cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Induction of oral tolerance to S-antigen induced experimental autoimmune uveitis by a uveitogenic 20mer peptide.

Abstract Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in Lewis rats is a T-cell dependent disease, which is induced by immunization with retinal S-Antigen (S-Ag) or its unveitogenic peptides. We have recently reported that the oral administration of S-Ag prior to the uveitogenic challenge results in suppression of the disease and of the cellular responses. We examined the effect of oral administration of a recently described uveitogenic peptide (Peptide 35) on the development of EAU induced with the whole protein. The severity of inflammation and retinal destruction, as well as the cellular proliferative responses, were suppressed compared to controls fed with Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH). In addition, the levels of antigenspecific antibody isotypes in the serum of gavaged rats were determined. Although (IgA) levels were reduced in rats gavaged with S-Ag or the uveitogenic peptide, IgM and IgG levels were unaltered. Thus, the oral administration of Peptide 35 approaches the state of unresponsiveness seen in S-Ag feeding. In addition, the unresponsiveness can be demonstrated on both the cellular and humoral level.
Asian Americans and the rainbow: the prospects and limits of coalitional politics

Asian Americans voted in record numbers for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, joining Latinos and African Americans in their strong support for the United States' first black president. Was Asian American participation in this cross-racial coalition confined to the Obama candidacy, or was it more fundamentally rooted in policy commitments and feelings of solidarity with other minority groups? This article addresses these questions by analyzing public opinion data from the National Asian American Survey, and drawing attention to the 2014 fight over affirmative action in California.
Warm-hot Intergalactic Medium Emission and the Cluster Soft Excess: A Model Comparison

The confirmation of the cluster soft excess (CSE) by XMM-Newton has rekindled interest as to its origin. The recent detections of CSE emission at large cluster radii together with reports of O VII line emission associated with the CSE has led many authors to conjecture that the CSE is, in fact, a signature of the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM). In this paper we test the scenario by comparing the observed properties of the CSE with predictions based on models of the WHIM. We find that emission from the WHIM in current models is 3-4 orders of magnitude too faint to explain the CSE. We discuss different possibilities for this discrepancy, including issues of simulation resolution and scale and the role of small density enhancements or galaxy groups. Our final conclusion is that it is unlikely that the WHIM alone is able to account for the observed flux of the CSE.
An Order Model for Infinite Classical States

In 2002 Coecke and Martin (Research Report PRG-RR-02-07, Oxford University Computing Laboratory, 2002) created a model for the finite classical and quantum states in physics. This model is based on a type of ordered set which is standard in the study of information systems. It allows the information content of its elements to be compared and measured. Their work is extended to a model for the infinite classical states. These are the states which result when an observable is applied to a quantum system. When this extended order is restricted to a finite number of coordinates, the model of Coecke and Martin is obtained. The infinite model retains many desirable aspects of the finite model, such as pure states as maximal elements and expected behavior of thermodynamic entropy. But it looses some of the important domain theoretic aspects, such as having a least element and exactness. Shannon entropy is no longer defined over the entire model and both it and thermodynamic entropy cease to be a measurements in the sense of Martin.
Converter-Gating: A Power Efficient and Secure On-Chip Power Delivery System

Dynamic power management techniques and related voltage converter architectures are proposed to design a secure and efficient on-chip power delivery system. A new power management technique, converter-gating, that adaptively turns on and off individual stages of an interleaved switched-capacitor voltage converter based on the workload information to improve the voltage conversion efficiency is proposed. Converter-gating technique is further utilized as a countermeasure against side channel power analysis attacks by pseudo-randomly controlling the converter activity. A new method is proposed to improve the response time of the converter during transient load changes by adaptively configuring the conversion ratio of a switched capacitor voltage converter. The proposed converter is designed and verified using IBM 130 nm technology kit. The proposed system achieves 5% higher power conversion efficiency compared to conventional converters, improves the response time to transient load changes from 1.4 $\mu{\rm s}$ to 104 ns and reduces the correlation between the input current and load current.
Understanding the rheological behavior and processing of complex polymer systems from a molecular point of view

The rather complex rheological behavior of block copolymers and thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymers is illustrated, putting emphasis on transient shear flow and stress relaxation behavior.
Development of a Quasi-3D Multiscale Modeling Framework: Motivation, Basic Algorithm and Preliminary results

[1] A new framework for modeling the atmosphere, which we call the quasi-3D (Q3D) multi-scale modeling framework (MMF), is developed with the objective of including cloud-scale three-dimensional effects in a GCM without necessarily using a global cloud-resolving model (CRM). It combines a GCM with a Q3D CRM that has the horizontal domain consisting of two perpendicular sets of channels, each of which contains a locally 3D grid-point array. For computing efficiency, the widths of the channels are chosen to be narrow. Thus, it is crucial to select a proper lateral boundary condition to realistically simulate the statistics of cloud and cloud-associated processes. Among the various possibilities, a periodic lateral boundary condition is chosen for the deviations from background fields that are obtained by interpolations from the GCM grid points. Since the deviations tend to vanish as the GCM grid size approaches that of the CRM, the whole system of the Q3D MMF can converge to a fully 3D global CRM. Consequently, the horizontal resolution of the GCM can be freely chosen depending on the objective of application, without changing the formulation of model physics. To evaluate the newly developed Q3D CRM in an efficient way, idealized experiments have been performed using a small horizontal domain. In these tests, the Q3D CRM uses only one pair of perpendicular channels with only two grid points across each channel. Comparing the simulation results with those of a fully 3D CRM, it is concluded that the Q3D CRM can reproduce most of the important statistics of the 3D solutions, including the vertical distributions of cloud water and precipitants, vertical transports of potential temperature and water vapor, and the variances and covariances of dynamical variables. The main improvement from a corresponding 2D simulation appears in the surface fluxes and the vorticity transports that cause the mean wind to change. A comparison with a simulation using a coarse-resolution 3D CRM is also made.
Monitoring and accurately interpreting service processes with transactions that are classified in multiple categories

Consider a process where transactions, such as customer service transactions, are classified into categories. With just two categories, the fraction in each can be monitored with the familiar p-chart based on the binomial distribution. This paper presents a new method for monitoring the number of transactions among K categories the p-tree method, which provides an accurate and easy way to help pinpoint the categories where there has been a disturbance. In contrast to the existing practice the proposed method not only signals an out-of-control situation but also helps identify which categories are causing the problem. It is shown that a K category process can be represented by a probability tree with K − 1 binary stages and hence monitored with K − 1 independent p-charts. Simulation studies show that the p-tree method is a helpful diagnostic tool and that the sensitivity is comparable to existing multinominal-based control charts.
Analysis of radiation-induced natural convection in rectangular enclosures

A model has been developed for predicting the volumetric deposition rate of radiant energy from an external source in a vertical fluid layer and the subsequent buoyancy-driven flow and heat transfer. The model calls for solution of the coupled two-dimensional equations of continuity, momentum, and energy with a one-dimensional radiative transfer model. After experimental validation of the model, parametric calculations were performed to determine the effect of the modified Rayleigh number, fluid Prandtl number, fluid layer opacity, cavity aspect ratio, opaque wall reflectivity, and convective heat loss from the transmitting wall. Natural convective motion and heat transfer are quite different from that found in cavities with differentially heated side walls. Results are presented in the form of temperature distributions, local heat transfer, contours of the stream function, and profiles of the predicted radiative flux divergence. 20 references.
Telling Stories of Our Teaching, Reflecting on Our Practices

Abstract This article explores how one teacher educator developed contexts in which White, middle-class prospective teachers told teaching stories to one another in a weekly, on-campus, student-teaching seminar. The goal of the seminar was for the student teachers to consider alternative ways to think about and to behave toward children different from themselves in race, social class, and language backgrounds. Through storytelling, the prospective teachers saw the strengths of children whom others wished to label as deficient. By sharing stories, the prospective teachers engaged in collaborative critique regarding classroom events, took greater control over their own development as teachers, and developed plans for future action that support all children.
Joint scheme for physical layer error correction and security

We present a joint scheme that combines both error correction and security at the physical layer. In conventional communication systems, error correction is carried out at the physical layer while data security is performed at an upper layer. As a result, these steps are done as separate steps. However there has been a lot of interest in providing security at the physical layer. As a result, as opposed to the conventional system, we present a scheme that combines error correction and data security as one unit so that both encryption and encoding could be carried out at the physical layer. Hence, in this paper, we present an Error Correction-Based Cipher (ECBC) that combines error correction and encryption/decryption in a single step. Encrypting and encoding or decoding and decrypting in a single step will lead to a faster and more efficient implementation. One of the challenges of using previous joint schemes in a communications channel is that there is a tradeoff between data reliability and security. However, in ECBC, there is no tradeoff between reliability and security. Errors introduced at the transmitter for randomization are removed at the receiver. Hence ECBC can utilize its full capacity to correct channel errors.We show the result of randomization test on ECBC and its security against conventional attacks. We also present the nonpipelined and pipelined hardware architecture of ECBC, and the result of the FPGA implementation of the ECBC encryption.We also compare these results with non-ECBC schemes.
SonicExplorer: fluid exploration of audio parameters

In digital music production, the phrase "in the box" refers to the increasing replacement of extraneous hardware devices with compatible software components. As controls move from hard to soft, we have seen an increase in usability issues for musicians and sound engineers dealing with a large number of temporal inputs and both continuous and discrete controls. We present the SonicExplorer application, which we developed to give users a new interface for exploring and manipulating audio. SonicExplorer leverages users' spatial and color perception to enhance exploration by visualizing the parameter space and providing implicit memory cues. The application also leverages bimanual input to aid in fluid exploration of multidimensional audio parameter spaces, and to minimize the need for switching between parameters.
OPTIMUM, NON-LINEAR PROCESSING OF NOISY IMAGES

It has been traditional to constrain image processing to linear operations upon the image. This is a realistic limitation of analog processing. In this paper, we find the optimum restoration of a noisy image by the criterion that expectation 〈 ∣Oj-O¯j∣K〉 be a minimum. Subscript j denotes the spatial frequency ωj at which the unknown object spectrum O¯ is to be restored, O¯ denotes the optimum restoration by this criterion, and K is any positive number at the user’s discretion. In general, such processing is nonlinear and requires the use of an electronic computer. Processor O¯ uses the presence of known, Markov-image statistics to enhance the restoration quality and permits the image-forming phenomenon to obey an arbitrary law Ij = ℒ(τj, Oj, Nj). Here, τj denotes the intrinsic system characteristic (usually the optical transfer function), and Nj represents a noise function. When restored values O¯ j, j=1, 2, ⋯, are used as inputs to the band-unlimited restoration procedure (derived in a previous paper), the latter is optimized for the presence of noise. The optimum O¯ j is found to be the root of a finite polynomial. When the particular value K=2 is used, the root O¯ j is known analytically. Particular restorations O¯ j are found for the case of additive, independent, gaussian detection noise and a white object region. These restorations are graphically compared with that due to conventional, linear processing.
Research and Policy on Children's Play

The role of play in human development is a source of controversy. Some view it as indispensable to children's healthy development and education, whereas others marginalize it as a topic unworthy of study and of questionable functional significance. This article suggests that differences in how researchers define play and conceptualize function have led to this disagreement. It also makes educational policy and research recommendations about the role of play in children's lives.
Hemoglobin and Plasma Protein. Their relation to Internal Body Protein Metabolism.

Hemoglobin (presumably its essential protein globin), given intraperitoneally to a protein-fasting dog, will be used effectively to supply the protein requirements of the body. Nitrogen balance may thus be maintained for 20 days under favorable conditions. New hemoglobin and plasma protein will be formed related to hemoglobin injections in depleted dogs where there is urgent need for these proteins (anemia and hypoproteinemia). Obviously this calls for supplementary amino acids which in globin are low and we assume these amino acids must be contributed from body protein stores. Plasma proteins (in plasma) tested in the same manner are completely utilized with no loss of nitrogen, positive nitrogen balance, weight balance, and no change in the albumin-globulin ratios. Hemoglobin (globin) is less effectively utilized as compared with plasma protein given parenterally and there is some increase in urinary nitrogen above control periods. The albumin-globulin ratio may be somewhat modified by hemoglobin injections intraperitoneally. Hemoglobin (globin) digests contribute effectively to body maintenance of nitrogen equilibrium. These digests are about as effective as whole hemoglobin in maintaining nitrogen balance but cause a rise in undetermined nitrogen not seen when hemoglobin alone is given intraperitoneally. Pigment radicles derived from hemoglobin given intraperitoneally are thrown away and appear as surplus bile pigment even when there is urgent need for all available nitrogenous material-given protein fasting, anemia, and hypoproteinemia in a bile fistula dog. The body evidently prefers to make rather than conserve the pyrrol aggregate (pigment radicle). We assume that the injected hemoglobin (globin) or hemoglobin digests contribute to the body protein pool and from this pool various proteins emerge to supply protein requirements of tissue or organ cells or to produce new hemoglobin or plasma protein if needed. We have no explanation as to what determines the pattern of this protein flow but new hemoglobin is very high on the priority list.
Spectral Properties of Near-Earth Asteroids: Evidence for Sources of Ordinary Chondrite Meteorites

Although ordinary chondrite (OC) meteorites dominate observed falls, the identification of near-Earth and main-belt asteroid sources has remained elusive. Telescopic measurements of 35 near-Earth asteroids (∼3 kilometers in diameter) revealed six that have visible wavelength spectra similar to laboratory spectra of OC meteorites. Near-Earth asteroids were found to have spectral properties that span the range between the previously separated domains of OC meteorites and the most common (S class) asteroids, suggesting a link. This range of spectral properties could arise through a diversity of mineralogies and regolith particle sizes, as well as through a time-dependent surface weathering process.
Analytical Modeling for Thermodynamic Characterization of Data Center Cooling Systems

The increasingly ubiquitous nature of computer and internet usage in our society has driven advances in semiconductor technology, server packaging, and cluster level optimizations in the IT industry. Not surprisingly this has an impact on our societal infrastructure with respect to providing the requisite energy to fuel these power hungry machines. Cooling has been found to contribute about a third of the total data center energy consumption and is the focus of this study. In this paper we develop and present physics based models to allow the prediction of the energy consumption and heat transfer phenomenon in a data center. These models allow the estimation of the microprocessor junction and server inlet air temperatures for different flows and temperature conditions at various parts of the data center cooling infrastructure. For the case study example considered, the chiller energy use was the biggest fraction of about 41 % and was also the most inefficient. The room air conditioning was the second largest energy component and was also the second most inefficient. A sensitivity analysis of plant and chiller energy efficiencies with chiller set point temperature and outdoor air conditions is also presented.
Post-weaning chronic social isolation produces profound behavioral dysregulation with decreases in prefrontal cortex synaptic-associated protein expression in female rats

Early life stressors in rodents, including maternal separation and social isolation, have been shown to disrupt brain development and profoundly affect a wide-range of behaviors in adult animals. In this study, we focus on the development of female Sprague-Dawley rats in the presence and absence of conspecifics during the critical period of social play. Similar studies in male rodents have shown that this form of social deprivation results in dysregulated dopaminergic and serotonergic functions in the brain with core features of neuropsychiatric disorders including anxiety disorder and schizophrenia. Here we examined the behavioral and biochemical effects of post-weaning social isolation in female rats. Our findings demonstrated that isolation rearing produced marked deficits in social interaction behaviors and increased anxiety in open-field and novelty-suppressed feeding tests. The expression of synaptic-associated proteins PSD95 and synapsin I as well as glutamate receptors subunits GluR1 and NR1 in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were significantly reduced in isolation-reared female rats. Current findings provide evidence that in female rats, post-weaning environmental disruption can result in profound dysregulation of synapse-related proteins and behavior.
Phase-segregated glass formation linked to freezing of structural interface motion

A potentially new kind of glass transition may exist among phase-separated regions in ${\text{La}}_{0.215}{\text{Pr}}_{0.41}{\text{Ca}}_{3/8}{\text{MnO}}_{3}$. We have observed a very large damping of ultrasonic waves in the dynamically phase-segregated state of this material. This damping is connected to the motion of structural interfaces at megahertz frequencies, which is a much faster time scale than that of magnetic relaxation effects. At lower temperatures, the dynamics of the phase-separated state freeze at the glass transition. Our observations link the onset of this freezing to a sudden decrease in mobility of interfaces between structurally dissimilar phase-segregated regions.
Measuring the Retention Strategies of a Minority Engineering Program: A Service Quality Perspective

Minority Engineering Programs (MEPs) use several strategies designed to retain underrepresented minorities in engineering disciplines. It is necessary to evaluate MEPs to determine which strategies contribute to the effective recruitment and retention of minorities in engineering disciplines. One method of measuring program effectiveness is to solicit the opinion of minority students about program effectiveness since they use the MEP services. This article discusses the development and administration of an instrument to assess the quality of service minority engineering freshmen received from an MEP. The results indicate that students were generally satisfied with the quality of service they received from the seven retention strategies the institution employed. These results lend further credibility to the best practices used by MEPs and is an additional piece of the evaluation puzzle that provides empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of MEP retention strategies.
Probabilistic source-based query subsumption in vehicular ad hoc networks

The ongoing growth of wireless ad hoc networking makes efficient bandwidth usage a vital concern. Reducing data transmission redundancy is well-studied for stable network topologies but dynamic environments pose unique challenges because network state information obsolesces quickly. We test a probabilistic query-based subsumption model, varying query ranges and posting rates, in simulated mixed networks of vehicles and pedestrians using a controlled flooding routing protocol. We show this subsumption model substantially improves network throughput and speeds delivery of responses.
The measurement of temperature with electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.

An electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique, potentially suitable for in vivo temperature measurements, has been developed based on the temperature response of nitroxide stable free radicals. The response has been substantially enhanced by encapsulating the nitroxide in a medium of a fatty acid mixture inside a proteinaceous microsphere. The mixture underwent a phase transition in the temperature range required by the application. The phase change dramatically altered the shape of the EPR spectrum, providing a highly temperature sensitive signal. Using the nitroxide dissolved in a cholesterol and a long-chain fatty acid ester, we developed a mixture which provides a peakheight ratio change from 3.32 to 2.11, with a standard deviation of 0.04, for a temperature change typical in biological and medical applications, from 38 to 48°C. This translated to an average temperature resolution of 0.2°C for our experimental system. The average diameter of the nitroxide mixture-filled microspheres was ≈2 μm. Therefore, they are compatible with in vivo studies where the microspheres could be injected into the microvasculature having a minimum vessel diameter of the order of 8 μm. This temperature measuring method has various potential clinical applications, especially in monitoring and optimizing the treatment of cancer with hyperthermia. However, several problems regarding temperature and spatial resolution need to be resolved before this technique can be successfully used to monitor temperatures in vivo.
The Cruelty of False Remorse: Biljana Plavšić at The Hague

Biljana Plavsic, the former president of Republika Srpska, was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. After she plead guilty and issued a remorseful statement, the prosecution dropped the genocide charges and she was sentenced to 11 years in prison, and subsequently granted early release. While in prison, she published lengthy memoirs in which she retracted her confession. In this article, I take a look back at Plavsic's ICTY case to put forward three principal arguments. First, the Plavsic case demonstrates significant inconsistencies in ICTY procedures and sentencing, which have important ramifications for other international justice cases. Second, the expectation and hope displayed by many international justice promoters that war crimes trials may lead to truthful confessions, apologies, or acknowledgments of abuses is not borne out by evidence. Finally, the Plavsic case demonstrates that the international justice focus on individualizing accountability for mass atrocity is ill equipped to deal with the collectivist nature of such crimes.
Gender, persuasion techniques, and collaboration

This essay reports on the relationship between persuasion techniques used by collaborators and possible gender influences. To examine this relationship, the authors observed four proposal developers (two males and two females) as they collaborated with several groups at Southwestern Bell Telephone company. The authors examined preconceptions about three factors: effective and ineffective collaboration, gender's effect on collaboration, and gender's effect on persuasion. They also examined persuasion techniques used by the proposal developers.
Computer analysis of the significance of surface boundary conditions on the collection of α-induced charge

Abstract We compare the collection of α-particle generated charge by collectors surrounded by either uniform reflecting or uniform absorbing surfaces as to two extreme cases of any real condition in IC's. The comparison for varying α-particle energies and collector sizes indicates that the differences in collected charge for the two cases is less than a factor of two if the α-particle strike is through the center of the collector. We show that the variation of collected charge with feature length is approximately linear in both cases. The effect of scaling on soft errors in static RAM's is discussed. It is assumed that the charge transport is by diffusion only.
Measures and predictors of community-based employment and earnings of persons with schizophrenia in a multisite study.

Objective: Data from a national study of persons with schizophrenia-related disorders were examined to determine clinical factors and labormarket conditions related to employment outcomes. Methods: Data were obtained from the U.S. Schizophrenia Care and Assessment Program, a naturalistic study of more than 2,300 persons from organized care systems in six U.S. regions. Data were collected via surveys and from medical records and clinical assessments at baseline and for three years. Outcome measures included any community-based (nonsheltered) employment, 40 or more hours of work in the past month, employment at or above the federal minimum wage, days and hours of work, and earnings. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses of data from more than 7,000 assessments tested relationships between outcomes and sociodemographic, clinical, and local labor market characteristics. Results: The employment rate was 17.2%; only 57.1% of participants who worked reported 40 or more hours of past-month employment. The mean hourly wage was $7.05, and mean monthly earnings were $494.20. Employment rates and number of hours worked were substantially below those found in household surveys or in baseline data from trials of employment programs but substantially higher than those found in a recent large clinical trial. Strong positive relationships were found between clinical factors and work outcomes, but evidence of a relationship between local unemployment rates and outcomes was weak. Conclusions: Work attachment and earnings were substantially lower than in previous survey data, not very sensitive to labor market conditions, and strongly related to clinical status. (Psychiatric Services 58:315–324, 2007
Ambiguous Loss Research, Theory, and Practice: Reflections after 9-11.

This article contains an overview of three decades of research, theory development, and clinical application about ambiguous loss. Although the work includes both physical and psychological types of ambiguous loss, the focus is the aftermath of 9/11 (September 11, 2001), when the World Trade Center collapsed following terrorist attacks. On the basis of her previous work, the author was asked to design an intervention for families of the missing. She reflects on what she learned from this unexpected test and presents new propositions and hypotheses to stimulate further research and theory that is more inclusive of diversity. She suggests that scholars should focus more on universal family experience. Ambiguous loss is just one example. Encouraging researchers and practitioners to collaborate in theory development, she concludes that research-based theory is essential to inform interventions in unexpected times of terror, and in everyday life.
Effects of calcium on the release of serotonin from isolated sites within the diencephalon of the cat

Abstract In the unanesthetized cat, isolated sites in the hypothalamus and regions adjacent to this diencephalic structure were perfused with a Krebs solution by means of concentric push-pull cannulae. At 20 sites a substance with serotonin-like activity was released spontaneously at an average rate of 0.33 ± 0.05 ng/30 min perfusion interval. An anatomical mapping revealed that the sites of release of a substance with serotonin-like activity were distributed widely throughout the hypothalamus. When the Krebs solution contained an excess in calcium ions, the rate of release of the substance increased at 12 of 19 sites, decreased at 3 others and remained unchanged at 4 perfusion loci. In those regions in which the output of the substance with serotonin-like activity increased in comparison to its average rate of release, 2.6 mM excess calcium evoked an increase of 1.06 ± 0.28 ng/30 min, whereas 10.4 mM excess calcium in the perfusate caused an increase in the output of the substance to 1.65 ± 0.34 ng/30 min.
Subtropical stratospheric mixing linked to disturbances in the polar vortices

RANDEL et al.1 have observed tongues of stratospheric air stretching from the tropics into middle latitudes, and conclude that such events may be responsible for transporting significant amounts of stratospheric air across the tropical–mid-latitude barrier2. Here I examine the movements of air parcels during these events using high-resolution contour-trajectory calculations. My calculations suggest that the tongues of tropical air are associated with disturbances of the stratospheric polar vortices. The edge of the disturbed polar vortex reaches low latitudes, and draws a long tongue of tropical air around the vortex into middle latitudes. This process occurs in the winter of both hemispheres, although the edge of the larger Antarctic polar vortex reaches farther toward the Equator, and draws up material from lower latitudes, than its Arctic counterpart.
A phase II trial of oral temozolomide in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer.

Abstract Purpose. To determine the activity of temozolomide, an oral imidazotetrazine alkylating agent that has exhibited broad antitumor activity in preclinical studies, in renal cell cancer (RCC) patients. Methods. Metastatic RCC patients were treated with temozolomide, 200 mg/m2 per day orally, and traditional radiologic response endpoints were assessed. O6-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) activity was measured in four pretreatment biopsies. Results. Among 12 patients, there were no responses. High AGT activity was observed in all four biopsies analyzed. Conclusions. Temozolomide is not active against RCC and this clinical observation may be due to high levels of AGT in this tumor.
Overview of multifunctional materials

Multifunctional design has evolved over the past decade, moving away from discrete unifunctional subsystems with clearly defined boundaries, to produce systems design and materials design methods that blend performance in new and innovative ways. This presentation looks at the development of multifunctional design from a systems and a materials perspecitve. A classification of multifunctional desings is presented, in terms of the decreasing scales at which the boundaries of subsystems, components and material are blurred. Guidelines for identifying multifunctional opportunities at the system and material scale are also discussed.
Small sample behaviour of certain tests of the hypothesis of equal means under variance heterogeneity.

SUMMARY By using a finite series representation of the distribution of a certain class of statistics, and by utilizing other techniques presented here, two types of statistic are developed for testing the hypothesis of the equality of the means of two normal populations using small sample sizes. One type of statistic, called unilateral, effectively controls the size of the test under variance heterogeneity if it is known a priori that the variance of one specified population is greater than that of the other. The second type of statistic, called bilateral, controls the size when there is no a priori knowledge of the population variances. Tables are included specifying both types of statistic and giving size and power.
Evidence for ion-neutral complex-mediated reactions well above the threshold for dissociation of the complex

The possibility that ion-neutral complex-mediated eliminations occur well above the threshold for simple dissociation of the partners in the complex was explored. This was accomplished by determining whether daughter ions of probable complex-mediated dissociations undergo metastable decompositions. All six complex-mediated decompositions examined formed metastable ions. Therefore, a very small fraction of ion-neutral complex-mediated fragmentations may occur several hundred k J mol−1 above the threshold for dissociation of the partners.
Deep dielectric charging of regolith within the Moon's permanently shadowed regions

Energetic charged particles, such as galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs), can penetrate deep within the lunar surface, resulting in deep dielectric charging. This charging process depends on the GCR and SEP currents, as well as on the regolith's electrical conductivity and permittivity. In permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near the lunar poles, the discharging timescales are on the order of a lunation (∼20 days). We present the first predictions for deep dielectric charging of lunar regolith. To estimate the resulting subsurface electric fields, we develop a data-driven, one-dimensional, time-dependent model. For model inputs, we use GCR data from the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and SEP data from the Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor on the Advanced Composition Explorer. We find that during the recent solar minimum, GCRs create persistent electric fields up to ∼700 V/m. We also find that large SEP events create transient but strong electric fields (≥106 V/m) that may induce dielectric breakdown. Such breakdown would likely result in significant modifications to the physical and chemical properties of the lunar regolith within PSRs.
The Art of Aidagara : Ethics, Aesthetics, and the Quest for an Ontology of Social Existence in Watsuji Tetsurō's Rinrigaku

This paper provides an analysis of the key term aidagara (‘betweenness’) in the philosophical ethics of Watsuji Tetsurō (1889–1960), in response to and in light of the recent movement in Japanese Buddhist studies known as ‘Critical Buddhism’. The Critical Buddhist call for a turn away from ‘topical’ or intuitionist thinking and towards (properly Buddhist) ‘critical’ thinking, while problematic in its bipolarity, raises the important issue of the place of ‘reason’ vs ‘intuition’ in Japanese Buddhist ethics. In this paper, a comparison of Watsuji's ‘ontological quest’ with that of Martin Heidegger (1889–1976), Watsuji's primary Western source and foil, is followed by an evaluation of a corresponding search for an ‘ontology of social existence’ undertaken by Tanabe Hajime (1885–1962). Ultimately, the philosophico-religious writings of Watsuji Tetsurō allow for the ‘return’ of aesthesis as a modality of social being that is truly dimensionalized, and thus falls prey neither to the verticality of topicalism no...
Radial diffusion models of energetic electrons and Jupiter's synchrotron radiation: 1. Steady state solution

The results of a computer code modeling of the radial diffusion of equatorially confined energetic electrons in Jupiter's inner magnetosphere are compared with spacecraft as well as ground-based radio (synchrotron radiation) data. It is found that the synchrotron radiation spectrum cannot be reproduced without a significant hardening of the electron spectrum between L = 3 and L = 1.5. This hardening may be due to energy degradation by Jupiter's ring particles. The calculations also suggest that there may be larger-sized material outside Jupiter's ring up to L of about 4 or Io's orbit.
Hepatoblastoma incidence in the United States from 1973 to 1992.

Background There is recent evidence to suggest that extremely low birth weight is associated with the occurrence of hepatoblastoma. Procedure In light of this possibility, we evaluated trends in hepatoblastoma incidence in the United States among children age 4 years and younger. Results We found an increasing trend (5.2%) in hepatoblastoma incidence over the past two decades, a period that corresponds with improved survival of very low birth weight children. Conclusion Future studies of hepatoblastoma that incorporate birth weight are appropriate. Med. Pediatr. Oncol. 30:141–142, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss,Inc.
Predictors of Emergency Department and Outpatient Visits for Hypoglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes: An Analysis of a Large US Administrative Claims Database

Background:Although hypoglycemia is a well-recognized complication of type 1 diabetes and insulin treatment in type 2 diabetes, less research exists on hypoglycemia in the large number of patients with type 2 diabetes who are treated with oral antidiabetic agents.Objective:To identify predictors of hypoglycemia-related emergency department (ED) and outpatient visits in patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods:We used the 2004-2008 MarketScan database to conduct a nested case-control analysis. Cohort members were 18 years of age or older with type 2 diabetes and taking an oral antidiabetic agent at cohort entry. We required 12 months or more of continuous enrollment in a noncapitated plan and excluded persons with type 1 or gestational diabetes. Within the cohort, we selected 11,375 cases (first outpatient hypoglycemic event) and 68,247 controls using 6:1 incidence density sampling. A conditional logistic regression model estimated the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals of ...
Linking Toll-like receptors to IFN-alpha/beta expression.

Many infectious agents elicit a type I interferon response, but the molecular details that lead to IFN-α/β expression have remained obscure. New details are emerging about how specific TLRs signal IFN-α/β expression.
Condorcet Efficiency and the Behavioral Model of the Vote

The widely used plurality and plurality runoff voting systems have been criticized on the grounds that they do a poor job of selecting the Condorcet candidate-the candidate who would defeat all rivals in a series of pairwise votes-when one exists I employ Monte Carlo methods to evaluate the plurality and runoff systems according to the Condorcet criterion, under alternative models of voting behavior derived from behavioral research. These models are specified in terms of a policy salience coefficient, which varies with the importance voters attach to policies, compared with nonpolicy motivations. The results suggest that plurality and runoff perform extremely well when large numbers of voters engage in little policy voting-precisely the conditions which behavioral researchers have argued obtain in national elections.
THE EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION OF FOOD ON BODY WEIGHT, CUMULATIVE INGESTION, AND RATE OF GROWTH OF THE MARINE COPEPOD CALANUS HELGOLANDICUS

Calanus helgolandicus was raised from early nauplius to copcpodite stage IV on different concentrations of two food organisms at two temperatures. The dry weights of the resulting C IV individuals were directly correlated with the concentration of food available during growth and were not significantly affected by temperature. The gross efficiency of growth was inversely related to the total amount of food ingested during development. Calanus can apparently grow with high efficiency at natural concentrations of food.
Realtime online data compression for hyperspectral imagery

In this paper we investigate the performance of an online data compression algorithm for remotely sensed hyperspectral imagery. It includes three stages: fully constrained linear unmixing, linear predicative coding, and Huffman coding, and all of these three stages are implemented in realtime. Hence when a pixel vector is captured, it will be compressed immediately before it is transmitted to ground station. This technique can save large amount of data storage space onboard and provide fast data products in compressed version. The image decoding can also be simply achieved. The performance of the proposed realtime compression algorithm is compared with its offline version, which demonstrates the realtime algorithm can achieve comparable compression ratio and maintain important object information in the original data.
Aquatic vegetation of the Orinoco River Delta (Venezuela). An overview

The Orinoco River Delta is a complex of relatively unknown ecosystems made up of aquatic and semiaquatic habitats. The region includes a Mariusa National Park and the Orinoco Delta River Biosphere Reserve. The 23 sites studied included lentic habitats (lagoons and creeks) and lotic habitats (streams of variable breadth and current) which varied range from black to white waters. A collection of aquatic vascular plants was made and the physical and chemical variables were measured. A total of 100 species were identified, 48% of which are new records for the Delta territory. A Canonical Correspondence Analysis divided the species and communities into two groups: The lentic habitats of lakes and lagoons, which show a greater species richness and the lotic habitats of the main river courses. This study forms part of an ongoing research project on the floristic and abiotic characteristics of the aquatic communities in the Orinoco River Delta.
eXtract: a snippet generation system for XML search

Snippets are used by almost every text search engine to complement ranking schemes in order to effectively handle user keyword search. Despite the fact that XML is a standard representation format of web data, research on generating result snippets for XML search remains untouched. In this work, we present eXtract, a system that efficiently generates self-contained result snippets within a given size bound which effectively summarize the query results and differentiate them from one another, according to which users can quickly assess the relevance of the query results.
The effect of slider on lubricant loss and redistribution [HDDs]

The effect of the slider geometry and ABS on lubricant loss and redistribution has been studied by flying heads over disks with step-profile lubricant film. Two types of sliders, one with a negative pressure air bearing and truncated side-rails and the other with a positive air bearing, in the standard catamaran geometry, were used. The disks after flying were examined with a scanning reflectance analysis probe. After a short period of time, it was found that both sliders caused a comparable amount of lubricant depletion in the thick-film region. However, the redeposition in the thin-film region is seen prominently only under the slider with the negative pressure air-bearing. The result suggests that the lubricant depletion in one case results primarily from net lubricant loss or pickup, and in the other case from transfer and redeposition. Based on these results, a transfer mechanism under each slider type has been proposed. A discussion on the design implications is also included.
Treating cancer with genetically engineered T cells

Administration of ex vivo cultured, naturally occurring tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has been shown to mediate durable regression of melanoma tumors. However, the generation of TILs is not possible in all patients and there has been limited success in generating TIL in other cancers. Advances in genetic engineering have overcome these limitations by introducing tumor-antigen-targeting receptors into human T lymphocytes. Physicians can now genetically engineer lymphocytes to express highly active T-cell receptors (TCRs) or chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) targeting a variety of tumor antigens expressed in cancer patients. In this review, we discuss the development of TCR and CAR gene transfer technology and the expansion of these therapies into different cancers with the recent demonstration of the clinical efficacy of these treatments.
Urban Governance in the Gilded Age An Examination of Political-Culture, Social-Control, and Fiscal-Ideology Theories

Scholarly interest in urban politics of the Gilded Age has been both lively and enduring. A plethora of case studies and comparative analyses have produced a large body of historical knowledge about this period in urban political development. Nonetheless, little agreement about the nature of urban governance in this period exists. Indeed, the debate over who governed cities between 1870 and 1900 has intensified over the last decade. This author evaluates the political-culture, social-control, and fiscal-ideology theories of urban governance in the Gilded Age, using census data on ethnicity, urban growth, and municipal government finances.
Contexts Matter: Selection in Means-Tested School Voucher Programs.

This study examines public school characteristics, and public and private school market characteristics, associated with participation among elementary-aged students in a means-tested school vouche...
DIVINE ACTION IN THE WORLD (SYNOPSIS)

The following is a synopsis of the paper presented by Alvin Plantinga at the RATIO conference on The Meaning of Theism held in April 2005 at the University of Reading. The synopsis has been prepared by the Editor, with the author's approval, from a handout provided by the author at the conference. The paper reflects on whether religious belief of a traditional Christian kind can be maintained consistently with accepting our modern scientific worldview. Many theologians, and also many scientists, maintain that the idea of divine intervention is at odds with the framework of natural laws disclosed by science. The paper argues that this notion of a 'religion/science problem' is misguided. When properly understood, neither the classical (Newtonian) picture of natural laws, nor the more recent quantum mechanical picture, rules out divine intervention. There is nothing in science, under either the old or the new picture, that conflicts with, or even calls in to question, special divine action, including miracles.