cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The prognostic significance of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography imaging for patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma

BACKGROUND A fundamental property of malignant tumors is increased glucose metabolism, which can be estimated by imaging the glucose analog fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). The aim of this study was to determine whether FDG uptake in lung carcinoma, as measured on positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in patients with newly diagnosed bronchogenic carcinoma, has prognostic significance. METHODS A retrospective review of all patients with a new diagnosis of nonsmall cell lung carcinoma and FDG-PET imaging was performed. Stage at presentation, cell type, tumor size, and survival data were recorded. For each patient, a standardized uptake ratio (SUR) was calculated for the primary lesion on PET and was correlated with clinical information to determine prognostic significance. RESULTS One hundred fifty-five patients, with a mean age of 56 years, were enrolled. One hundred eighteen patients (76%) had lesions with SUR values 10 and had a median survival of 11.4 months (95% CI: 9.3-19.4). An SUR >10 correlated with poorer survival (P = 0.0049). Patients with primary lesions >3 cm and an SUR >10 had the worst prognosis, with a median survival of 5.7 months (95% CI: 4.0-13.1). Multivariate analysis demonstrated than an SUR >10 provided prognostic information independent of the clinical stage and lesion size. CONCLUSIONS On PET studies of patients with lung carcinoma, FDG uptake within the primary lesion correlates with survival. Cancer 1998;83:918-924. © 1998 American Cancer Society.
Unconditional Intergovernmental Transfers to Finance Decentralization in Albania

The Government of Albania embarked on a comprehensive program to decentralize decision-making powers with the passage of the Law on Organization and Functioning of Local Governments in 2000. A centerpiece of the policies undertaken to implement that legislation was an unconditional transfer program which, using a formula-based allocation mechanism, transferred substantial financial resources to the local communes and municipalities beginning in 2002. This paper describes that system and its evolution. It illustrates how the transfer was designed to take into account the transition from a centralized system to a decentralized arrangement for provision of local public services and how the formula has undergone some “fine-tuning” while retaining its simplicity. Analysis of the outcomes reveals how it has achieved its mandated objective of equalizing resources across local governments; however, it does so while running the risk of substantially discouraging local governments from mobilizing resources of their own.
The trouble with dabigatran

Doctors and patients must tread carefully through emerging risks Options for stroke prevention in high risk non-valvular atrial fibrillation have recently broadened with the addition of new oral anticoagulants as an alternative to warfarin, the traditional and effective treatment. The new class of drug promised safety and effectiveness without the monitoring and dose adjustment needed for warfarin. However, recent insights into the development and approval of dabigatran—the first new oral anticoagulant brought to market—have raised serious questions about its risks.1 New analysis published in The BMJ today illuminates a lack of transparency about the safety of unmonitored dabigatran, compounded by the drug’s fickle pharmacokinetics, which can cause a fivefold variation of plasma concentration.2 3 Equally unsettling are data integrity issues, which prompted the US Food and Drug Administration initially to refuse to review dabigatran. The investigators reviewed the data and identified 81 new events, including one stroke, one systemic embolism, and 69 major haemorrhages.4 An accelerated FDA review process also contributed to a less robust evaluation of risks and benefits. In effect, the current situation leaves clinicians and patients the choice between the devil they know and the one they don’t. The …
Amikacin serum protein binding in spinal cord injury.

Abstract While changes in the disposition kinetics of aminoglycoside antibiotics have been observed in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), the extent of binding of aminoglycoside antibiotics to serum protein has not been studied as a potential etiology. Eighty-six serum samples were obtained from 26 volunteers (9 paraplegic, 10 tetraplegic, 7 able-bodied controls) to determine the extent of amikacin binding to serum protein. Free (unbound) amikacin obtained from an ultrafiltrate of serum amikacin were quantitated over a range of serum concentrations (range 1.37 μg/mL to 73.99 μg/mL). There was no statistically significant difference demonstrated between mean amikacin serum protein binding in patients with SCI (mean ± SD, 17.63% ± 7.22%) and in able-bodied controls (18.03% ± 3.64%). The percent serum protein binding of amikacin did not covary with total amikacin concentration, and linear regression of free versus total serum amikacin concentrations was expressed by the equation, y = 0.803x + 0.350, r = 0.979. We conclude that changes in the pharmacokinetic behavior of amikacin in patients with SCI are not attributable to alterations in serum protein binding.
Learning To Perceive the Affordance for Long-Distance Throwing: Smart Mechanism or Function Learning?

Bingham, Schmidt, & Rosenblum, (1989) showed that people are able to select, by hefting balls, the optimal weight for each size ball to be thrown farthest. We now investigate function learning and smart mechanisms as hypotheses about how this affordance is perceived. Twenty-four unskilled adult throwers learned to throw by practicing with a subset of balls that would only allow acquisition of the ability to perceive the affordance if hefting acts as a smart mechanism to provide access to a single information variable that specifies the affordance. Participants hefted 48 balls of different sizes and weights and judged throwability. Then, participants, assigned to one of four groups, practiced throwing (three groups with vision and one without) for a month using different subsets of balls. Finally, hefting and throwing were tested again with all the balls. The results showed: (1) inability to detect throwability before practice, (2) throwing improved with practice, and (3) participants learned to perceive the affordance, but only with visual feedback. These results indicated that the affordance is perceived using a smart mechanism acquired while learning to throw.
Evidence for longitudinal photon polarization in muon-pair production by pions

Data on $\ensuremath{\mu}$-pair production by pions are examined as a function of $x$ and ${P}_{T}$ for longitudinal photon polarization. Evidence in the form of a ${{sin}^{2}\ensuremath{\theta}}^{*}$ term in the helicity angular distribution is observed for $x$ near 1. This is conclusive evidence that production in this region is not predominantly through on-shell quark annihilation. The result is consistent with a calculation based on quantum chromodynamics.
Optimal Mean Squared Error Imaging

The problem of forming images that are optimal with respect to a Mean Square Error (MSE) criterion, based on nite data, is considered. First, it is shown that the MSE criterion is consistent with the general goal of classifying images, in that decreasing the MSE guarantees a decrease in the probability of misclassifying an image. The problem of choosing sampling locations for image formation that optimize the MSE is then formulated. It is shown that this MSE minimization problem has a solution under certain conditions and necessary conditions for a minimum are obtained. The results are illustrated on a simple image formation problem.
Purification of rhodopsin using columns containing calcium triphosphate.

1. 1. Aqueous digitonin and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide extracts of cattle retinal rods were fractionated on columns of calcium phosphate gel and a I:I mixture of calcium triphosphate and celite. 2. 2. The best fractions, obtained by eluting with solutions of digitonin in phosphate buffer, showed ratios of the extinction at 278 mμ over extinction at 498 mμ (E 278498) of 1.86 to 2.17. Values for E 400498 ranged from 0.20 to 0.28, and values for mg N/E 498 from 0.142 to 0.152. Extraction and elution with cetyl trimethylammonium bromide gave no fractions with extinction ratios approaching those obtained with digitonin.
The developmental genetics of homology.

Some structures, such as mammalian forelimbs and bird wings, are obviously homologous, but the basis of this is often elusive as the developmental genes involved are not homologous. The author argues that it is instead the gene regulatory networks that are homologous.
Transhepatic central venous access for cardiac catheterization and radiologic intervention

We describe a technique of direct puncture and catheterization of the hepatic veins for cardiac catheterization and radiologic intervention in children who lack conventional access routes. Four patients underwent eight direct hepatic vein punctures to allow cardiac catheterization (3 patients) and 5–12 F sheath insertions for balloon dilatation of hepatic vein stenoses (1 liver transplant patient). Gelfoam was injected in the sheath tract for hemostasis. All procedures were successful, including five hepatic vein dilatations and right heart access for three cardiac catheterizations. There were no complications. When conventional venous access is precluded, direct percutaneous catheterization of hepatic veins is easy, effective, and probably low risk. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Localization of shapes: eye movements and perception compared.

The localization of spatially extended objects is thought to be based on the computation of a default reference position, such as the center of gravity. This position can serve as the goal point for a saccade, a locus for fixation, or the reference for perceptual localization. We compared perceptual and saccadic localization for non-convex shapes where the center of gravity (COG) was located outside the boundary of the shape and did not coincide with any prominent perceptual features. The landing positions of single saccades made to the shape, as well as the preferred loci for fixation, were near the center of gravity, although local features such as part boundaries were influential. Perceptual alignment positions were also close to the center of gravity, but showed configural effects that did not influence either saccades or fixation. Saccades made in a more naturalistic sequential scanning task landed near the center of gravity with a considerably higher degree of accuracy (mean error <4% of saccade size) and showed no effects of local features, constituent parts, or stimulus configuration. We conclude that perceptual and oculomotor localization is based on the computation of a precise central reference position, which coincides with the center of gravity in sequential scanning. The saliency of the center of gravity, relative to other prominent visual features, can depend on the specific localization task or the relative configuration of elements. Sequential scanning, the more natural of the saccadic tasks, may provide a better way to evaluate the “default” reference position for localization. The fact that the reference position used in both oculomotor and perceptual tasks fell outside the boundary of the shapes supports the importance of spatial pooling, in contrast to local features, in object localization.
Application of Compact Schemes to Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Jets

We present 3-D large eddy simulation (LES) results for a turbulent Mach 0.9 isothermal round jet at a Reynolds number of 100,000 (based on jet nozzle exit conditions and nozzle diameter). Our LES code is part of a Computational Aeroacoustics (CAA) methodology that couples surface integral acoustics techniques such as Kirchhoff's method and the Ffowcs Williams-- Hawkings method with LES for the far field noise estimation of turbulent jets. The LES code employs high-order accurate compact differencing together with implicit spatial filtering and state-of-the-art non-reflecting boundary conditions. A localized dynamic Smagorinsky subgrid-scale (SGS) model is used for representing the effects of the unresolved scales on the resolved scales. A computational grid consisting of 12 million points was used in the present simulation. Mean flow results obtained in our simulation are found to be in very good agreement with the available experimental data of jets at similar flow conditions. Furthermore, the near field data provided by the LES is coupled with the Ffowcs Williams--Hawkings method to compute the far field noise. Far field aeroacoustics results are also presented and comparisons are made with experimental measurements of jets at similar flow conditions. The aeroacoustics results are encouraging and suggest further investigation of the effects of inflow conditions on the jet acoustic field.
Volatility transmission between oil prices and equity sector returns

This paper employs bivariate GARCH models to simultaneously estimate the mean and conditional variance between five different US sector indexes and oil prices. Since many different financial assets are traded based on these market sector returns, it is important for financial market participants to understand the volatility transmission mechanism over time and across these series in order to make optimal portfolio allocation decisions. We examine weekly returns from January 1, 1992 to April 30, 2008 and find evidence of significant transmission of shocks and volatility between oil prices and some of the examined market sectors. The findings support the idea of cross-market hedging and sharing of common information by investors.
Magnetic susceptibility of californium fluorides.

Results of magnetic measurements are presented for polycrystalline samples of ${\mathrm{CfF}}_{3}$ (both the hexagonal-${\mathrm{LaF}}_{3}$-type and orthorhombic-${\mathrm{YF}}_{3}$-type crystal structures) and ${\mathrm{CfF}}_{4}$ (monoclinic-${\mathrm{UF}}_{4}$-type). Measurements were performed at temperatures between 4.2 and 340 K and in magnetic fields of up to 50 kG. The effective paramagnetic moments, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathrm{eff}}$, and the Weiss constants, ${\mathit{FTHETA}}_{\mathit{P}}$, have been determined in the Curie-Weiss temperature region (150--340 K). In the trifluorides no significant differences in ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{e}\mathit{f}\mathit{f}}$ and ${\mathit{FTHETA}}_{\mathit{P}}$ were observed as a function of crystal structure or sample age (radiation damage). For the tetrafluoride, two distinct sets of values for ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{e}\mathit{f}\mathit{f}}$ and ${\mathit{FTHETA}}_{\mathit{P}}$ were obtained depending on the sample age. Antiferromagnetic ordering was observed in both Cf compounds at temperatures below 12 K. Crystal-field effects were evident in the temperature range between about 12 and 150 K. The calculated susceptibilities for these compounds are presented and discussed.
The Pumpkin or the Tiger? Michael Polanyi, Frederick Soddy, and Anticipating Emerging Technologies.

Imagine putting together a jigsaw puzzle that works like the board game in the movie “Jumanji”: When you finish, whatever the puzzle portrays becomes real. The children playing “Jumanji” learn to prepare for the reality that emerges from the next throw of the dice. But how would this work for the puzzle of scientific research? How do you prepare for unlocking the secrets of the atom, or assembling from the bottom-up nanotechnologies with unforeseen properties – especially when completion of such puzzles lies decades after the first scattered pieces are tentatively assembled? In the inaugural issue of this journal, Michael Polanyi argued that because the progress of science is unpredictable, society must only move forward with solving the puzzle until the picture completes itself. Decades earlier, Frederick Soddy argued that once the potential for danger reveals itself, one must reorient the whole of one’s work to avoid it. While both scientists stake out extreme positions, Soddy’s approach – together with the action taken by the like-minded Leo Szilard – provides a foundation for the anticipatory governance of emerging technologies. This paper narrates the intertwining stories of Polanyi, Soddy and Szilard, revealing how anticipation influenced governance in the case of atomic weapons and how Polanyi’s claim in “The Republic of Science” of an unpredictable and hence ungovernable science is faulty on multiple levels.
Detecting navigational deficits in cognitive aging and Alzheimer disease using virtual reality

Background: Older adults get lost, in many cases because of recognized or incipient Alzheimer disease (AD). In either case, getting lost can be a threat to individual and public safety, as well as to personal autonomy and quality of life. Here we compare our previously described real-world navigation test with a virtual reality (VR) version simulating the same navigational environment. Methods: Quantifying real-world navigational performance is difficult and time-consuming. VR testing is a promising alternative, but it has not been compared with closely corresponding real-world testing in aging and AD. We have studied navigation using both real-world and virtual environments in the same subjects: young normal controls (YNCs, n = 35), older normal controls (ONCs, n = 26), patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 12), and patients with early AD (EAD, n = 14). Results: We found close correlations between real-world and virtual navigational deficits that increased across groups from YNC to ONC, to MCI, and to EAD. Analyses of subtest performance showed similar profiles of impairment in real-world and virtual testing in all four subject groups. The ONC, MCI, and EAD subjects all showed greatest difficulty in self-orientation and scene localization tests. MCI and EAD patients also showed impaired verbal recall about both test environments. Conclusions: Virtual environment testing provides a valid assessment of navigational skills. Aging and Alzheimer disease (AD) share the same patterns of difficulty in associating visual scenes and locations, which is complicated in AD by the accompanying loss of verbally mediated navigational capacities. We conclude that virtual navigation testing reveals deficits in aging and AD that are associated with potentially grave risks to our patients and the community.
Minimum distance estimation in linear regression with unknown error distributions

Abstract This paper discusses minimum distance (m.d.) estimators of the paramter vector in the multiple linear regression model when the distributions of errors are unknown. These estimators are defined in terms of L2-distances involving certain weighted empirical processes. Their finite sample properties and asymptotic behavior under heteroscedastic, symmetric and asymmetric errors are discussed. Some robustness properties of these estimators are also studied.
Combining Vector Control and User Interface/Machine Functions into a Single Microcontroller for White Goods Applications

In many white goods applications, high-performance vector speed control is implemented in a standalone microcontroller (MCU) while user-interface and machine-control functions are implemented in a second microcontroller. This paper introduces SuperH RISC 32-bit microcontrollers from Renesas Technology that are specifically designed to combine all functions into one MCU, thereby reducing system cost and achieving product-development advantages. We begin by defining the requirements for a single-MCU system in terms of MIPS, flash/SRAM size, peripherals and pin count. Then we compare this system to a multiple-MCU solution and discuss the advantages of the single-MCU approach, such as one based on a SuperH device. An optional on-chip floating point unit (FPU) is used to increase computing speed, and an integrated set of peripherals (motor timer unit, DMA ADC and interrupt controller) reduces CPU bandwidth usage for sophisticated speed control using a vector formulation. This system gives a product engineering team additional design flexibility. A specific case is analyzed in terms of CPU bandwidth usage to illustrate these advantages.
Pyrimidine Synthesis Pathway Enzymes and Orotic Acid in Bovine Mammary Tissue

Abstract Studies were initiated to determine if the high orotic acid in bovine (ruminant) milk is indicative of a pathway of pyrimidine synthesis different from that in other bacterial and mammalian systems where this metabolic intermediate is normally low. Elevated orotic acid was not found in a variety of other body fluids or tissues of the bovine which included the apparent intracellular level in the tissue itself when corrected for its milk content. Analyses for three enzymes on the pathway of pyrimidine synthesis (dihydroorotic acid dehydrogenase, orotidine 5′-phosphate pyrophosphorylase, and orotidine 5′-phosphate decarboxylase) indicated adequate activity, thus, contrasting with other situations of orotic acid accumulation where activity of some of these enzymes is lacking. The results suggest that the normal pathway for pyrimidine synthesis is operational in bovine mammary tissue and that orotic acid accumulation must be explained by an unknown altered functioning of this pathway possibly related to the milk secretion process.
Laboratory experiments of ice scour processes: rigid ice indentor

Abstract A laboratory program has been carried out to measure the loads and seabed response due to an ice block scouring a seabed. Fourteen tests (35 configurations) were performed with a variety of seabed types that are representative of the oil discovery areas within the Jeanne d'Arc Basin area of the northeastern Grand Banks. The tests showed that the scour profiles were generally very uniform along each section of the test channels. The ice did not fail in shear, but general erosion was observed. Scour depths measured in post test were smallest for scouring through a gravel seabed. Regression analysis yielded the following empirical relationships for the loads: P=−1.8v+10.3h+2.3B−0.8 for the gravel bed (r 2 =0.93) P=8.5v+46.3h+28.5B−7.6 for the sand bed (r 2 =0.90) P=53.4v+45.8h+13.5B−11.3 for the sand/gravel bed (r 2 =0.96) P=13.2v+33.4h+11.6B−0.6S−2.4 for all seabeds (r 2 =0.74) where v is velocity in metres/second; h is scour depth in metres; B is ice block width, also in metres; and S is the seabed type, represented by the D 50 value of the seabed material.
Correlation Between Physician Specific Discharge Costs, LOS, and 30-day Readmission Rates: An Analysis of 1,831 cases

There is currently wide variation in the use and cost of post acute care following total joint arthroplasty. Additionally the optimum setting to which patients should be discharged after surgery is controversial. Discharge patterns following joint replacement vary widely between physicians at our institution, however, only weak correlations were found between the cost of discharge and length of stay or readmission rates. The inter-physician variance in discharge cost did not correlate to a difference in quality, as measured by length of stay and readmission rates, but does imply there is significant opportunity to modify physician discharge practices without impacting patient outcomes and the quality of care.
ILF-3 is a regulator of the neural plate border marker Zic1 in chick embryos.

Background: The neural crest is a multipotent cell type unique to the vertebrate lineage and capable of differentiating into a large number of varied cell types, including ganglia of the peripheral nervous system, cartilage, and glia. An early step in neural crest specification occurs at the neural plate border, a region defined by the overlap of transcription factors of the Zic, Msx, and Pax families. Results: Here we identify a novel chick gene with close homology to double-stranded RNA-binding protein Interleukin enhancer binding factor 3 (ILF-3) in other species. Our results show that chick Ilf-3 is required for proper expression of the transcription factor, Zic-1, at the neural plate border. Conclusion: We have identified a novel chick gene and show it has a role in the correct specification of Zic-1 at the neural plate border.
Prospective studies of suicide and mortality in psychiatric patients

Mortality in a psychiatric population was studied. During the first two years following hospital discharge, natural deaths, accidental deaths, and suicide were excessive. After two years, suicide and accidental deaths continued to be excessive, but not natural deaths. Diagnostic categories were linked to cause-specific deaths. Clinical implications were discussed. Language: en
Recovering the elemental composition of comet Wild 2 dust in five Stardust impact tracks and terminal particles in aerogel

The elemental (non-volatile) composition of five Stardust impact tracks and terminal particles left from capture of comet 81P/Wild 2 dust were mapped in a synchrotron X-ray scanning microprobe with full fluorescence spectra at each pixel. Because aerogel includes background levels of several elements of interest, we employ a novel "dual threshold" approach to discriminate against background contaminants: an upper threshold, above which a spectrum contains cometary material plus aerogel and a lower threshold below which it contains only aerogel. The difference between normalized cometary-plus-background and background-only spectra is attributable to cometary material. The few spectra in-between are discarded since misallocation is detrimental: cometary material incorrectly placed in the background spectrum is later subtracted from the cometary spectrum, doubling the loss of reportable cometary material. This approach improves accuracy of composition quantification. We present the refined whole impact track and terminal particle elemental abundances for the five impact tracks. One track shows mass increases in Cr and Mn (1.4x), Cu, As and K (2x), Zn (4x), and total mass (13%) by dual thresholds compared to a single threshold. Major elements Fe and Ni are not significantly affected. The additional Cr arises from cometary material containing little Fe. We exclude Au intermixed with cometary material because it is found to be a localized surface contaminant carried by comet dust into an impact track. The dual threshold technique can be used in other situations where elements of interest in a small sample embedded in a matrix are also present in the matrix itself.
An algorithm for ab initio computation of small-angle multiple scattering angular distributions

Abstract Small-angle multiple scattering is a venerable problem in nuclear and particle-solid interaction physics and has received extensive theoretical treatment. In this paper, motivated by the need to establish the efficiency of time-of-flight spectrometers which employ thin foils to generate “start” signals, we revisit this problem. Our objective is to develop an efficient, general computational procedure which is not tied to the current state of computing machinery or specific cross sections, but which takes advantage of significant numerical-algorithmic advances which have occurred since the multiple-scattering problem was originally formulated. By introducing a new approach for dealing with the azimuthal symmetry of the problem, we avoid Hankel transforms which have been used in all previous treatments and, in so doing, make it possible to apply the fast Fourier transform algorithm in one dimension. The resulting computation can be carried out to arbitrary accuracy with sufficiently dense sampling of the cross section and is very fast when compared with numerically computed Hankel transforms. Angular distributions for several scattering potentials and a compound target are compared.
Network‐based project planning and scheduling

Discusses the twofold purpose of this study, first to introduce a number of measures devised to be used in comparing and evaluating two schedules for the same project, second to present and evaluate a heuristic procedure developed in this research for solving the resource constrained project scheduling problem. Posits that the new procedure is based on the notion that a project can be partitioned into a number of sections and there is no obligation to use a single policy all the way through all the sections of project. Shows that this research is also an attempt to bridge the gap between the theory and practice by eliminating the question of which priority rule to use for which project. Develops a new model showing that selecting from a number of priority rules is not required and, using the measures of performance introduced, decides on a suitable schedule from the schedules produced under varied assumptions is shown to be much easier. Concludes with suggestions for further research.
Characterization of Petroleum Deposits Formed in a Producing Well by Synchrotron Radiation-Based Microanalyses

Tubing strings in producing oil wells are often blocked by solid or semisolid deposits that necessitate costly remedial actions to maintain production. We describe here results obtained by a set of synchrotron radiation-based microanalytical techniques to investigate depth profiles and heterogeneity of organic compounds and metals in a series of deposit samples formed at different depths in blocked tubing strings from an operational oil well. Micrometer-scale synchrotron Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses using facilities at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory are presented. Visualization, compositional mapping, high-resolution, and nondestructive analysis of samples are some of the main advantages of applying synchrotron-based microanalytical techniques. The results indicate that the depth profile of deposits formed along the same well varies and is characterized by the following main trends from deeper to shallower sa...
Divalent Amino Acid Adsorption on Cation Exchange Resin

Abstract Mass transport of divalent amino acids, arginine and histidine, was investigated in an ion exchange system using DIAION SK104, SK1BL, and SK112. Ion exchange equilibrium constants of arginine were 5.0 g/cm3 for SK104 (4 wt% D.V.B.), 25.0 g/cm3 for SK1BL (8 wt% D.V.B.) and 25.0 g/cm3 for SK112 (12 wt% D.V.B.). The ion exchange equilibrium constant of histidine was 8.0 g/cm3 for SK1BL (8 wt% D.V.B.). Resin phase diffusivities of divalent amino acids are measured by batch uptake experiments. Resin phase diffusivities of divalent arginine were decreased from 9.0 × 10−8 cm2/s to 1.6 × 10−8 cm2/s while the D.V.B. content in resin increases from 4 wt% to 12 wt%. Resin phase diffusivity of histidine for 8 wt% D.V.B. resin was 7.0 × 10−8 cm2/s. The steric hindrance model was able to describe measured resin phase diffusivities.
Prostate position relative to pelvic bony anatomy based on intraprostatic gold markers and electronic portal imaging.

Purpose: To describe the relative positions and motions of the prostate, pelvic bony anatomy, and intraprostatic gold fiducial markers during daily electronic portal localization of the prostate. Methods and Materials: Twenty prostate cancer patients were treated supine with definitive external radiotherapy according to an on-line target localization protocol using three or four intraprostatic gold fiducial markers and an electronic portal imaging device. Daily pretherapy and through-treatment electronic portal images (EPIs) were obtained for each of four treatment fields. The patients' pelvic bony anatomy, intraprostatic gold markers, and a best visual match to the target (i.e., prostate) were identified on simulation digitally reconstructed radiographs and during daily treatment setup and delivery. These data provided quantitative inter- and intrafractional analysis of prostate motion, its position relative to the bony anatomy, and the individual intraprostatic fiducial markers. Treatment planning margins, with and without on-line localization, were subsequently compared. Results: A total of 22,266 data points were obtained from daily pretherapy and through-treatment EPIs. The pretherapy three-dimensional (3D) average displacement of the fiducial markers, as a surrogate for the prostate, was 5.6 mm, which improved to 2.8 mm after use of the localization protocol. The bony anatomy 3D average displacement was 4.4 mm both before and after localization to the prostate ( p = 0.46). Along the superior–inferior (SI), anterior–posterior (AP), and right–left (RL) axes, the average prostate displacement improved from 2.5, 3.7, and 1.9 mm, respectively, before localization to 1.4, 1.6, and 1.1 mm after (all p p p = 0.39) in the AP axis, and improved from 2.0 to 1.2 mm in the RL axis ( p Conclusions: Significant interfractional motion exists for patients' prostate and pelvic bony anatomy. However, these move independently, so the pelvic bony anatomy should not be used as a surrogate for prostate motion. Fiducial markers are stable within the prostate and allow significant margin reduction when used for on-line localization of the prostate.
Covenants and reputations

In their classic analyses, Hobbes and Hume argue that offensively violating a covenant is irrational because the offense ruins one’s reputation. This paper explores conditions under which reputation alone can enforce covenants. The members of a community are modeled as interacting in a Covenant Game repeated over time. Folk theorems are presented that give conditions under which the Humean strategy of performing in covenants only with those who have never offensively violated or performed with an offensive violator characterizes an equilibrium of the repeated Covenant Game. These folk theorems establish that for certain ideal settings Hobbes’ and Hume’s arguments against offensively violating covenants are compelling. However, these ideal settings presuppose that the community has certain mechanisms that generate common knowledge of the identities of those with whom one should perform. I analyze the results of computer simulations of the interactions in a community whose members must rely upon private communication alone. The computer simulation data show that in this community, reputation effects cannot effectively deter members from offensively violating covenants. I conclude that Hobbes’ and Hume’s warnings against offensive violation are compelling only on condition that the community is sufficiently structured to generate common knowledge among its members. I also conclude that even in such structured communities, the Humean strategy is not the uniquely “correct” policy.
Heat and Buoyancy Budgets and Mixing Rates in the Upper Thermocline of the Indian and Global Oceans

Abstract Diapycnal and diathermal diffusivity values in the upper thermocline are estimated from buoyancy and heat budgets for water volumes bounded by isopycnals and isotherms, the air–sea interface, and coastline where applicable. Comprehensive analysis is given to the Indian Ocean, with an extended global general description. The Indian Ocean gains buoyancy in the north (especially in the northeast) and loses buoyancy in the subtropical south. Freshest and least-dense water appears in the Bay of Bengal and isopycnals outcrop southwestward from there and then southward. Computation of diapycnal diffusivity (Kρ) starts from the Bay of Bengal, expanding southwestward and southward and with depth. As isopycnals extend equatorward from the northeast and with increasing depth, Kρ remains at about 1.3 cm2 s−1 for 20.2 σθ (Bay of Bengal) to 22.0 σθ (northeast Indian Ocean). Farther south (poleward) and at greater depth, Kρ decreases from 0.9 cm2 s−1 for 23.0 σθ (north of 20°S) to 0.5 cm2 s−1 for 25.0 σθ (north...
Religion and International Trade: Does the Sharing of a Religious Culture Facilitate the Formation of Trade Networks?

Economists have increasingly emphasized the role of institutions in shaping economic activity. Among the many studies on institutions, however, there has been relatively little resarch on the economic role of religion in modefrn societies or in recent episodes of economic growth and change. This lack of research is suprising because religious practices, traditions, and philosophies are important components of national cultures that shape institutions. Religious cultures are clearly legitimate (...)
Improved Measurements of Large-Scale Coherent Structures in the Wall Pressure Field Beneath a Supersonic Turbulent Boundary Layer

*† ‡ § Data have been acquired from a spanwise array of fluctuating wall pressure sensors beneath a wind tunnel wall boundary layer at Mach 2, then invoking Taylor’s Hypothesis allows the temporal signals to be converted into a spatial map of the wall pressure field. Improvements to the measurement technique were developed to establish the veracity of earlier tentative conclusions. An adaptive filtering scheme using a reference sensor was implemented to cancel effects of wind tunnel acoustic noise and vibration. Coherent structures in the pressure fields were identified using an improved thresholding algorithm that reduced the occurrence of broken contours and spurious signals. Analog filters with sharper frequency cutoffs than digital filters produced signals of greater spectral purity. Coherent structures were confirmed in the fluctuating wall pressure field that resemble similar structures known to exist in the velocity field, in particular by exhibiting a spanwise meander and merging of events. However, the pressure data lacked the common spanwise alternation of positive and negative events found in velocity data, and conversely demonstrated a weak positive correlation in the spanwise direction.
Optimal asymptotic robust performance via nonlinear controllers

In this paper we introduce a novel measure of asymptotic disturbance rejection for a feedback system. This notion of asymptotic performance is particularly well suited to the robust control of systems that exhibit both parametric and dynamic modelling uncertainty. We then derive a switching-type controller that provides optimal asymptotic disturbance rejection properties. The particular notion of disturbance rejection we consider is rejection of persistent bounded disturbances (i.e. l 1-optimal control). While asymptotic performance is guaranteed, we also provide bounds that quantify the transient response behaviour of this particular control scheme.
A 0.4-/spl mu/m CMOS 10-Gb/s 4-PAM pre-emphasis serial link transmitter

A serial link transmitter fabricated in a large-scale integrated 0.4-/spl mu/m CMOS process uses multilevel signaling (4-PBM) and a three-tap pre-emphasis filter to reduce intersymbol interference (ISI) caused by channel low-pass effects. Due to the process-limited on-chip frequency, the transmitter output driver is designed as a 5:1 multiplexer to reduce the required clock frequency to one-fifth the symbol rate, or 1 GHz. At 5 Gsym/s (10 Gbis), a data eye opening with a height >350 mV and a width >100 ps is achieved at the source. After 10 m of a copper coaxial cable (PE142LL), the eye opening is reduced to 200 mV and 90 ps with pre-emphasis, and to zero without filtering, The chip dissipates 1 W with a 3.3-V supply and occupies 1.5/spl times/2.0 mm/sup 2/ of die area.
Simulated Properties of Kagomé and Tetragonal Truss Core Panels

The finite element method has been used to simulate the properties of panels with Kagome and tetragonal cores under compressive and shear loading. The simulation has been performed for two different materials: a Cu-alloy with extensive strain hardening and an Al-alloy with minimal hardening. It is shown that the Kagome core is more resistant to plastic buckling than the tetragonal core under both compression and shear. One consequence is that the Kagome structure has the greater load capacity and a deferred susceptibility to softening. Another is that the Kagome core is isotropic in shear: contrasting with the soft orientations exhibited by the tetragonal core.
Homeopathic Treatments for Depression

The paper presents the main facts from history of homeopathic medicinal approach, its fundamental assumptions and limitations and considers homeopathic substances with the potential to alleviate symptoms of major depression and anxiety comorbidities. Clinical aspects of homeopathic substances, such as their safety and efficacy, will be addressed using the available empirical data, and regulatory standards applicable to marketing and sale of these substances will be briefly addressed as well. The paper will also supply arguments in favor of and against the use of homeopathic substances to treat depression.
Exploiting single-ion anisotropy in the design of f-element single-molecule magnets

Scientists have long employed lanthanide elements in the design of materials with extraordinary magnetic properties, including the strongest magnets known, SmCo5 and Nd2Fe14B. The properties of these materials are largely a product of fine-tuning the interaction between the lanthanide ion and the crystal lattice. Recently, synthetic chemists have begun to utilize f-elements—both lanthanides and actinides—for the construction of single-molecule magnets, resulting in a rapid expansion of the field. The desirable magnetic characteristics of the f-elements are contingent upon the interaction between the single-ion electron density and the crystal field environment in which it is placed. This interaction leads to the single-ion anisotropies requisite for strong single-molecule magnets. Therefore, it is of vital importance to understand the particular crystal field environments that could lead to maximization of the anisotropy for individual f-elements. Here, we summarize a qualitative method for predicting the ligand architectures that will generate magnetic anisotropy for a variety of f-element ions. It is hoped that this simple model will serve to guide the design of stronger single-molecule magnets incorporating the f-elements.
Incorporation of the elderberry anthocyanins by endothelial cells increases protection against oxidative stress

The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of endothelial cells (EC) to incorporate anthocyanins and to examine their potential benefits against various oxidative stressors. Endothelial dysfunction has been proposed to play an important role in the initiation and development of vascular disease, with studies having shown that administration of antioxidants improves endothelial function. Elderberry extract contains 4 anthocyanins, which where incorporated into the plasma membrane and cytosol of EC following 4 h incubation at 1 mg.ml(-1). However, incorporation within the cytosol was considerably less than that in the membrane. Uptake within both regions appeared to be structure dependent, with monoglycoside concentrations higher than that of the diglucosides in both compartments. The enrichment of EC with elderberry anthocyanins conferred significant protective effects in EC against the following oxidative stressors: hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)); 2, 2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH); and FeSO(4)/ascorbic acid (AA). These results show for the first time that vascular EC can incorporate anthocyanins into the membrane and cytosol, conferring significant protective effects against oxidative insult. These findings may have important implications on preserving EC function and preventing the initiation of EC changes associated with vascular diseases.
Mod 2 degree and a generalized No Retraction Theorem

We provide elementary proofs of generalized versions of the No Retraction Theorem and Sperner's Lemma, and a simple definition of mod 2 degree of certain maps. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Color reactions for copalquin bark extract

The source, preparation, and use of copalquin bark extract as an adulterant and substitute for raw and smoking opiums is discussed. A series of qualitative tests are used to distinguish it from crude or smoking opiums and for the detection of admixtures.
The Four S's: A Response to Market Forces Influencing Imaging

565 secure in the long term, however. First, it is important to realize that on an individual CPT code basis, Medicare pay ments for physicians are at the same level as they were in 2001, even with the conversion factor update [3]. Second, overall market trends may compel a downward trend in imaging reimbursement in the future, regard less of small Medicare conversion factor fluctuations. The most important overall macro eco­ nomic factor influencing imaging re imburse­ ment is the inevitable truth that the volume of imaging is increasing at a rate that may not allow current per­case reimbursement levels to be held constant. In general, the sustainable growth rate for Medicare limits the growth of spending for health care services on a yearly basis, and when expensive tests such as CT and MRI increase at large rates, the Medicare system is taxed, raising questions about its long­term financial solvency [4]. According to testimony delivered in 2005 by the Medicare Payment Advisory Com­ mis sion, an independent agency advising Congress, government payments for imaging increased 45% from 1999 to 2003, more than twice the 22% increase in physician pay­ ments overall during the same period [5]. Furthermore, the bulk of the payment in­ creases for imaging went toward more com­ plex, technically sophisticated higher­cost procedures such as CT and MRI [5]. A more recent report by the U.S. General Accountability Office reached a similar conclusion, finding that Medicare Part B physician payments for imaging services more than doubled from 2000 to 2006, with spending on CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine experiencing an average growth rate of 17% per year during that period. In com­ parison, physician payments for sonog raphy and general radiology pro cedures increased an average of 9% during the same time period [4]. The Four S’s: A Response to Market Forces Influencing Imaging
A modified piecewise linear Markov approximation of Markov operators

In this paper, we propose a modified piecewise linear Markov method for approximating Markov operators defined on L^1(0,1). We present numerical results with the new method, as compared to those using the original piecewise linear Markov method.
Sleep propensity in psychiatric hypersomnolence: A systematic review and meta-analysis of multiple sleep latency test findings.

Hypersomnolence plays a sizeable role in the course and morbidity of psychiatric disorders. Current sleep medicine nosology is reliant on the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) to segregate hypersomnolence associated with psychiatric disorders from other central nervous system causes. However, the evidence base regarding sleep propensity in psychiatric hypersomnolence as measured by the MSLT has not been systematically evaluated, which is vital to clarify the utility and validity of current nosological schema. In this review, the use of sleep propensity assessed by the MSLT in patients with psychiatric hypersomnolence is systematically evaluated, using both qualitative and quantitative assessment. Findings demonstrate high heterogeneity and potential for bias among studies, with a pooled estimate of sleep propensity among patients with psychiatric hypersomnolence similar to normative values. Additionally, approximately 25% of patients with psychiatric hypersomnolence demonstrate a mean sleep latency below 8 min, the current cutpoint to define pathologic sleepiness. These data underscore the limitations of the MSLT in segregating psychiatric hypersomnolence from other central nervous system hypersomnias. Further research is warranted to evaluate novel measures and biomarkers of excessive sleepiness to advance clinical practice, as well as dimensional approaches to classification of hypersomnolence disorders.