cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cytotoxic chemotherapeutic management of newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.

The addition of temozolomide to radiation therapy is an option for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) who are older than 70 years with a Karnofsky performance status (KPS) above 50. For patients 70 years or older with newly diagnosed GBM, temozolomide alone is a well tolerated alternative to radiation therapy and its benefit might be comparable to that obtained with radiation therapy alone. Radiation therapy followed by one of the nitrosoureas is recommended for those patients who cannot receive temozolomide.
Self-discharge analysis and characterization of supercapacitors for environmentally powered wireless sensor network applications

Abstract A new approach is presented to characterize the variable leakage resistance, a parameter in the variable leakage resistance model we developed to model supercapacitors used in environmentally powered wireless sensor network applications. Based on an analysis of the supercapacitor terminal behavior during the self-discharge, the variable leakage resistance is modeled as a function of the supercapacitor terminal voltage instead of the self-discharge time, which is more practical for an environmentally powered wireless sensor node. The new characterization approach is implemented and validated using MATLAB Simulink with a 10 F supercapacitor as an example. In addition, effects of initial voltages and temperatures on the supercapacitor self-discharge rate and the variable leakage resistance value are explored.
Ion Exchange and Thin Layer Chromatographic Separation and Identification of Amino Acids in a Mixture: An Experiment for General Chemistry and Biotechnology Laboratories

A multiday laboratory exercise is described that is suitable for first-year undergraduate chemistry, biochemistry, or biotechnology students. Students gain experience in performing chromatographic separations of biomolecules, in both a column and thin layer chromatography (TLC) format. Students chromatographically separate amino acids (AA) in an unknown mixture using a small column of Dowex-50 resin. The AA elution profile is determined by graphical analysis of a rapid ninhydrin microplate spectrophotometric assay that converts the colorless AA into colored ninhydrin derivatives. Column fractions corresponding to elution “peaks” are further analyzed by TLC on silica gel plates alongside AA standards. Visualization of AA migration on TLC is accomplished with a ninhydrin dipping protocol. Students use their chromatography data, structural information about the resin and the various AA, and their knowledge of intermolecular attractions and acid–base chemistry to determine the identity of the AA in their unkn...
MIMO Sliding Mode Control for a Tailless Fighter Aircraft, An Alternative to Reconfigurable Architectures

A frequency-domain procedure for the design of sliding mode controllers for multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) systems is presented. The methodology accommodates the effects of parasitic dynamics such as those introduced by unmodeled actuators through the introduction of multiple asymptotic observers and model reference hedging. The design procedure includes a frequency domain approach to specify the sliding manifold, the observer eigenvalues, and the hedge model. The procedure is applied to the development of a flight control system for a linear model of the Innovative Control Effector (ICE) fighter aircraft. The stability and performance robustness of the resulting design is demonstrated through the introduction of significant degradation in the control effector actuators and variation in vehicle dynamics.
The fluid flow aspects of electromagnetic levitation processes

Abstract This paper reports an analytical investigation of magnetohydrodynamic phenomena in electromagnetic levitation processes. The flow is treated as a Stokes flow, and the turbulence in the system is accounted for by using a constant eddy viscosity model, which may be derived from the Prandtl mixing length theory. The curl of the electromagnetic force field for flow calculations and the global lifting force for earthbound levitation are derived. The stream function is introduced, and the resultant scalar equation for fluid flow is solved by the method of separation of variables. The analytical solutions obtained are applicable to all applied frequencies and all conducting materials. Both detailed calculations and asymptotic analyses are presented. Calculated results illustrate that the flow field is characterized by two toroidal recirculating loops, and is strongly correlated to the distribution of the curl of the force field, which in turn depends on the coil placement. Compared with sophisticated numerical computations, the analytical solutions predict well the flow pattern, but underestimate the velocity magnitude as a result of overestimating the eddy sizes by the eddy viscosity model. The asymptotic analyses show that, for a high frequency of applied field or a perfect conductor, the global levitational force is proportional to the square of the input current and increases with increasing conductivity or frequency. The characteristic velocity is proportional to the input current, but inversely proportional to the square root of the liquid density, for a turbulent flow, while it is proportional to the square of the input current, but inversely proportional to the molecular viscosity, for a Stokes flow.
Tangible viewpoints: a physical interface for exploring character-driven narratives

Over the centuries, stories have moved from the physical environment (around campfires and on the stage), to the printed page, then to movie, television, and computer screens. Today, using wireless and tag sensing technologies, story creators are able to bring digital stories back into our physical environment. The Tangible Viewpoints project explores how physical objects and augmented surfaces can be used as tangible embodiments of different character perspectives in a multiple point-of-view interactive narrative. These graspable surrogates provide a more direct mode of navigation to the story world, bringing us closer to bridging the gap between the separate realms of bits and atoms within the field of digital storytelling.
Frequency domain overlapped modulated filter banks

The structure of paraunitary modulated filter bank with power complementary prototype filter and arbitrary unitary modulation matrix is derived. By replacing the unitary modulation matrix of the analysis filter bank with left invertible matrix, one obtains biorthogonal modulated filter bank with power complementary linear phase lowpass prototype filter. Moreover, undersampled frequency domain overlapped filter bank can be constructed by designing modulation matrix with larger number of channels than decimation and the proposed structure allows arbitrary number of frequency channels to be overlapped. Unfolding technique is introduced to design frequency domain overlapped M band modulated filter bank. Application in quadrature modulation system is discussed.
Spatially patterned gradients of synaptic connectivity are established early in the developing retina

Retinal neurons receive input from other cells via synapses and the position of these synapses on the neurons reflects the retinal regions from which information is received. A new study in Neural Development establishes that the spatial distribution of excitatory synaptic inputs emerges at the onset of synapse formation rather than as a result of changes during neuronal reorganisation.
Depolarization of cardiac membrane potential synchronizes calcium sparks and waves in tissue.

The diastolic membrane potential (Vm) can be hyperpolarized or depolarized by various factors such as hyperkalemia or hypokalemia in the long term, or by delayed afterdepolarizations in the short term. In this study, we investigate how Vm affects Ca sparks and waves. We use a physiologically detailed mathematical model to investigate individual factors that affect Ca spark generation and wave propagation. We focus on the voltage range of −90 ∼ −70 mV, which is just below the Vm for sodium channel activation. We find that Vm depolarization promotes Ca wave propagation and hyperpolarization prevents it. This finding is directly validated in voltage clamp experiments with Ca waves using isolated rat ventricular myocytes. Ca transport by the sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) is determined by Vm as well as Na and Ca concentrations. Depolarized Vm reduces NCX-mediated efflux, elevating [Ca]i, and thus promoting Ca wave propagation. Moreover, depolarized Vm promotes spontaneous Ca releases that can cause initiation of multiple Ca waves. This indicates that during delayed afterdepolarizations, Ca release units (CRUs) interact with not just the immediately adjacent CRUs via Ca diffusion, but also further CRUs via fast (∼0.1 ms) changes in Vm mediated by the voltage and Ca-sensitive NCX. This may contribute significantly to synchronization of Ca waves among multiple cells in tissue.
Mystical ontology, health and healing: A cross-cultural exploration

(1981). Mystical ontology, health and healing: A cross-cultural exploration. Religion: Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 321-351.
Optimal production flow control for a flexible manufacturing system

In this paper, we consider a flexible manufacturing system which consists of one reliable machine and produces two distinct products simultaneously. The machine is assumed to be flexible, i.e. there is no setup time or cost incurred when the machine switches from one product to the other. Therefore, it is possible to switch production as often as necessary between products to achieve any desired production mix within the capacity set. The processing times for individual products are constant and order of magnitude smaller than the planning horizon. We formulate an optimal control problem to regulate the production flow tracing a given set of demand. The problem is then solved exactly using Pontryagin's Minimum Principle.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Charmed semileptonic B meson decays

Abstract Recent B meson semi leptonic branching ratio measurements are summarized and appear to be lower than theoretical expectations. Measurements of the exclusive final states D o e − ν , D ∗ o e − ν , D ∗+ e − ν and D ∗∗ e − ν are reported. The ratio of rates D ∗ o and the polarization of the D∗+ are shown to be consistent with theoretical models. Finally comparing the D ∗ o e − ν and D ∗+ e − ν rates, the lifetime ratio of neutral and charged B's is shown to be equal to 1.18±0.27+0.22−0.30.
Sequential or Flexible? The Impact of Differently Structured Political Science Majors on the Development of Student Reasoning

of political science at Truman State lJniversity and research coordinator for the Ronald E. McNair Program. He has published widely in both political science and higher education journals. His teaching and research interests focus on comparative politics, with a special emphasis on democratization and political party development in the former USSR and Eastern Europe. He can be reached at jishiyam@truman.edu.
Observations regarding the use of the aquaretic agent conivaptan for treatment of hyponatremia.

The treatment of hyponatremia, especially euvolemic and hypervolemic hyponatremia, has changed with the development of drugs which function as vasopressin receptor antagonists. These agents increase solute-free water excretion by the kidney resulting in an aquaresis. Conivaptan, a vasopressin receptor antagonist, has recently been approved by the FDA in the United States for use in the therapy of both euvolemic and hypervolemic hyponatremia. This report summarizes one center’s experience with ten patients treated with this new drug. The patients had euvolemic hyponatremia with serum sodium levels less than 128 mEq/l. The same protocol was used in all patients with the conivaptan being given as a 20-mg intravenous loading dose followed by a 20-mg continuous 24-h infusion. Review of the data revealed that six of the ten patients had an excellent response to the therapy, with serum sodium increasing by a mean of 8.5 ± 0.8 mEq/l (increases ranged from 7 to 12 mEq/l over 24 h). No significant changes in serum potassium levels or mean arterial pressures were noted. Two of the ten patients experienced a decrease in urine osmolality without a significant increase in serum sodium. Two other patients had only slight decreases in urine osmolality, and no significant increase in serum sodium levels. The data reveal that conivaptan is useful in the management of significant hyponatremia. There were no significant untoward effects, with the exception of one patient whose blood pressure decreased during the conivaptan infusion and who responded to cessation of the infusion and saline replacement therapy. This new class of drugs holds great promise for the treatment of dilutional hyponatremic disorders.
Principles of authentication

In the real world we do authentication hundreds of times a day with little effort and strong confidence. We believe that the digital world can and should catch up. The focus of this paper is about authentication for critical applications. Specifically, it is about the fundamentals for evaluating whether or not someone is who they say they are by using combinations of multiple meaningful and measurable input factors. We present a "gold standard" for authentication that builds from what we naturally and effortlessly do everyday in a face-to-face meeting. We also consider how such authentication systems can enable resilience to users under duress. This work differs from much of the other work in authentication first by focusing on authentication techniques that provide meaningful measures of confidence in identity and also by using a multifaceted approach that comprehensively integrates multiple factors into a continuous authentication system, without adding burdensome overhead to users.
Mice exposed in utero to 20 ppm benzene exhibit altered numbers of recognizable hematopoietic cells up to seven weeks after exposure

Pregnant Swiss Webster mice were exposed from Day 6 through Day 15 of gestation to either air, 5 ppm, 10 ppm, or 20 ppm benzene. On Day 16 of gestation, 2 days after birth, and 6 weeks after birth, progeny of the exposed dams were assayed for the amount and type of hemoglobin produced and for recognizable hematopoietic cells in the peripheral blood and hematopoietic organs. None of the benzene exposures induced significant changes in the indices assayed from the 16-day fetuses. In contrast, 2-day neonates exposed in utero to all concentrations of benzene exhibited reduced numbers of circulating erythroid percursor cells. In addition, those 2-day neonates exposed in utero to 20 ppm benzene exhibited increased numbers of hepatic hematopoietic blast cells and granulopoietic precursor cells accompanied by decreased numbers of erythropoietic precursor cells. Six-week adult mice exposed in utero to 20 ppm benzene exhibited a similar pattern of enhanced granulopoiesis. These animals exhibited elevated numbers of splenic hematopoietic blast cells and granulopoietic precursor cells accompanied by decreased numbers of marrow erythropoietic precursor cells. These results suggest that in utero exposures to low concentrations of benzene can induce persistent enhanced production of recognizable granulopoietic elements in the hematopoietic systems of mice.
Harvesting and Summarizing User-Generated Content for Advanced Speech-Based HCI

There are many Web-based platforms where people could share user-generated content such as reviews, posts, blogs, and tweets. However, online communities and social networks are expanding so rapidly that it is impossible for people to digest all the information. To help users obtain information more efficiently, both the interface for data access and the information representation need to be improved. An intuitive and personalized interface, such as a dialogue system, could be an ideal assistant, which engages a user in a continuous dialogue to garner the user's interest, assists the user via speech-navigated interactions, harvests and summarizes the Web data as well as presenting it in a natural way. This work, therefore, aims to conduct research on a universal framework for developing a speech-based interface that can aggregate user-generated content and present the summarized information via speech-based human-computer interactions. The challenge is two-fold. Firstly, how to interpret the semantics and sentiment of user-generated data and aggregate them into structured yet concise summaries? Secondly, how to develop a dialogue modeling mechanism to present the highlighted information via natural language? This work explores plausible approaches to tackling these challenges. We will investigate a parse-and-paraphrase paradigm and a sentiment scoring mechanism for information extraction from unstructured user-generated content. We will also explore sentiment-involved opinion summarization and dialogue modeling approaches for aggregated information representation. A restaurant-domain prototype system has been implemented for demonstration.
Acantholytic dermatosis of the crural folds with ATP2C1 mutation is a possible variant of Hailey-Hailey Disease.

Background:We describe a patient with acantholytic dermatosis of the crural folds (ADCF) that was misdiagnosed and treated as condyloma acuminata for 13 years. After many skin biopsies consistently...
Regioselective aluminium chloride induced heteroarylation of pyrrolo[1,2-b]pyridazines: its scope and application

Abstract We describe a detailed study on the novel synthesis of 6,7-disubstituted pyrrolo[1,2-b]pyridazines through AlCl3 induced C–C bond formation reactions. A wide variety of 6-aryl substituted azolopyridazines was reacted with 3,6-dichloropyridazine to give 7-pyridazinyl substituted pyrrolopyridazines regioselectively in good to excellent yield. The mechanism and regiochemistry of the reaction along with applications of the methodology are discussed.
Teaching Normal Birth, Normally

Teaching normal-birth Lamaze classes normally involves considering the qualities that make birth normal and structuring classes to embrace those qualities. In this column, teaching strategies are suggested for classes that unfold naturally, free from unnecessary interventions.
Direct contact mechanism of Ohmic metallization to AlGaN/GaN heterostructures via Ohmic area recess etching

The effects of recess etching of the Ohmic contact area on the performance of Ti/Al/Mo/Au metallization and its interfacial reactions with AlGaN/AlN/GaN epilayers were investigated. The best Ohmic contact performances of 0.31, 0.41, and 0.26 Ω mm for three epilayers from two different sources were obtained only when the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channels were completely removed under the Ohmic contact metallization. This is due to the direct sideway contact made by the electrode to the 2DEG around the edges of the active-layer mesas or pads; this is believed to be a more efficient carrier transport mechanism than tunneling through the AlGaN barrier.
Nanofiber-permeated, hybrid polymer/ceramic scaffolds for guided cell behavior

The current gold-standard therapeutic strategies for bone grafts in the patient population are to use either allograft or autograft bone. Although these approaches have a long track record of utilization, neither is without risk to the patient, and there remains a desire in the field to improve treatment options. While there have been treatments approved by the FDA for full length growth factors and calcium salt-laden collagen sponges, these are not available for the entire population of potential bone graft patients. One viable strategy to focus on these concerns is to design an implantable bone graft substitute that can address all the negative drawbacks of autograft bone, allograft bone, and full length proteins. The work provides a preliminary investigation of synthetic, nanofiber-permeated, composite polymer/ceramic scaffold for bone repair using thermally induced phase separation, PLLA microspheres, and hydroxyapatite. The scaffolds as described have fiber diameters that mimic natural collagen ECM networks in bone as determined by scanning electron microscopy and will serve as the basis for future studies in substrate-guided bone tissue regeneration.
Insolubilized coenzymes: the covalent coupling of enzymatically active NAD to glass surfaces.

Abstract NAD was attached to the surface of glass beads by a diazo coupling procedure. The insolubilized NAD was shown to function as a coenzyme in the yeast alcohol dehydrogenase reaction.
PROTEIN METABOLISM IN THE RUMEN. I. ABSORPTION OF GLYCINE AND OTHER AMINO ACIDS.

Abstract The absorption of glycine, serine, threonine, methionine sulfoxide, aspartic acid, asparagine + glutamine, isoleucine, and leucine from the rumen was demonstrated using both in vitro and in vivo techniques. Four amino acids not normally present in human blood were found in ruminant blood. These amino acids chromatograph on Dowex 50-X8 similar to phosphoserine and cysteic acid, phosphoethanolamine, and methionine sulfoxide. Measurable amounts of 11 different acidic and neutral amino acids were found in rumen fluid from a steer fed normal rations of grain and hay. Serine was present in highest concentration. Methionine sulfoxide appeared in rumen fluid after methionine was added to the rumen. The data show that amino acids are absorbed from the rumen and contribute in this manner to the absorption of nitrogen from the alimentary tract.
Identification and function analysis of spectrin-like protein in pollen tubes of lily (Lilium davidii Duch)

The elongation of pollen tube is an important process of sexual reproduction in higher plant. Cytoskeleton plays a major regulatory role in the elongation of pollen tubes. But whether membrane skeleton is involved in the pollen tube elongation is not clear. In this study, immunochemical detection of spectrin-like protein has been carried out in pollen tubes. By use of 2-dimensional electrophoresis(2DE) and western blotting, two spectrin-like proteins are found, one is 150 kD, and the other is 105 kD, with pI being 4.54 and 4.39, respectively. 150 kD spectrin-like protein is located in plasma membrane of pollen tube and 105 kD spectrin-like protein is located in cytoplasm, probably functioning as a subunit to form a dimmer (210 kD)in vivo. The elongation of pollen tubes is inhibited after spectrin antibody was injected into a growing pollen tube. These results suggest that spectrin-like proteins exist in pollen tube and play an important regulating role in the elongation process of pollen tubes from lily.
Collaboration of Churches and Service Providers: Meeting the Needs of Older African Americans

ABSTRACT This article describes a community outreach volunteer project designed to reach frail community-based older adults. The project is an example of church and secular agency collaboration in which the church provides leadership in volunteer recruitment and the agency provides training and outreach activity monitoring. The church's role in this project illustrates that small and medium-size African American churches can play an important role in mobilizing volunteer resources and can perform a linking role in helping secular agencies to gain access to frail, hard-to-reach, low-income older adults.
Generalized Variability Response Functions for Beam Structures with Stochastic Parameters

AbstractA Monte Carlo–based methodology is introduced as a generalization of the variability response function (VRF) concept, applicable to both statically determinate and indeterminate beam structures with possibly large stochastic variations of parameters (bending stiffness or flexibility). This new methodology overcomes all limitations associated with the Taylor expansion-based VRFs used in the past. Two generalized VRFs (GVRFs) result from this methodology: a deflection GVRF and a bending moment GVRF. Numerical evidence indicates that these GVRFs are neither unique nor completely independent of the probabilistic characteristics of the random field modeling the variations of the bending flexibility. The GVRFs are found to be mildly sensitive to the non-Gaussian marginal distribution of this field, but are minimally dependent on its spectral density function. Taking advantage of this finding, a fast Monte Carlo–based methodology for estimating representative GVRFs is also introduced, significantly reduc...
Fabrication of a superconducting MEM shunt switch for RF applications

We have developed a fabrication process for a superconducting MicroElectroMechanical (MEM) shunt switch. The design of the switch has been optimized using Sonnet simulations. The switch consists of a YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ Coplanar Waveguide (CPW) transmission line with a gold membrane bridge anchored at the ground planes and suspended above an area of the center conductor covered with BaTiO/sub 3/. Under an applied electric field this membrane bridge actuates downwards and shunts the RF signal to ground. The membrane returns to its original shape when the electric field is removed. In the up position the device exhibits an s/sub 21/ insertion loss of less than 0.25 dB from dc through 900 MHz (most of which is due to radiated loss). In the down position the s/sub 21/ loss in the same frequency range is greater than 30 dB.
Effects of DDT, DDE, and PCBs on mitochondrial respiration.

Data dealing with the action of DDT, its metabolite DDE and other related chlorinated compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are presented in this study. Results show that both DDT and DDE effectively reduce oxidative phosphorylation as determined from cockroach muscle mitochondria. DDT is more effective as was also determined for inhibition of oligomycin-sensitive Mg/sup 2 +/ATPase. The PCBs tested were uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation. (JMT)
The effect of SO2 on photosynthesis and leaf resistance at varying concentrations of CO2

Abstract Photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal resistance were measured for soybean Glycine max L. before, during and after 2 h fumigations with SO2 at different levels of CO2. Sulphur dioxide uptake by leaves was also measured during fumigation. Photosynthesis decreased with increasing SO2 concentration at 300, 450 and 600 ppm CO2, with larger reductions occurring at low CO2. At 1200 ppm CO2 photosynthesis was not affected by up to 1·1 ppm SO2. Stomatal conductance to CO2 declined with increasing SO2 concentration at 300, 450 and 600 ppm CO2 but not at 1200 ppm. Residual (mesophyll) conductance to CO2 declined with increasing SO2 at low concentrations, did not begin to decline at 600 ppm until the SO2 concentration exceeded 0·8 ppm, and was not affected at 1200 ppm CO2 by up to 1·1 ppm SO2. Total SO2 uptake for the 2 h period of fumigation increased with increasing SO2 concentration and decreased with increasing CO2 concentration. Reduction in photosynthesis was highly correlated with the total amount of SO2 absorned by the leaves and showed similar trends at 300 and 450 ppm CO2. At higher concentrations of CO2 the reduction in photosynthesis for plants fumigated at high SO2 was less than that observed for plants that obserbed similar amounts of SO2 but were fumigated at lower concentrations of CO2. This suggests that elevated CO2 not only helped in protecting plants from injury by SO2 via inducing stomatal closure, but also caused a reduction in SO2 injury when the rate of SO2 uptake was high.
Moving Counseling Forward on LGB and Transgender Issues Speaking Queerly on Discourses and Microaggressions

Using a case example, the authors explore how the counseling field’s participation in the discourse of heterosexist dominance fosters microaggressions toward sexual and gender-transgressive minorities. Specifically, the authors deconstruct four linguistic assumptions of the discourse of heterosexist dominance: (a) the sex/gender binary, (b) decontextualized disposition language of homophobia, (c) hierarchical disposition language of affirmation, and (d) gendered pronouns. The authors will also examine how these assumptions influence egalitarian, well-intended counselors and counseling psychologists to engage in microinvalidations of LGB and transgender clients. Implications regarding more effective practice, training, and research will be discussed.
Distributed detection in noisy sensor networks

This paper considers distributed detection over a noisy network, in which each connected sensor pair can communicate over an additive noise channel. With non-identically distributed generic sensor observations, a mixed time scale recursive algorithm for binary hypothesis testing over such networks is proposed. Under some mild assumptions on network connectivity and global detectability (the positivity of the global or centralized Kullback-Liebler divergence), this algorithm yields asymptotically zero probabilities of Type-I and Type-II errors (henceforth referred to as probabilities of error). When sensor observations are identically distributed, a simplified single time scale version of the proposed algorithm is shown to achieve asymptotically zero probabilities of error. Convergence rate guarantees in terms of asymptotic normality of certain scaled decision variables are provided for this simplified procedure. As an example, a practical Gaussian sensor network is considered, for which the error decay exponents are explicitly characterized in terms of the network and noise parameters.
Mixing and playback of JPEG compressed packet videos

Video mixing, which is the simultaneous display of multiple motion videos received from multiple independent sources across a packet switched network, is addressed. A straightforward approach, which performs mixing at the pixel level, is analyzed and found undesirable because of the requirements of large amount of expensive memory and decompression capacity. A technique that performs direct mixing of JPEG compressed data is introduced. An efficient structure based on this technique, which needs only a frame worth of buffering and decompression regardless of the number of video windows and their sizes, is presented. Packet video playback is discussed, and two simple heuristics are proposed. >
Unitary and paraunitary systems in finite fields

Unitary and paraunitary matrices have found a number of applications in signal processing. A paraunitary matrix H(z) in the complex field is nothing but a rational function of z (with complex coefficients), which is unitary for z=e/sup jw/. When computations are performed in a finite field, it is important to deal with this class of matrices in a finite field. Unitary and paraunitary matrices in finite fields are introduced. Various properties are studied, including the possibility of factorizations in terms of Householder building blocks. For the case of FIR (finite impulse response) systems, state-space manifestation of the paraunitary property is also considered. >
Adenovirus E1A and E1B-19K proteins protect human hepatoma cells from transforming growth factor β1-induced apoptosis

Primary and some transformed hepatocytes undergo apoptosis in response to transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ). We report that infection with species C human adenovirus conferred resistance to TGFβ-induced apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (Huh-7). Protection against TGFβ-mediated cell death in adenovirus-infected cells correlated with the maintenance of normal nuclear morphology, lack of pro-caspases 8 and 3 processing, maintenance of the mitochondrial membrane potential, and lack of cellular DNA degradation. The TGFβ pro-apoptotic signaling pathway was blocked upstream of mitochondria in adenovirus-infected cells. Both the N-terminal sequences of the E1A proteins and the E1B-19K protein were necessary to protect infected cells against TGFβ-induced apoptosis.
Country of Origin and Race/Ethnicity: Impact on Breastfeeding Intentions

This article reports on breastfeeding intentions of Hispanic and black women by country of origin (continental US born or foreign born) in a low-income population that has experienced demographic shifts. Data were derived from prenatal interviews with 382 women from 2 community clinics. Primary outcome measures were intentions to formula feed, breastfeed, or formula and breastfeed. Foreign-born women were significantly more likely to intend to only breastfeed (42% vs 24% for continental US born, P < .05). In multivariate analyses, country of origin and having breastfed a previous child were the only significant predictors of breastfeeding intention. In contrast to previous work, black (non-Hispanic) and Hispanic women's breastfeeding plans were similar. This finding coincides with dramatic increases in the numbers of blacks from West Indian countries-where breastfeeding is the norm-in the study locale.
Infix, cut and finite automata

The behavior of one and two dimensional automata are displayed in two and three dimensions and via animations. Implementations of finite automata in J using “infix” and “cut” to distribute local definitions of finite automata are compared. Abstract automata are considered along with applications to image processing and surface plotting.
Midtrimester amniotic fluid concentrations of angiogenic factors in relation to maternal, gestational and neonatal characteristics in normal pregnancies

Objective: To describe associations among maternal/gestational/neonatal characteristics and midpregnancy amniotic fluid concentrations of the main angiogenic markers vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PlGF). Methods: In a cohort of 206 normal full-term pregnancies, midpregnancy amniotic fluid VEGF and PlGF reference values were recorded. Possible associations among the above concentrations and various parameters, such as maternal age and body mass index, race, parity, smoking, gestational age, delivery mode, birth-weight and fetal gender were investigated. Results: Midpregnancy amniotic fluid concentrations of both VEGF and PlGF increased with increasing gestational age (r = 0.173, p = 0.013 and r = 0.255, p < 0.001, respectively), whereas PlGF concentrations positively correlated with birth-weight (r = 0.154, p = 0.027). The effect of the other above-mentioned parameters on VEGF and PlGF concentrations was not significant. Conclusions: In normal pregnancies, midgestati...
A real-time stereo head pose tracking system

Head pose tracking is very important in many human machine interfaces. In this paper, a stereo head pose tracking system is proposed, which detects and tracks six facial features (pupils, nostrils and lip corners) automatically when a human face appears in front of two low-cost USB cameras. The epipolar constraint and a 3D facial feature model are used to improve the accuracy and robustness of the system. This system has the advantages of automatically detecting the facial features and recovering the features lost during the tracking process. Encouraging results have been obtained using the proposed system
Interactive Effects of Leech (Desserobdella picta) Infection on Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) Tadpole Fitness Traits

Abstract We studied the growth and survival of wood frog, Rana sylvatica, larvae infected with the leech, Desserobdella picta, a common ectoparasite of amphibian larvae and adults. In a laboratory setting, we exposed wood frog tadpoles of different body sizes and environmental rearing conditions to 0–5 leeches to determine their direct and interactive effects on tadpole growth and survival. Increased parasite intensity was positively correlated with leech pathogenicity for all experimental conditions and resulted in dramatically lower larval growth rates and survival. Leech infection also contributed to significant interactions involving tadpole body size, rearing temperature, food level and population density. Leeches had a disproportionately greater effect on small tadpoles and tadpoles reared at lower temperatures, lower food levels, and higher population densities. This was particularly true for tadpoles infected by a single leech; tadpoles infected by two or more leeches all died shortly after being ...
Noise in He:Ne lasers near threshold

Recent experiments to investigate the noise properties of He:Ne lasers operating close to threshold at 633 nm are described. In the first set of experiments transient fluctuations during the turn on of the laser were studied by means of the first-passage-time technique. In another set of experiments intensity fluctuations of a laser with a saturable absorber were investigated. Measurements of intensity fluctuations in both the bistable and tricrical regimes of operation were made. Finally the effects of multiplicative white noise due to pump parameter fluctuations were investigated by means of photon counting and correlation techniques. Implications of these results for other laser systems are also discussed.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Governance, Regulations, Trade Openness and FDI Inflows: Empirical Study

Governance effectiveness and regulation quality have been drawing the attention in the international business arena, yet, there has not been a consensus findings regarding its potential impact on the FDI inflows. In this paper, we examine the possible links between the governments’ effectiveness and their regulation quality and the amount of FDI inflows using the existing literature and theories in the economic and international business fields. We find that regulation quality, control of corruption, and trade openness have mixed results, suggesting that further exploration is needed in this field. Results are explained and future directions are suggested based upon the empirical findings.
The Influence of Long-Term Performance Plans on Corporate Performance & Investment

This paper reviews the research dealing with long-term performance plans, an accounting-based compensation plan that evaluates and rewards executive performance over a 3 to 5 year period. The research provides evidence that long-term performance plans are an effective mechanism so that executives make decisions, such as merger, divestiture and capital investment, congruent with the long-term economic interests of the company- and eventually the economy. As organizations seek to reform their governance structures and change the composition of their audit and compensation committees in light of the corporate scandals and the economic crisis, new opportunities exist for reforming executive compensation practices and to move away from stock option plans in favor of long-term performance plans.
Where Do Illinois Swine Growers Get Their Outlook Information

OMMERCIAL swine growers in Henry County, Illinois, say they depend most on farm magazines for their market outlook information, but most of them are amazingly uninformed about economic factors which affect their hog business. This conclusion is based upon an intensive study of a random sample of 50 hog farmers in Henry County, Illinois, conducted during the first week of September, 1958. The study was designed to determine (1) if swine growers had an adequate knowledge of outlook information upon which to base sound management decisions, (2) the primary sources of their information and (3) whether or not they could correctly interpret the information they did receive.
Dual Language Education: Current Research Perspectives

Classrooms around the world bring together students who come from different language backgrounds. In many cases, all of the students are expected to learn through a national or other high-status la...
Abstract 4507: Deletion of 9p21.3/p16/CDKN2A is associated with poorer survival in primary central nervous system (PCNSL) lymphoma independent of 6q22 effect. A study facilitated by the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Tissue Repository Program (SEER TRP)

Objective. Molecularly distinct PCNSL signatures with divergent clinical behavior are now recognized. Implied within this heterogeneity are mechanisms for treatment response and pattern of failure. Recent cytogenetic and genomic studies demonstrated influences of select chromosomal regions on outcome to treatment and survival. These included genetic and epigenetic alterations affecting CDKN2A (9p21.3) that distinguished PCNSL from its systemic counterpart. We now report that deletion of 9p21.3/p16 is associated with a negative effect on survival. Methods and Patients. Well-annotated and population-based formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) patient samples were sourced from the SEER TRP. Specimens were retrieved from the Hawaii, Iowa and Los Angeles County (LA Co) tissue repositories. “Home Brew” fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) probes for BCL6, and ptpr-α were prepared according to a standard protocol (Cady et al. J Clin Oncol 2008;26:4814-9). FISH probes for 9p.21 were prepared similarly and then compared to a commercially available probe. Survival was based on the SEER TRP clinical annotations. Results. Thirty five patients were sourced - twelve from Iowa, 13 from Hawaii, and 10 from LA County. The test cohort was 23 from Iowa and Hawaii; the FISH probe failed in 9 and three had insufficient remaining tumor for analysis. For the Iowa and Hawaii registries and for the registries combined the lack of FISH probe detection of 9p.21/p16 correlated with survival (p=0.0159) and was independent of BCL6 (p=0.8788) and ptpr-α (p=0.3724). Conclusion. Deletion of p16 confers a negative effect on survival of PCNSL patients and appears to be independent of treatment, age, BCL6 and ptpr-α status. These results need to be confirmed in a larger sample size. 9p21.3 detection by FISH in feasible in surgical specimens and may aid in the stratification of such patients into different and/or more intensive treatment regimens. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4507. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4507
Studies on gluconeogenesis and protein synthesis in isolated hepatocytes.

SummaryGlucose production was studied in isolated hepatocytes using various substrates and with increasing substrate concentrations (0-10 mM). Fructose was the best gluconeogenic substrate while other substrates studied stimulated net glucose production in the following decreasing order: lactate, pyruvate, glycerol, galactose, alanine, and succinate. Studies on oxygen consumption showed that endogenous respiration was linear for 60 min and was not altered by extracellular calcium. Studies on the incorporation of 14C-leucine into protein was linear for only 3-4 hr in cells containing low glycogen. However, cells containing high glycogen incorporated 14C-leucine into protein linearly for 8-10 hr. About 3 mg of protein per g per hr was synthesized by isolated cells when incubated for 4 hr with amino acids mixture, glucose, lactate, and insulin.
Improved sparse low-rank matrix estimation

We consider estimating simultaneously sparse and low-rank matrices from their noisy observations.We use non-convex penalty functions that are parameterized to ensure strict convexity of the overall objective function.An ADMM based algorithm is derived with guaranteed global convergence.Several examples are shown to emphasize the benefit of using the proposed method over convex regularized sparse low-rank matrix estimation method. We address the problem of estimating a sparse low-rank matrix from its noisy observation. We propose an objective function consisting of a data-fidelity term and two parameterized non-convex penalty functions. Further, we show how to set the parameters of the non-convex penalty functions, in order to ensure that the objective function is strictly convex. The proposed objective function better estimates sparse low-rank matrices than a convex method which utilizes the sum of the nuclear norm and the 1 norm. We derive an algorithm (as an instance of ADMM) to solve the proposed problem, and guarantee its convergence provided the scalar augmented Lagrangian parameter is set appropriately. We demonstrate the proposed method for denoising an audio signal and an adjacency matrix representing protein interactions in the Escherichia coli bacteria.
China's Entry into WTO and Chinese Foreign Cooperation in School running: Challenges and Opportunities

China's entry into WTO has made itself more open to the outside world and brought about tremendous influence on the development of society and economy and many other aspects. It is a challenge as well as an opportunity to the Chinese Foreign cooperation in schoo running. An analysis is made in the paper of several issues concerned.
A Comprehensive Equilibrium Effect of Mineral Elements upon Crops

The author's work of years on geochemistry applied to agriculture suggests that mineral elements play an important role in the growth of crops. Mineral elements are necessary for the production of organic matters in another form during the metabolism of crops and they take an effective part in comprehensive equilibrium reaction of enzyme, protein and carbohydrate contained in crops in various forms. Thus, understanding the abundance of mineral elements under geochemical environment is an important approach to improvement of a supply and demand system for the growth of crops.
Rethinking education after Heidegger: Teaching learning as ontological response-ability

AbstractThis article develops Thomson’s post-Heideggerian view that ontological education is centrally concerned with disclosing being creatively and responsibly. To disclose being creatively and responsibly is to realize the meaning of being, developing our historical understanding of what being means along with our consequent understanding of what it means for us to be, both communally and in the many facets of our own individual lives. As ontological educators, we disclose our own being by becoming who we are, which we do best by learning-in-public, that is, by ‘teaching learning’. In the teaching and learning that belong together in ontological education, we come into our own by helping others (both human beings and non-human entities) to come into their own as well. Thomson explains and develops the crucially meaningful difference between creatively and responsibly disclosing inchoate meanings, on the one hand, and technologically imposing pre-existing plans and ideas, on the other. Responding to fiv...
Closed heart surgery for congenital heart disease in infancy.

Closed heart surgery for congenital heart defects can be palliative or corrective. The results with palliative and corrective procedures in infants under 1 month of age done at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto from 1982 to 1987 are presented. The palliative procedures discussed are systemic to pulmonary shunts, pulmonary artery banding, and atrial septectomy. The corrective procedures presented are aortic valvotomy and repair of coarctation of the aorta.Neontal Cardiac Arrhythmias and Their Potential Role in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Achieving the Healthy People 2010 goal of elimination of health disparities: what will it take?

The second national goal for Healthy People 2010 is the elimination of health disparities related to social disadvantage in the United States. Unfortunately, progress to date has been limited. Our national strategy to achieve this goal has been too narrowly focused on public health. Success will require a broader strategy including alignment of existing national policies in non-health areas that affect the health of the socially disadvantaged such as education, health care, labor, welfare, housing, criminal justice, the environment, and taxation if it is to succeed. Key criteria are needed to begin to prioritize areas for federal investment to achieve this goal. These include the impact of the targeted condition on disparities, evidence base for the intervention, potential impact of the policy on disparities, economic impact, and federal politics. Two “big ideas” offer promise including federal investment in early child education and enhanced primary care within federally qualified community health centers. The proposed criteria are applied to each proposed policy.