cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deconstructing emotion regulation in schizophrenia: the nature and consequences of abnormalities at the identification stage.

Existing evidence suggests that emotion regulation is abnormal in schizophrenia and associated with undesirable clinical outcomes. However, this literature is based predominantly on trait self-report and does not indicate which stages of emotion regulation (identification, selection, implementation) are impaired. The current study focused on determining the nature of abnormalities at the identification stage using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Participants included clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia (SZ; n = 48) and healthy controls (CN; n = 52) who completed 6 days of EMA. The EMA surveys assessed emotional experience, emotion regulation, and symptoms. Results indicated that SZ identified the need to regulate at a higher rate than CN. Specifically, SZ displayed an inefficient threshold for identifying the need to regulate, such that they regulated too much when negative affect was low and too little when negative affect was high. Emotion regulation effort exertion was also inefficient, such that effort was too high at low levels of negative affect and too low at high levels of negative affect in SZ. These identification stage abnormalities also demonstrated differential associations with positive and negative symptoms. Findings suggest that identification stage abnormalities may create a bottleneck that feeds forward and impacts subsequent stages of emotion regulation in SZ that are critically related to symptoms. Targeting the psychological processes underlying these identification stage abnormalities might offer a novel means of treating positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
Sparse Output Coding for Scalable Visual Recognition

Many vision tasks require a multi-class classifier to discriminate multiple categories, on the order of hundreds or thousands. In this paper, we propose sparse output coding, a principled way for large-scale multi-class classification, by turning high-cardinality multi-class categorization into a bit-by-bit decoding problem. Specifically, sparse output coding is composed of two steps: efficient coding matrix learning with scalability to thousands of classes, and probabilistic decoding. Empirical results on object recognition and scene classification demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.
Witness us in our battles

Describes four projective patterns characterizing black female professors′ experiences with students. Implications for the teacher as change agent frame the conceptualization of projections inferred from African American female academics′ experiences. The patterns of the “too good” mother; the “degraded” authority; the “exception to my race”; and the “ally” in marginality are supported by anecdotal data from over ten years of clinical practice with black professional women. Each projective pattern is discussed in the light of differential student dynamics within and across race and gender.
New Forms and New Balances:Organizing the External Relations ofthe Unincorporated Firm

The sudden emergence of limited liability companies (LLCs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and the near universal legislative acceptance of these new vehicles for conducting business activities offer valuable insights into legislative process and the extent to which state legislatures bear even a remote resemblance to deliberative bodies. Like Diogenes wandering the streets of Athens, lantern in hand, searching for the honest man, anyone seeking evidence of a debate among lawmakers over the wisdom of limited liability or the cost-shifting consequences of LLCs and LLPs is destined for disappointment. Although debate over limited liability will not be found in the annals of state legislatures, it will be found in the literature of law and economics. The extent to which the literature truly informs us, however, is another question. In An Inquiry into the Efficiency of the Limited Liability Company: Of Theory of the Firm and Regulatory Competition,l William W. Bratton and Joseph A. McCahery offer an insightful analysis of both the literature of limited liability and the reasons why the LLC has achieved such universal and sudden legislative acceptance. As to the efficiency of limited liability, Professors Bratton and McCahery conclude, with some disappointment, that existing economic theory supports neither a presumption for nor a presumption against limited liability. Having found the literature inconclusive on the issue of efficiency, they then consider whether the widespread legislative acceptance of LLCs is itself an indication of the efficiency of this new form of business association. Rejecting the idea that the legislative action in this area is a "race to the top" explainable by the regulatory competition theory of efficiency, Bratton and McCahery conclude that the proliferation of LLC statutes is an indication of the legislatures' responsiveness to a domestic interest group - the Bar.2 In Limited Liability and the Real World,3 Robert W. Hamilton and Larry E. Ribstein offer perspectives from cyberspace on the desirability of limited liability. In an interesting exchange of e-mail, Professors Hamilton and Ribstein present sharply divergent views on the desirability of limited liability. Professor Ribstein argues, as he has in his earlier articles on the subject,4 for the efficiency advantages of limited liability. Professor Hamilton questions whether creditors generally prefer limited liability to unlimited liability.5 At the core of their debate is disagreement over the "real world" and, in particular, whether credit generally is priced to reflect limited versus unlimited liability. My own contribution to the Symposium is Limited Liability in Historical Perspective. …
Whole-Slide Imaging of Pap Cellblock Preparations Is a Potentially Valid Screening Method

Objective: To date, the impact of digital imaging on routine cytology remains far from perfect. Cellblock (CB) preparations from Pap samples have been shown to be diagnostically valuable. We evaluated the validity of utilizing whole-slide imaging (WSI) prepared from Pap CBs as a screening tool. Study Design: A total of 1,110 CB slides prepared from residual Pap samples were analyzed - 563 normal, 282 atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), 12 atypical squamous cells-cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, 188 low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), 36 high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL), 25 atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance, 1 adenocarcinoma in situ, 2 invasive adenocarcinomas, and 1 squamous cell carcinoma. Virtual slides were obtained using the Aperio system. Test performance characteristics of liquid-based samples and WSI from CB samples were compared. Results: Average sensitivity and specificity of the five WSI reviewers was 58.3 and 85.1% for ASCUS, respectively, 54.1 and 93.9% for LSIL, and 51.8 and 98.8% for HSIL. Overall WSI sensitivity and specificity for detecting lesions was 82.1 and 86.2%, respectively. Agreement (kappa values) between WSI reviewers was 0.56 for ASCUS, 0.69 for LSIL, 0.67 for HSIL, and 0.74 for negative samples. Conclusions: WSI of CB preparations is a feasible method to achieve high-quality specimen preparations. It is as sensitive as liquid-based methods and appears to be highly specific for the detection of LSIL and HSIL.
Information-hiding games

This paper reviews recent research on information-theoretic aspects of information hiding. Emphasis is placed on applications requiring high payload (e.g., covert communications). Information hiding may be viewed as a game between two teams (embedder/decoder vs. attacker), and optimal information-embedding and attack strategies may be developed in this context. This paper focuses on several such strategies, including a framework for developing near-optimal codes and universal decoders. The suboptimality of spread-spectrum strategies follows from the analysis. The theory is applied to image watermarking examples.
Investing and price competition for multiple bands of unlicensed spectrum

Motivated in part by the success of WiFi, there has been much interest in opening up new “prime” bands of spectrum for unlicensed use. Such bands can lower the cost for new wireless service providers to enter a market. The increased competition could in turn improve economic welfare. However, the openness of such spectrum can also lead to it becoming over congested, which in turn could deter investment. Indeed, a recent paper shows that due to the risk of congestion, only a single service provider may invest in a given unlicensed band and charge monopoly prices. However, that paper considers only a single band of unlicensed spectrum. In this paper, we consider investment and competition when there are multiple unlicensed bands available. In such a setting, each service provider could either invest in a single band or spread its investment over multiple bands. We consider a two-stage game for such a setting, in which firms first decide investment levels and second compete for customers by announcing prices for their service. The equilibria and resulting welfare of this game are characterized.
Estimating Risk Parameters

Over the last three decades, the capital asset pricing model has occupied a central and often controversial place in most corporate finance analysts’ tool chests. The model requires three inputs to compute expected returns – a riskfree rate, a beta for an asset and an expected risk premium for the market portfolio (over and above the riskfree rate). Betas are estimated, by most practitioners, by regressing returns on an asset against a stock index, with the slope of the regression being the beta of the asset. In this paper, we attempt to show the flaws in regression betas, especially for companies in emerging markets. We argue for an alternate approach that allows us to estimate a beta that reflect the current business mix and financial leverage of a firm.
Electron Diffraction Study of Supersonically Generated Clusters

Clusters of cyclopropane, n-butane, octafluorocyclobutane, neopentane, and hexafluorobenzene were produced in flows with neon carrier gas through a Laval nozzle. All gave liquid-like diffraction patterns except for C4F8 which gave Debye-Scherrer rings corresponding to 90 Â crystals. The algorithm RISM accounted qualitatively but not quantitatively for the structures of the liquid-like clusters, perhaps because the clusters are too cold and dense for the approximations in RISM to be satisfied.
Robust Performance Optimization of Linear Controlled Stochastic Systems

The existence of model uncertainty is important for modern control applications, as one of the main objectives is to establish optimum robustness over all possible operational conditions. Standard tools for robust control design, such as H_(infinity) μ-synthesis and the many offshoots of these, consider only compact sets of possible models for the system. Information implying that some model parameters are more probable than others is not explicitly treated. However in most real engineering applications, there is considerable knowledge about the relative plausibility of the different model parameter values. A probability logic approach provides a rational and consistent framework for quantifying this knowledge. This is established by characterizing the relative plausibility of different properties of the system by probability models. A robust design may be then established by optimizing statistics of the objective function (probabilistic performance) under the statistically described plant uncertainty, rather than the objective function resulting from the nominal model (nominal performance). The present paper discusses the robust-performance optimization of linear time invariant dynamical systems with probabilistically-described parametric model uncertainties and focuses on cases including a stochastic disturbance input. We consider H_2 and multi-objective H_2 control synthesis for quantification of the system nominal performance. The probabilistic measure of optimality is then defined either as the average (i.e. expectation) of the performance over the uncertain parameter space, or the probability that the performance will exceed acceptable bounds. We also examine robust stochastic design for minimal first-passage failure probability [1], i.e. maximal reliability of the dynamic response. In this case the definition of robust performance in presence of probabilistic model uncertainties follows directly from the axioms of probability logic. Analysis and synthesis methodologies are discussed, based on recently developed stochastic simulation techniques [2]. The influence of different probability models for describing plant uncertainty is also discussed. The design approach is illustrated in a structural control application. Probabilistically-robust controllers are demonstrated to yield considerable different designs compared to controllers optimized using only a nominal model, or using the "worst-case" interpretation of system robustness. Also, differences are shown in the design characteristics between different probabilistic characterizations for the system uncertainty or for the performance objective.
SMALL GRANULES IN THE AMPHIBIAN OOCYTE NUCLEUS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO RNA

Small particles (100 to 300 A in diameter) are seen in sections of nucleoli, the loops of the amphibian lampbrush chromosomes, and the Balbiani-ring regions of dipteran salivary-gland chromosomes. All of these structures contain cytochemically demonstrable RNA. Furthermore, the annuli seen on the nuclear envelope are composed of small particles which are similar to or identical with those commonly associated with the endoplasmic reticulum. It seems likely that ribonucleoproteins are organized as small particulates in the nucleus as well as in the cytoplasm.
Permeability characterization. Part 2: Flow behavior in multiple‐layer preforms

Within the resin transfer molding (RTM) process, flow is generally characterized by the progression of a distinct, nonuniform flow front into the preform as a function of time. The flow front progression introduces unsaturated characteristics into RTM flow fields. As a result, the definition of an effective in-plane permeability (K eff ) is used to determine the permeability of actual preforms as they fill with fluid. This K eff expression expands upon the original definition of Darcy's low by generalizing its applicability to unsaturated creeping flows. Results of experimentally obtained K eff for flow in single-layer preforms have been detailed for two common RTM materials, a random mat and a 3-D weave, in Part 1. In this paper (Part 2), we characterize the unsaturated and saturated permeabilities of multiple-layer preforms constructed from the random mat and 3-D weave materials characterized in Part 1. This work identifies the apparent permeability characteristics of a specific unsaturated multiple-layer flow that demonstrates behavior inherent to this important class of heterogeneous flows. Also, parallels are drawn between the unsaturated permeability behavior of complex 3-D weave materials and multiple-layer preforms.
Nanophotonic Force Microscopy: Characterizing Particle-Surface Interactions Using Near-Field Photonics

Direct measurements of particle-surface interactions are important for characterizing the stability and behavior of colloidal and nanoparticle suspensions. Current techniques are limited in their ability to measure pico-Newton scale interaction forces on submicrometer particles due to signal detection limits and thermal noise. Here we present a new technique for making measurements in this regime, which we refer to as nanophotonic force microscopy. Using a photonic crystal resonator, we generate a strongly localized region of exponentially decaying, near-field light that allows us to confine small particles close to a surface. From the statistical distribution of the light intensity scattered by the particle we are able to map out the potential well of the trap and directly quantify the repulsive force between the nanoparticle and the surface. As shown in this Letter, our technique is not limited by thermal noise, and therefore, we are able to resolve interaction forces smaller than 1 pN on dielectric particles as small as 100 nm in diameter.
Translating science to policy under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Lessons from the national evaluation of the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers ☆

Passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 ushered in a new era of accountability for educational institutions and social programs in the United States. Federal funding became tied to demonstrated results on the basis of scientifically based research. In this paper we recount the science-to-policy translation process for one of the first studies considered under this new mantra, namely, the national evaluation of the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers after-school programs. The recount highlights a range of challenges, problems, and debates in the process, and discusses several lessons learned from this example that may be useful for the science-to-policy translation process in general, and for future studies under the NCLB Act specifically.
Marketing Concept and Customer Orientation

Examines the marketing concept (MC) and its foundation of customer orientation. Proposes that the General Electric Company promulgated MC and that this followed the Second World War, before being accepted formally by academics. States that the two major concepts are: that consumers know what they want; and that consumer sovereignty prevails. Believes marketers cannot take consumers as a given nor take them for granted and neither can manufacturers or they will also suffer. Questions whether consumers are always informed about products and what exactly they require and whether firms see themselves as merely responding to the market flow. States, in conclusion, that marketing communications can help shape wants and beliefs and that marketers should aim their best efforts at this area to enable better contacts.
Minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty

• TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY PROCEDURES relieve patients' arthritic hip pain. Since the first procedure was performed in the 1960s, surgeons and implant companies have worked to improve prosthesis design, composition of implants, and the mechanisms for holding the implants in place. • RECENTLY, SURGEONS HAVE FOCUSED on minimizing the surgical incision. Smaller incisions have resulted in smaller scars and faster recoveries. • THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS a brief historical overview of, as well as current trends in, minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty. All aspects of care for a patient undergoing total hip arthroplasty are discussed. AORNJ 79 (June 2004) 1244–1258.
Synthesis and surface analysis of siloxane-containing amphiphilic graft copolymers, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-g-dimethylsiloxane) and poly(2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate-g-dimethylsiloxane)

A series of novel amphiphilic graft copolymers having a hydrophilic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [poly(HEMA)] or water-soluble poly(2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate) [poly(DHPMA)] backbone and hydrophobic poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) side chains have been synthesized to develop a model system to examine surface properties under dry and wet conditions. The direct radical copolymerization of PDMS macromer with HEMA generated graft copolymers poly(HEMA-g-DMS) with broad molecular weight distributions (MWD; Mw/Mn = 2.85−3.55). The anionic copolymerization of the same PDMS macromer with silyl-protected HEMA, namely, 2-(trimethylsiloxy)ethyl methacrylate (SiEMA), produced graft copolymers, poly(SiEMA-g-DMS). Successive hydrolysis eliminated the protecting trimethylsilyl groups in the backbone to afford amphiphilic graft copolymers poly(HEMA-g-DMS) with a narrow MWD (Mw/Mn = 1.09−1.16). For the well-defined graft copolymer with a water-soluble poly(DHPMA) backbone and hydrophobic PDMS side chains, anionic ...
Risk factors, preemptive therapy, and antiperistaltic agents for Clostridium difficile infection in cancer patients.

Background Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a serious complication of chemotherapy including high-dose regimens with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Antiperistaltic agents are contraindicated in CDI and preemptive CDI therapy is not recommended. We assessed the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of CDI in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) receiving similar antineoplastic therapy and supportive care including antiperistaltic agents and preemptive CDI antibiotics for significant diarrhea. Methods A total of 303 consecutive MM patients (2004–2007) were enrolled in a protocol consisting of induction chemotherapy, tandem melphalan (MEL)-ASCT, and consolidation. Patients with grade 2–4 diarrhea were simultaneously tested for CDI, and initiated on antiperistaltic agents (loperamide) and preemptive anti-CDI therapy. Risk factors, including prior CDI and MM immunoglobulin (Ig) isotype, were evaluated. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compute the relative risk ratio (RRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results There were 43 cases of CDI (14.2%) during 1529 chemotherapy courses (536 ASCT). IgA MM protected against CDI (RRR 0.35; 95% CI 0.13–0.93, P = 0.04) whereas CDI during first induction markedly increased the risk of recurrence during second induction (RRR = 10.94; 95% CI 1.90, 62.92, P = 0.01) and following MEL-ASCT (RRR = 6.63; 95% CI 1.51, 29.12, P = 0.01). No CDI-related surgical intervention or death ensued despite use of antiperistaltic agents. Conclusions CDI was not uncommon in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. IgA myeloma appears to be protective. Concurrent antiperistaltic (loperamide) and preemptive CDI therapies were associated with excellent outcomes. Prior CDI history increased the risk for recurrence during successive chemotherapy courses.
An archaeal SET domain protein exhibits distinct lysine methyltransferase activity towards DNA-associated protein MC1-α

The evolutionarily conserved SET domain proteins in eukaryotes have been shown to function as site-specific histone lysine methyltransferases, and play an important role in regulating chromatin-mediated gene transcriptional activation and silencing. Structure-based sequence analysis has revealed that SET domains are also encoded by viruses and bacteria, as well as Archaea. However, their cellular functions remain elusive. In this study, we have characterized a SET domain protein from Methanosarcina mazei strain Go1 that we refer to as Go1-SET. We show that Go1-SET exists as a homodimer in solution, and functions as a lysine methyltransferase with high substrate specificity that is dependent on the amino acid sequence flanking the lysine methylation site. Particularly, Go1-SET exhibits selective methyltransferase activity towards one of the major archaeal DNA interacting protein MC1-α at lysine 37. Our findings suggest that SET domain proteins such as Go1-SET may restructure archaeal chromatin that is composed of MC1–DNA complexes, and that modulation of chromatin structure by lysine methylation may have arisen before the divergence of the archaeal and eukaryotic lineages.
Omnidirectional free-space optical receiver architecture

Free Space Optical (FSO) communication is the fusion of wireless technology and optical fiber communications systems. It has the potential of providing fiber optic data rates without the physical restraints of optical fiber cables. This endeavor presents a novel receiver structure with potential for omnidirectional free space optical communications. Interesting approaches for accomplishing omnidirectional free space lasercomm such as direct detection and solar blind non-line of sight UV scattering have been reported over the last few years. However, these technologies have resulted in limited distances of the order of 10 to 100 meters and data rates often limited to less than 1 Mb/s. This endeavor reports the architecture of an omnidirectional receiver setup by integrating an off the shelf detector and a fiber bundle, where the fiber bundle couples omnidirectional photons within its field of view and delivers these photons to the detector. The coupling of light from all directions into a detector is regulated by the cone of the acceptance angle of the fiber. Multiple fibers with overlapping acceptance angles provide the necessary coverage that may be needed to extract the optical signal from the free space optical channel. Simulated results showing the normalized power pattern of the system is presented to demonstrate omnidirectional potential of the structure. Theoretical power level versus distance plot for an FSO System employing On-O Keying (OOK) is also presented.
Comicology: comic books as culture in India

Building upon the intersection of anthropology's and Indian comic books' focus on ‘culture’, this article addresses two questions: How do comic books in India represent culture? And, what insight about mass media, representation and interpretation can be gleaned with the comic book reader's emerging role of creator? To trace continuities and shifts in comic books' engagement with culture and to convey the ‘different scene’ contemporary readers' experience, this article focuses on the comic brands Amar Chitra Katha, Indrajal Comics, Liquid Comics and Vimanika. Indian comic books highlight distinct cultural globalization processes and social media networks as a space for history, and for pedagogy that teaches how to read comics and how to make comics.
A New Staining Technique for Ketosteroid Chromatograms

A staining technique is described in which 17-ketosteroids on paper chromatograms undergo complete reaction when immersed for a prolonged period. An aqueous, alkaline, m-dinitrobenzene reagent was the reaction medium used for this purpose. Steroids were intensely stained while background reagent was removed by water washes. Quantification was provided by elution of the Zimmermann reactive chromogens with dimethyl sulfoxide, followed by spectrophotometric measurement of the eluate. Linear and reproducible calibration lines were found with solvent elution of the dyed zones. Densitometric scanning can also be used to yield reasonable quantitative results.
Women, Gender, and Rulership in Medieval Italy

This article addresses the multifaceted relationship between women and political power on the Italian peninsula during the emergence, flourishing and struggles of local powers, both communes and principalities. Natal and marital ties, widowhood, regency, intercession, patronage, and ritual were some of the devices by which women in this era of political changeability helped to forge political alliances, and ruled, represented, and influenced ruling bodies.
A physiological and system analysis hybrid pharmacokinetic model to characterize carbon tetrachloride blood concentrations following administration in different oral vehicles

Oral absorption of chemicals can be influenced significantly by the administration vehicle or diluent. It has been observed that the oral absorption of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)and other volatile organic chemicals is markedly affected by the dosing vehicle, with administration in oils producing erratic blood concentration-time profiles with multiple peaks. Analysis of this type of data by a compartmental modeling approach can be difficult, and requires numerous assumptions about the absorption processes. Alternatively, a system analysis method with few assumptions may provide a more accurate description of the observed data. In the current investigations, a nonlinear system analysis approach was applied to blood CCl4concentration-time data obtained following iv and oral administration. The oral regimens consisted of 25 mg CCl4/kgbody wt given as an aqueous emulsion, in water, as pure chemicals, and in corn oil. The system analysis procedure, based upon a disposition decomposition method, provided an absorption input rate function, F,for each regimen. A physiological pharmacokinetic model, based primarily on parameters available in the literature, and the Finput functions, formed a hybrid model that adequately described the observed blood CCl4concentration-time data. The same physiological pharmacokinetic model, employing conventional first-order absorption input schemes, did not predict the data as well. Overall, the system analysis approach allowed the oral absorption of CCl4to be characterized accurately, regardless of the vehicle. Though system analysis is based on general mathematical properties of a system's behavior rather than on its causal mechanisms, this work demonstrates that it can be a useful adjunct to physiological pharmacokinetic models.
Imipenem/cilastatin therapy of bacteremia.

Abstract Imipenem/cilastatin was used to treat 135 patients with bacteremia and signs of infection. Ninety percent responded favorably. The bacteriologic eradication rate was 98 percent among the 153 isolates. Only one patient had breakthrough bacteremia and this was a susceptible Clostridium septicum. In two isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, emergence of resistance to imipenem during therapy was noted and appeared to be responsible for clinical failure. Super-infection occurred in 13 patients and was responsible for two treatment failures.
A descriptive study of 42 cases of Branhamella catarrhalis pneumonia

Abstract purpose: We studied the clinical and laboratory findings of patients with pneumonia due to Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis to better characterize the types of patients who develop this pneumonia, the clinical features of the illness, and the type of and response to drug therapy, as well as the immediate and long-term survival of these patients. patients and methods: Patients with sputum samples that met cellular criteria as quality samples and that grew B. catarrhalis as the sole pathogen were identified retrospectively from microbiology records at a regional referral hospital for cardiac and pulmonary diseases. Records of these patients were reviewed to identify patients with radiographic findings of pneumonia. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of these patients were then studied in detail. results: Forty-two patients who met the criteria for B. catarrhalis pneumonia were identified. Most patients were elderly (over 65 years; 55 percent), malnourished (69 percent), and had severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or another serious underlying disease (98 percent). The seasonal incidence of this pneumonia was October through April (88 percent), with the annual number of cases having increased since 1982. The clinical presentation was typically mild. Interstitial or mixed interstitial-alveolar infiltrates superimposed on pre-existing chronic lung disease was the most common radiographic finding. Approximately 90 percent of sputa were acceptable for Gram stain and contained 10 to more than 50 gram-negative cocci/1,000 × field. All cultures produced a heavy growth of B. catarrhalis , with 67 percent of strains positive for beta-lactamase. No patient had identified bacteremia (zero of 25 tested). Therapy with numerous agents including cefotaxime, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole resulted in a good clinical and bacteriologic response. However, 45 percent of patients died of their underlying diseases on this admission or within three months. conclusion: These findings provide a good profile of B. catarrhalis pneumonia. Despite the mild character of the illness, the pneumonia occurs in patients with end-stage pulmonary or malignant disease and almost 50 percent of patients die of their underlying diseases within three months.
Sa1554 Radiofrequency Ablation Therapy of Barrett's Esophagus in Community-Based Practice

Total follow up tIme (months) 27.4 /14.0 26.8 /13.6 30.5 /17.2 Any response to cryospray 28 (93.3) 24 (96.0) 4 (80.0) If responded, type of response first observed Incremental response 6 (21.4) 6 (25.0) 0 (0.0) Partial response 17 (60.7) 14 (58.3) 3 (75.0) Complete response 5 (17.9) 4 (16.7) 1 (25.0) Response at last follow up No response 5 (16.7) 4 (16.0) 1 (20.0) Incremental response 4 (13.3) 4 (16.0) 0 (0.0) Partial response 10 (33.3) 9 (36.0) 1 (20.0) Complete response 11 (36.7) 8 (32.0) 3 (60.0) Overall outcome HGD, IMCA, ACA, esophagectomy or death 16 (53.3) 12 (48.0) 4 (80.0)
Profiling Online Auction Sellers Using Image-Editing Styles

Product images serve an important role in online auction listings. As thriving businesses, online auction sites often host millions of concurrent auction listings. Where space is limited (such as on the page of auction search results), only product images are displayed to users as an overview of all auction listings. To stand out from competitors, veteran sellers often edit product images to attract potential buyers. Over time, many sellers have developed their own editing styles that recurrently appear in their image pool and are mostly distinct from other sellers, indicating a promising feature for seller profiling. Seller profiling is fundamental for the detection of account anomalies, which are often related to fraudulent acts. Numerous online auction guides suggest that buyers watch for anomalies in a seller's auction listings (such as sudden changes in product categories, auction templates, and text fonts), because such anomalies often indicate account takeovers. Researchers have proposed computational methods to encode such features and automate the detection of anomalies and frauds. However, little previous work has leveraged product images, a major component of auction listings. We developed an automatic algorithm that can extract image editing styles to establish seller profiles.
High lateral resolution imaging by secondary ion mass spectrometry of photopatterned self-assembled monolayers containing aryl azide

Imaging secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is used to map the distribution of molecular and elemental species in a patterned self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with 1 μm lateral resolution. The patterned SAMs are made by exposing polycrystalline Au to a solution of bis(11-(4-azido(benzoyloxy))-1-undecyl) disulfide, I, which forms a photosensitive SAM (Au-I) on the Au. Subsequent UV irradiation (λ>260 nm) of Au-I SAMs through a mask and a thin film of a secondary amine results in attachment of the amine to the Au-I SAM only in the irradiated regions. The Au-I SAM is photosensitive by virtue of a pendant aryl azide group which reacts with secondary amines under UV irradiation to form hydrazine or azepine photoadducts. A large molecular fragment ion corresponding to vinyl ferrocene (m/z 212) was mapped with 1 μm lateral resolution on a Au-I SAM that had been irradiated through a mask and a thin film of (2-ferrocenylethyl)(2',2',2'-trifluoroethyl)amine. SIMS can also detect intact molecular ions M + corresponding to the 3H-azepine and hydrazine photoadducts obtained upon irradiation of Au-I SAMs in the presence of diethyl- and dibutylamines. Smaller fragment ions characteristic of the 3H-azepine and hydrazine adducts were also observed. The mass assignments were verified by a series ofisotopic labeling experiments in which the observed ions displayed the expected isotopic shifts.
Characterization of multiple charge isomers of the inhibitor protein of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase from bovine heart and rabbit skeletal muscle

Abstract The presence of multiple forms of the inhibitor of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase has been investigated in rabbit skeletal and bovine cardiac muscle. These tissues have each been fractionated by two separate procedures, one involving mild techniques, the other utilizing trichloroacetic acid precipitation and heating to 95 °C. The proteins in partially purified preparations have been characterized by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, gel filtration, isoelectric focusing, and sodium dodecyl sulfate and nondenaturing gel electrophoresis. In each tissue three charge isomers have been detected. Each charge isomer may exist in the two apparent molecular size forms designated I and I′ ( J. M. McPherson, S. Whitehouse, and D. A. Walsh, 1979, Biochemistry 18 , 4835–4845 ). The distribution of inhibitor between the multiple forms depends on the purification procedure used and potentially only one form may exist in tissues.
Comments on ‘Life prediction under random censorship’

We point out and comment on the confusions, deficiencies and errors of Wang [Life prediction under random censorship, J. Stat. Comput. Simul. 78 (2008), pp. 1033–1044].
Practically private: enabling high performance CMPs through compiler-assisted data classification

State-of-the-art chip multiprocessor (CMP) proposals emphasize optimization to deliver computing power across many types of applications. Potentially significant performance improvements that leverage application specific characteristics such as data access behavior are missed by this approach. In this paper, we demonstrate that using fairly simple and inexpensive static analysis, data can be classified into private and shared. In addition, we develop a novel compiler-based approach to speculatively detect a third classification: practically private. We demonstrate that practically private data is ubiquitous in parallel applications and leveraging this classification provides opportunities to benefit performance. While this proposed data classification scheme can be applied to many micro-architectural constructs including the TLB, coherence directory and interconnect, we demonstrate its potential through an efficient cache coherence design. Specifically, we show that the compiler-assisted mechanism reduces an average of 46% coherence traffic and achieves up to 13%, 9%, and 5% performance improvement over shared, private, and state-of-the-art NUCA-based caching, respectively depending on scenarios.
Validity of self-report of illicit drug use in young hypertensive urban African American males

Inaccurate self-reporting is the primary threat to the validity and utility of self-report in the research on illicit drug use. The purpose of this study was to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of self-report of drug use, using urine toxicity screening as a criterion variable, and to explore the individual characteristics associated with false reporting in a sample of urban African American males. Baseline data from urine tests and a questionnaire about self-report of illicit drug use were obtained from 290 hypertensive African American males enrolled in an ongoing hypertension clinical trial. Sensitivity and specificity of self-report were estimated, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine factors associated with true or false reporting of drug use. Result: The sensitivity and specificity of self-report were 0.87±0.019 and 0.63±0.02, respectively. Members of the underreporting group were more likely to be older, more educated, employed, living with family, and having experience with jail. Jail experience (OR, 2.0) and living with friends or family (OR, 1.7) were the two strongest predictors of false reporting. This study further confirms that social desirability and fear of the consequences of drug use are major contributing factors in underreporting of drug use.
Phenolic Composition of Malbec: A Comparative Study of Research-Scale Wines between Argentina and the United States

Phenolic compounds play a major role in red wine quality, affecting color, taste, mouthfeel, and aging potential. The objective of this research was to compare the phenolic composition of Malbec wines from California and Mendoza, Argentina, produced in 150 L volumes. Sixteen vineyards in California and 26 blocks in Mendoza were selected based on their uniformity and regional representativeness. Anthocyanins and low molecular weight phenolics were analyzed by HPLC at approximately six to nine months of aging. Malbec wines were compared using chemometrics on 33 phenolic components comprising individual anthocyanins, low molecular weight phenolics, and total phenolics by HPLC. The results demonstrate that Malbec wines produced in Mendoza have different phenolic profiles than those produced in California.
Systemic aminoglycosides are trafficked via endolymph into cochlear hair cells

Aminoglycoside antibiotics rapidly enter and kill cochlear hair cells via apical mechanoelectrical transduction (MET) channels in vitro. In vivo, it remains unknown whether systemically-administered aminoglycosides cross the blood-labyrinth barrier into endolymph and enter hair cells. Here we show, for the first time, that systemic aminoglycosides are trafficked across the blood-endolymph barrier and preferentially enter hair cells across their apical membranes. This trafficking route is predominant compared to uptake via hair cell basolateral membranes during perilymph infusion.
Effects of uncertainty reduction, material rewards, and variety on children's choice behavior

This experiment was designed to isolate the incentive properties of uncertainty reduction (information) from those of material reward value and variety in a binary, competitive reward situation. After pretraining, fourth-grade children chose between a prescaled high-reward object and a question mark stimulus which concealed one of two lower-valued objects on each of 40 trials. The concealed objects appeared equally often for half the Ss and with a 9:1 ratio for the rest, thus, reducing one or 47 bit of uncertainty, respectively, when chosen. Ss also served as their own controls. In the control condition, stimulus color cued the identity of the concealed object, reducing uncertainty before a choice was made. As predicted, significantly more question marks were chosen when such choice reduced uncertainty (p < .001). Evidence for the influence of relative-reward value and object novelty was obtained. Uncertainty reduction appears to have incentive value independent of other factors.
X-ray induced mutability in male germ cells of Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract From the time the Drosophila melanogaster male is less than an hour old, sperm are continuously maturing, becoming motile, and entering the seminal vesicle, regardless of sexual activity. When a male, at any stage in its life history, is exposed to X-rays, all existing germ-cell stages are simultaneously irradiated. After irradiation, sperm will be sequentially produced by the male more or less in order of their stage of maturation at the time of irradiation, the first sperm samples being comprised of germ cells that were most mature at the time of irradiation. As the time interval between irradiation and the initial mating increases, the sperm samples consist of ever less homogeneous mixtures of cells that were at varying stages of maturity at the time of irradiation. If the male mates at a regulated pace after irradiation, sperm samples can be obtained that enable one to measure separately, and with reasonable accuracy, the mutability of mature sperm, intermediate and late spermatid stages, and early spermatids. Even so, unless each male in an experiment mates the same number of times each day, sampling of the various stages will become more and more asynchronous, as some males will produce sperm derived from stages quite different from those sampled at the same time from other males in the same experimental group. Then, if mutation frequencies are collected in terms of days after irradiation, they will not accurately reflect the mutability of any particular germ cell stage. When appropriate experimental procedures are followed, the mutability of mature, motile sperm is found to be as high, or higher, in male irradiations as in irradiations of inseminated females. The sex-linked recessive lethal mutation frequency characteristic of mature, motile sperm approaches 4% per 1000 R. Immotile sperm stages (intermediate and late spermatids) have a much lower mutability, less than 2% per 1000 R. Early spermatids again have a high mutability, probably exceeding that of motile sperm. The actual mutation frequency encountered at any time following irradiation reflects the proportion of the various kinds of irradiated germ cells in the sperm sample assayed. The precise proportion in any given sperm sample will be related to the age of the male at the time of irradiation, his previous mating history, the length of time that has elapsed between the irradiation and mating, and the number of inseminations that have ensued since the irradiation. The inherent mutability of male germ cells can be correlated with their physiological state at the time of irradiation. Thus, rapidly differentiating early spermatids are highly mutable and radiosensitive. Later, after the major structural modifications of the cell have been accomplished, the immotile intermediate and late spermatids exhibit a low mutability. Finally, in the terminal step in their differentiation the spermatids acquire motility, thereby becoming transformed into functional spermatozoa whose mutability is simultaneously reset to a high level.
Discrete-time corrections to spin-flip frequencies of a confined electron

By considering a spinning electron confined to a one-dimensional box in an external magnetic field, we calculate the discrete-time contribution to the spin-flip frequency in an external magnetic field. For low field, we find the discrete-time fractional correction is field independent, while, for high field, it becomes field dependent.
Cisplatin resistance in cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase mutants.

Abstract The emergence of cisplatin resistance poses a major problem to the successful treatment of a variety of human malignancies. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie cisplatin resistance could significantly improve the clinical efficacy of this cytotoxic agent. Various studies have described that cellular sensitivity to cisplatin can he influenced by several signal transduction pathways. In this review, we examine the role of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) in the modulation of drug resistance in cancer. By a somatic mutant genetic approach, the role of PKA in the development of resistance to chemotherapeutic agents has been investigated. A series of mutants with decreased PKA activity was examined for their sensitivity to cisplatin. PKA mutants with defective regulatory (RIα) subunits, but not altered catalytic (C) subunits, exhibit increased resistance to cisplatin, as well as other DNA-damaging agents. Furthermore, since RIα subunit mutants show enhanced DNA repair we, therefore, hypothesize that functional inactivation of PKA may result in increased recognition and repair of cisplatin lesions. Alternatively, it seems likely that mutation of the RIα subunit may affect cellular sensitivity to various anticancer drugs, suggesting that the RIα subunit may have other physiological functions in addition to inhibiting the kinase activity of the C subunit. Therefore, exploitation of cyclic AMP levels or functional alteration of the R subunit may potentiate the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents and circumvent drug resistance in cancer. More importantly, the altered pattern and mechanism of drug resistance may offer the opportunity to investigate novel regulatory functions of the RIα subunit of PKA.
The histochemistry of the moulting cycle in Gammarus pulex (Crustacea, Amphipoda)

The structure and formation of the cuticle of Gammarus pulex L. is described and is found to be basically similar to that of decapod Crustacea. A scheme for designating stages in the moulting cycle is given. The principal food reserve is lipoid which is stored in the digestive gland and extensive adipose connective tissue. Glycogen is stored only in slight quantities, if at all, in intermoult animals, but appears in connective tissues, muscle sarcoplasm and epidermis during pre-moult. During pre-moult the muscle sarcoplasm forms an additional site for storing lipoid, which also appears in the epidermis. Following a moult the quantities of lipoid in muscle sarcoplasm and epidermis, and of glycogen in all sites, decline as the new cuticle approaches completion. Calcium is not stored. Animals fed on an enriched diet will store glycogen in all storage sites during intermoult. It is concluded that the lipoid and glycogen appearing in the epidermis are utilized in the formation of the new integument. The possible function of the tegumental glands in the Peracarida is discussed.