cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Altered angiogenesis underlying age-dependent changes in tumor growth.

Background Cancer incidence increases with age, but the growth and spread of tumors is often slow and prolonged in the elderly. Transplantable murine tumors grow and spread less readily in older mice and can be used as models to study the effect of host age. Neovascularization is crucial for the growth of solid tumors, and alterations in the host vascular response may underlie the changes in tumor growth occurring with age. Purpose We have used transplantable tumor cells and tumors, and tumor extracts, to better understand differences in the biology of tumor growth and vascularization as a function of host age. Methods Englebreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) carcinoma and B16-F10 melanoma cells were injected into C57BL mice of different ages. Tumor growth, histology, and cellular DNA synthesis were compared. Vascularization was determined using basic fibroblast growth factor and an in vivo angiogenesis assay. EHS tumor extracts were assayed for biologic activity in vitro using human endothelial cells and in vivo using mouse EHS-BAM carcinoma and human TSU-Pr1 prostate carcinoma cells. Results EHS tumors formed larger tumors in young than in old C57BL mice. Rapid tumor growth resumed upon transfer of tumor tissue from old animals into young animals. The rate of DNA synthesis of tumor tissue from old animals in organ culture was lower than in tissue from young animals. Histologically, tumors grown in old animals exhibited a threefold higher ratio of extracellular matrix to tumor cells than those grown in young animals. Tumors from adult animals exhibited numerous small blood vessels; those from old animals contained fewer, much larger vessels. Similar results were observed in young mice fed a reduced-calorie diet. Young animals elicited a greater and more rapid angiogenic response than old animals. Extracts of tumors grown in old animals failed to support endothelial cell differentiation in culture. Tumor cells injected together with such old extracts showed reduced tumor growth in nude mice. Conclusions The rate of growth and morphology of the EHS tumor were altered with age, partly due to a reduced capacity to vascularize the tumors because of a lack of angiogenic factors or the presence of host inhibitors. Implications Alterations in host factors detected in this tumor model may underlie a variety of age-dependent changes that could influence tumor growth and the repair and regeneration of normal tissue. Reducing the vascularization of tumors represents a potential target to reduce their growth and progression.
Reciprocal ST segment depression: Impact on the electrocardiographic diagnosis of ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of many causes of electrocardiographic ST segment elevation (STE) in ED chest pain (CP) patients; at times, the electrocardiographic diagnosis may be difficult. Coexistent ST segment depression has been reported to assist in the differentiation of non-infarction causes of STE from AMI-related ST segment elevation. The objective was to determine the effect of AMI diagnosis on the presence of STD among ED CP patients with electrocardiographic STE. Adult CP patients with electrocardiographic STE in at least 2 anatomically distributed leads were reviewed for the presence or absence of ST segment depression in at least 1 lead and separated into 2 groups, both with and without ST segment depression. A comparison of the 2 groups was performed in 2 approaches: all STE patients and then only with STE patients who lacked confounding electrocardiographic pattern (bundle branch block [BBB], left ventricular hypertrophy [LVH], or right ventricular paced rhythm [VPR]). All patients in the study underwent prolonged observation in the ED (at least 8 hours) with 3 serial troponin T determinations and 3 electrocardiograms (ECG). AMI was diagnosed by abnormal serum troponin T values (>0.1 mg/dL); electrocardiographic STE diagnoses of non-AMI causes were determined by medical record review. There were 171 CP patients with STE were entered in the study with 112 (65.5%) individuals show ST segment depression. When considering all study patients, ST segment depression was present at statistically equal rates in AMI and non-AMI situations (P = NS). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for the electrocardiographic diagnosis of AMI were 63%, 34%, 30%, and 67%, respectively. Patients with confounding patterns (LVH 46, BBB 19, and VPR 6) were removed from the analysis group, leaving 100 patients for analysis; 38 of these patients had ST segment depression. When considering this group of study patients, ST segment depression was present significantly more often in AMI patients (P <.0001). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for the electrocardiographic diagnosis of AMI were 69%, 93%, 93%, and 71%, respectively. Clinical diagnoses were as follows: 56 AMI, 50 USAP, and 65 noncoronary syndrome. When all CP patients with electrocardiographic STE are considered, the presence of ST segment depression is not helpful in distinguishing AMI from non-AMI. If one considers only patterns which lack electrocardiographic ST segment depression caused by altered intraventricular conduction, the presence of ST segment depression strongly suggests the diagnosis of AMI. In these cases, reciprocal ST segment depression is of considerable value in establishing the electrocardiographic diagnosis of STE AMI.
Enhancing the Social Environments of Elderly Nursing Home Residents: Are High Rates of Interaction Enough?.

We investigated the social validity of a common intervention (i.e., serving food during a social hour) that has been reported to facilitate social interaction among nursing home residents. Using a group reversal design, rates of interaction were measured. In addition, the vocal content of the interactions was recorded and coded by raters blind to condition. Rates of interaction more than doubled during the treatment phases, but ineffective vocal behavior accounted for the bulk of the increase. Results suggest the need to examine the utility of such programs in nursing homes.
Ecology of urban socialchange—An American example

Abstract The recent literature of urban social ecology has produced an emergent body of theory and methodology together with empirical verification. Yet, the entire conception is dependent upon cross-sectional analyses or international comparisons, with little attention directed to processes of change. This paper focuses explicitly on system change by comparing cross sections over time and by the direct decomposition of change data. The first approach, which has been extensively utilized, should provide evidence consistent with existing theory. The second approach, which is less well understood, should provide an alternative set of perspectives. Empirical content is provided by analyzing a consistent 43 variable set for the census tracts of Detroit both for 1960 and 1970. In addition, the same variable set is constructed to represent change over the decade and then analyzed for the identification of change dimensions. For both time periods theoretically expected dimensions emerge. However, the substantive simplicity of the 1960 structure is far more complex a decade later. Much of the additional complexity involves the separation of family status related variables from a unidimensional concept to an increasingly multidimensional representation. It is suggested that these findings are not unique and they may represent the emergence of post-industrial patterns. Although cross-sectional findings and change dimensions derived from change variables are related, they are not the same. These two approaches provide differing perspectives on the nature of urban system modification.
Impact of Density of Lab Data in EHR for Prediction of Potentially Preventable Events

This paper presents an analysis of sparse and incomplete Electronic Health Record (EHR) data for the prediction of patients with the risk of Potentially Preventable Events (PPEs). PPEs are admissions, readmissions, complications and emergency department visits that could have been avoided if the patient had been given the appropriate interventions. Machine learning techniques have made the task of PPE detection less difficult. However, it is still a challenging task due to the sparse and incomplete nature of the EHR data. It is therefore important to investigate the factors that impact the prediction of PPE in EHR data. In this paper we define the term density for evaluating sparse and incomplete nature of the EHR data set. We analyze three important factors that impacts PPE prediction in sparse and incomplete EHR data. These factors are - 1) Effect of varying domain information in the patient records on PPE prediction, 2) Impact of a popular data mining pre-processing technique known as rank aggregation based feature selection on PPE prediction, and 3) Effect of ensemble classification on prediction of PPE. The results of the analysis indicate that the rank aggregation based feature selection technique and ensemble classification improves classification accuracy by approximately 3-4\% despite of the sparse and incomplete nature of the data. However, eliminating patient records with less domain information, in order to reduce incompleteness in the data, does not cause an enhancement in the classification accuracy. We conclude that feature selection and ensemble classification techniques are important factors that affect classification accuracy even in sparse and incomplete data sets. We conclude as well that randomly decreasing domain information by varying lab values does not assist in increasing accuracy for the prediction of PPE.
Sites of epidermal growth factor synthesis and action in the pituitary: paracrine and autocrine interactions.

SUMMARY 1. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is produced by growth hormone (GH) cells and gonadotropes in normal pituitary cell populations. The studies were initiated to determine whether EGF is a paracrine or autocrine regulator of gonadotrope function. 2. The first group of studies tested for the presence of EGF receptors in gonadotropes from cycling female rats by immunolabelling. Expression varied with the stage of the cycle. At the highest point (metoestrus), only a few EGF target cells are gonadotropes, identified by their content of luteinizing hormone (LH)-β mRNA. Expression by gonadotropes then increased to reach a peak of 50% of cells during pro-oestrus. 3. Studies investigating the regulation of expression of EGF receptor (R) showed that all culture conditions (in media with or without serum) and EGF itself both stimulated expression of the receptor by gonadotropes in populations from oestrus or metoestrus rats. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) also stimulated EGFR expression in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) gonadotropes from oestrus animals. Additional tests of expression of immediate early genes (c-fos) showed that, after 15 min, EGF stimulated expression in cells with FSH antigens. 4. Epidermal growth factor also stimulated gonadotrope proliferation, as detected by the MTT cell growth/cell death assays and bromodeoxyuridine uptake by gonadotropes during the S phase (DNA synthesis) of the cell cycle. 5. Epidermal growth factor and GnRH both stimulated a significant increase in the percentage of mitotic gonadotropes. Epidermal growth factor may be an autocrine or a paracrine growth factor to maintain and develop the gonadotrope population and EGF may also be involved in early differentiation events that prepare cells to support the LH surge.
Multi-Criteria Optimization for Filter Design of L1 Adaptive Control

This paper considers the problem of optimal trade-off between robustness, in terms of time-delay margin, and performance of the $\mathcal {L}_{1}$ adaptive controller. Although the architectures of the $\mathcal {L}_{1}$ adaptive control theory can be systematically tuned to trade-off performance for robustness, there is no practical methodology as of today for the design of the underlying filter toward obtaining the optimal performance. The only available results in this direction were given in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which are numerically tractable but tend to yield conservative results similar to what one would obtain by applying methods from robust control theory. This paper presents design schemes that are based on search for the design parameters of the filter. We consider filters of certain structures to satisfy the design specifications and investigate their properties over the space of the design parameters. To handle uncertain variables in the design specifications, greedy randomized algorithms are adopted to analyze and synthesize the system performance and robustness in the presence of uncertainties. In addition, we compute approximate sets of allowable design parameters in both analytical and numerical ways. Illustrative examples are provided to demonstrate that these methods can achieve the desired performance and robustness specifications with reasonable degree of conservatism.
Consistent pseudo-derivatives in meshless methods

A meshless Petrov-Galerkin formulation is developed in which derivatives of the trial functions are obtained as a linear combination of derivatives of Shepard functions. A key contribution is the development of conditions on test functions and trial functions for nonintegrable pseudo-derivatives for Petrov-Galerkin method which pass the patch test. Numerical results show that the resulting method is substantially more accurate than the Galerkin method with Shepard approximants and exceeds the rate of convergence of linear finite elements.
Macrophages: important players in primary Sjögren's syndrome?

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by immune-mediated destruction of the salivary and lacrimal glands with unknown etiology. Due to recent research utilizing human subjects as well as laboratory animal models, our understanding of the pathophysiological and immunological mechanisms of pSS has made great strides. As a consequence, targeted, immune-based therapies are gaining increased attention as the ideal way to conquer autoimmune diseases like pSS. Currently, however, there is no effective treatment to target specific immunological events or effector immune cells in the pathogenesis of pSS (discussed in other reviews of the current issue). Here, we summarize our current understanding and knowledge of the roles of monocytes/macrophages in the pathogenesis of pSS. Human studies, especially utilizing salivary gland biopsies, demonstrate the infiltration of macrophages and its correlation with disease severity. Moreover, animal model studies have shown the functional involvement of macrophages in promoting the ocular component of pSS.
Addiction is Not a Natural Kind

I argue that addiction is not an appropriate category to support generalizations for the purposes of scientific prediction. That is, addiction is not a natural kind. I discuss the Homeostatic Property Cluster (HPC) theory of kinds, according to which members of a kind share a cluster of properties generated by a common mechanism or set of mechanisms. Leading accounts of addiction in literature fail to offer a mechanism that explains addiction across substances. I discuss popular variants of the disease conception and demonstrate that at least one class of substances that fails to confirm a major prediction of each account. When no mechanism can be found to explain the occurrence of the relevant properties in members of a category, the HPC view suggests that we revise our categories. I discuss options offered by the HPC view, including category revision and category replacement. I then conclude that talk of addiction as a prediction-supporting category should be replaced with categories such as “S-addiction” and “T-addiction,” where S and T are substances or sets of substances of abuse, as these categories are genuine natural kinds.
Modeling crack development in reinforced concrete structures under service loading

Abstract Reinforced and partially prestressed concrete structures are generally designed to allow cracking under service loading. Accurate modeling of crack formation and propagation at lower load levels is therefore important, especially in severe environments where structural durability is a concern. Here, a spring-network approach is used to study cracking in scaled models of reinforced concrete bridge piers, which are subjected to eccentric loading. An energetic fracture mechanics approach is used to model tension softening of developing cracks. Numerical results for cracking loads, crack opening profiles, and global load–displacement response agree well with experimentally measured values. In contrast, a brittle fracture model significantly underestimates the load level of crack formation, provides unrealistic crack opening profiles at low load levels, and indicates a mechanism for structural failure different from that witnessed in the test program.
The Influence of Fluid Physical Properties on Coal-Water Slurry Atomization

This study reports the atomization behavior of coal-water slurries at conditions typical of a gas turbine combustor. Slurry atomization characteristics were determined for a plain-jet airblast research nozzle and six slurries. Atomization quality is reported in terms of the spray's Sauter mean diameter and the radial distribution of fuel mass flux
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM OF RETRENCHMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION? [I]

Single- and double-loop organizational learning are discussed in the context of retrenchment in higher education. A model of the research university illuminates impediments to internal resource reallocation, programme elimination and integrative leadership, and suggests the need for alternatives to usual efforts to increase efficiency while retaining existing norms, goals, and organizational structures.
Persistent chimerism despite antidonor MHC in vitro responses in miniature swine following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND T-cell chimerism predominates in miniature swine receiving hematopoietic-cell transplantation without myelosuppressive conditioning. Several chimeric recipients have become hyporesponsive to donor-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in vitro and accepted donor-matched renal transplants without immunosuppression. However, some retained antidonor in vitro responses and subsequently rejected donor renal allografts despite the persistence of peripheral blood chimerism. In this study, we characterize the donor cells in both "tolerant" and "nontolerant" chimeric miniature swine. METHODS Peripheral blood chimerism was determined by flow cytometry. In vitro antidonor responsiveness was determined by mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and cell-mediated lymphocytotoxicity (CML). Donor cells were separated from chimeras by immunomagnetic bead separation and used as stimulators or targets in CML assays. Phenotypic analysis of donor cells in chimeras was performed using flow cytometry. RESULTS Peripheral blood chimerism stabilized beyond 100 days and was made up almost entirely of T cells. PBMC from nontolerant chimeras could be stimulated in vitro to kill donor cells isolated from the mixed chimera itself. In contrast, PBMC from tolerant chimeras hyporesponsive to donor-type cells could not be stimulated in vitro to kill their own sorted donor cells. CONCLUSIONS The in vivo persistence of donor T cells in mixed chimeric animals with in vitro antidonor responsiveness is not caused by an inability of these cells to be killed but rather by the poor stimulating capacity of these donor T cells. The nature of donor T cells that persist in the face of in vitro antidonor responses, has important implications for the induction of transplant tolerance by way of the generation of mixed chimerism.
Two theorems on the number of real roots of the characteristic equation of any stable linear physical system

THE TIME RESPONSE to a disturbance in any linear system depends upon the initial conditions, the disturbance, and the roots of the characteristic equation. The response will be bounded (stable) if, and only if, all roots have negative real parts. The response is the sum of a particular integral (PI) and a complementary function (CF). The PI is often called the steady-state part of solution and the CF the transient part of the solution.
Tarsal ectropion repair and lower blepharoplasty: A case report and review of literature

Ectropion is frequently encountered in plastic surgery. A variety of etiologies exist, but tarsal ectropion, defined as complete eversion of the tarsal plate and its overlying conjunctiva, is rarely considered. First described in 1960 by Fox, this variant was initially attributed to pre-septal orbicularis oculi spasm or tarsoligamentous relaxation. However, subsequent investigators determined that the true etiology involved lower lid retractor disinsertion on the tarsal plate. We present a case of chronic right lower lid ectropion in a 66-year-old male. Through understanding of eyelid anatomy, especially that of the lower eyelid retractors, tarsal ectropion was correctly identified in our patient preoperatively. A repair including correction of retractor disinsertion on the tarsus was planned, and given our patient's degree of lower lid delamination and mobilization, we also proceeded with bilateral lower lid blepharoplasty with canthal and lower lid soft tissue support. Ultimately, we were able to achieve an improved aesthetic appearance for our patient, along with resolution of his symptoms.
Microtubule-Associated Proteins MAP65-1 and MAP65-2 Positively Regulate Axial Cell Growth in Etiolated Arabidopsis Hypocotyls

The Arabidopsis thaliana MAP65-1 and MAP65-2 genes are members of the larger eukaryotic MAP65/ASE1/PRC gene family of microtubule-associated proteins. We created fluorescent protein fusions driven by native promoters that colocalized MAP65-1 and MAP65-2 to a subset of interphase microtubule bundles in all epidermal hypocotyl cells. MAP65-1 and MAP65-2 labeling was highly dynamic within microtubule bundles, showing episodes of linear extension and retraction coincident with microtubule growth and shortening. Dynamic colocalization of MAP65-1/2 with polymerizing microtubules provides in vivo evidence that plant cortical microtubules bundle through a microtubule-microtubule templating mechanism. Analysis of etiolated hypocotyl length in map65-1 and map65-2 mutants revealed a critical role for MAP65-2 in modulating axial cell growth. Double map65-1 map65-2 mutants showed significant growth retardation with no obvious cell swelling, twisting, or morphological defects. Surprisingly, interphase microtubules formed coaligned arrays transverse to the plant growth axis in dark-grown and GA4-treated light-grown map65-1 map65-2 mutant plants. We conclude that MAP65-1 and MAP65-2 play a critical role in the microtubule-dependent mechanism for specifying axial cell growth in the expanding hypocotyl, independent of any mechanical role in microtubule array organization.
The /ay/s have It the perception of /ay/ as a north-south stereotype in United States English

Abstract There is no doubt that /ay/ monophthongization is one of the principal caricatures of US speech. Few studies, however, have made use of phonetic detail in investigating regional or group identification and caricature, and none has addressed the possibility that a perceptual continuum parallels the continuous nature of some phonetic variables. This study attempts to determine if the degree of /ay/ monophthongization is relevant to perception along a north-south line of nine voices stretching from Saginaw, Michigan to Dothan, Alabama, the same used in an earlier study of dialect recognition by the second author. Some characteristics of both the speaker (sex) and hearer (sex, region) are also explored.
Improved evaluation procedure for heat-pulse soil water flux density method

Analytical solutions of the heat equation must be evaluated in order to implement the heat-pulse method for measuring soil water flux density. We developed an improved procedure for evaluating the integrals in these solutions by recognizing that they can be reduced to a single function, W, known as the well function for leaky aquifers. The evaluation procedure was improved further by developing an efficient method to approximate W. This method, which involves summing the first few terms of an infinite series, also provides a simple means of determining the approximation error. For a wide range of input parameters, at most two terms of the series are needed to approximate W with error less than 10 -4 in absolute value. Thus, numerical integration is not required in order to implement the heat-pulse method for measuring soil water flux density. Our results regarding the evaluation of W are relevant to other problems in soil science and groundwater hydrology in which the function W appears.
Attempting to lose weight: specific practices among U.S. adults.

Abstract Background Americans spend over $33 billion annually on weight-loss products and services. Although weight-control methods are of considerable public health interest, few national data on weight-loss practices are available. This paper examines the prevalence of specific weight-loss practices among U.S. adults trying to lose weight. Methods Data from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey, which was conducted through face-to-face interviews of a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults ( n =32,440), were analyzed in 2003. Results Twenty-four percent of men and 38% of women were trying to lose weight. Attempting weight loss was less common among normal weight (body mass index [BMI] 2 ) people (6% men, 24% women) than overweight (BMI≥25 to 30 kg/m 2 ) people (28%, 49%) or obese (BMI≥30 kg/m 2 ) people (50%, 58%). Among those trying to lose weight, the most common strategies were eating fewer calories (58% men, 63% women); eating less fat (49%, 56%); and exercising more (54%, 52%). Less frequent strategies were skipping meals (11% men, 9% women); eating food supplements (5%, 6%); joining a weight-loss program (3%, 5%); taking diet pills (2%, 3%); taking water pills or diuretics (1%, 2%); or fasting for ≥24 hours (0.6%, 0.7%). Only one third of all those trying to lose weight reported eating fewer calories and exercising more. Conclusions Increased efforts are needed among all those trying to lose weight to promote effective strategies for weight loss, including the use of calorie reduction and increased physical activity.
The binding of the peroxidase oxidation products of indole-3-acetic acid to histone.

Summary Oxidation of indoleacetic acid-2- 14 CC by horseradish peroxidase caused a 2 to 14 fold increase in the binding of this hormone to calf thymus histone. Gel electrophoresis revealed from two to ten times more binding to the monomer and dimer of the arginine-rich histone fraction than to other fractions. Inhibition of this binding by glutathione and the U.V. spectra of the oxidation products indicated that 3-methyleneoxindole was the oxidation product that was bound. The data suggest that 3-methyleneoxindole reacted with sulfhydryl residues of the arginine-rich histone.
Support vector regression to predict the performance of stabilized aggregate bases subject to wet–dry cycles

SUMMARY Durability is a notion that is integrated with the performance of stabilized pavement materials. Also, because it can be quantified and measured, it carries significant influence on the design of pavements. This study focuses on using support vector machine, a machine learning algorithm, in assessing the performance of stabilized aggregate bases subject to wet–dry cycles. Support Vector Regression (SVR) is a statistical learning algorithm that is applied to regression problems and is gaining popularity in pavement and geotechnical engineering. In our study, SVR was shown to be superior to the least-squares (LS) method. Results of this study show that SVR significantly reduces the mean-squared error (MSE) and improves the coefficient of determination (R2) compared to the widely used LS method. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fuzzy segmentation of X-ray fluoroscopy images

Segmentation of fluoroscopy images is useful for fluoroscopy-to-CT image registration. However, it is impossible to assign a unique tissue type to each pixel. Rather each pixel corresponds to an entire path of tissue types encountered along a ray from the X-ray source to the detector plate. Furthermore, there is an inherent many-to-one mapping between paths and pixel values. We address these issues by assigning to each pixel not a scalar value but a fuzzy vector of tissue probabilities. We perform this segmentation in a probabilistic way by first learning typical distributions of bone, air, and soft tissue that correspond to certain fluoroscopy image values and then assigning each value to a probability distribution over its most likely generating paths. We then evaluate this segmentation on ground truth patient data.
Fatigue Damage Accumulation Model and Fatigue Life Predication of Composite Laminate T300/ Epoxy-Resin

The Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) has been widely used in aircraft, spacecraft, watercraft and transportation because of its excellent mechanical characteristics. The fatigue characteristic of the composite laminate of FRP is important guarantee to the structure security and reliability. In this paper, according to the damage mechanical theory, a fatigue damage accumulation model based on stiffness degradation and the corresponding method of fatigue life prediction are presented. The composite material of T300/ epoxy-resin with high performance has been investigated. The tension-tension fatigue tests have been conducted on the composite laminates. The fatigue life prediction of the composite material is presented. It shows a good agreement to the experimental and theoretical results.
Gastroesophageal reflux after repair of atrioventricular septal defect in infants with trisomy 21: A comparison of medical and surgical therapy

Abstract Background: Gastroesophageal reflux and dysmotility are common in children with trisomy 21. Children with trisomy 21 and congenital heart disease are at increased risk for complications of gastroesophageal reflux even after repair of their cardiac abnormalities. The optimal management of reflux in these patients is not known. Methods: The authors studied 24 consecutive infants (5.3 ± 3.1 months) with trisomy 21 and atrioventricular septal defect who had symptoms or signs of gastroesophageal reflux and a positive esophageal pH study finding early after repair of their cardiac anomaly. Ten patients were given standardized medical therapy with upright positioning during and after feedings, thickening of feedings, metoclopramide, and an H 2 -receptor antagonist. The other 14 underwent primary surgical management consisting of Nissen fundoplication through a minilaparotomy. Results: All 10 medically treated patients required readmission with 2 weeks for complications related to reflux, including aspiration or pneumonia (n = 6), persistent failure to thrive (n = 2), and frequent apneic episodes (n = 2). No surgically treated patients had reflux-related complications requiring readmission. The total duration of hospitalization in the medically treated patients, including the initial hospitalization and the rehospitalization, was significantly longer than in patients who underwent fundoplication (35.8 ± 9.8 v 10.4 ± 2.2 days, P Conclusions: Infants with trisomy 21 and atrioventricular septal defect who undergo fundoplication are less likely to experience major complications of reflux early after cardiac surgery than those treated with a medical regimen of upright posture, thickened feedings, metoclopramide, and H 2 -receptor blockade.
THE ROLE OF ATRIAL NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE (ANP) IN CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE

This study examines the relationship of ANP to right and left atrial pressures, intracardiac shunts and compares patients with congenital heart disease (N = 11) to a group of normal children (N = 34). During cardiac cath, right and left atrial ANP levels, Intracardiac pressures, and cardiac output were measured and shunt and direction of the shunt were calculated. All ANP results (RIA technique) are in pg/ml (mean ± SD). Of the 11 children, 4 had no intracardiac shunting, 5 had left to right shunts and 2 had right to left shunts. Right and left atrial ANP levels were significantly (p <.005) elevated when compared to the normal control (6.5 ± 4.9). Right atrial ANP (103.9 ± 98.0) was not different from left atrial ANP (101.6 ± 95.4). Seven children with elevated right atrial pressures (RAP ≥ 9 mm Hg) had higher ANP levels than 5 children without elevated RAP (154.9 ± 106.5 vs. 42.6 ± 38.0, p< .03). In patients without shunts (N = 4) RAP and ANP levels were highly correlated (R = 0.930). Left atrial ANP levels were also highly correlated with RAP (R = 0.945). Children with intracardiac shunts had poor correlation between ANP and atrial pressures but significantly (p <.05) higher ANP in the right atrium (166.4 ± 111.5, N = 5) than patients without shunt (40.9 ± 24.6, N = 4). CONCLUSION: These unique data indicate that ANP in children is: (1) primarily produced in the right atrium and is correlated with RAP, (2) elevated in congenital heart disease, and (3) is further elevated in children with left to right shunts.
Modeling the early stages of thin film formation by energetic atom deposition

The early stages of thin film formation are described by a simple hybrid model that couples a set of discrete kinetic rate equations to a Fokker-Planck (FP)-type continuum. Unique features of the atomic processes in energetic particle deposition are outlined and discussed. A thermal atom deposition process is benchmarked with Zinsmeister’s analytical theory[17] to demonstrate the simplicity and accuracy of the model. This simplicity allows extensions to the treatment of energetic particle effects and the growth of multilayers of atoms. It is shown that the model explains the major features of the early stages of atomic clustering.
Objectives for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRFT) is a one-meter-class, liquid-helium-cooled, earth-orbiting astronomical observatory that will be the infrared component of NASA's family of Great Observatories. SIRTF will investigate numerous scientific areas including formation and evolution of galaxies, stars, and other solar systems; supernovae; phenomena in our own solar system; and, undoubtedly, topics that are outside today's scientific domain. SIRTF's three instruments will permit imaging at all infrared wavelengths from 1.8 to 1200 microns and spectroscopy from 2.5 to 200 microns. The observatory will operate at an altitude of 100,000 km where it will achieve a five-year lifetime and operate with better than 80 percent on-target efficiency. The scientific importance and technical and programmatic readiness of SIRTF has been recognized by the 1991 report of the National Research Council's Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee which recently identified SIRTF as the highest priority major new initiative in all of astronomy for the coming decade.
Taiwan's Foreign Aid Policy

(1993). Taiwan's Foreign Aid Policy. Asian Affairs: An American Review: Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 43-62.
Management of maxillofacial infections: A review of 50 cases

Maxillofacial infections often place the oral and maxillofacial surgeon in situations where timely decisions have to be made. These decisions can be life-saving. This study reviews 50 infections treated over a 3-year period. The results reveal rapid resolution of the infections by adhering to fundamental principles in their management: recognition of airway compromise, surgical intervention, and the administration of the appropriate antibiotic. A protocol for the management of maxillofacial infections is described.
Comparative litter and reproduction characteristics of mouse populations for 82 generations of X-irradiated male progenitors.

Male mice have been exposed to 200 rad of X rays (acute whole-body exposures) for 82 consecutive generations. Comparative studies on the reproductive capacity of two sublines (H2kappa and H2theta) from the X-ray exposed line with the control line with no exposure to ionizing radiation above background were done. Irradiated line H2theta mice were significantly affected by 82 generations of X-ray exposure. However, irradiation line H2kappa mice were no different than control line mice.
Prospective Study of Coinfection in Patients with Erythema Migrans

The frequency of coinfection with Borrelia burgdorferi and either Anaplasma phagocytophila or Babesia microti among patients with erythema migrans, the initial skin lesion of Lyme disease, was assessed in 2 mainland locations in Rhode Island and Connecticut in a 4-year prospective study. Of the 93 patients with culture-proven erythema migrans, 2 (2%) patients had coinfection with A. phagocytophila and 2 (2%) had coinfection with B. microti. We concluded that the frequency of coinfection with these agents was low among patients with erythema migrans in the study areas.
Addition of Chitosan to Silicate Cross-Linked PEO for Tuning Osteoblast Cell Adhesion and Mineralization

The addition of chitosan to silicate (Laponite) cross-linked poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is used for tuning nanocomposite material properties and tailoring cellular adhesion and bioactivity. By combining the characteristics of chitosan (which promotes cell adhesion and growth, antimicrobial) with properties of PEO (prevents protein and cell adhesion) and those of Laponite (bioactive), the resulting material properties can be used to tune cellular adhesion and control biomineralization. Here, we present the hydration, dissolution, degradation, and mechanical properties of multiphase bio-nanocomposites and relate these to the cell growth of MC3T3-E1 mouse preosteoblast cells. We find that the structural integrity of these bio-nanocomposites is improved by the addition of chitosan, but the release of entrapped proteins is suppressed. Overall, this study shows how chitosan can be used to tune properties in Laponite cross-linked PEO for creating bioactive scaffolds to be considered for bone repair.
Evaluating Specification Limits

The results of a study to evaluate the existing South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) hot-mix asphalt quality assurance specification are presented. When the existing specification was developed, assumed values were used for the standard deviations needed to establish the specification limits. Acceptance test results from 39 different projects were analyzed to determine standard deviation values that were being obtained for asphalt content, air voids, voids in mineral aggregate, and density. For each project, standard deviation values were calculated for each lot, and these were then pooled to obtain a typical value for the project. The target miss variability, that is, the ability of contractors to center their processes on the target, was also determined for each acceptance characteristic. The project and target miss values were then used to establish a typical process standard deviation value for each of the four acceptance characteristics. All these standard deviation values proved to be...
Modular specification and verification of object-oriented programs

A method for modular specification and verification using the ideas of subtype and normal type is presented. The method corresponds to informal techniques used by object-oriented programmers. The key idea is that objects of a subtype must behave like objects of that type's supertypes. An example program is used to show the reasoning problems that supertype abstraction may cause and how the method resolves them. Subtype polymorphism is addressed, and specification and verification update is discussed. A set of syntactic and semantic constraints on subtype relationships, which formalize the intuition that each object of a subtype must behave like some object of each of its supertypes, is examined. These constraints are the key to the soundness of the method. To state them precisely, a formal model of abstract type specifications is used. >
Building Theories of the World: Human and Machine Learning Perspectives

Human knowledge of the world is often expressed in the form of intuitive theories: systems of abstract concepts that organize, predict and explain our observations of the world. How are these powerful knowledge structures represented and acquired? I will describe computational frameworks for modeling people's intuitive theories and theory-building processes, and some ways of testing these models experimentally with human learners. Our models of human learning and inference build on core approaches in Bayesian artificial intelligence, statistical relational learning and inductive logic programming, but also suggest new ways to extend these machine learning and reasoning approaches to more human-like capacities.
Measuring Attitudes toward Adult Sibling Relationships: The Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale

Based on research noting the importance of sibling relation-ships throughout the lifespan and grounded in basic research on attitudes structure, a self-report instrument called the Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale (LSRS) was developed. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the LSRS. A sample of 711 participants completed the LSRS, which measures three dimensions of the sibling relationship in childhood and adulthood: frequency and positivity of behavior toward the sibling, affect toward the sibling, and beliefs about the sibling and the sibling relationship. Results suggested that the LSRS possesses good psychometric properties, including high internal consistency of all six subscales and the total instrument, as well as evidence supporting a coherent factor structure and stability of responses over time. Significant correlations with social support, overall relation-ship satisfaction, closeness of the sibling relationship, the degree to which the sibling served as a role model, and...
Hyperthyroidism from autoimmune thyroiditis in a man with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a case report

The presentation, diagnosis, clinical course and treatment of a man with hyperthyroidism secondary to autoimmune thyroiditis in the setting of type 1 diabetes mellitus has not previously been described. A 32-year-old European-American man with an eight-year history of type 1 diabetes mellitus presented with an unintentional 22-pound weight loss but an otherwise normal physical examination. Laboratory studies revealed a suppressed thyroid-stimulating hormone concentration and an elevated thyroxine level, which are consistent with hyperthyroidism. His anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies were positive, and his thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin test was negative. Uptake of radioactive iodine by scanning was 0.5% at 24 hours. The patient was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis. Six weeks following his initial presentation he became clinically and biochemically hypothyroid and was treated with thyroxine. This report demonstrates that autoimmune thyroiditis presenting as hyperthyroidism can occur in a man with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Autoimmune thyroiditis may be an isolated manifestation of autoimmunity or may be part of an autoimmune polyglandular syndrome. Among patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus who present with hyperthyroidism, Graves' disease and other forms of hyperthyroidism need to be excluded as autoimmune thyroiditis can progress quickly to hypothyroidism, requiring thyroid hormone replacement therapy.
Polydimethylsiloxane based microfluidic diode

In this paper, we present a novel elastomer-based microfluidic device for rectifying flow. The device is analogous to an electronic diode in function since it allows flow in one direction and stops flow in the opposing direction. The device is planar, in-line and can be replica molded via standard soft lithography techniques. The fabrication process is outlined in detail and follows a simple procedure that requires only photolithography and one replica molding step. Several geometries of devices are presented along with their flow versus pressure characteristics. A brief discussion of the device behavior is presented along with possible uses for the device.
Decentralized control of nonlinear interconnected systems

The asymptotic stabilization problem of a class of large-scale interconnected systems is considered where the nonlinear interconnections between subsystems are considered to be unknown and satisfy quadratic constraints that are functions of the overall system's state vector. A decentralized combined observer-controller compensator is proposed and analyzed, where the subsystems' state vectors are estimated using local sliding mode observers. The sliding mode observers are also employed to reconstruct the unknown nonlinear interconnections. The closed-loop system driven by the proposed decentralized compensator is guaranteed to be asymptotically stable subject to two conditions that are easily verifiable. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed decentralized combined observer-controller compensator design algorithm.
Use of standardized test scores to predict success in a computer applications course

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to see if a relationship existed between American College Testing (ACT) scores (i.e., English, reading, mathematics, science reasoning, and composite) and student success in a computer applications course at a Mississippi community college. The study showed that while the ACT scores were excellent predictors of success, the ACT scores did not predict nonsuccess. Inclusion in the nonsuccess group is only slightly accounted for in the models by use of either ACT composite score or ACT subscores; therefore, there must be other factors that affect the student outcome in the course. However, the odds ratio indicated that for every one point of increase in ACT composite score, a student is 18% more likely to be successful in the computer applications course. Likewise, a student is 11.9% more likely to be successful in the computer applications course for every one point of increase on ACT science reasoning score.
Hypofrontal vs. Hypo-Sylvian Blood Flow in Schizophrenia

Hypofrontality in schizophrenia has been a frequent but not consistent finding in regional cerebral blood flow studies. However, the contributions of subject and state variables such as age, education, task activation, and anxiety, some of which are known to influence blood flow profiles, have not been thoroughly examined in this population. Here, in a sample including 24 normal, 18 schizophrenic, 22 bipolar, and 13 unipolar depressive subjects, narrative prose memory deficit was found to distinguish both schizophrenic and bipolar subjects from normal controls. Further, when these subjects were engaged in repeated trials of a verbal recognition memory task, left hemisphere hypofrontal blood flow in the early stage of learning was related to narrative memory, independent of diagnostic group. In the late stage of learning, state anxiety was significantly associated with left hypofrontality, while right hypofrontality was significantly related to narrative memory--both findings again independent of diagnostic group. A focal suppression of left hemispheric peri-Sylvian activation (in Broca's and Wernicke's areas) uniquely characterized schizophrenia after taking into account variance due to age, education, gender, state anxiety, and verbal memory. It is concluded that a failure of left peri-Sylvian activation during memory task performance reflects a unique language-related focal deficit in schizophrenia.