cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A model of the effects of self-efficacy on the perceived ethicality and performance of fear appeals in advertising

The primary purpose of this study was to better understand the effects of consumers' perceived self-efficacy on their perceptions of the ethicality of a fear appeal and subsequent attitudes towards the ad, the brand, and purchase intentions. In this study, a total of 305 consumer responses were investigated to determine attitudes toward a fear appeal ad. The results suggest that the use of strong fear appeals may not be perceived as unethical if consumers feel they can use the recommended product to effectively eliminate the threat posed by the ad.
Creating Learning through Service Opportunities for Engineering Students: Lessons Learned from a Primarily Undergraduate Liberal Arts Institution

The challenge of creating impactful and long-lasting service opportunities for engineering students lies in how to best implement programs in the unique setting of each academic institution. This paper presents a critical reflection of two different models of learning through service opportunities for engineering students that have evolved over the past six years at Loyola Marymount University. In particular, we highlight the history and lessons learned from four different case studies involving both extra-curricular international service projects and course-based service-learning opportunities for engineering students. Overall lessons learned that emerged from our experience include: 1) Students should receive course credit for participating in engineering-oriented service projects; 2) Opportunities for student participation should be vertically integrated throughout the curriculum; 3) Develop and sustain long-lasting relationships with your community partners; 4) Obtain university support for long-term success; 5) Start to conduct assessment of your stakeholders; and 6) Utilize the resources at your institution in order to promote cooperation. We hope that our lessons learned can be used to help guide other primarily undergraduate institutions in implementing service-oriented engineering projects.
Radiation hardening in BWR core shrouds: Relative roles of neutron and gamma irradiation

We present a calculation of the displacement rates and freely migrating defect production caused by neutron and gamma irradiation and their roles on causing irradiation hardening in a BWR core shroud. We find that the neutron displacement rate is much higher than the gamma displacement rate, but that the freely-migrating defects produced by gamma irradiation are significant compared to those produced by neutrons. We evaluate the influence of gamma and neutron irradiation on hardening using a point defect clustering model. We find that the influence of gamma irradiation on radiation hardening in the core shroud is small compared to that for neutron irradiation.
Chapter 9 Electronic Properties of Surfaces in a-Si: H

Publisher Summary This chapter considers the importance of surfaces in determining the properties of a thin film. Surface states and states inside the unavoidable surface oxide, and also those at the interface to the substrate, contribute to band bending, to charge transport and recombination, and to the kinetics of absorption and desorption of various species from the ambient. However, the surface of a-Si:H is not as readily oxidized as that of c-Si because its bonds are saturated with hydrogen. Transport can be dominated by charges in the two-dimensional potential wells at the boundaries of the film. A number of techniques can be used to study the surface: The Kelvin probe measures the surface potential with respect to a standard the surface photovoltage would measure band bending if one could flatten the bands by intense light—care must be taken because penetrating light would generate an opposing photovoltage at the other surface. Several other techniques for studying band bending and charged states at the surface are discussed—for example, photoconductivity under a gate electrode in a field-effect transistor configuration.
Mechanisms of ErbB receptor negative regulation and relevance in cancer

The ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases engages a wide variety of signaling pathways that collectively direct transcriptional programs controlling organogenesis during development and tissue maintenance in the adult. These receptors are also frequently found overexpressed or aberrantly activated in various cancers, suggesting that ErbB receptor signaling activity must be very tightly regulated. Sufficient levels of ErbB signaling are necessary to mediate tissue homeostasis, for example, but over-signaling can trigger cellular processes that contribute to cancer initiation or progression. Efforts over the last quarter century have led to a thorough understanding of the signaling pathways that are activated by these receptors and the mechanisms by which ErbB receptors engage these pathways. However, the compensatory negative regulatory mechanisms responsible for attenuating receptor activation have only more recently begun to be explored. Here we review the different known mechanisms of ErbB negative regulation, with particular emphasis on those proteins that exhibit some specificity for the ErbB family. We also describe how loss or suppression of ErbB negative regulators may contribute to tumor development, and discuss how restoration or augmentation of these pathways may represent a novel avenue for the development of ErbB-targeted therapies.
On the occurrence of multiple molecular forms of pectinesterase

Abstract Evidence is presented based on differential extraction procedures, pH-dependence studies, activation or inactivation by sodium dodecyl sulfate, and differential temperature inactivation that the pulp of the banana, Musa sapientum , contains at least three molecular forms of pectinesterase. Fraction I is extracted with water, Fraction II with 0.15 M NaCl, and Fraction III with 0.15 M NaCl at an alkaline pH. The pH-activity curves of the three fractions are considerably different. Fraction III retains a high percentage of its maximum activity at the pH of homogenized banana pulp, Fraction II retains much less, and Fraction I has very little activity at this pH. The effect of the anionic detergent, sodium dodecyl sulfate, on banana pectinesterase depends on the enzyme fraction assayed, on the pH at which the detergent is added, and, in the case of Fraction I, on whether the detergent is added to the enzyme solution before or after the pectin. Fraction I is much less heat-stable than Fractions II and III at pH 3.6 in the presence of substrate.
Quantifying a Pathway: Kinetic Analysis of Actin Dendritic Nucleation

Progress in uncovering the reaction networks that underlie important cell functions is laying the groundwork for quantitative identification of protein-interaction pathways. Since direct measurement of rate constants is not always feasible, the parameters are often inferred from multiple pieces of data using kinetic analyses based on appropriate mathematical models. The success of this approach relies on the sufficiency of available experimental data for a unique parameterization of the network. The concept of a rate-limiting step is applied to the analysis of experimental data that are usually used to quantify a pathway of actin dendritic nucleation, the Arp2/3-mediated mechanism that enables rapid changes of cell shape in response to external cues. The method yields analytical descriptions of the dynamics of polymerized actin and provides insights into how the experimental curves should be analyzed. It is shown that dynamics measured by pyrene-labeled actin assays with varying Arp2/3 concentrations are equally well described by two different rate-limiting steps: 1), binding of a nucleating complex to the side of a preexisting filament; or 2), its subsequent activation. To distinguish between the alternatives, we propose experiments with varying concentrations of actin monomers, taking advantage of the fact that the number of branches in the two cases depends differently on the initial monomer concentration. The idea is tested by simulating the proposed experiments with the use of spatial stochastic modeling.
Exploring the impact of selective interventions in agriculture on the growth of manufactures in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand

With few exceptions industrial policy explanations of the industrial export successes in East Asia are notably silent on the role of agriculture in industrial development. Yet industrial growth can falter if agriculture fails to supply sufficient food at low stable prices, earn foreign exchange rather than use it, release labor to manufacturing, finance the growth of industry, and stimulate local demand for the products of industry. This positive role of agriculture in industrial development suggests that selective interventions in agriculture might well constitute an important part of ‘selective interventions explain growth’ stories in East Asia. This possibility is explored by empirically analyzing the role of selective interventions in rice agriculture on the growth of manufactures in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Along the way, consideration is also offered of the impact of agricultural growth more generally on the growth of manufactures. The argument is made in three steps. To begin with, the selective nature of interventions by governments in the rice economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand is outlined. This is followed by demonstrating that rice price stabilization and self-sufficiency objectives, rather than redistribution objectives, dominated rice price policies in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, at least through the early 1980s. Following this, a simple growth accounting framework is used to demonstrate that stabilization of rice prices and growth of agriculture more generally contributed to manufacturing growth in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The paper closes by considering the implications of these findings for industrial policy explanations of manufacturing growth and the growth of exports of manufactures in the second tier NIEs of Southeast Asia. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enzymatic de novo pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis.

The use of stable isotope labeling has revolutionized NMR studies of nucleic acids, and there is a need for methods of incorporation of specific isotope labels to facilitate specific NMR experiments and applications. Enzymatic synthesis offers an efficient and flexible means to synthesize nucleoside triphosphates from a variety of commercially available specifically labeled precursors, permitting isotope labeling of RNAs prepared by in vitro transcription. Here, we recapitulate de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis in vitro, using recombinantly expressed enzymes to perform efficient single-pot syntheses of UTP and CTP that bear a variety of stable isotope labeling patterns. Filtered NMR experiments on 13 C, 15 N, 2 H- labeled HIV-2 TAR RNA demonstrate the utility and value of this approach. This flexible enzymatic synthesis will make implementing detailed and informative RNA stable isotope labeling schemes substantially more cost-effective and efficient, providing advanced tools for the study of structure and dynamics of RNA molecules.
Efficient holmium:yttrium lithium fluoride laser longitudinally pumped by a semiconductor laser array

Optical pumping of a holmium:yttrium lithium fluoride (Ho:YLF) crystal with a 790‐nm continuous‐wave diode‐laser array has generated 56 mW of 2.1 μm laser radiation with an optical‐to‐optical conversion slope efficiency of 33% while the crystal temperature is held at 77 K. The lasing threshold occurs at 7 mW of input power, and laser operation continues up to a crystal temperature of 124 K.
Chronic manganese oxide ingestion in rats: hematological effects.

Hematologicat values were studied in Long Evans rats after chronic exposure to manganese oxide (Mn 3 O 4 ). Data were obtained at selected ages from the P 0 through the F 2 generation. Effects of exposure to Mn 3 O 4 during Fe deficiency were determined by placing half of the animals on a low‐Fe diet (20 mg/kg) while the other half were maintained on a normal‐Fe diet (240 mg/kg). Animals treated with Mn 3 O4 and maintained on a normal‐Fe diet showed little variation from controls through 100 d of age. However, animals (24–100 d of age) maintained on a low‐Fe diet and receiving Mn treatment during the prenatal and postnatal periods developed microcytic anemia. Irrespective of the dietary Fe level, serum creatinine levels decreased in the groups receiving 400 and 1100 ppm Mn while serum Ca and P levels increased in the group receiving 1100 ppm Mn at 100 d of age. Serum values for lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase (100 d of age), and serum glutamicoxaloacetic transaminase (224 d of age) were elevat...
SEROLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG AND BETWEEN THE STREPTOCOCCI AND PNEUMOCOCCI

Using the complement fixation reaction with whole bacterial solutions as antigens, it has been possible to confirm the existence, within the non-hemolytic streptococcus family, of two great groups. One of these groups, that which may be designated as of the left side, is related in an orderly way to the hemolytic streptococci; the other of the right side, is similarly related to the entire pneumococcus family. In addition, the hemolytic streptococcus family shows a reactive range which relates it, though less closely, to the non-hemolytic streptococci of the right side, and to the pneumococci. The existence of these cross-relationships is not associated with the precipitable substance of either family, but may tentatively be presumed to be dependent upon the properties of the protein or lipoid-protein fraction of the bacterial cell.
Energy Gaps in "Metallic" Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes have been proposed to be good one-dimensional conductors. However, the finite curvature of the graphene sheet that forms the nanotubes and the broken symmetry due to the local environment may modify their electronic properties. We used low-temperature atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy to investigate zigzag and armchair nanotubes, both thought to be metallic. “Metallic” zigzag nanotubes were found to have energy gaps with magnitudes that depend inversely on the square of the tube radius, whereas isolated armchair tubes do not have energy gaps. Additionally, armchair nanotubes packed in bundles have pseudogaps, which exhibit an inverse dependence on tube radius. These observed energy gaps suggest that most “metallic” single-walled nanotubes are not true metals, and they have implications for our understanding of the electronic properties and potential applications of carbon nanotubes.
Simple technique for the prediction of dissipation-induced loss distortion

Using the adjoint-network concept, two analyses of an active linear time-invariant network are sufficient to determine the loss distortion introduced by dissipative inductors and capacitors. The results are useful for determining the lowest permissible Q factor for practical circuits without repeated analyses.
CD4 T cells producing pro-inflammatory interleukin-17 mediate high pathology in schistosomiasis

In murine schistosomiasis mansoni, pronounced CD4 T cell-mediated, egg-induced, hepato-intestinal immunopathology and death, whether genetically determined or elicited experimentally, are associated with failure to down-regulate a net pro-inflammatory immune response. Important evidence contributing to this notion comes from the observation that immunization with schistosome egg antigens in CFA (SEA/CFA) causes low pathology C57BL/6 mice to develop an exacerbated form of disease and death in a cytokine milieu characterized by elevated interferon (IFN)-gamma levels. Since such a pro-inflammatory environment presumes a signaling pathway involving interleukin (IL)-12, the SEA/CFA immunization model was used to examine the extent of hepatic immunopathology in the absence of this cytokine. Surprisingly, the IL-12p40 subunit was an absolute requirement for the development of exacerbated disease, whereas the IL-12p35 subunit was not. Moreover, significantly elevated in vitro production of IL-17, but not of IFN-gamma, correlated with the high pathology, and neutralization of IL-17 in vivo resulted in a significant reduction of hepatic inflammation. Our findings clearly demonstrate the pathogenic potential of the novel IL-17-producing T cell subpopulation (ThIL-17), previously shown to mediate chronic inflammation in autoimmune disease. They also imply that IL-23, but not IL-12, is the critical signal necessary to support the pro-inflammatory ThIL-17 subset involved in high pathology schistosomiasis.
Besov capacity redux

Relations between the Besov capacities and other set functions, for example, the Hausdorff capacities are considered. A unique approach suggested here is based on the ideas of the previous works of the author, the results of Netrusov, and the classical characterization of Frostman for Hausdorff capacity. In particular, the Besov capacity C(·; B α p, q ), α > 0, 0 < p, q ⩽ ∞, is reconsidered in light of Netrusov’s recent contribution to the subject–identifying the nature of the null sets when either p or q is less than or equal to 1. We also give a Frostman type argument to replace one of Netrusov’s arguments (for 0 < q ⩽ 1) and present a Frostman type characterization of these set functions: a condition in terms of Borel measures applied to Euclidean balls. Bibliography: 7 titles. Illustrations: 1 figure.
The Incomplete Paschen-Back Effect

Darwin's calculations for the Zeeman effect have been applied to the most noted examples of discrepancy between the older quantum theory and experiment, those of the Cu $^{2}P^{2}D$ multiplet, and the Mg and Be $^{3}P^{3}S$ multiplets. The positions and intensities of the lines calculated are in very good agreement with the experiment. The distored Zeeman patterns of $^{3}P^{3}D$ of Mg and $^{2}P^{2}D$ of Na are attributed to the action of the magnetic field on $^{3}P$ and $^{2}P$ separations.
Ribosomal RNA synthesis in human-mouse hybrid cells.

Abstract Human and mouse 28 s ribosomal RNA when extracted at room temperature have identical mobility in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, but when heated, the mobility of the human type changes, whereas that of the mouse does not. It was therefore possible to distinguish the 28 s RNA of the two species in mixtures and to examine the nature of the ribosomal RNA synthesized by human-mouse somatic cell hybrids. Only the mouse type of 28 s could be detected, even in hybrids with up to 35 human chromosomes per cell. Several possible explanations are considered; perhaps the most likely is that in these hybrids the transcription of human ribosomal genes is repressed.
Occupational mobility as a probability process

Cierto numero de pasadas investigaciones han asumido que la movilidad ocupacional entre generaciones puede ser descrita como un proceso Markov, pero esta asumsion no ha sido nunca sujeta a pruebas empiricas. Usando datos pertinentes a la ocupacion de abuelos, padres e hijos, nosotros podemos demostrar que la hipotesis markoviana no es valida. Otras investigaciones han tratado la movilidad intrageneraeional como variadas clases de procesos de probabilidad, pero no han mirado el movimiento entre ocupaciones en si mismo, como un proceso Markov. Usando el estudio de Movilidad Ocupacional en Seis Ciudades, nosotros tambien podemos demostrar para cada una de las tres cohortes de edades que la movilidad ocupacional intrageneraeional no puede ser totalmente descrita como un proceso Markov de primer orden.
Ice-Shelf Melting Around Antarctica

We compare the volume flux divergence of Antarctic ice shelves in 2007 and 2008 with 1979 to 2010 surface accumulation and 2003 to 2008 thinning to determine their rates of melting and mass balance. Basal melt of 1325 ± 235 gigatons per year (Gt/year) exceeds a calving flux of 1089 ± 139 Gt/year, making ice-shelf melting the largest ablation process in Antarctica. The giant cold-cavity Ross, Filchner, and Ronne ice shelves covering two-thirds of the total ice-shelf area account for only 15% of net melting. Half of the meltwater comes from 10 small, warm-cavity Southeast Pacific ice shelves occupying 8% of the area. A similar high melt/area ratio is found for six East Antarctic ice shelves, implying undocumented strong ocean thermal forcing on their deep grounding lines.
Design and Analysis of a Highly User-Friendly, Secure, Privacy-Preserving, and Revocable Authentication Method

A large portion of system breaches are caused by authentication failure, either during the login process or in the post-authentication session; these failures are themselves related to the limitations associated with existing authentication methods. Current authentication methods, whether proxy based or biometrics based, are not user-centric and/or endanger users' (biometric) security and privacy. In this paper, we propose a biometrics based user-centric authentication approach. This method involves introducing a reference subject (RS), securely fusing the user's biometrics with the RS, generating a BioCapsule (BC) from the fused biometrics, and employing BCs for authentication. Such an approach is user friendly, identity bearing yet privacy-preserving, resilient, and revocable once a BC is compromised. It also supports “one-click sign-on” across systems by fusing the user's biometrics with a distinct RS on each system. Moreover, active and non-intrusive authentication can be automatically performed during post-authentication sessions. We formally prove that the secure fusion based approach is secure against various attacks. Extensive experiments and detailed comparison with existing approaches show that its performance (i.e., authentication accuracy) is comparable to existing typical biometric approaches and the new BC based approach also possesses many desirable features such as diversity and revocability.
Urban-Scale Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Ultrafine Particle Number Concentrations

In epidemiological studies, ultrafine particle (UFP) data from a single monitoring site are generally used as a measure of population exposure potentially resulting in exposure misclassification. From August 2009 to October 2010, 1-week campaigns were conducted during each season. The temporal and spatial variations of UFP number size distributions were investigated at 12 monitoring sites distributed across a 9 × 9 km urban area in Rochester, New York using a Fast Mobility Particle SizerTM spectrometer. The overall average number concentrations of 5.6- to 560-nm particles in summer, winter, spring, and fall were 9,025, 10,939, 4,955, and 14,485 cm−3, respectively. Coefficients of divergence and correlation coefficients were calculated between site pairs to assess the spatial heterogeneity in the particle number size distributions. Moderate spatial divergence and uniform temporal variation were found for the chosen sites. Elevated UFP number concentrations were observed near highways, off-road diesel engines, and residential wood combustion sources, indicating significant contributions to the UFP exposure of people living adjacent to these sources. Our results suggest that one stationary monitoring site may not represent the actual human UFP exposure over a whole urban area.
Efficacy of a New Full Face Mask for Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation

Previous studies have shown that noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) improves gas exchange in acute and chronic respiratory failure. However, some patients are unable to tolerate NPPV due to air leaks around the mask, facial discomfort, and claustrophobia. A new mask that covers the entire face (Total, Respironics, Monroeville, Pa), attempts to overcome these obstacles. We studied the efficacy of NPPV via the Total face mask (TFM) in nine patients with chronic respiratory failure. In three patients, respiratory failure was due to chronic obstructive lung disease, and in six patients, it was secondary to restrictive disorders. None of the patients were previously able to tolerate NPPV via nasal (N) or nasal-oral (NO) masks. At baseline, all patients had impaired gas exchange with low PaO 2 /FIo 2 (241±14), elevated PaCO 2 (79±5 mm Hg), and poor functional status (1.89±1.45, on a scale of 1 to 7). After NPPV in the hospital for 7.1±1.5 h per night for 22±26 days, the PaCO 2 fell to 59±3 mm Hg, and the PaO 2 /FIo 2 rose to 304±27. Following nocturnal NPPV via the TFM for 6.7±1.5 h a night 6±5 weeks after hospital discharge, sustained improvements in PaCO 2 (58±3 mm Hg, p 2 /FIo 2 (304±18), and functional status (5.38±1.06, p 2 lowest (51±2 vs 57±2 vs 58±3, p
Prepositioning supplies in preparation for disasters

Abstract In this paper, we examine the decision of where to preposition supplies in preparation for a disaster, such as a hurricane or terrorist attack, and how much to preposition at a location. If supplies are located closer to the disaster, it can allow for faster delivery of supplies after the disaster. As a result of being closer, though, the supplies may be in a risky location if the disaster occurs. Considering these risks, we derive equations for determining the optimal stocking quantity and the total expected costs associated with delivering to a demand point from a supply point. We provide a sensitivity analysis to show how different parameters impact stocking levels and costs. We show how our cost model can be used to select the single best supply point location from a discrete set of choices and how it can be embedded within existing location algorithms to choose multiple supply points. Our computational experiments involve a variety of relationships between distance and risk and show how these can impact location decisions and stocking levels.
Survey of the supporting research and technology for the thermal protection of the Galileo Probe

The Galileo Probe, which is scheduled to be launched in 1985 and to enter the hydrogen-helium atmosphere of Jupiter up to 1,475 days later, presents thermal protection problems that are far more difficult than those experienced in previous planetary entry missions. The high entry speed of the Probe will cause forebody heating rates orders of magnitude greater than those encountered in the Apollo and Pioneer Venus missions, severe afterbody heating from base-flow radiation, and thermochemical ablation rates for carbon phenolic that rival the free-stream mass flux. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of the experimental work and computational research that provide technological support for the Probe's heat-shield design effort. The survey includes atmospheric modeling; both approximate and first-principle computations of flow fields and heat-shield material response; base heating; turbulence modelling; new computational techniques; experimental heating and materials studies; code validation efforts; and a set of 'consensus' first-principle flow-field solutions through the entry maneuver, with predictions of the corresponding thermal protection requirements.
Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest: I. Effects of cooling on electroencephalogram and evoked potentials

Abstract Background . Deep hypothermia is an important cerebral protectant and is critical in procedures requiring circulatory arrest. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence the neurophysiologic changes during cooling before circulatory arrest, in particular the occurrence of electrocerebral silence. Methods . In 109 patients undergoing hypothermic circulatory arrest with neurophysiologic monitoring, five electrophysiologic events were selected for detailed study. Results . The mean nasopharyngeal temperature when periodic complexes appeared in the electroencephalogram after cooling was 29.6°C ± 3°C, electroencephalogram burst-suppression appeared at 24.4°C ± 4°C, and electrocerebral silence appeared at 17.8°C ± 4°C. The N20-P22 complex of the somatosensory evoked response disappeared at 21.4°C ± 4°C, and the somatosensory evoked response N13 wave disappeared at 17.3°C ± 4°C. The temperatures of these various events were not significantly affected by any patient-specific or surgical variables, although the time to cool to electrocerebral silence was prolonged by high hemoglobin concentrations, low arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and by slow cooling rates. Only 60% of patients demonstrated electrocerebral silence by either a nasopharyngeal temperature of 18°C or a cooling time of 30 minutes. Conclusions . With the high degree of interpatient variability in these neurophysiologic measures, the only absolute predictors of electrocerebral silence were nasopharyngeal temperature below 12.5°C and cooling longer than 50 minutes.
Experimental study of concurrent transmission in wireless sensor networks

We undertake a systematic experimental study of the effects of concurrent packet transmissions in low-power wireless networks. Our measurements, conducted with Mica2 motes equipped with CC1000 radios, confirm that guaranteeing successful packet reception with high probability in the presence of concurrent transmissions requires that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) exceed a critical threshold. However, we find a significant variation of about 6 dB in the threshold for groups of radios operating at different transmission powers. We find that it is harder to estimate the level of interference in the presence of multiple interferers. We also find that the measured SINR threshold generally increases with the number of interferers. Our study offers a better understanding of concurrent transmissions and suggests richer interference models and useful guidelines to improve the design and analysis of higher layer protocols.
SU-GG-I-31: Comparison of Breast-Centered and Volume-Of-Interest (VOI)-Centered VOI Cone Beam CT Techniques — Dose and Scatter Considerations with Monte Carlo Simulation

Purpose: To evaluate and compare dose saving and scatter reduction properties of VOI‐centered and breast‐centered approaches to VOI cone beam CT with Monte Carlo simulation.Method and Materials: To implement the VOI scanning technique, a mask with an opening is inserted between the x‐ray source and the patient to deliver higher exposures inside the VOI and lower exposures outside the VOI during the scan. There are two approaches to implement this technique. One is to center the breast with the rotation axis and move the VOI mask to track the VOI. The other is to center the VOI with the rotation axis, thus keeping the VOI mask fixed during the scan. A cylindrical breast model with a VOI close to the breast boundary was constructed to evaluate and compare the two approaches with Geant4 based Monte Carlo simulation. Dose distribution in the breast and scatter‐to‐primary ratios (SPRs) at the detector input were evaluated and compared to those estimated for full field cone beam CT.Results: Both VOI scanning techniques significantly reduce the radiation doses and scatter intensities both inside and outside the VOI. However, dose saving with the breast‐centered approach was approximately twice as much as that with the VOI‐centered approach both inside and outside the VOI. SPRs inside the VOI were similar for the two approaches and varied little with rotation degree. Conclusion: The breast‐centered scan appears to be the preferred approach to VOI cone beam CT because it resulted in substantially better dose saving while similar scatter reduction as compared to the VOI centered approach. Effort to implement this technique is underway to demonstrate this technique and to validate the simulation results. Acknowledgement: This work was supported in part by grants CA104759 and CA124585 from NIH‐NCI, a grant EB00117 from NIH‐NIBIB, and a subcontract from NIST‐ATP.
Membrane Activity and Transfection Ability of Amphipathic Polycations as a Function of Alkyl Group Size

Cationic membrane disruptive peptides such as melittin would appear to have attributes necessary for DNA delivery: DNA binding via electrostatic interactions and membrane lysis to enable cytoplasmic delivery. However, the relatively small overall charge of membrane disruptive peptides results in weak interactions with DNA. As a model of cationic membrane disruptive peptides, amphiphilic polyvinyl ethers were synthesized. The number of positively charged groups incorporated into these polymers is substantially greater than membrane-active peptides, which enables these polymers to form stable complexes with DNA. By varying the length of the hydrophobic groups incorporated into the polymer from one to four carbons, the dependence of membrane activity on side chain length was established. The ability of these polymers to transfect DNA in tissue culture was tested, and it was found that transfection efficiency is dependent upon the membrane disruptive activity of the polymer. Comparison of melittin and synthe...
China's Urban Land Reform, Urban Productivity, and Local Government Behavior

Based on provincial land leasing data, this paper estimates the impact of urban land reform on urban productivity in China and analyzes factors affecting local government behavior in land reform. More specifically, it examines the relationship between urban productivity and: (a) the ratio of administrative land allocation to leasing, and (b) the choice of auction and tender among leasing methods. The paper documents differences in ratios of land leasing vis-a-vis administrative allocation depending on the percentage of industrial output by state-owned enterprises and the regional density of cities. Overall, the findings point to efficiency gains from adopting public land leasing and the importance of local context and political economy in understanding local government in China. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: E23, O18, R52. 1 figure, 4 tables, 36 references.
Global analysis of new gravitational singularities in string and particle theories

We present a global analysis of the geometries that arise in non-compact current algebra (or gauged WZW) coset models of strings and particles propagating in curved space-time. The simplest case is the 2d black hole. In higher dimensions these geometries describe new and much more complex singularities. For string and particle theories (defined in the text) we introduce general methods for identifying global coordinates and give the general exact solution for the geodesics for any gauged WZW model for any number of dimensions. We then specialize to the 3d geometries associated with $SO(2,2)/SO(2,1)$ (and also $SO(3,1)/SO(2,1)$) and discuss in detail the global space, geodesics, curvature singularities and duality properties of this space. The large-small (or mirror) type duality property is reformulated as an inversion in group parameter space. The 3d global space has two topologically distinct sectors, with patches of different sectors related by duality. The first sector has a singularity surface with the topology of ``pinched double trousers". It can be pictured as the world sheet of two closed strings that join into a single closed string and then split into two closed strings, but with a pinch in each leg of the trousers. The second sector has a singularity surface with the topology of ``double saddle", pictured as the world sheets of two infinite open strings that come close but do not touch. We discuss the geodesicaly complete spaces on each side of these surfaces and interpret the motion of particles in physical terms. A cosmological interpretation is suggested and comments are mode on possible physical applications.
A comparison of fluoxetine, flooding, and response prevention in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract The current study compared the antiobsessional effects of a new antidepressant, fluoxetine, and the effects of a behavioral treatment regimen. Behavioral treatment, consisting of ten sessions of exposure and response prevention, was administered to five obsessive-compulsive patients who had participated in a fluoxetine treatment study reported by Turner et al. Exposure and response prevention was carried out following fluoxetine treatment. Results indicated that for patients who completed both treatment phases, flooding and response prevention had a clinically significant antiobsessional effect. Comparison of these results with the earlier report of fluoxetine suggested that the medication had an effect primarily for patients who reported greater depression and anxiety at pretreatment. Behavioral treatment, on the other hand, appeared to have a more universal positive effect.
Contextual Evidence for the Representation of Pitch Accents in Standard Serbian

This paper reports the results of an experiment that elicits contextual effects on Rising and Falling accents in Standard Serbian, with the goal of determining their acoustic correlates and their phonological representation. Materials systematically vary the distance between pitch accents, inducing "tone crowding," in order to identify the phonetic dimensions that consistently distinguish the two pitch accent types, to examine the association between accents and the segmental string, as well as the timing relationship between accent minima and maxima, and to investigate the interaction between lexical accents and boundary tones. On the basis of the phonetic findings, a unified analysis of the phonological distribution and phonetic realization of Falling and Rising accents in Standard Serbian is proposed. It is proposed that both Rising and Falling accents consist of a single lexical High (H). The restricted distribution of the two accents emerges from the interaction of stress and tone: Falling accents are monosyllabic, such that stress and pitch prominence coincide; Rising accents are bisyllabic, such that the stressed syllable precedes the pitch-accented syllable. The phonetic differences between the Falling and Rising accents follow from the place of lexically designated H, the location of stress, and the effects of boundary tones. The larger issue we address concerns the phonological characterization of tone/stress interactions. Given the two general types of interactions, one in which the place of stress is predictable from the place of tone, and the other with the reversed direction of influence, we analyze Standard Serbian as belonging to the former type. While both types can be characterized in systems of tonal phonology, which allow free interaction of tone and stress, the type exemplified by Standard Serbian, with contrastive tonal specifications governing the distribution of stress, cannot be captured in an Autosegmental-Metrical (AM) framework, in which stress serves as anchor for tonal melodies.
Do Language Reforms Change Our Way of Thinking

A naturalistic experiment investigated the effects of language reforms on several aspects of thought. Half of the students in an introductory psychology class received corrections any time they use...
Space/Place and Home: Prefiguring Contemporary Political and Religious Discourse in Albert Camus's The Plague

Albert Camus has been criticized by postmodern and postcolonial scholarship for being part of and not a critic of the colonial enterprise. In this essay, using Camus's The Plague, we argue that Camus's work is, in fact, seeking a space for political discourse that addresses, before these theories developed, the issues raised by the postcolonial and postmodern critiques. Using theories of space/place and home and concentrating on discourse, particularly on Joseph Grand's sentence, we argue that Camus challenges the colonial as artist. He seeks an alternative to the conflict model of political discourse, developing a discursive mode that is political, but also aesthetic and religious. The intersections of religion, art, and politics in his work problematize models of political discourse and open a way to think about the place of narrative and story-telling and their meaning for being at home with ‘others’ and the self, in community, in a place.
Effects of age-related loss of P/Q-type calcium channels in a mice model of peripheral nerve injury

We analyzed the role of P/Q-type calcium channels in sciatic nerve regeneration after lesion induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) in heterozygous null mutant mice lacking the CaV2.1α1 subunit of these channels (Cacna1a+/-). Compared with wild type, Cacna1a+/- mice showed an initial reduction of the CCI-induced allodynia, indicating a reduced pain perception, but they also evidenced a lack of recovery over time, with atrophy of the injured hindpaw still present 3 months after CCI when wild-type mice fully recovered. In parallel, Cacna1a+/- mice exhibited an early onset of age-dependent loss of P/Q-type channels, which can be responsible for the lack of functional recovery. Moreover, Cacna1a+/- mice showed an early age-dependent reduction of muscular strength, as well as of Schwann cells proliferation and sciatic nerve remyelination. This study demonstrates the important role played by P/Q-type channels in recovery from nerve injury and has important implications for the knowledge of age-related processes.
Protein-Mediated Induction of Membrane Curvature

The control of membrane curvature plays an important role in a number of membrane remodeling events. Recent evidence suggests that these processes are mediated by proteins which can sense or induce membrane curvature. Membrane curvature-inducing proteins can alter the shape of membranes and they typically have the ability to convert liposomes into small and highly curved vesicles or narrow membrane tubules. In order to understand the mechanism of membrane curvature induction, we have studied the membrane interaction of the N-BAR proteins (endophilin and amphiphysin) and EHD2. According to crystal structures, the N-BAR proteins have a bent helical structure with a curvature complementary to that of the highly curved membrane structures they induce. Using site-directed spin labeling and electron paramagnetic resonance, we found that this structure is maintained upon membrane interaction. The degree to which this structure interacts with the membrane, however, depends significantly upon the bilayer geometry and lipid composition. We also found that amphipathic helices are suspended on the convex side of the BAR domain and that these helices directly interact with the membrane where they are likely to promote membrane curvature by acting as molecular wedges. The ability of amphipathic helices to induce membrane curvature is further supported by our finding that α-synuclein, which can form an extended helical structure, readily cause tubulation and/or vesiculation under the appropriate lipid conditions. Structural and mechanistic studies describing how membrane interaction causes conformational changes in the aforementioned proteins and how these changes, in turn, affect membrane structure will be presented.
Some cytoplasmic structures in the male germ cells of gelastocoris oculatus (Toad bug)

The chondriosomes are first recognizable as two clusters in contact with the nuclear wall. Beneath each cluster lies a chromosome. This relationship is constant and indicates that these two chromosomes play a part in the growth and development of the chondriosomes. The two masses fuse and the single mass grows considerably during the early growth period. Later it breaks up into a number of threads which become rings in the late growth period. The rings fuse into the large nebenkern which plays the usual role in the formation of the tail. The Golgi material is first seen outside of the chondriosomal cap. Early in the growth period, it breaks up into Golgi bodies which remain distributed in the cytoplasm during the growth period and spermatocyte divisions. About the midgrowth period a large number of spheres suddenly arise. Since they later fuse to form the idiosome, they are called the proidiosomal spheres. These spheres, which may originate in the Golgi bodies, remain scattered in the cytoplasm during the growth period and spermatocyte divisions. In the spermatid the Golgi bodies collect about the idiosome to form the acroblast. The Golgi remnants pass into the cytoplasm of the tail, while the acrosome elongates into a tail-like structure at the anterior end. The centriole was followed with unbroken continuity from the midgrowth period into the middle-piece of the sperm.
S35. Investigating the ICOS/ICOSL pathway as a target for combination therapy with anti-CTLA-4

Meeting abstracts Biomarker studies used with immunotherapeutic strategies in the clinic have typically involved monitoring immunologic changes within the systemic circulation; however, recent data indicate that immunological changes within tumor tissues will be more likely to predict clinical
A 2-year longitudinal study of overdenture patients. Part II: Assessment of the periodontal health of overdenture abutments

Eighty-nine patients were examined at 1- and 2-year intervals after treatment with overdentures. The measurements of gingival index, pocket depth, plaque index, and mobility showed little change in the 2-year period. The initial gingival health of some teeth was less than optimal, but the periodontal health did not deteriorate and no teeth were lost during the observation period. The elevated plaque scores of this group of patients clearly shows that periodontal health of the abutments was affected, emphasizes the importance of adequate follow-up care and the need for constant reinforcement of home care instructions. As with any form of dental treatment, proper patient selection is an important step when overdentures are a treatment consideration. Patients should be able to demonstrate that they are motivated and have the ability to clean their teeth. It is doubtful that patients will change their oral hygiene habits after the denture is inserted, and poor hygiene may lead to a loss of abutment teeth from caries and/or periodontal disease.
Re-occurrence of site-specific response in former Yugoslavia—part 1: Montenegro

Abstract This paper (Part 1) describes the period and amplitude variations and the re-occurrence of local peaks, during different earthquakes, in the Fourier amplitude spectra of strong ground motion, recorded at seven stations along the Adriatic Coast in Montenegro, Yugoslavia, in the Dinarides and Illyrides seismogenic zone. In the comparison paper (Part II), this analysis will be presented for the Inner Part of Balkan Peninsula seismogenic zone. The data suggest that some local peaks re-occur during shaking by small local earthquakes (peak ground velocities vmax 20 cm/s), these peaks are shifted toward longer periods (by non-linear response of soils) or disappear.
Effects of Introduced Irradiated Male Grain Mites on Population Development

The use of irradiated males in initiating populations of Acarus siro L. revealed an increased inhibition of population development with increased irradiation dose. There was no significant difference in total population development between the control and populations started with males irradiated with 5 krad. A significant difference was observed between populations started with males irradiated at 5 krad and 15 krad. Attempts to reduce the development of a normally growing population by flooding it with irradiated males in a 10:1 (irradiated: non-irradiated) ratio proved to be unsuccessful. Without the influence of immature mites at the time of flooding, the irradiated males proved to be effective in reducing population development through an inhibition of normal mating activities.
Proportional chambers with monofilar helical cathodes for high spatial resolution

Abstract Multiware proportional chambers with monofilar helical delay line cathodes have been developed. Spatial resolutions better than 0.33 mm fwhm have been achieved. Such chambers are easily constructed and read out and can be adapted to a large variety of geometries. The properties of monofilar helical delay lines are analyzed in detail.