is a patterned change in the height of the cells in the forming neural plate with concomitant displacements of cell groups and regional changes in area that give the neural plate its characteristic shape.
An overview of satellite formation control using higher order and adaptive sliding mode control techniques

This paper is an overview of various satellite formation tracking control techniques using higher order and adaptive sliding mode control. The relative motion between the leader and the follower satellites were determined using Hill's equations. Higher order and adaptive control techniques were implemented to maintain the desired trajectory for the satellite formation in the presence of multiple perturbations. Using the relative degree approach, the tracking accuracy of the satellite formation system has been improved. The adaptive gain super-twisting sliding mode control implemented generates the continuous control function in the presence of bounded disturbances with unknown boundaries where the control gains are not overestimated. The robustness of the different control algorithms were validated using mathematical simulations.
Fabrication of an electrochemical DNA sensor array via potential-assisted "click" chemistry.

Here we report the fabrication of a 3-pixel electrochemical DNA sensor array via potential-assisted “click” chemistry. We found that the sensors in the array exhibit close to identical sensor performance when compared to sensors constructed via conventional “click” chemistry.
Data file management

Abstract This paper reviews the different types of data files and methods of storing and retrieving information using sequential access and random access files. A data management program that contains specifications on 300 robot models is used to show how to: (1) create a new data file, (2) add information to an existing file, (3) modify records within a file, (4) display information from a data file, and (5) to analyze data from individual records.
Kinetics of dibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization

Hydrotreating is a process in which organically bound sulfur and nitrogen compounds are removed from petroleum feedstocks to produce processible, stable, and environmentally acceptable liquid fuels or lubes. Essentially two types of catalysts, which differ in composition, are in use in current refineries: one is sulfided CoO-MoO{sub 3}/{gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, the other sulfided NiO-MoO{sub 3}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The selection of these catalysts depends largely on the processing objectives and the nature of the feedstocks. Generally speaking, the NiMo catalysts are used for hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) and hydrodearomatization (HDA), while the CoMo catalysts are used for hydrodesulfurization (HDS). HDS of dibenzothiophene (DBT) is a useful model reaction for HDS of commercial middle distillate feedstocks. In a previous study, Ho et al. quantified the interactions between HDN and HDA on a commercial NiMo catalyst by using a feed mixture containing 2,4-dimethyl pyridine and 2-methylnaphthalene. With the same catalyst, here we determine the kinetics of DBT HDS. Another reason for undertaking the present study is that relatively little attention has been paid to DBT HDS on NiMo catalysts. Most published DBT HDS studies have been done on CoMo catalysts.
Efficient synthetic‐seismogram generation in transversely isotropic, inhomogeneous media

I develop an efficient modeling technique for transversely isotropic, inhomogeneous media using a mix of analytical equations and numerical calculations. The analytic equation for the raypath in a factorized transversely isotropic (FTI) media with linear velocity variation, derived by Shearer and Chapman, is used to trace rays between two points. In addition, I derive an analytical equation for geometrical spreading in FTI media that aids in preserving program efficiency; however, the traveltimes are calculated numerically. I then generalize the method to treat general transversely isotropic (TI) media that are not factorized anisotropic inhomogeneous by perturbing the FTI traveltimes, following the perturbation ideas of Cervený and Filho. A Kirchhoff‐summation‐based program relying on Trorey’s diffraction method is used to generate synthetic seismograms for such a medium. For the type of velocity models treated, the program is much more efficient than finite‐difference or general ray‐trace modeling techn...
Shock tube study of ionization rates of NaCl‐contaminated argon

Electron density, electron temperature, and concentration of excited sodium atoms are measured in the weakly ionized regime behind a shock wave in impure argon in a shock tube using microwave techniques and spectrally resolved radiometry. Evidence is presented to show that an apparent increase in the rate of ionization is due to electron detachment of negative chlorine ions produced from sodium chloride vapor contained as an impurity. To be consistent with this chemical model, rate coefficients are found in the temperature range between 5500 and 8600 K for the dissociation of NaCl into an ion pair, dissociation of NaCl into a neutral pair, and electron detachment of a negative chlorine ion. Electron temperature is lower than heavy-particle temperature by roughly 1000 K. The electron-argon impact-ionization rate coefficient is a weak function of electron temperature in contradiction to expectation.
Estimation of the degree of partial melting using concentration ratios

Abstract The approximate degree of partial melting of a primary magma can be calculated using the variation in concentration ratios of two incompatible trace elements. The method is based on the difference in enrichment ratios caused by different bulk distribution coefficients. The advantage of the method is that it can be used for different melting models and is completely independent of assumptions about the source concentrations. The limitation of the method is that reliable results require bulk distribution coefficients with an accuracy better than 30%.
Airway obstruction in the Crouzon syndrome: case report and review of the literature

Craniofacial dysostosis (Crouzon syndrome) is a syndrome characterized by premature closing of calvarial and cranial base sutures as well as those of the orbit and maxillary complex. Orofacial manifestations of this disease include maxillary hypoplasia, external nasal deformity, and prognathism. Airway distress is a well described feature of this syndrome, and both upper and lower airway obstruction may be present in the Crouzon syndrome. Obstructions in the upper airway have been reported secondary to septal deviation, midnasal and choanal abnormalities, and nasopharyngeal narrowing. This study presents a child with the Crouzon syndrome who required tracheotomy during the first 2 years of life for airway obstruction caused in the newborn period (first 6 months) by midnasal stenosis and laser (6 months to 2 years) compounded by soft palate obstruction at the level of the oro/hypopharynx. A review of the English language literature revealed one similar patient presentation but no comprehensive review of this subject. Previously reported airway anomalies are reviewed and airway management is discussed in patients with Crouzon syndrome.
Synthesis and crystal structure of the 1:1 Pd(II) complex of 1,4,7,10-tetraoxa-13,16,19,22-tetraazacyclotetracosane

Abstract The synthesis and structural characterization of [1·Pd](PF6)2, complex 3, where 1=1,4,7,10-tetraoxa-13,16,19,22-tetraazacyclotetracosane, are reported. The palladium atom in the complex is coordinated by the four ligand nitrogen atoms in an essentially square planar structure (average PdN bond length=2.040(1) A). A further weak apical interaction exists (2.98 A) to one O atom of the ligand. The pale yellow crystals of Pd(C16H36N4O4) (PF6)2 are monoclinic with unit-cell dimensions a=15.222(7), b=20.480(9), c=8.733(4) A,β=91.53(4)°, V=2722(2) A3, space group P21/c (No. 14) and Z=4. Crystals of [1·Pd](PF6)2 are, thus, isomorphous with those of a Cu(PF6)2 salt of 1, complex 2, reported earlier (J. L. Sessler, J. W. Sibert, J. D. Hugdahl and V. Lynch, Inorg. Chem., 28 (1989) 1417–1419). The coordination around Cu, however, is better described as square pyramidal with a long CuO axial contact (2.47(2)).
Charge Transfer to MEMS Pressure Sensors By Glow Discharge Plasmas

Electrical charging resulting in temporary performance degradation of automotive MEMS pressure sensors has been observed. A method of charge transfer from the outside of a statically charged hose, along the inside the hose, through the module port, to a sensor inside the module is proposed. Specifically, the existence of a glow discharge plasma through the hose, is analyzed with respect to temporary performance degradation. The Paschen equation is used to theoretically predict the breakdown voltage in terms of pressure and distance in the rarified, charged environment to which the ports of the pressure sensors are exposed. Experimental results show no glow or performance degradation in the dark discharge regime, over repeated trials. In the glow discharge regime, visible purple glow with accompanying degradation is observed. At the transition point between the dark and glow regimes, at 20 torr and 5000 V for a discharge distance of 3.5 cm in this experiment, repeated trials resulted in a mixture of glow/degradation and nonglow/unaffected cases. Other proposed modes of charge transfer are qualitatively ruled out, while a quantitative correlation between glow and performance degradation is observed. Therefore, the glow discharge plasma is indicated as the most likely charge transfer mechanism
ANION-EXCHANGE BEHAVIOR OF POLYPYRROLE MEMBRANES.

Les variations de conductivite observees sont dues au degre d'oxydation du polymere et a la morphologie du film
Polymerization kinetics of polysilazane by transition metal catalyzed dehydrocoupling reaction

Abstract : We have examined the polymerization kinetics of transition metal dehydrocoupling of the Si-H and N-H bonds of oligomers of the type HNMe-(H2SiNMe)x-H by size exclusion chromatography and correlated molecular weight changes with changes in shear viscosity. Analysis using simplified statistical theory that branching is a mechanism for polymerization and lends to gelation. Keywords: Polysilazanes; Preceramic polymers, Bond activation catalysis; Silanes, Ammonia; Polymerization kinetics, Silicon , Hydrogen.
SUPREME COURT OPINIONS: Getting the Message

The true significance of policy articulations by appellate courts lies in the behavioral responses of relevant parties below. Actions consistent with the intent of appellate sources is dependant on effective communication between message source and message recipient. Limiting focus to the U.S. Supreme Court as an appellate source, two measures of effective communications are developed. These measures incorporate two dimensions of comprehension difficulty: message structure and the familiarity of the reader with constitutional language. The article also suggests 13 hypotheses pertaining to relative communicative success or failure, several of which are tested briefly.
Organizing a ground crew for today's helicopter parents

The relationship between college students and their parents is far closer than it was when most of today's educators were in school. Tapping into the upside and managing the potential drawbacks of ...
Ventral specification and perturbed boundary formation in the mouse midbrain in the absence of Hedgehog signaling

Although Hedgehog (HH) signaling plays a critical role in patterning the ventral midbrain, its role in early midbrain specification is not known. We examined the midbrains of sonic hedgehog (Shh) and smoothened (Smo) mutant mice where HH signaling is respectively attenuated and eliminated. We show that some ventral (Evx1+) cell fates are specified in the Shh−/− mouse in a Ptc1- and Gli1-independent manner. HH-independent ventral midbrain induction was further confirmed by the presence of a Pax7-negative ventral midbrain territory in both Shh−/− and Smo−/− mice at and before embryonic day (E) 8.5. Midbrain signaling centers are severely disrupted in the Shh−/− mutant. Interestingly, dorsal markers are up-regulated (Wnt1, Gdf7, Pax7), down-regulated (Lfng), or otherwise altered (Zic1) in the Shh−/− midbrain. Together with the increased cell death seen specifically in Shh−/− dorsal midbrains (E8.5–E9), our results suggest specific regulation of dorsal patterning by SHH, rather than a simple deregulation due to its absence. Developmental Dynamics 237:1359-1372, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
High strain cyclic fatigue and fracture of an oxide dispersion strengthened copper alloy

Abstract The cyclic strain resistance and fracture behavior of an oxide dispersion strengthened copper alloy are studied. The alloy was cyclically deformed over a range of strain amplitudes giving lives of less than 104 cycles to failure. The specimens were cycled using tension-compression loading under total strain control. The alloy displayed combinations of cyclic hardening and softening to failure. The observed cyclic hardening and softening behavior is a mechanical effect and attributed to concurrent and competing influences of dislocation accumulation and dislocation-microstructure interactions. The alloy followed the Coffin-Manson relationship and exhibited a single slope for the variation of cyclic plastic strain amplitude with reversals to failure. Heat treatment was observed to improve cyclic ductility. The low-cycle fatigue properties and fracture behavior of the alloy are discussed in terms of competing and synergistic influences of cyclic plastic strain amplitude, response stress, intrinsic microstructural effects and macroscopic aspects of fracture.
Preoperative home care for esophageal atresia--a survey.

Abstract Background/Purpose: Long gap esophageal atresia may require months of preoperative management before definitive repair. When 2 recent patients prompted the authors to consider preoperative home care, no published protocol could be identified. This survey is undertaken to determine pediatric surgeons' experience with preoperative home care for long gap atresia. Methods: A total of 543 surgeons were asked if any patients with long gap atresia had been treated preoperatively at home. For patients sent home, information on nursing care, insurance issues, complications, and timing or type of repair was requested. Results: A total of 380 surveys (70%) were returned. A total of 165 surveys representing 348 patients were included. Forty-one of 165 surgeons (25%) treated 63 of 87 patients (72%) with long gap atresia and an intact upper pouch at home. Home nursing care was provided for 44 patients (70%): 16 (36.4%) night shift, 2 (4.5%) day shift, 3 (6.8%) 24 hour, and 23 (52.3%) intermittent care. No complications referable to preoperative home care were reported. Conclusions: Significant hesitancy and practice variance exists regarding preoperative home care of patients with long gap esophageal atresia. Many surgeons are satisfied with the safety and cost effectiveness of this technique, although a prospective, multicenter trial is needed to study it in a randomized, controlled fashion. J Pediatr Surg 35:279-282. Copyright © 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.
Evidence of acoustic startle hyperreflexia in recently detoxified early onset male alcoholics: modulation by yohimbine and m-Chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP)

Preclinical studies suggest that acoustic startle amplitude is increased during ethanol withdrawal. The current study evaluated the effects of intravenous infusion of the α2-adrenergic antagonist, yohimbine (0.4 mg/kg), the serotonin partial agonist m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP, 0.1 mg/kg), and placebo administered to 22 male patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for alcohol dependence and 13 male healthy subjects. Patients and healthy subjects completed 3 test days under double-blind conditions in a randomized order. Patients were sober for 12–26 days prior to testing. On each test day, participants completed startle testing 80 min following drug infusion. Stimuli with varying intensities (90, 96, 102, 108, 114 dB) were presented in a randomized order balanced across four blocks. Stimuli consisted of 40-ms bursts of white noise administered every 45–60 s for 15–20 min through headphones. Analyses indicated that patients exhibited elevated acoustic startle magnitudes on the placebo day relative to healthy subjects. In patients, the magnitude of startle amplitudes elicited at 90 dB, but not 114 dB, correlated significantly with the number of previous alcohol detoxifications. Yohimbine increased startle magnitudes and reduced startle latencies relative to placebo and mCPP in both patients and healthy subjects. mCPP did not alter startle magnitude in either group. Yohimbine also increased the probability that a 90-dB stimulus produced a startle response in healthy subjects, but not in patients. Blunting of yohimbine effects on startle probability may reflect the baseline elevations in startle probability levels in patients, but may also be consistent with other evidence of reduced postsynaptic, but not presynaptic, noradrenergic function in these same patients. These data replicate and extend previous reports indicating that yohimbine facilitates the acoustic startle response in humans. They also further implicate the number of episodes of ethanol withdrawal as a factor influencing subsequent neurobiological responsivity in chronic alcoholic patients. Based on the current data, future research should explore whether measurement of the acoustic startle response provides an objective quantitative severity measure of ethanol withdrawal.
Public Policy and Land Conversion: Lessening Urban Growth Pressure in River Corridors

Year in and year out, flooding causes greater dollar losses than any other natural hazard. To cope with that problem, more than 17,000 communities across the US have adopted riverine floodplain management programs to reduce the amount of urban development at risk from flooding and flood-related damage. This article examines the extent to which floodplain management programs influence the investment and predevelopment decisions of owners of vacant floodplain land in ten selected cities. Such public programs are found to alleviate investment and development pressure in flood hazard areas. Community-wide factors such as the availability of non-floodplain buildable land, however, can magnify or depress this effect of public policy on investment activity. Further, landowner perceptions of the flood hazard itself have an important influence on anticipated property appreciation and investment activity.
Probing collagen-enzyme mechanochemistry in native tissue with dynamic, enzyme-induced creep

Mechanical strain or stretch of collagen has been shown to be protective of fibrils against both thermal and enzymatic degradation. The details of this mechanochemical relationship could change our understanding of load-bearing tissue formation, growth, maintenance, and disease in vertebrate animals. However, extracting a quantitative relationship between strain and the rate of enzymatic degradation is extremely difficult in bulk tissue due to confounding diffusion effects. In this investigation, we develop a dynamic, enzyme-induced creep assay and diffusion/reaction rate scaling arguments to extract a lower bound on the relationship between strain and the cutting rate of bacterial collagenase (BC) at low strains. The assay method permits continuous, forced probing of enzyme-induced strain which is very sensitive to degradation rate differences between specimens at low initial strain. The results, obtained on uniaxially loaded strips of bovine corneal tissue (0.1, 0.25, or 0.5 N), demonstrate that small differences in strain alter the enzymatic cutting rate of the BC substantially. It was estimated that a change in tissue elongation of only 1.5% (at approximately 5% strain) reduces the maximum cutting rate of the enzyme by more than half. Estimation of the average load per monomer in the tissue strips indicates that this protective "cutoff" occurs when the collagen monomers are transitioning from an entropic to an energetic mechanical regime. The continuous tracking of the enzymatic cleavage rate as a function of strain during the initial creep response indicates that the decrease in the cleavage rate of the BC is nonlinear (initially steep between 4.5 and 6.5% and then flattens out from 6.5 to 9.5%). The high sensitivity to strain at low strain implies that even lightly loaded collagenous tissue may exhibit significant strain protection. The dynamic, enzyme-induced creep assay described herein has the potential to permit the rapid characterization of collagen/enzyme mechanochemistry in many different tissue types.
Effect of initial powder morphology on thermal and mechanical properties of stand-alone plasma-sprayed 7 wt.% Y2O3–ZrO2 coatings

The effects of starting powder morphology on the thermal and mechanical properties of stand-alone plasma-sprayed 7 wt.% Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}-ZrO{sub 2}(YSZ) coatings were studied. Two powder morphologies were investigated: an agglomerated and sintered powder (referred to presently as 'AS') and a powder manufactured using plasma spheroidization to create hollow spheres (referred to presently as 'HS'). Coatings made from AS powders contained 0.21 wt.% SiO{sub 2} impurity, twice as much as observed in coatings made from HS powders. Properties of coatings made from each powder type were compared in the as-sprayed state and after 50 h heat treatments at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1400 C. SEM microstructural investigations revealed significant differences in the porosity and distribution of pores in the coatings. In coatings made with AS powders the majority of the high aspect ratio pores were located between lamella (interlamellar porosity). In addition to interlamellar pores, coatings made with HS powders demonstrated 1.5 times more spherical-shaped globular pores by number located within lamella. Globular pores were shown to still exist in coatings made with HS powders after 50 h heat treatments at 1400 C. Archimedes porosity measurements showed that coatings made with AS powders typically contained 4-5% less total porositymore » than coatings made with HS powders. Thermal conductivity experiments using laser flash showed that there was no difference in the thermal conductivity of coatings made from either powder type in the as-sprayed state despite higher porosity in the coatings made from HS powders. After a 50 h heat treatment at 1000 and 1200 C, coatings made from both powder types still demonstrated statistically similar thermal conductivities. However, after a 50 h heat treatment at 1400 C the thermal conductivity of coatings made from AS powders was found to be 0.3 W/m/K higher than coatings made from HS powders. Microstructural differences in the coatings made from the two powder types that affected sintering rates, including the increased level of SiO{sub 2} impurities and fewer globular pores, were used to explain variations in properties. In uniaxial compression tests on stand-alone samples at 1000, 1100, and 1200 C, coatings made from AS powders typically relaxed more stress than coatings made from HS powders. Differences in coating relaxation became more apparent as the test temperature increased through 1200 C. The higher percentage of impurity SiO{sub 2} in the AS coatings is believed to contribute to increased relaxation via formation of a glassy phase at the grain boundaries which assists grain boundary sliding during elevated temperature deformation.« less
Perceptions of Knowledge, Actual Knowledge, and Information Search Behavior

This study explored determinants of perceptions of knowledge and the influence of perceived knowledge on information search behavior. Hypothesized determinants included actual knowledge, personal relevance of the topic area, peer reference group, and self-esteem. The information search process was believed to be influenced by perceived knowledge, level of self-monitoring of the individual, and the public versus private nature of the information environment. A theoretical model illustrating these relationships was tested in the substantive domains of nutrition and birth control using EQS. Results indicated a low correspondence between actual and perceived knowledge, a negative relationship between perceived knowledge and information search behavior, and an assimilation effect between peer reference group and perceived knowledge.
Negative Refraction and Left-Handed Electromagnetism in Microwave Photonic Crystals

We demonstrate the negative refraction of microwaves in a metallic photonic crystal prism. The spectral response of the photonic crystal prism, which manifests both positive and negative refraction, is in complete agreement with band-structure calculations and numerical simulations. The validity of Snell's law with a negative refractive index is confirmed experimentally and theoretically. The negative refraction observed corresponds to left-handed electromagnetism that arises due to the dispersion characteristics of waves in a periodic medium. This mechanism for negative refraction is different from that in metamaterials.
Context and the canvass: The mechanisms of interaction

This paper examines two influences on an individual's decision to vote or not to vote on election day: the partisan door-to-door canvass and the social setting. Because that decision is important to political parties and candidates, they do what they can to influence the individual's decision, with the campaign canvass being one of the most important and effective methods. However, the decision also takes place in a social setting and is influenced by others in that setting. This paper examines these two influences on the individual and finds how they interact and that one conditions the other; the paper argues that the conditioning occurs because the social setting and canvass share a similarity in mechanism in the way that each exerts influence on the individual.
An Integrated Setup Planning and Pallet Configuration Approach for Highly Automated Production Systems with Energy Modelling of Manufacturing Operations

In production environment characterized by frequent changes of the part families demand together with the need of reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing, new solutions of machine tool and production system architectures could result extremely strategic together with process planning activities as a mean to exploit all the resources capabilities. The current work proposes an integrated methodology and a software infrastructure to support the process planning and pallet configuration solutions whose major goal is to minimizing production costs – including costs for energy consumption and cutting tool wear - while maximizing the number of finished workpieces per pallet.
Uncoupling Protein-2 Up-regulation and Enhanced Cyanide Toxicity are Mediated by PPARα Activation and Oxidative Stress

Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP-2) is an inner mitochondrial membrane proton carrier that modulates mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and uncouples oxidative phosphorylation. We have shown that up-regulation of UCP-2 by Wy14,643, a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) agonist, enhances cyanide cytotoxicity. The pathway by which Wy14,643 up-regulates UCP-2 was determined in a dopaminergic cell line (N27 cells). Since dopaminergic mesencephalic cells are a primary brain target of cyanide, the N27 immortalized mesencephalic cell was used in this study. Wy14,643 produced a concentration- and time-dependent up-regulation of UCP-2 that was linked to enhanced cyanide-induced cell death. MK886 (PPARα antagonist) or PPARα knock-down by RNA interference (RNAi) inhibited PPARα activity as shown by the peroxisome proliferator response element-luciferase reporter assay, but only partially decreased up-regulation of UCP-2. The role of oxidative stress as an alternative pathway to UCP-2 up-regulation was determined. Wy14,643 induced a rapid surge of ROS generation and loading cells with glutathione ethyl ester (GSH-EE) or pre-treatment with vitamin E attenuated up-regulation of UCP-2. On the other hand, RNAi knockdown of PPARα did not alter ROS generation, suggesting a PPARα-independent component to the response. Co-treatment with PPARα-RNAi and GSH-EE blocked both the up-regulation of UCP-2 by Wy14,643 and the cyanide-induced cell death. It was concluded that a PPARα-mediated pathway and an oxidative stress pathway independent of PPARα mediate the up-regulation of UCP-2 and subsequent increased vulnerability to cyanide-induced cytotoxicity.
Image-enhanced endoscopy

White light endoscopy is a basic tool available to gastroenterologists since the early 1960s, when flexible endoscopy was first introduced. Since then, gastroenterologists have been able to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal diseases at earlier stages. However, recent studies have also highlighted the limitations and imperfect nature of white light endoscopy. Image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE) has been available for the past 10 years and has been validated by research and clinical trials. A specific combination of dye-based (Lugol's solution, indigo carmine) and equipment-based IEE (narrow band imaging, Fujinon Intelligence Color Enhancement, Pentax i-Scan) is indicated for use in the oropharynx, hypopharynx, esophagus, stomach, and colon. The main use is for detecting, diagnosing, and treating early dysplastic lesions found during screening or surveillance of high-risk patients (eg, Barrett's esophagus, inflammatory bowel disease, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome). Effective use of IEE can improve patient prognosis. In this review, we aim to give a concise review of the indications, supportive evidence, and practical guidelines for the use of IEE to improve current diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities.