cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of attentional focus on movement accuracy in an immersive and interactive virtual reality environment.

Abstract The effects of attentional focus (AF) instruction were examined in a reciprocal aiming task implemented in a 3-dimensional, fully immersive virtual environment (VE). Within the VE, participants (N = 19) moved a cube between two targets at two paces (750 ms and 500 ms) while being asked to focus externally (EXF) and internally (INF). Performance accuracy was measured as two-dimensional error and its variability between the center of the target to the center of the cube and one-dimensional bias (undershooting/overshooting behavior in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions). The results indicated better performance, specifically greater accuracy and lower one-dimensional bias in the anteroposterior direction when adopting an EXF compared to an INF. Our findings reveal that the beneficial effects of an EXF on motor performance are not restricted movements within physical environments only but also work in VE. This has implications for rehabilitation and training protocols in VE.
Changes in Test Volumes during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Laboratory Stewardship Opportunity.

CONTEXT.­: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) changed the dynamics of health care delivery, shifting patient priorities and deferring care perceived as less urgent. Delayed or eliminated care may place patients at risk for adverse outcomes. OBJECTIVE.­: To identify opportunities for laboratory test stewardship to close potential gaps in care created by the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN.­: The study was a retrospective time series design examining laboratory services received before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at a large metropolitan health system serving women and children. RESULTS.­: Laboratory test volumes displayed 3 distinct patterns: (1) a decrease during state lockdown, followed by near-complete or complete recovery; (2) no change; and (3) a persistent decrease. Tests that diagnose or monitor chronic illness recovered only partially. For example, hemoglobin A1c initially declined 80% (from 2232 for April 2019 to 452 for April 2020), and there was a sustained 16% drop (28-day daily average 117 at August 30, 2019, to 98 at August 30, 2020) 4 months later. Blood lead dropped 39% (from 2158 for April 2019 to 1314 for April 2020) and remained 23% lower after 4 months. CONCLUSIONS.­: The pandemic has taken a toll on patients, practitioners, and health systems. Laboratory professionals have access to data that can provide insight into clinical practice and identify pandemic-related gaps in care. During the pandemic, the biggest patient threat is underuse, particularly among tests to manage chronic diseases and for traditionally underserved communities and people of color. A laboratory stewardship program, focused on peri-pandemic care, positions pathologists and other laboratory professionals as health care leaders with a commitment to appropriate, equitable, and efficient care.
AN ECONOMIC STUDY OF EVOLUTION OF EXPENDITURE ON FOOD IN EGYPT'S URBAN

Abstract The anent teseuth aims at conderang a arnmeathe Mash m the <settee pan area consumption ot major groups of foal and dais between the years (1999/2000) pro (20092O06) 01 listen anus (se. canna and Dead. meat Ash, nut dad .931 dstNe Het NOS. Ms Ad the, trues. vegthaltha SW( ard stheteners, and rethakolthe ttherages). Hawser, the current rematch alms at measuring the relarthathe Women the value of areadethe of the Moethrnenthred Werth as to deperekre variable and the oarmardthe espencryare as the indtmonPent variable apart*, and thos clamming the emendtsre daththy trateks limestamdre the ma Mthatant Was affectlng the ethenditure on food and drink (I.e. the pa capta theme the tan* gm, the Ned status M the heed <t househdd, the <anemic achy of the heed of Mudd, the sector in AMA the hag of thoselscid world, the prothiral seta of the head of Ithisettakt and dm main momadon of the head <I housetelth. However, Me main results of the current study Irritate the kthrning: - The Meal reel metheethe esperriture dedined by Meth 22.1% to been the Mare (1999/2000) and (20(92005). Moreover, the total emensliture cm food and des: deckled by atmA 14.1% betheen the two years. - The coethdent cidetarthroton Inthastod that stout 83%99%N the charges In emendtute on Meant wawa d fond and 00* In the you (1999M M), besides abut 919699% of the ethendlthe on these MOMS in (20092006) vas doe to Moths in the Seed ci Othramethe ethendure (theme). - Acceding to the seethed results and the other= d9 b1 =nor* dossikadth fm the eaTendere dotheity, bead and conk, ON and lath and vegetal* =mars, commodltes. On the Mom hand, moth fa), mak eking wen choose and eggs, fed, sow and sweeteners, and fromathothac bererages fife considered as sernanthessary thentredthes In the same the teens, rte. - The most Instant Maas deeding the emencliture on load and drank for the year (199912000) Were the per Mee Income the main oamparfen of the head el Ithisencad, the elmstenal status of the bead d tausetat to ecominic *MAD Of the haul <4 hussethid, the moths/ status of the head d Muted, the soda In Math the head cf housethal woad, and the tamely Me, resthethes% As foe the year (21:04/2006), ,I"Kne fathom woe the pee mita thane, the family the, the eduathrel Paths rd the Mad of thesehold, the sedge In thirds the head of hadehold works, the make cempadan at the haul d hausehokt, the practhei status <I the head cl thesehold, and the theme* wooly <4 the head of housethid, respeedwdy.
How Good Was the Gold Standard

In this chapter, I compare the economic performance on the gold standard to that under central banking based on the growth and stability of prices and real production. I find that the Fed has not obviously outperformed the market-based gold standard. The price level was more predictable prior to the creation of the Fed, and the rate of inflation was lower. Real GDP growth was higher on the market-based gold standard, while the volatility of real GDP growth has been marginally lower under the post-war Fed. Financial markets were volatile prior to the creation of the Fed, but they have been even more volatile in the time since.
Fast ordering of large categorical datasets for visualization

An important issue in visualizing categorical data is how to order categorical values -- non-numeric values that do not have a natural ordering, which makes it difficult to map them to visual coordinates. The focus of this paper is on constructing categorical orderings efficiently without compromising their visual quality. In order to avoid the inherent intractability of previous discrete formulations, we consider a continuous relaxation of the problem solvable exactly using the spectral method. The latter is based on computing certain algebraic information about the similarity matrix of the dataset. However, even computing the similarity matrix itself is prohibitive for large datasets. In order to achieve greater efficiency, we propose a new multi-level scheme based on an approximate representation of the matrix. We show that it sufficient to compute only a small portion of the matrix of size linear in the number of objects, as opposed to quadratic, to guarantee a small probability of approximation error. Thus an effective ordering can be constructed without actually having to compute {\it most} pairwise similarities of values. Experiments have been conducted to qualitatively verify the effectiveness of resulting visualizations.
The malaria triad.

Excerpt Periodic chills with fever,1, 2, 3splenomegaly,4, 5and anemia6have been traditionally recognized and taught7, 8, 9as the diagnostic triad of malaria. Even the most recent publications conti...
Ongoing Attention to Injurious Inpatient Falls and Pressure Ulcers.

the dose-response association between sodium intake and outcomes.1,2 On the other hand, limited precision does dilute regression estimates, and this might have weakened the association with the outcomes of interest in our study. We also agree that statistical powerwas limited in thehigh sodium intake group.We categorized sodium intake using cutoff points driven by the current US recommendations to facilitate clinical interpretation.Wewouldhave liked to analyze a veryhigh sodium intake subgroup, but the number of participants was too small to provide stable estimates. The small numbers in the very high sodium subgroup are potentially related to underestimation of sodium intakewith FFQ. On the other hand, thedose-response association across the rangeof reported intakes is evident in the spline graph (Figure 1) provided in the main article.3 Thepoint about potassium is important and supportedby the recently reported findings fromO’Donnell andcolleagues.2 To address this comment, we evaluated self-reported potassium intake in our cohort. The median daily intake was 2750 mg (2130-3500mg/d),which is comparable toother cohorts.2,4 However,wedidnotobserveanysignificantassociation (either crudeoradjusted)betweenself-reportedpotassiumintakeand risk ofmortality, cardiovascular disease, or heart failure in the HealthABCStudy (unpublisheddata).Thismayhavetodowith the limitationsof self-reportingasdiscussedabove,orwith the fact that our cohort consists of considerably older participants comparedwith the aforementioned cohorts.2,4 Of note, sodium and potassium intakes were estimated using an FFQ in the study by Umesawa and colleagues.4 Weagree that changingdietaryhabitsover timecouldhave led to regression dilution in our cohort. Without multiple dietary assessments, we are not able to rule this out. However, after explicit testing,we did not observe any time-dependent effects of baseline dietary sodium intake on study outcomes. Finally, we agree that high sodium intake has important physiologic effects. However, the increase in monocytes observedbyYi and colleagueswas evident only in the 12-g/d salt group,5 which corresponds to twice the amount of the currently recommended intake for the general population. Similarly, the high sodium intake group in the study by Zhou and colleagues6 was consuming 15 g/d of salt. These data actually are in concordancewith the aforementioned large-scale studies that observed association with harm only at dietary sodium intake levels exceeding 4000 mg/d,1,2 highlighting the need for prospective clinical trials to establish optimal sodium intake levels.
The conditional emotional response as a model of Pavlovian conditioning.

Many investigators have assumed that the conditional emotional response (CER) with its attendant response measure, response suppression, can be used as a model for Pavlovian conditioning; that is, that the experimental results obtained with the CER will yield findings similar to those obtained with the direct conditional stimulus (CS)-conditional response (CR) paradigm,e.g., conditioning of the eyeblink, electro-dermal (EDR), finger withdrawal,etc. Several problems, however, have emerged with this assumption. The first is a methodologic-statistical one. Measurement of response suppression using the familiar ratio measure assumes that different base rates of responding should play no role in determining the size of the suppression ratio, and operant responding from one pre-CS period to another will remain stable. These assumptions have been found to be in error. In addition, the statistical assumptions of normally distributed data and homogenous variances of the experimental and control groups also have been called to question. Some experimenters, however; have taken the position that if CER and direct CS-CR experimental findings are in general agreement when a particular conditioning variable has been manipulated, the methodologic-statistical problems that we have identified can be ignored. The experimental evidence suggests that although such comparisons frequently indicate an identity of findings, there are sufficient exceptions in which caution is urged in assuming that the two paradigms are measuring the same learning correlate.
Fifth-year Performance of Progenies of Selected South African Slash and Loblolly Pine Clones

SYNOPSIS Control-pollinated polymix progenies of nine slash pine (P. elliottii Engelm.) and 10 loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) pine from some of the best clones in a South African tree improvement programme were tested in Georgia. Overall, the progenies of the South African selections in both species have done well after five years in the field. One of the slash pine and three of the loblolly pine families were better than open-pollinated progeny from established seed orchards.
Cumulative experience with a simplified solid-phase radioimmunoassay for the detection of bound antiplatelet IgG, serum auto-, allo-, and drug-dependent antibodies.

A simplified, sensitive, solid-phase radioimmunoassay employing 125I- staphylococcal protein A has been developed that is capable of detecting bound antiplatelet IgG as well as serum auto-, allo-, and drug-dependent antiplatelet antibodies. The simplified assay employs a ratio of test over control platelet counts per minute (cpm) for detection of positive results. All reagents are commercially available. The assay can be performed with as little as 10(6) washed platelets (10 microliters of whole blood) that have been stored for as long as 8 wk at 4 degrees C in microtiter plates. The assay time, employing stored platelets, is 4 hr. Bound platelet IgG is positive in 93% of 46 thrombocytopenic patients with autoimmune disease and correlates inversely with their platelet count, r = -0.65, p less than 0.001. The ability of this assay to detect serum antibody was studied with a rabbit anti-human platelet antibody capable of giving optimal immunoprecipitation with solubilized platelet membranes at a tier of 1:10. The present assay increases the sensitivity of antibody detection 256-fold to a titer of 1:2560. Human serum antiplatelet membrane antibody was positive in 2 of 2 patients with anti-PLA-1 antibody (titers of 1:256 and greater than 1:64); 7 of 12 multiply transfused patients who were refractory to platelet transfusion (2 had titers of greater than 1:256 and greater than 1:32); 5 of 19 patients with autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (2 had titers of 1:64 and 1:32); and 10 of 14 patients with clinical histories of drug-dependent antiplatelet antibody (2 had titers of 1:1280 for quinidine and 1:384 for phenazopyridine).
Contagious Coronal Heating from Recurring Emergence of Magnetic Flux

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the contagious coronal heating from the recurring emergence of magnetic flux. There are two ways by which the body of the corona (the magnetically closed part not rooted in coronal holes) is heated via its magnetic field. One is by dissipation of nonpotential magnetic energy built up in the field by convection driving of its feet and/or by interaction of the extant magnetic field with emerging fields. The other way is by the absorption of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves, energetic particles, and/or hot plasma that enter from below, generated by photospheric turbulence or finescale magnetic activity (microflaring) in the chromosphere and transition region. The accommodation of localized newly emerged field within an old active region entails far-reaching adjustments in the 3D magnetic field throughout the active region and in surrounding fields in which the active region is embedded. An episode of contagious heating in indirectly impacted fields is like a confined flare, only weaker and slower, waxing and waning over many hours. The heating in these events comes from the body of the loops rather than from the feet because the events are flare-like and apparently occur in response to the remote emerging flux.
Auditory discrimination of seismic signals from earthquakes and explosions

Abstract Magnetic tape recordings of short-period seismic signals from approximately 200 earthquakes and explosions were time-compressed by a factor of up to 512 to shift seismic frequencies to the audible range. These seismic data include the inhomogeneities introduced by substantial variations in the locations of sources and receivers (world-wide), propagation path length (32 to 7000 km), and source magnitude ( M = 0.5 to M = 6.5). Subjects were trained with a representative set of the “seismic sounds.” Auditory experiments were conducted to determine the ability of the human auditory system to distinguish between seismic signals from earthquakes and explosions. The results of the experiments suggest that a trained listener can identify approximately two-thirds of the seismic sounds presented, where one half corresponds to chance performance.
A comparative study of p-type diffusion in III-V compound semiconductors

In this paper, the different behavior of zinc diffusion in GaAs and InP is described. The diffusion technique used in this study was a semi-sealed quartz bottle containing diffusion charges and GaAs or InP wafers. The basic requirement for zinc diffusion in these materials is to provide an overpressure ambient so that decomposition at the diffusion temperature can be avoided. For InP, a small amount of InP powder along with zinc in the diffusion charge was required in order to avoid the decomposition at the diffusion temperature of about 600/spl deg/C. For GaAs, however, no GaAs powder was needed in the diffusion charge. Only pure zinc was required for producing heavily doped P-layer at the diffusion temperature of about 500/spl deg/C.
Party Linkages and Economic Policy: An Examination of Indira Gandhi's India

We know from observation that some democracies intervene deeply in their domestic economies while others adopt a more laissez faire approach. Can we explain these differences solely with ideology, or are other political influences also at work? I argue in this paper that elected leaders sometimes opt for hefty economic regulation purely to generate sources of patronage that can be used to maintain their political positions. Leaders are most tempted to take this approach, I contend, when their political parties are not stably linked to sources of electoral support. Unstably linked governing parties will tend to have very short time horizons, focusing on the immediate objective of avoiding massive vote losses in the next election. As a result, they will be less concerned with the potential future damage that a patronage-based policy may inflict on the national economy. I find support for this argument with a close examination of Indian economic policy under Indira Gandhi. Prime Minister Gandhi, I contend, increased the Indian state's control over trade, industrial production, and credit allocation just as the Congress Party's linkages to the electorate were destabilizing.
Atmospheric and Tributary Inputs of Toxic Substances to Lake Erie

Abstract This paper reports an evaluation of the input of toxic chemicals to Lake Erie in precipitation, in particle and vapor dry deposition, in the Detroit River, and in other Canadian and U.S. tributaries. Results are shown for 13 toxic chemicals for which all or nearly all of these input pathways could be evaluated. The percentage of direct atmospheric contributions relative to total input to Lake Erie calculated for the 13 species are: PCBs, 26%, PAHs, 21%; benzo-a-pyrene, 66%; hexachlorobenzene, 9%; 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 2%; 2,3,7,8-TCDF, 38%; mercury, 22%; lead, 23%; cadmium, 59%; chromium, 17%; arsenic, 8%; dieldrin, 34%; DDT, 29%. For most species the Detroit River was the major input pathway. Vapor phase fluxes out of the lake are indicated for mercury, and for several organic chemicals. Volatilization of PCBs, DDT, and mercury out of the lake is reduced in winter relative to summer, and the vapor flux of PAHs changes direction from volatilization in summer to deposition in winter. The main conclusion of this study is that atmospheric input to Lake Erie may be a significant contributor of certain toxic chemicals.
Gender differences in old age in ratings of aggression/assertiveness

No gender differences appeared in personality ratings of aggression/assertiveness when separate rating scales were used to rate extensive interview and test material on elderly women and men. Men were rated significantly lower in aggression on a scale created to rate women than on a scale created to rate men, and men tended to be rated as less aggressive than women on the female scale. For women, aggression was apparent in their accounts of current activities, while in men aggression was more often apparent in their renditions of past-life activities. Gender differences were most apparent in verbal aggression in interpersonal interactions. Findings are consistent with the possibility of age-related decline in aggression in men.
A Comparison of H-Infinity With Kalman Filtering in Parameter Identification

The authors perform a thorough investigation of the extended H-infinity and Kalman filters based on results from stiffness estimation experiments. The paper uses the time-varying tolerance method to tune the H-infinity filter. Exploring similarities in the associated Riccati equations, the authors also propose a new approach for tuning the Kalman filter. The experimental results show that the H-infinity outperforms the Kalman filter along a wide range of tuning parameter values.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Evaluation of the mutagenic activity of some phenanthroisoquinolines in Salmonella typhimurium

Abstract The mutagenic activity of 3 aza-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are suspected of being environmental pollutants, was assessed using the the Salmonella assay. The compounds tested were phenanthro[9,10-g]isoquinoline, phenanthro[2,3-h]isoquinoline, and phenanthro[3,2-h]isoquinoline. None of the compound was mutagenic in the absence of S9, but all were mutagenic in the presence of S9.
Emigration and development in Southern Africa, with special reference to Lesotho.

The introduction defines development and describes the scope of the paper. Section two briefly describes the historical evolution of [labor] migration in southern Africa the ambiguities of data and recent quantitative trends. Section three discusses alternative theoretical perspectives. Section four examines the case of Lesotho as an extreme example of a sending country and provides occasional allusions to other southern African sending countries. Section five concludes that the most important effect of [labor] migration on development in southern Africa has been to trade short run income benefits for long run development difficulties. (EXCERPT)
An analysis of the assay of rous sarcoma cells in vitro by the infective center technique

Abstract Only about 10% of the cells in chick embryo cultures which are infected with high concentrations of Rous sarcoma virus produce typical Rous sarcoma foci when the cells are transferred to a normal culture. The proportion of cells which produce foci may rise sharply if the plating is delayed for a day or two after infection and carried out under optimal conditions. It can be shown that this rise is not due to the infection of normal cells in the culture by virus released from infected cells. On the contrary, it appears that cells which are plated for focus formation within a few hours after infection have a low probability for initiating a focus, but this probability rises if the plating is delayed until 1 or 2 days after infection. The increased probability for focus formation by an infected cell associated with the lengthened interval between infection and plating is apparently due to the greater chance that cells infected for a day or more will either produce virus during a critical period after plating or will multiply to produce progeny cells with a characteristic morphology. The direct infectivity assay of the free virus itself is probably inefficient to about the same extent as the assay of freshly infected cells, and methods are suggested for arriving at more accurate estimates of the number of infective particles in a preparation. Cytochemical evidence supports the view that the proportion of cells actually infected is higher than that revealed by plating the cells soon after infection. The same observations suggest that early stages of infection are associated with aberrant synthesis of ribonucleic acid.
Homework self-regulation: Grade, gender, and achievement-level differences

Abstract The study examined differences in students' reported homework value, motivation, and metacognitive strategy use during homework completion among two grades, gender, and three achievement levels. Differences among six homework self-regulation constructs (utility value, intrinsic value, effort, persistence, planning, and self-checking) were also examined. Participants were 330 seventh and 407 eleventh graders from a metropolitan city in China. Chinese students' reported self-regulated learning during homework declined from middle to high school. Whereas students rated utility value and effort high, intrinsic value and self-checking were rated low. Male and female students did not differ in homework self-regulation. Achievement-level differences in homework self-regulation were found in seventh graders, but not in eleventh graders. The pattern of Chinese students' reported homework value, motivation, and metacognitive strategy use were discussed, and instructional implications were offered.
Racial/ethnic Differences in Body Mass Index: The Roles of Beliefs about Thinness and Dietary Restriction

Abstract The greater BMI of African American relative to Caucasian women is implicated in racial/ethnic disparities in health outcomes. The principal aim of the current study was to evaluate a theoretical account of racial/ethnic differences in BMI. Thin-ideal internalization, the perceived romantic appeal of thinness, dietary restriction, weight, and height were assessed via self-report measures on a sample of female undergraduates of African American ( n = 140) and Caucasian ( n = 676) race/ethnicity. Using structural equation modeling, support was obtained for the primary hypothesis that racial/ethnic differences in BMI are explained by Caucasian women's greater thin-ideal internalization and perceived romantic appeal of thinness, thereby resulting in greater levels of dietary restriction. Current findings illustrate the potential for racial/ethnic differences in sociocultural standards of appearance to influence racial/ethnic disparities in physical health, of which BMI is a marker, via effects on weight control behavior.
Influence of Flumioxazin Rate and Herbicide Combinations on Weed Control in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Abstract Field studies were conducted during 1997 and 1998 at three different locations in Georgia to determine peanut and weed response to pendimethalin at 1.1 kg ai/ha applied preplantincorporated (PPI) followed by flumioxazin at 71, 87, and 105 g ai/ha applied preemergence (PRE). Other residual treatments combinations with pendimethalin PPI included flumioxazin mixed with metolachlor or dimethenamid PRE, diclosulam PRE, norflurazon PRE, and imazapic applied postemergence (POST). Herbicide combinations that included flumioxazin controlled Florida beggarweed, tropic croton, and small flower morningglory at least 78% or greater. Late season Florida beggarweed control was 90% or greater with pendimethalin PPI plus flumioxazin at 87 to 105 g/ha applied PRE. Pendimethalin plus flumioxazin did not control sicklepod or yellow nutsedge. Smallflower morningglory control with all herbicide treatments was 90% or greater. Entireleaf morningglory control (when used in combination with pendimethalin PPI) increased fr...
Evaluation of a Group Program Designed to Increase Androgyny in Feminine Women.

The effectiveness of a group treatment program designed to increase androgyny in feminine women was examined. The full treatment (FT) incorporated the principles of assertiveness training and consciousness raising, and was compared to a discussion-orientated alternate treatment (DO) and a wait-list control (WL). Fifty-one female subjects who scored “feminine” on the Bem Sex-Role Inventory participated in this study. Pre- and posttreatment measures of sex-role orientation, assertiveness, and the attainment of individual goals were obtained. Two-month and 1-year follow-up data were also collected. At the posttest, the FT group was more assertive than the DO and WL groups, and higher than the WL group in the attainment of individual goals. No posttest differences were found among the groups on sex-role orientation. These findings were reversed by the 2-month follow-up such that the FT was more androgynous and more masculine than the WL group, while the differences between groups in assertiveness and personal goal attainment had dissipated. The 1-year follow-up revealed the FT group to be superior to the WL group in androgyny, masculinity, and assertiveness.
Outreach programs in physics at Hampton University

The Department of Physics at Hampton University generates over 4.5 M dollars of external research funding annually and operates three research centers, the Nuclear High Energy Physics Research Center, the Research Center for Optical Physics, and the Center for Fusion Training and Research. An integral component of these centers is an active outreach and recruitment program led by the Associate Director for Outreach. This program includes summer internships and research mentorships, both at Hampton University and at national laboratories such as CEBAF and NASA Langley. Faculty presentations ar local area elementary schools, middle schools and high schools are also under the auspices of this program.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Experimental transmission of US scrapie agent by nasal, peritoneal, and conjunctival routes to genetically susceptible sheep.

Scrapie is a naturally occurring fatal neurodegenerative disease of sheep and goats. This study documents incubation periods, pathologic findings, and distribution of abnormal prion proteins (PrPSc) by immunohistochemistry in tissues of genetically susceptible sheep inoculated with US sheep scrapie agent. Four-month-old Suffolk lambs (QQ at codon 171) were inoculated by 1 of 3 different routes (nasal, peritoneal, and conjunctival) with an inoculum (No. 13–7) consisting of a pool of scrapie-affected sheep brains. Except for 3 sheep, all inoculated animals were euthanized when advanced clinical signs of scrapie were observed between 19 and 46 months postinoculation (MPI). Spongiform lesions in the brains and labeling of PrPSc in central nervous system and lymphoid tissues were present in these sheep. One intranasally inoculated sheep euthanized at 12 MPI had presence of PrPSc that was confined to the pharyngeal tonsil. These results indicate that the upper respiratory tract, specifically the pharyngeal tons...
Analysis of heuristics for job sequencing in manufacturing flow line work-cells

Abstract This paper addresses the problem of sequencing a set of n similar jobs through a Group Technology (GT)-structured flow line work-cell that is comprised of m dissimilar machines. The sequencing problem considers the factors of treating set-up times separately from processing times, finite buffers between machines, and piece-by-piece continuous flow processing. Sequencing heuristics are evaluated with the objective of minimizing the maximum flow time or makespan for a set of jobs—a practical criterion for processing a set of jobs in a Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing environment where parts are only processed to satisfy order-driven assembly requirements. Three new heuristics and four existing heuristics are presented and evaluated for both small and large problems. Numerical results show that while a branch-and-bound algorithm with a breadth-first search rule and sequence-dominance elimination yields the exact solution of small problems within a reasonable time, a random permutation heuristic is typically the best sequencing strategy for medium-to-large problems in terms of solution accuracy and computational time. The results of this research can be easily embodied in a PC-based sequencing tool for shop floor managers who need to sequence daily JIT production requirements, and determine the minimum make-span and corresponding labor requirements for each work-cell.
In vivo comparison of kinetics of saline and ICG for the detection of normal and tumor tissue using NIR diffuse optical technique

We investigated the kinetics of a bolus intravenous administrated normal saline by using near-infrared diffuse optical technique, and compared it with the kinetics of a non-targeted contrast agent indocyanine green (ICG) on small animal tumor model. Two-compartment model was used to fit the dynamic curves at early stage, which considered saline and ICG as either a negative or positive contrast agent. The purposes of the designed experiment reported here are to (1) study the effect of saline administration on optical pharmacokinetics; (2) investigate the possibility of using normal saline as contrast agent for the study of tumor pathophysiology. The study indicates that saline has different contrast mechanism as ICG, and saline can provide enough optical contrast for the tumor kinetic study.
Capping Ligands as Selectivity Switchers in Hydrogenation Reactions

We systematically investigated the role of surface modification of nanoparticles catalyst in alkyne hydrogenation reactions and proposed the general explanation of effect of surface ligands on the selectivity and activity of Pt and Co/Pt nanoparticles (NPs) using experimental and computational approaches. We show that the proper balance between adsorption energetics of alkenes at the surface of NPs as compared to that of capping ligands defines the selectivity of the nanocatalyst for alkene in alkyne hydrogenation reaction. We report that addition of primary alkylamines to Pt and CoPt3 NPs can drastically increase selectivity for alkene from 0 to more than 90% with ∼99.9% conversion. Increasing the primary alkylamine coverage on the NP surface leads to the decrease in the binding energy of octenes and eventual competition between octene and primary alkylamines for adsorption sites. At sufficiently high coverage of catalysts with primary alkylamine, the alkylamines win, which prevents further hydrogenation...
Problems with Value-Added Evaluations of Teachers? Let Me Count the Ways!

In the United States, but not only here, the movement to evaluate teachers based on student test scores has received powerful political and parental support. The logic is simple. From one testing occasion to another students should show growth in their knowledge and skill. Similar types of students should show similar patterns of growth. Those students that show more growth than the average must have the better teachers, while those that show less growth than the average must have poorer teachers. If the value added by teachers to students' knowledge and skill, as measured by the students' test score growth is quite large, those teachers can be rewarded. If the value added is quite small, those teachers should be fired and replaced by better teachers. This simple and logical approach to teacher evaluation is, however, impossible to do fairly, reliably, and validly, but is nevertheless increasingly being used throughout the country. Here are my views on what is wrong with value-added models of teacher eval...
Study of the clinical thermoluminescent dosimeter in the direct measurement of radiation absorbed dose for radioimmunotherapy

One of the major obstacles facing radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is the lack of a device to measure directly tumor and normal tissue radiation absorbed dose. Calculations based on the clearance and imaging scans have several limitations; hence we design and fabricate a sheathed clinical thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) for the measurement of absorbed dose by implantation in humans. Preclinical studies are performed in nine normal rabbits. Complete blood count, body temperature monitoring, clinical observation and necropsy show no untoward effects from the TLD. Consistent bone marrow radiation doses are noted in the four rabbits receiving 131I-labeled monoclonal antibody A6H. By using up to 20 clinical TLDs in one sheath, it will be possible to determine macroscopic heterogeneities in organs undergoing RIT.
A combined alkali extraction--ethidium bromide technique for the measurement of DNA in small pieces of tissue.

Alkaline solutions (0.1–0.5N NaOH) at elevated temperatures can be used to extract DNA from small pieces of tissue. RNA is destroyed by the treatment. In tissues which have been previously exposed to tritiated thymidine, aliquots from the extracting solution can be used directly for the determination of DNA by ethidium bromide fluorescence and radioactivity in both DNA and the nucleotide pool.
Theory of draw resonance: Part II. Power-law and maxwell fluids

Employing the same kinematic wave theory used in the previous paper on Newtonian fluids (Part I), draw resonance in isothermal spinning is solved analytically for both power law and Maxwell fluids. The critical drawdown ratios at the onset of draw resonance are again found by equating twice the throughput wave residence time to the thread-line residence time yielding the same results reported by others through numerical calculations (Pearson and Shah, 1974; Fisher and Denn, 1976), thus confirming the premise that draw resonance is the result of the propagation of throughput waves.
WHEN UNPLANNED ACUTE HOSPITAL ATTENDANCE IS APPROPRIATE: DEVELOPING A PATHWAY TO FACILITATE URGENT HOSPITAL REVIEW OF PATIENTS ATTENDING A SPECIALIST PALLIATIVE CARE DAY UNIT

Background Specialist palliative care services are increasingly accessed by people in the early stages of a life-limiting illness, when functional status may be good and treatment aimed at prolonging life. Whilst avoidance of inappropriate hospital attendance for these patients is desirable, the value of appropriate hospital attendance should be recognised. We report an audit that appraised and developed the referral process from a specialist palliative care day unit to a local acute hospital for patients with suspected acute medical emergencies. Method A retrospective case-note audit was carried out of all emergency referrals made from a specialist palliative care day unit to a local acute NHS trust over a three-month period. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to explore: the frequency of, and reasons for, emergency referral; association with primary disease type; the action taken by the acute hospital receiving team; documentation of the event; and clinical outcomes. Results We identified nine referrals, equating to 1.3% of day hospice attendances, with all patients having a primary diagnosis of cancer. Reasons for referral (and frequency) included clinical suspicion of: pulmonary embolism; acute cardiac ischaemia; and sepsis. Seven episodes led to hospital admission (length of stay 2–14 days), with all patients subsequently being discharged home. Communication between palliative and acute services was comprehensive at the time of referral, but lacking at the time of discharge. Discussion This audit highlights the importance of recognising and taking steps to appropriately manage emergency medical problems in a specialist palliative care patient population. Such problems might occur with increasing frequency as access to specialist palliative care services for those with early-stage disease expands. The results have been used to develop a robust process that uses effective partnership working and communication between palliative and acute services to facilitate appropriate hospital assessment, investigation and treatment.
A distribution-free rank-like test for scale with unequal population locations

The properties of a distribution-free rank-like test proposed by Moses (1963) for the twosample scale problem is studied and a modification of the test using Savage scores is proposed. It is shown that this rank-like test is superior to commonly used rank tests for scale in that it:(1) does not require the estimation of any location or centrality parameter, (2) does not require equal or known location parameters, (3) is robust for skewed data, (4) is resolving and (5) has some significant power advantages. The test is shown to be asymptotically normal, and asymptotic relative efficiencies are calculated. Power properties, studied via simulation, indicate that the test is especially well suited for testing for equality of scale when the data are sampled from skewed populations with unequal medians. Extensions to the J-sample problem are indicated.
Multiple nonstoichiometric phases with discrete composition ranges in the CaAu5-CaAu4Bi-BiAu2 system. A case study of the chemistry of spinodal decomposition.

Synthetic explorations in the CaAu5−CaAu4Bi−BiAu2 system at 400 °C reveal five separate solid solution regions that show three distinct substitution patterns in the CaAu5 parent: (I) CaAu4(Au1−mBim) with 0 ≤ m ≤ 0.15(1), (II) 0.33(1) ≤ m ≤ 0.64(1), (III) 0.85(4) ≤ m ≤ 0.90(2); (IV) (Ca1−rAur)Au4(Bi1−sAus) with 0 ≤ r ≤ 0.39(1) and 0 ≤ s ≤ 0.12(2); (V) (Ca1−p−qAupBiq)Au4Bi with 0.09(2) ≤ p ≤ 0.13(1) and 0.31(2) ≤ q ≤ 0.72(4). Single crystal X-ray studies establish that all of these phase regions have common cubic symmetry F43m and that their structures (MgCu4Sn-type, an ordered derivative of MgCu2) all feature three-dimensional networks of Au4 tetrahedra, in which the truncated tetrahedra are centered and capped by Ca/Au, Au/Bi, or Ca/Au/Bi mixtures to give 16-atom Friauf polyhedra. TB-LMTO-ASA and -COHP calculations also reveal that direct interactions between Ca−Au and Ca−Bi pairs of atoms are relatively weak and that the Bi−Au interactions in the unstable ideal CaAu4Bi are antibonding in character at EF...
Neural specificity of elav expression: defining a Drosophila promoter for directing expression to the nervous system.

: The Drosophila melanogaster vital gene, embryonic lethal abnormal visual system (elav), is required for the postdeterminative development of the nervous system. Its gene product encodes an RNA binding protein that was found to be expressed in all neurons right after their birth. This specific, ubiquitous, and continuous pattern of neural expression has led to the increasingly popular use of ELAV protein as a neural-specific marker. To understand the molecular basis of this neural-specific expression, we have defined and analyzed the structure of the elav promoter. Cis-acting sequences important for conferring the neural specificity of elav expression were identified by analyzing the reporter gene expression in transformants carrying different elav-β-galactosidase fusion, genes. This analysis delimits a 333-bp region (−92 to +241) that is necessary for specifying the elav pattern of nervous system expression. A 3.5-kb promoter fragment encompassing this region was designed for targeting gene expression specifically to the nervous system and would be a useful tool for the analysis of nervous system function.
Improving Adoptive T Cell Therapy by Targeting and Controlling IL-12 Expression to the Tumor Environment

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is an important immunostimulatory cytokine, yet its clinical application has been limited by the systemic toxicity associated with its administration. In this work, we developed a strategy to selectively deliver IL-12 to the tumor environment using genetically engineered lymphocytes. However, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) transduced with a γ-retroviral vector, which constitutively expressed IL-12, failed to expand in culture due to apoptosis. To circumvent this problem, a vector was designed where IL-12 expression was directed by a composite promoter-containing binding motifs for nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT.hIL12.PA2). The NFAT-responsive promoter was activated to drive IL-12 expression upon the recognition of tumor-specific antigen mediated by a T cell receptor (TCR) that was engineered into the same lymphocytes. We tested the efficacy of the inducible IL-12 vector in vivo in a murine melanoma model. Adoptive transfer of pmel-1 T cells genetically engineered with NFAT-murineIL12 (NFAT.mIL12.PA2) significantly enhanced regression of large established B16 melanoma. Notably, this targeted and controlled IL-12 treatment was without toxicity. Taken together, our results suggest that using the NFAT.hIL12.PA2 vector might be a promising approach to enhance adoptive cancer immunotherapy.
A model for the description and evaluation of technical problem solving

Tape-recorded weekly protocols were gathered from three different engineers engaged on the same problem in a three-way parallel R&D project. Based on these protocols and a post-project interview with each engineer, a model of the individual technical problem solving process is developed. The model is in the form of a process flow chart and details the engineer's interaction with sources of technical information. The results of the study indicate that the problem solver need not view the process as one in which the best solution is to be found for a fixed problem. Often the best approach lies in the direction of adapting to existing solutions the criteria which must be met.
17β-Estradiol inhibits soluble guanylate cyclase activity through a protein tyrosine phosphatase in PC12 cells

Besides its involvement in reproductive functions, estrogen protects against the development of cardiovascular diseases. The guanylate cyclase/cGMP system is known to exert potent effects on the regulation of blood pressure and electrolyte balance. We examined whether 17β-estradiol can affect soluble guanylate cyclase in PC12 cells. The results indicate that 17β-estradiol decreases cGMP levels in PC12 cells. 17β-Estradiol decreases sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-stimulated, but not atrial natriuretic factor-stimulated cGMP formation in PC12 cells, indicating that 17β-estradiol decreases cGMP levels by inhibiting the activity of soluble guanylate cyclase. 17β-Estradiol also stimulates protein tyrosine phosphatase activities in PC12 cells and dephosphorylates at least three proteins. Addition of sodium vanadate, a protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, blocks the inhibitory effects of 17β-estradiol on soluble guanylate cyclase activity in PC12 cells. Furthermore, transfection of SHP-1, a protein tyrosine phosphatase, into PC12 cells inhibits both basal and SNP-stimulated guanylate cyclase activity. Amino acid analysis also reveals that the 70-kDa subunit of soluble guanylate cyclase contains the SHP-1 substrate consensus sequence. These results suggest that 17β-estradiol inhibits soluble guanylate cyclase activity through SHP-1.
A scaling law for K' 0 for silicates with constant mean atomic mass

Abstract It is shown that Birch's formula for the isothermal pressure derivative of the isothermal bulk modulus, K ′, can be used to generate reasonable values of K ′ 0 for a sequence of silicates with various ambient densities and constant mean atomic mass, m¯. The theory predicts values in fairly good agreement with experimental results, although there is a regrettable spread of experimental values of K ′ 0 for each solid. This first-order approximation theory for scaling between K ′ 0 and ϱ 0 is analogous to the law of corresponding states which scales K 0 and ϱ 0 .
Reproducibility of the microdilution checkerboard method for antibiotic synergy.

We assessed the reproducibility of the microdilution checkerboard method for measuring antibiotic synergy. Five strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were tested with four antibiotic combinations by using 10 replicates each. Twenty-five percent of replicate sets gave discordant classification results (i.e., a 7:3 or worse split in categorization). Determination of the individual MICs of each antibiotic alone was excellent; all 10 replicates were within 1 twofold dilution for 95% of the 80 sets of 10 replicates. The microdilution checkerboard method either should not be used or should be used with at least five replicates per determination, with > or = 80% agreement among the replicates required for classification.