cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CFTR and outward rectifying chloride channels are distinct proteins with a regulatory relationship

In cystic fibrosis (CF), numerous epithelial cell functions are abnormal, including Cl- conductance, sodium absorption, mucin sulphation and enzyme secretion. Although the CF gene product, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), functions as a small linear Cl- channel, it is difficult to attribute such pleiotropic disease manifestations solely to a defect in Cl- conductance. This has led to speculation that CFTR regulates the activity of other proteins. One possible example is the protein kinase A activation of outward rectifying Cl- channels (ORCC), which is defective in membrane patches excised from CF cells. Whether CFTR regulates the activity of an independent anion channel is debatable, because ORCC occur exclusively in excised membrane patches and could be an excision-induced molecular derivative of CFTR. 'Knockout' mice that lack CFTR provide a means to define the relationship between CFTR and ORCC. Here we report that ORCC are present in CFTR(-/-) mouse nasal epithelial cells and thus cannot be a derivative of the CFTR molecule. Also ORCC were regulated by protein kinase A in membrane patches from normal but not CFTR(-/-) cells. These observations are the first, to our knowledge definitive demonstration that CFTR regulates the activity of another protein.
Idiopathic Spontaneous Pneumothorax : Electron Microscopic Study

A lung biopsy obtained from a patient following a second occurrence of idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax was studied by electron microscopy. A remarkable increase in septal mass was a notable finding. Proliferation of the interstitium was due to an abundance of collagen and elastic fibers. In addition, a proliferation of type 1 and type 2 epithelial cells was seen.
Neural stem cells and the regulation of neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus

Neurogenesis continues in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of adult rodents and primates including humans. Neurons are born in the underlying subgranular layer (SGL) and move into the granule cell layer (GCL) to become mature granule neurons. Recent work indicates that the primary precursors for these new neurons correspond to radial astrocytes whose cell body is in the SGL and their processes traverse the GCL. These astrocytes divide to give rise to intermediate precursors, D cells that likely become mature granule neurons. Here we propose that the anatomy of radial astrocytes may allow for signals within the GCL to regulate neurogenesis in the SGL. Levels of neuronal activity within the granule cell layer may regulate the proliferation rates of radial astrocytes and determine the number of new neurons produced in the dentate gyrus.
Ovenized high frequency oscillators based on aluminum nitride contour-mode MEMS resonators

This paper reports on the design, simulation, fabrication and characterization of the first micro-ovenized Aluminum Nitride (AlN) Lateral Field Excited - Floating (LFE-F) Contour-Mode Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) resonators (CMR) operating between 250 MHz and 1.11 GHz. The ovenized devices exhibited high quality factors (Q up to 1,550 @ 1.1 GHz) and k t 2 (up to 0.6% @ 1.1 GHz). A heater power consumption lower than 5 mW for a 100 °C temperature increase and a thermal time constant in the hundreds of µs range were recorded for these devices. As a proof of concept, an ovenized 590 MHz oscillator with good phase noise performance was also demonstrated.
Soman toxication in hypoxia acclimated rats: alterations in brain neuronal RNA and survival.

Effects of prior hypoxia acclimation (14-day at 380 mm Hg) on soman (pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate) induced brain neuronal RNA and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) depletion and lethality were monitored in rats following their return to ambient oxygenation. Quantitative cytochemical techniques were used to measure RNA and AChE changes in individual cerebrocortical (Layer III) and striatal (caudate plus putamen) neurons. In ambient PO2 controls, soman eventuated in a moderate diminution of neuronal RNA in both brain regions and severe, dosedependent suppression of AChE activity. Hypoxia acclimation per se induced RNA alterations as manifested in cortical RNA depletion and increased variability of striatal neuron RNA contents. In hypoxia acclimated rats, the extent of neuronal RNA depletion following soman injection was attenuated in both brain regions, yet there were no discernible differences in saline control AChE levels or in the extent of soman-induced AChE inhibition in ambient control versus hypoxia acclimated treatment groups. Hypoxia acclimated rats, however, were found to be even more susceptible to lethal actions of soman as assessed using 24- and 48-hour survival following a three-point treatment regimen. These data indicate that while compensatory systemic and central metabolic adjustments associated with 14d acclimation to reduced oxygen availability may retard soman-induced neuronal RNA depletion, resistance to lethal or near-lethal soman exposure is not enhanced. It is postulated that hypoxia acclimation is associated with complex adaptive and maladaptive neurophysiological alterations influencing CNS responsiveness to soman toxication, and that detrimental consequences exceed protection afforded by metabolic adaptation.
WE‐C‐214‐05: A Quantification of the Effectiveness of Standard QA Measures at Preventing Errors in Radiation Therapy and the Promise of in Vivo EPID‐Based Portal Dosimetry

Purpose: We analyze the ability of standard quality assurance (QA) checks in radiation therapy to prevent errors commonly observed in the course of clinical operations. Methods and Materials: Near‐miss and error reports were collected over a 3‐year period by means of voluntary reporting systems at two academic medical centers. We analyzed 250 near‐misses, events that did not affect patients but which had the potential to do harm with at least “moderate side effects” (level 3 or greater on the French ASN scale) if they had not been detected prior to treatment. We determined which of these events could be detected by 13 commonly employed QA measures, including but not limited to physician plan review, physics chart check, port films, cone‐beam CT. We then determined which events could have been detected by in vivo portal dosimetry with an electronic portal imaging device(EPID). Results: QA checks vary greatly in their ability to detect reported errors. Port films, one of the most effective measures in place, had a 53% detection efficiency, while pre‐treatment IMRT QA had a detection efficiency close to 0%. EPID‐dosimetry had a detection rate of 83%. In some cases, EPID‐dosimetry would have detected errors which were introduced after the initial IMRT QA. Conclusions: No single QA check currently employed is 100% effective at detecting common errors. Most checks currently in use are less than 50% effective. By contrast, the data indicate that in vivo EPID‐dosimetry may be substantially more effective. Further work is needed to determine if these patterns hold across multiple institutions. Pilot research grant from Elekta Inc.
The medial and lateral entorhinal cortex both contribute to contextual and item recognition memory: A test of the binding ofitems and context model

It has been suggested that the role of the hippocampus for episodic memory is to selectively bind together item and contextual information. One such model, the Binding of Items and Context (BIC) model, proposed that the perirhinal cortex provides item and the postrhinal/parahippocampal cortex provides context to the hippocampus via the medial (MEC) and lateral entorhinal cortices (LEC) to be bound into an episodic representation. This model proposes that item and context information are stored and processed independently and in parallel before hippocampal processing. To evaluate this model, the present experiment evaluated the role of the MEC and LEC for item and contextual novelty detection. The present results suggest that excitotoxic lesions to the LEC primarily disrupt item novelty detection, whereas lesions to the MEC primarily disrupt contextual novelty detection. These data provide a functional double dissociation between the MEC and LEC across item and contextual processing. Despite this dissociation, the present results suggest that item and contextual information are not represented independently before hippocampal processing. These data support the basic assumptions of the BIC model, but suggest that item and context information may interact in the entorhinal cortex.
Purification and characterization of the Novikoff hepatoma glycogen phosphorylase and its relations to a fetal form

The Novikoff hepatoma glycogen phosphorylase b has been purified over 300-fold, free of glycogen synthetase, some of its properties have been studied, and its relationship to fetal forms of rat muscle and liver phosphorylase has been established immunochemically. Its molecular weight is approximately 200,000, and, like the liver but unlike the muscle isozyme, it does not dimerize on conversion to the a form. However, it differs from the liver isozyme in being activated by AMP (Ka = 0.2 mM) and in not being activated by sulfate ion. Antibody to the adult rat muscle phosphorylase did not inhibit the activity of the tumor or liver isozyme. Although antibody to liver or hepatoma phosphorylase had no effect on adult muscle phosphorylase, each of these antibodies partially inhibited the other enzyme. These findings indicate the presence of some liver isozyme in the tumor, and this was confirmed by isoelectric focusing. Rat liver and muscle phosphorylase (and synthetase) were low during embryonal development but rose rapidly at or shortly after birth. Immunochemical studies revealed that both fetal liver and fetal muscle phosphorylases are immunologically identifiable with the tumor enzyme; and the fetal form is also present as a major form in rat kidney and brain.
Regulation of rat pineal melatonin synthesis: Effect of monoamine oxidase inhibition

Inhibition of pineal monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity either by harmine or pargyline in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats housed in a 12 : 12 LD cycle resulted in increase pineal N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity. Pineal MAO inhibition also increased pineal melatonin content, presumably as a result of the increased NAT activity. Conjunct treatment with propranolol, a beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist, nullified these effects, regardless of the MAO inhibitor (harmine, pargyline or both) used or the inhibitor dose given. MAO inhibition during continuous light resulted in increased NAT activity greater than that observed following MAO inhibition during a 12 : 12 LD cycle. On the other hand, the increase in melatonin content following MAO inhibition during continuous light was not significantly different from that following MAO inhibition during a 12 : 12 LD cycle. Conjunct propranolol administration negated the effects of MAO inhibition on both the level of NAT activity and melatonin content, regardless of the lighting conditions. The level of pineal NAT activity is apparently regulated by the level of pineal beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation. While melatonin production appears to be dependent on increases in NAT activity, biosynthesis of this methoxyindole may also be regulated, in part, by other factors or processes in metabolic pathway.
Animating the model figure

In all branches of scientific inquiry, researchers build models that enable them to visualize, formulate and communicate their hypotheses to others. In cell biology, our conceptual understanding of a process is typically embodied in a model figure. These visual models should ideally represent pre-existing knowledge of molecular interactions, movement, structure and localization but, in reality, they often fall short. Cell biologists have begun to look to the use of three-dimensional animation to visualize and describe complex molecular and cellular events. In addition to aiding teaching and communication, animation is emerging as a powerful tool for providing researchers with insight into the processes that they study. Two case studies focusing on the structure/function of the motor protein dynein and the structure of the centriole are discussed.
Domestic Violence Service Providers’ Technology Readiness and Information Needs

Technology-based applications hold promise as effective, efficient means of disseminating research- and practice-based information to professionals whose work relates to domestic violence. Other related uses of technology in the field have grown, including safety planning to address technology-related risks to victims and software programs being integrated into domestic violence agencies. However, to date, the levels of technology readiness and technology-related information needs of these professionals have received minimal research attention. This study involved a national survey of 471 professionals whose work addresses domestic violence. The findings demonstrate differences in professionals’ technology readiness based on key demographic and professional characteristics. They also reveal the most frequently noted information needs within this professional field. Implications for future research and practice are provided.
Formic Acid Electrooxidation on Platinum-Group Metals: Is Adsorbed Carbon Monoxide Solely a Catalytic Poison?

The possibility that adsorbed carbon monoxide may act as a reaction intermediate rather than merely a catalytic poison for formic acid electrooxidation on Pt-group metals in aqueous perchloric acid is explored by monitoring the time-dependent effects of reactant 13C/12C isotopic substitution on the adsorbate vibrational properties, as discerned from surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The electrodes examined, polycrystalline rhodium and iridium (deposited as ultrathin films on gold to yield optimal SERS activity), exhibit substantial formation of adsorbed CO at potentials below and close to the onset of formic acid electrooxidation, as discerned from the well-known C−O (νCO) stretches at 1850−2000 cm-1 and the metal−CO vibrations at 450−500 cm-1. As in earlier infrared studies, the former vibrations provide a sensitive means of monitoring adsorbate 13CO/12CO replacement from the characteristic ∼45 cm-1 difference in isotopic νCO frequencies. These SER vibrational features are used to monitor the r...
Prospective Description of Coughing, Hemodynamic Changes, and Oxygen Desaturation During Endoscopic Sedation

Deep sedation is increasingly used for endoscopy. The impact of sedation level on hemodynamic status, oxygenation, and aspiration risk is incompletely described. To describe the incidence of intraprocedural cough, hemodynamic changes, oxygen desaturation, and their relationship to clinical factors and sedation level. Detailed prospective recordings of hemodynamic changes, oxygen desaturation, and cough during 757 nonemergent endoscopic procedures done under sedation using propofol, midazolam, and/or fentanyl. Thirteen percent of patients had at least one cough and 3% had prolonged cough. Cough was more common in nonsmokers (P = 0.05), upper endoscopy (P 20% from baseline in 15% of patients and was more common during colonoscopy (P = 0.002). HR increased >20% in 20% of patients and was more common with coughing (P < 0.0001) and in younger patients (P = 0.0002). No patient required pharmacologic treatment of BP or HR. We have described procedural predictors of cough that may help clinicians reduce the risk of aspiration during endoscopy. Hemodynamic changes during endoscopy are common but largely clinically insignificant.
A STUDY OF RECIRCULATING FLOW COMPUTATION USING BODY-FITTED COORDINATES: CONSISTENCY ASPECTS AND MESH SKEWNESS

A study of the computation of recirculating flows using body-fitted coordinates has been conducted with a numerical algorithm developed previously. Both the consistent treatment of the continuity equation and the effects of the grid skewness on the calculated flow field have been investigated. A more consilient method has been developed that formally satisfies the conservation laws more closely, allowing the mass residual to be driven to lower levels on highly irregular grids. The new method can also be more effective in numerically damping out disturbances in the flow field as the solution progresses. Since the computed flow fields arc found to be quite insensitive to the final level of the residuals, the residuals are not a good indicator of the level of convergence; the kinetic energy of the flow field serves as a useful alternative. It is found that the effects of the excessive local mesh skewness on the overall ac~ curacy of the calculated solution are quite tolerable. This finding demonstrates the d...
Effect of Equilibrium Oil Extraction on the Chemical Composition and Sensory Quality of Soy Flour and Concentrates

Previous studies have shown that ambient-temperature equilibrium, hexane extraction of soy flour yielded the same amount of oil as was extracted from soy flakes by conventional high-temperature processing. The oil obtained at ambient temperatures contained less phospholipid than commercial crude oils obtained by traditional processing. In this study, chemical composition, flavor and odor of soy flour obtained after oil extraction by the equilibrium procedure were evaluated before and after toasting. Results were compared with those obtained for commercial untoasted food-grade soy flakes. Chemical and sensory analyses were performed on soy protein concentrates (SPC) prepared from defatted flour, defatted toasted flour and commercial defatted white food-grade flakes. SPC were made by acid and ethanol-extraction methods. Ethanol extraction of soy flour produced SPC with similar protein, lipid and sensory qualities to those obtained from commercial flakes. Acid extraction produced SPC with more lipid than was obtained by ethanol extraction. Toasted soy flour and flakes had similar sensory properties, as did the SPC prepared from them.
New tides: using zebrafish to study renal regeneration

Over the past several decades, the zebrafish has become one of the major vertebrate model organisms used in biomedical research. In this arena, the zebrafish has emerged as an applicable system for the study of kidney diseases and renal regeneration. The relevance of the zebrafish model for nephrology research has been increasingly appreciated as the understanding of zebrafish kidney structure, ontogeny, and the response to damage has steadily expanded. Recent studies have documented the amazing regenerative characteristics of the zebrafish kidney, which include the ability to replace epithelial populations after acute injury and to grow new renal functional units, termed nephrons. Here we discuss how nephron composition is conserved between zebrafish and mammals, and highlight how recent findings from zebrafish studies utilizing transgenic technologies and chemical genetics can complement traditional murine approaches in the effort to dissect how the kidney responds to acute damage and identify therapeutics that enhance human renal regeneration.
The inefficacy of riboflavin against ultraviolet-induced carcinogenesis.

Flavins are reported to protect cellular DNA against UV irradiation injury in vitro. The possible photoprotective effects of riboflavin in vivo on UV-induced carcinogenesis were studied in three groups of HR-hairless mice. Group I served as control. Group II was painted daily with a 15 mg per ml solution of riboflavin. In Group III, drinking water was replaced with a 15 mg per ml solution of riboflavin in water. All three groups were simultaneously irradiated in a light box with two Westinghouse FS20 sunlamps from a distance of 30 cm for 5 mm daily 6 days a week throughout the experiment. By the 11th month all surviving mice developed several histologically proven squamous cell carcinomas. The total numbers and times of onset of tumors did not vary in the three groups. Thus, no protective effect of massive amounts of riboflavin on ultraviolet-induced carcinogenesis in the hairless mouse could be demonstrated when such high dose rates of UV were used.
NONFINITIZABILITY OF CLASSES OF REPRESENTABLE POLYADIC ALGEBRAS

The notion of polyadic algebra was introduced by Halmos to reflect algebraically the predicate logic without equality. Later Halmos enriched the study with the introduction of the notion of equality. These algebras are very closely related to the cylindric algebras of Tarski. The notion of diagonal free cylindric algebra predates that of cylindric algebra and is also due to Tarski. The theory of diagonal free algebras forms an important fragment of the theories of polyadic and cylindric algebras. In the immediately preceding paper (6), Donald Monk proves that for 3 < a, < co the class RCAa: is not finitely axiomatizable. In ?3 we extend this result to the classes RPAo, RPEAo, and RDfa:. In ?1 we study some relationships between these classes which are essential to the later work, but have some independent interest. In ?2 some examples of nonrepresentable algebras with special properties are given. Sections 1 and 2 should be comprehendible by anyone with a knowledge of algebraic logic. In ?3 we assume an intimate knowledge of the immediately pre- ceding paper of Monk. In ?4 we state some problems. I am grateful to Professor Donald Monk for his help and encouragement and for making available at an early date the results on which this work was based.
Optimal Investment and Consumption with Proportional Transaction Costs in Regime-Switching Model

This paper is concerned with an infinite-horizon problem of optimal investment and consumption with proportional transaction costs in continuous-time regime-switching models. An investor distributes his/her wealth between a stock and a bond and consumes at a non-negative rate from the bond account. The market parameters (the interest rate, the appreciation rate, and the volatility rate of the stock) are assumed to depend on a continuous-time Markov chain with a finite number of states (also known as regimes). The objective of the optimization problem is to maximize the expected discounted total utility of consumption. We first show that for a class of hyperbolic absolute risk aversion utility functions, the value function is a viscosity solution of the Hamilton---Jacobi---Bellman equation associated with the optimization problem. We then treat a power utility function and generalize the existing results to the regime-switching case.
1040 ENUMERATION OF GROUP B STREPTOCOCCI (GBS) IN COLONIZED INFANTS

It is unknown why only 1 in 100 colonized infants develop GBS disease. There have been several semiquantitative studies of colonization in mothers, but no quantitative studies on magnitude of colonization in infants. This study was designed to determine if infants symptomatic for early-onset GBS disease (respiratory distress) are heavily colonized with the bacteria. Newborn infants suspected of early-onset disease at Tampa General Hospital were cultured at three or more sites with CulturetteR dual swabs. The swabs were used for identification of GBS by slide co-agglutination and enumeration of the bacteria by viable plate count. Eleven (13%) of 85 infants cultured were found to be colonized with GBS at one or more sites. Two of these eleven colonized infants were symptomatic for early-onset GBS disease. Both symptomatic infants were heavily colonized (≥2.9 × 103 bacteria/swab) with GBS of serotype I. In comparison, only one of the nine asymptomatic infants was colonized with GBS of serotype I and the colonization was of a low magnitude (<2.0 × 101 bacteria/swab). The other eight infants were colonized with nontype I GBS, generally at low numbers. The two asymptomatic infants that were heavily colonized with GBS were colonized with bacteria of serotype III. These preliminary data suggest a possible correlation between heavy colonization of neonates with specific serotypes of GBS and the development of early-onset group B disease.
Sexual Maturity and Persistency of Lay in the Chukar Partridge Given Stimulatory Light at Different Ages

In two separate trials, age at sexual maturity (lay of 1st egg) and total eggs laid in a 13-week production period were determined for the Chukar partridge given stimulatory light at 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 or 30 weeks. The best responses occurred with hens given stimulatory light when 26 weeks of age or older. More than 85 percent of these hens laid, and production ranged from 15 to 25 eggs per hen. The youngest age at 1st egg was 161 days, required by one hen given stimulatory light at 16 weeks. Many hens given stimulatory light at 24 weeks or younger failed to lay, and egg production was extremely poor in those that did lay. Based on our results, best egg production can be attained when birds are given stimulatory light at 28 weeks, allowed to lay for 13 weeks, then cycled to lay again when 50 weeks of age. Hens of superior laying ability can be detected in the first cycle of lay, thus reducing the time that would be required to identify these same birds if allowed to lay under natural daylight conditions.
Carbocyclic analogues of d-ribose-5-phosphate: Synthesis and behavior with 5-phosphoribosyl α-1-pyrophosphate synthetases

Abstract The synthesis of cyclopentyl and cyclopentenyl analogues of the α-anomer of d -ribose-5-phosphate from d -ribonolactone and d -ribose is described. These analogues, which have the same absolute configuration as d -ribose-5-phosphate, were incubated with PRPP synthetases in an attempt to prepare the corresponding carbocyclic PRPP analogues. The carbocyclic ribose-5-phosphate analogues were found to be inhibitors, rather than substrates, for 5-phosphoribosyl α-1-pyrophosphate synthetases of both bacterial and human origin. The inhibitory behavior of the analogues is described.
The Aggregate behavior of branch points - measuring the number and velocity of atmospheric turbulence layers

Optical waves propagating through atmospheric turbulence develop spatial and temporal variations in their phase. For sufficiently strong turbulence, these phase differences can lead to interference in the propagating wave and the formation of branch points; positions of zero amplitude. Under the assumption of a layered turbulence model, we show that these branch points can be used to estimate the number and velocities of atmospheric layers. We describe how to carry out this estimation process and demonstrate its robustness in the presence of sensor noise.
Depth of immersion as a determinant of the natriuresis of water immersion.

The current study was undertaken to further assess the contribution of an immersion-induced hydrostatic pressure gradient on the redistribution of blood volume. The rate of sodium excretion by seated subjects was significantly increased by water immersion up to the chest and neck compared to waist immersion and controls. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that whereas immersion to the level of the diaphragm merely cancels the intravascular hydrostatic pressure gradient by providing an identical external gradient, immersion above the diaphragm level results in increased water pressure which tends to favor a shift in blood volume from the lower extremities.
Computed temperature-time excursions at succeeding locations in an industrial reactor

Traveling thermal transients have been observed in deep-bed catalytic reactors. With certain combina tions of parameters and stimuli, these transients can increase in amplitude with increasing axial distance into the bed. The resulting peak temperatures can exceed structural equipment limitations and cause catalyst deactivation or physical deterioration. Reaction systems in which abrupt changes in operating parameters can occur are particularly susceptible. An understanding of the causes of such transients is important not only for design but also in operations where optimization of output and product quality is essential.This paper describes a numerical procedure that effi ciently simulates thermal transients on a digital computer. Results are shown for a generalized reactior, scheme that includes the effects of reaction rate, activation energy, absorption, heat of reaction, heat capacities of gas and solids, and catalyst bed depth. Also covered is initiation through various stimuli such as feed rate, co...
Presence of others and task performance in japan and the united states: A laboratory investigation

Abstract This study examined the effects of culture (Japan and the United States) and task setting (working individually or working in the presence of a group) on job productivity and job quality. Subjects were asked to maximize both their quantity and quality of performance in a laboratory task. Results showed that Japanese subjects had higher productivity than American subjects, but did not have higher quality of work. In addition, both Japanese and American subjects had higher productivity and job quality in the presence of a group than working alone. Against expectations, group presence did not interact with cultural samples.
Antifouling biocides in water and sediments from California marinas.

Abstract Irgarol 1051 is a common antifouling biocide and is highly toxic to non-target plant species at low ng/L concentrations. We measured up to 254 ng/L Irgarol in water and up to 9 ng/g dry weight Irgarol in sediments from Southern California recreational marinas. Irgarol’s metabolite, M1, concentrations were up to 62 ng/L in water and 5 ng/g dry weight in sediments. Another antifouling biocide, diuron, reached up to 68 ng/L in water and 4 ng/g dry weight in sediments. The maximum Irgarol concentrations in water were greater than the Irgarol concentration recommended as the plant toxicity benchmark (136 ng/L), suggesting that Irgarol concentrations may be high enough to cause changes in phytoplankton communities in the sampled marinas. Irgarol concentrations measured in sediments were greater than calculated Environmental Risk Limits (ERLs) for Irgarol in sediments (1.4 ng/g). Antifouling pesticide accumulation in sediments may present a potential undetermined risk for benthic organisms.
The prediction of risk of recurrence and time to recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after orthotopic liver transplantation: A pilot study

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) in the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been complicated by high recurrence rates. The ability to determine the risk and timing of HCC recurrence on an individual basis would greatly aid in the candidate selection process resulting in a more efficient use of donated organs and allow the individualization and better evaluation of adjuvant chemotherapy. The 214 patients who underwent OLTx in the presence of HCC were analyzed. From the 178 patients who survived more than 150 days, 71 (40%) have suffered HCC recurrence. Based on five risk factors, that is, gender, tumor number, lobar tumor distribution, tumor size, grade of vascular invasion, artificial neural network models predicting the likelihood of HCC recurrence within 1, 2, and 3 consecutive years after transplantation were developed. Based on model predictions, those combinations of risk factors that should/should not lead to recurrence were generated, allowing stratification of patients into the following three groups: 1) patients who should not suffer HCC recurrence and who should not need adjuvant therapy, 2) patients who will suffer recurrence and for whom postoperative chemotherapy significantly prolonged survival (but did not prevent recurrence), and 3) patients who may or may not suffer HCC recurrence and whose recurrence may be prevented by adjuvant chemotherapy. The outcome of OLTx for patients with HCC can be prognosticated based on a number of clinical variables. If verified through multicenter trials, these models could be made available to transplantation programs performing OLTx in the presence of HCC.
Boron carbide thin film deposition using supersonic plasma jet with substrate biasing

Abstract Hard, microcrystalline boron carbide thin films have been deposited from the thermal dissociation of hydrogen, methane and boron trichloride in a supersonic plasma jet. The influence of negative and positive substrate bias on the film properties and morphology has been investigated. A continuous ion bombardment has been found to increase the film crystallinity, however, it has led to poor adhesion to the substrate. Pulsed d.c. positive biasing has been developed as a means to elevate the electron temperature and control the gas phase chemistry, while limiting the total current flowing in the secondary discharge. In this case, it has been found that the deposition rates increase with bias voltage as a function of the third power, without affecting the film hardness and morphology. Also, the boron-to-carbon atomic ratio of the films increases with increasing positive bias voltage, from carbon-rich to stoichiometric boron carbide. Correlations between deposition rates and gas species line emission indicate that atomic boron is the primary growth species. The pulsed d.c. biasing enhancement presented in this paper constitutes a novel approach to controlling the film composition and deposition rate.
Public life and the internet: if you build a better website, will citizens become engaged?:

This study links uses and gratifications theory to a theory that addresses civic engagement and then applies it to create an electronic public sphere designed to encourage citizens to participate in civic life. An experimental website on the topic of the state budget was created and tested to assure maximum usability by citizens. It found that the site designed to conform to users' wants and needs in content, navigation and appearance did indeed foster positive attitudes toward civic engagement. Participants who saw the usable site were significantly more likely to have positive attitudes toward civic engagement than those who saw a site not designed for usability. The site features under the control of website creators, such as story content and site appearance, showed strong correlations with civic engagement attitudes.
Women in the Newsroom: Influences of Female Editors and Reporters on the News Agenda

This study compared issue agendas and story focus at newspapers with relatively high percentages of women in editorial positions with those at newspapers with lower percentages of female editors. Content analysis of stories from thirty newspapers' Web sites showed few differences in issues covered, but differences in what male and female reporters covered related to the predominant editor gender. Newspapers with a high percentage of female editors appeared not to differentiate between male and female reporters when assigning beats, as is apparently the case at male-dominated newsrooms. Also, papers with predominately male editors contained news with a more negative focus.
An Evaluation of 27+ Years Old Photovoltaic Modules Operated in a Hot-Desert Climatic Condition

Identification of failure mechanisms from the long-term field deployed modules is of great importance to the photovoltaic industry. This paper investigates the modules removed from a water pumping array operated over 27+ years in a hot-desert climatic condition, Arizona. Thirty-two modules were evaluated in this investigation. Each module is comprised of silicone rubber superstrate/encapsulant, mono-Si cells, fiberglass-like substrate, potted junction box and neoprene cable. Ten of these thirty-two modules were either non-functional or near non-functional with less than 30% of the original power. The other twenty-two functional modules showed an average power degradation of 1.08% per year over 27 years of operation. After the damp-heat (1000 hours of 85degC/85%RH), thermal cycling (two-hundred cycles of 90degC/-40degC) and hot-spot stress tests the modules lost about 11%, 9.8% and 3.5% of power, respectively
Data-driven approach to designing compound words for continuous speech recognition

We present a new approach to deriving compound words from a training corpus. The motivation for making compound words is because under some assumptions, speech recognition errors occur less frequently in longer words. Furthermore, they also enable more accurate modeling of pronunciation variability at the boundary between adjacent words in a continuously spoken utterance. We introduce a measure based on the product between the direct and the reverse bigram probability of a pair of words for finding candidate pairs in order to create compound words. Our experimental results show that by augmenting both the acoustic vocabulary and the language model with these new tokens, the word recognition accuracy can be improved by absolute 2.8% (7% relative) on a voice mail continuous speech recognition task. We also compare the proposed measure for selecting compound words with other measures that have been described in the literature.
Unique Contacts Direct High-Priority Recognition of the Tetrameric Mu Transposase-DNA Complex by the AAA+ Unfoldase ClpX

Summary Clp/Hsp100 ATPases remodel and disassemble multiprotein complexes, yet little is known about how they preferentially recognize these complexes rather than their constituent subunits. We explore how substrate multimerization modulates recognition by the ClpX unfoldase using a natural substrate, MuA transposase. MuA is initially monomeric but forms a stable tetramer when bound to transposon DNA. Destabilizing this tetramer by ClpX promotes an essential transition in the phage Mu recombination pathway. We show that ClpX interacts more tightly with tetrameric than with monomeric MuA. Residues exposed only in the MuA tetramer are important for enhanced recognition—which requires the N domain of ClpX—as well as for a high maximal disassembly rate. We conclude that an extended set of potential enzyme contacts are exposed upon assembly of the tetramer and function as internal guides to recruit ClpX, thereby ensuring that the tetrameric complex is a high-priority substrate.
Multiple myeloma of an extremity: must the entire bone be treated?

Abstract Purpose/Objective: Radiation of the entire shaft of a long bone affected by multiple myeloma (MM) is often advocated to prevent recurrent disease in the bone remote from the symptomatic site. Our standard of care has been to irradiate only the symptomatic area. We investigated the pattern of recurrence in patients treated in this manner. Methods and Materials: 163 patient with MM were treated between 1971 and 1994. Twenty-seven patients received treatment to a long bone with 41 sites irradiated (17 humeri, 22 femurs, 1 radius, 1 ulna). The most common long bone treated was the femur. All patients were treated with megavoltage therapy. The symptomatic lesion, plus a margin of 1–2 cm was treated with no attempt to treat the entire shaft. Mean radiation dose was 27.82 Gy (range 6.00–44.80 Gy). The length of the field was measured in centimeters and expressed as both an absolute (AL) and relative (RL) length (i.e., percentage of total length of bone). Results: The mean total AL and RL for femur fields was 18 cm and 42%, respectively. For the humerus, the AL and RL were 20 cm and 68%, respectively. Only four patients developed progressive disease in the same bone but outside the previously irradiated field. In three of the four patients the RL was between 20 and 30%. The dose of radiation given to these patients was 12.50, 21.00, 30.00, and 35.00 Gy. In all of these four cases, treatment of progressive disease in adjacent sites provided effective palliation of symptoms. Conclusion: Radiation therapy to the symptomatic portion of a long bone affected by MM is effective for palliation. Symptomatic recurrence out of the irradiated field is uncommon and can be effectively treated. Potential benefits of this approach include irradiation of less normal marrow and elimination of use of pairs of fields or extended distance treatment to cover the entire femur.
Compute-and-forward: Harnessing interference with structured codes

For a centralized encoder and decoder, a channel matrix is simply a set of linear equations that can be transformed into parallel channels. We develop a similar approach to multi-user networks: we view interference as creating linear equations of codewords and that a receiverpsilas goal is to collect a full rank set of such equations. Our new relaying technique, compute-and-forward, uses structured codes to reliably compute functions over channels. This allows the relays to efficiently recover a linear functions of codewords without recovering the individual codewords. Thus, our scheme can work with the structure of the interference while removing the effects of the noise at the relay. We apply our scheme to a Gaussian relay network with interference and achieve better rates than either compress-and-forward or decode-and-forward for certain regimes.
Optical precursor fields in nonlinear pulse dynamics

Under certain conditions, ultrashort pulse dynamics in a linear dispersive medium with absorption result in the appearance of optical precursors that dominate the pulse evolution for large propagation distances as the peak amplitude in the initial pulse spectrum decays exponentially. The effects of a nonlinear medium response on this precursor formation is considered using the split-step Fourier method. Comparison of the nonlinear pulse evolution when the full dispersion is used to that when a quadratic Taylor series approximation of the wave number is used shows that the group velocity approximation misses the precursor fields entirely.
THE ACTION OF WASTE‐WOOD ASH ON REFRACTORIES

A description is given of several industrial waste-wood furnaces with auxiliary oil-firing equipment to show the types of installations and the slagged areas. In the tests, wood ash from industrial furnaces was blown onto panels of various refractories which had been heated in an oil flame. Chemical analyses and properties of the brick tested, the waste-wood ash, the slags from industrial furnaces, and the test furnace are given. All of the refractories suffered in this high lime-alkali slag, but silicon carbide gave the best resistance. Thee tests indicated that the absorption of the fireclay and diaspore types of brick was more important in their resistance than the alumina-silica ratio. Petrographic studies of the slag-brick interface showed the presence of mullite in all of the fireclay, kaolin, and diaspore brick.
Analytic partial wave expansion and integral representation of Bessel beam

This paper describes the partial wave expansion and integral representation of Bessel beams in free space and in the presence of dispersion. The expansion of the Bessel beam wavepacket with constant spectrum is obtained as well. Furthermore, the sum of a triple Legendre polynomial product of same order but different argument follows naturally from the partial wave expansion. The integration of all Bessel beams over all conical angles is shown to have a simple series representation, which confirms the equivalence between the results for both expansion and integral representation.
Developmental dyscalculia and cognitive neuropsychology

In this article we present a study investigating the cognitive impairments exhibited in developmental dyscalculia, or arithmetic learning disability. We begin by providing a brief review of the literature on the subject, including both single‐case and group designs. In our view both approaches, at least as thus far employed, are associated with theoretical and/or methodological shortcomings. We suggest that the cognitive neuropsychological approach may offer a better paradigm for research in this domain. Accordingly we present a recent cognitive neuropsychological model of numeric processing that has been informed by the patterns of impairment evidenced in individuals with acquired brain damage. We then present preliminary results from several developmental dyslexic students who have numeric processing impairments and attempt to demonstrate how their performance patterns conform to the expectations of the model. Finally, in the discussion, we consider certain methodological issues related to this study an...
Time-Limited Cognitive-Behavioral Group Interventions with Suicidal Adolescents

ABSTRACT Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents in the United States-following accidents and homicide. This paper reports on group based activities using a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) framework targeted at variables most highly correlated with suicidal ideation and behaviors, including problems associated with self-esteem, cognitive rigidity, social skills deficits, and substance use. Instead of focusing exclusively on treatment of depressive symptoms, this paper presents a series of structured group activities applicable to time-limited groups and designed to increase self-esteem, reduce negative thinking, enhance coping abilities, delimit substance use, and reintroduce the ability to seek and enjoy pleasurable activities with peers. The activities are derived from experiences with adolescents in treatment and are devised to foster rapid group stage development for use in time-limited groups.
Latin American Foreign Exchange and International Balances During the War

The credit-exchange arrangements, 422.—Comparison of the course of exchange in the four leading countries, 425.—Buenos Aires and Montevideo exchange, 428. — The Argentine balance of international payments, 431. — Quantity exports of meat and cereals, 436. — The Chilean trade balance, 438. — Nitrate, exports, production, prices, 439. — Exports of coffee, 443. — Interest payments, 443. — Chilean exchange a depreciated paper exchange, 445. — The fall of the rate since the armistice, 448. — The new exports and industries of Brazil, 449. — The fall of Brazilian exchange, 453. — The decline of exports (and prices) of coffee and rubber, 455. — Comparison of trade balances of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, 459. — Foreign borrowings of Brazil, 460. — Budgetary deficits, 462. — Inconvertible paper money, 463. — Interest payments, 464.
Measuring quality of life: Economic, social, and subjective indicators

Thinkers have discussed the “good life” and the desirable society for millennia. In the last decades, scientists offered several alternative approaches to defining and measuring quality of life: social indicators such as health and levels of crime, subjective well-being measures (assessing people's evaluative reactions to their lives and societies), and economic indices. These alternative indicators assess three philosophical approaches to well-being that are based, respectively, on normative ideals, subjective experiences, and the ability to select goods and services that one desires. The strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches are reviewed. It is argued that social indicators and subjective well-being measures are necessary to evaluate a society, and add substantially to the regnant economic indicators that are now favored by policy makers. Each approach to measuring the quality of life contains information that is not contained in the other measures.