cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dose-attenuated radioimmunotherapy with tositumomab and iodine 131 tositumomab in patients with recurrent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and extensive bone marrow involvement.

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) with tositumomab and iodine 131 tositumomab can produce durable and complete responses in relapsed/refractory low-grade Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Patients with bone marrow involvement (BMI) with tumor >25% of the intertrabecular space are generally excluded from RIT because of risk of excessive hematologic toxicity. The authors conducted a dose-escalation study of tositumomab and iodine 131 tositumomab to determine whether RIT is feasible in this population. Patients had baseline BMI of >25% and platelet count of >or=150,000/mm3. In contrast to the usual 75 cGy total body dose of radiation, dose escalation of Iodine I 131 tositumomab began at a total body dose of 45 cGy, and increased to 55 cGy in a second cohort. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as absolute neutrophil count 17 days, or absolute neutrophil count 24 days. Eleven subjects were enrolled (8 at 45 cGy and 3 at 55 cGy). Estimated BMI ranged from 30 to 65% (median approximately 40%). Patients had received a median of three prior chemotherapies (range 1 - 6). One of the six evaluable patients treated at 45 cGy experienced DLT. Three patients received 55 cGy, one had hematologic DLT concurrent with lymphoma progression and extensive BMI at relapse. Three of 11 (27%) patients received hematologic supportive care. Two patients had objective responses of 1 and 42.4+ months, respectively. RIT with attenuated dose iodine 131 tositumomab for patients with >25% BMI has acceptable toxicity and can result in lymphoma responses.
Factitious psychogenic nonepileptic paroxysmal episodes

Mistaking psychogenic nonepileptic paroxysmal episodes (PNEPEs) for epileptic seizures (ES) is potentially dangerous, and certain features should alert physicians to a possible PNEPE diagnosis. Psychogenic nonepileptic paroxysmal episodes due to factitious seizures carry particularly high risks of morbidity or mortality from nonindicated emergency treatment and, often, high costs in wasted medical treatment expenditures. We report a case of a 28-year-old man with PNEPEs that were misdiagnosed as ES. The patient had been on four antiseizure medications (ASMs) with therapeutic serum levels and had had multiple intubations in the past for uncontrolled episodes. He had no episodes for two days of continuous video-EEG monitoring. He then disconnected his EEG cables and had an episode of generalized stiffening and cyanosis, followed by jerking and profuse bleeding from the mouth. The manifestations were unusually similar to those of ES, except that he was clearly startled by spraying water on his face, while he was stiff in all extremities and unresponsive. There were indications that he had sucked blood from his central venous catheter to expel through his mouth during his PNEPEs while consciously holding his breath. Normal video-EEG monitoring; the patient's volitional and deceptive acts to fabricate the appearance of illness, despite pain and personal endangerment; and the absence of reward other than remaining in a sick role were all consistent with a diagnosis of factitious disorder.
Sublocalization of seven human simple sequence repeat polymorphic markers: D5S349, D5S351, and D5S355 to 5q11.2-q13.1, D5S350 to 5p13.1-p14, D5S352 to 5q31.2-q33.1, D5S353 to 5q33.2-qter, and D5S354 to 5q13.2-q15.

Seven highly informative human simple sequence repeat polymorphisms that map to human chromosome 5 have been sublocalized using a panel of somatic cell hybrids that retain naturally occurring deletions (4, 7). Simple sequence repeats are useful in the construction of high-resolution maps of the human genome because they are highly polymorphic and easily typed by the polymerase chain reaction (2, 9, 10, 11). The presence or absence of each of the seven simple sequence repeats, D5S349, D5S350, D5S351, D5S352, D5S353, D5S354, and D5S355, in a panel of somatic cell hybrids was determined using the polymerase chain reaction. The sequence of the PCR primer sets was previously reported by Hudson et al. Each PCR was carried out in a total volume of 25 PI using 0.2 pg DNA in 67 mM Tris-HCI (pH 8.3),6.7 mM MgCl[sub 2], 16.6 mM ammonium sulfate, 10 mM [beta]-mercaptoethanol, 1.25 mM each dNTP, 25 pmol each primer, and I unit of Thermos aquaticus DNA polymerase. The initial denaturation was at 94[degrees]R C for 1.5 min and the annealing temperatures ranged from 57 to 67[degrees]R C. Figure 1 depicts the chromosome 5 natural deletion mapping panel and the location of the markers. D5S350 was present in allmore » hybrid cell lines except HHW1124 and HHW764 (SRO p13.1-p14). D5S349, D5S351, and D5S355 were absent in HHW1064 and HHW1124 and present in all other cell lines (SROq11.2-q13.1).D5S354 was absent in HHW1124 and present in all other cell lines (SRO q13.2-q15). D5S352 was present in all cell lines (SRO q31.2-q33.1), and D5S353 was present in all cell lines except HHW1138 (SRO q33.2-qter). 11 refs., 1 fig.« less
A Semantics-based Approach to Large-Scale Mobile Social Networking

Mobile ad hoc social networks are self-configuring social networks that connect users using mobile devices, such as laptops, PDAs, and cellular phones. These social networks facilitate users to form virtual communities of similar interests or commonalities. This paper proposes semantics-based mobile social network (SMSN), a novel framework of a fully functional mobile ad hoc social network that incorporates semantics of users' social data. SMSN provides effective and efficient solutions to social network construction, semantics-based user profile matching, multi-hop semantics-based routing, and privacy management. Moreover, SMSN is rigorously benchmarked using an elaborate simulation setup and released as a prototype system that can be run on cellular phones. Due to its generality, SMSN can be applied to a wide range of critical applications, such as disaster-recovery, homeland security, and personnel control.
Spin splittings in the ν3 band of NO2

Abstract Spin splittings for several important atmospheric lines in the ν 3 band of NO 2 have been measured by diode laser. An improved spin-splitting program has been developed which takes into account the asymmetry effects in the lower K a splittings. The measured spin splittings and the derived spin-rotational constants are reported in this study to a much higher accuracy than previously achieved.
The analysis of cardiovascular reflexes with an analog cross-correlator

Abstract The method of cross-correlation has been used to analyze peripheral nerve activity. With this technique, the activity of the aortic depressor nerve was analyzed in relation to the EKG, blood-pressure and respiration. Normally activity of the aortic depressor nerve occurs in four groups: two afferent groups (peaks at 18 and 5m/s) and two efferent groups (10 and 1.5m/s). The fast afferent group was shown to be composed of pressoreeptors and were most active. The slower afferents were not synchronized to the heart beat but are probably chemoreceptors since they were found to follow respiration during periods of deep inspiration following over-dosage with protoveratrine. The efferents correspond to sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activity and were not synchronized to the EKG, blood pressure or heart rate. The presser amines epinephrine and norepinephrine induced changes in blood pressure and EKG and the pressoreceptors were shown to follow the blood pressure changes. Protoveratrine was found to sensitize the pressoreceptors without affecting chemoreceptors.
Low concentrations of thymidine modulate allogeneic responses.

Abstract The effect of the addition of low concentrations of thymidine on the development of primary allogeneic immune responses in culture was studied. It was found that, dependent upon day of addition to culture, allogeneic cytotoxic T-lymphocyte generation was augmented by thymidine in the concentration range of 10 −9 to 10 −8 M, while specific T-suppressor cell development was inhibited by 10 −7 M thymidine. Based on the concentration of thymidine in serum, its addition in the concentration range of 10 −9 to 10 −7 M results in 0.1 to 10 fold concentration change in cultures supplemented with 10% serum. While the mechanism(s) by which such minor changes in thymidine concentrations induced the modulations seen have not been elucidated, it is clear that such changes are easily attainable. In fact, such variations in the concentration of thymidine could contribute to the variable results often observed with different lots of fetal calf serum and workers investigating immunomodulations in culture systems should be aware of this possibility.
Efficacy of oat hay as a legume bloat preventive in cattle.

Summary Excellent quality oat hay was fed overnight to 17 dry cows, to study its effectiveness in controlling bloat resulting from ingestion of succulent, immature alfalfa pasture. The experiment was divided into the pre-test, test, and post-test periods. Each period was divided into four morning and two afternoon grazing subperiods. It was found that the overnight feeding of an average of 12lb. of oat hay per cow significantly reduced the incidence and severity of acute legume bloat. The mechanism by which grass hays offer protection from bloat is unknown; however, three possibilities have been suggested: (1) They physically prevent the formation of froth, (2) they contain a chemical antifrothing agent, or (3) their scabrous nature causes a stimulation of receptors in the rumen responsible for maintaining the tonic activity of rumen motility and eructation by reflex action. Perhaps all three factors act simultaneously.
Dynamical Invariant for Forced Time Dependent Harmonic Oscillator

Abstract A dynamical invariant is presented by an algebraic derivation. The physical meaning of the invariant obtained is given for a real system: the forced betatron oscillation seen in accelerator and storage rings.
A Mixture of Experts Method for Predicting Domain Boundaries in Proteins

Many proteins are composed of multiple structural domains. These domains can have important structural or functional properties. When a protein's sequence, but not structure, is known, being able to predict the division of the sequence into its domains may ease structural or functional analysis of the protein. However, predicting domain boundaries from sequence is still an open problem. This research uses machine learning approaches to the prediction problem. It starts with several standard methods -naive Bayes, support vector machines, and artificial neural networks. The results of these methods are combined using a mixture of experts (MoE) approach that gives the final boundary predictions. We show both a simple MoE approach, and one using context in the form of a window of predictions from the machine learning methods. Both MoE methods, especially the windowed MoE, show greatly increased predictive performance relative to the individual machine learning predictors.
On the minimization of incompletely specified fuzzy functions

This article is concerned with the study of fuzziness in incompletely specified combinational networks by means of a suitable fuzzy algebra. For completely specified fuzzy functions, minimal sets have been obtained using the definition of fuzzy consensus. Using the basic properties of fuzzy logic, the concepts of fuzzy prime implicant, essential fuzzy prime implicant, and fuzzy iterated consensus are used to find the minimal sum-of-products expression of an incompletely specified fuzzy function.
Hedging against service disruptions: an expected median location problem with site-dependent failure probabilities

The vector assignment p-median problem (VAPMP) (Weaver and Church in Transp Sci 19(1):58–74, 1985) was one of the first location-allocation models developed to handle split assignment of a demand to multiple facilities. The underlying construct of the VAPMP has been subsequently used in a number of reliable facility location and backup location models. Although in many applications the chance that a facility fails may vary substantially with locations, many existing models have assumed a uniform failure probability across all sites. As an improvement, this paper proposes a new model, the expected p-median problem as a generalization of existing approaches by explicitly considering site-dependent failure probabilities. Multi-level closest assignment constraints and two efficient integer linear programming (ILP) formulations are introduced. While prior research generally concludes that similar problems are not integer-friendly and cannot be solved by ILP software, computational results show that our model can be used to solve medium-sized location problems optimally using existing ILP software. Moreover, the new model can be used to formulate other reliable or expected location problems with consideration of site-dependent failure probabilities.
The prime number theorem and Hypothesis H with lower-order terms

Let π and π′ be unitary automorphic cuspidal representations of GLm(QA) and GLm′(QA), respectively, where at least one of π and π′ is self-contragredient. Using the prime number theorem for Rankin–Selberg L-functions, we compute a sharper version of Selberg orthogonality that contains certain lower-order terms which depend on special values of the Rankin–Selberg L-function attached to the pair (π,π′) and a sum related to Hypothesis H. In a case by case analysis when m,m′⩽4 and Hypothesis H is known to be true, we show how the constants involved in the lower-order terms can be expressed in terms of special values of Rankin–Selberg convolutions of symmetric- and/or exterior-power L-functions. In addition to showing that these constants give arithmetic information about the representations π and π′, we demonstrate how Hypothesis H can be used to give analytic continuation of the L-functions involved in the computation of the constants.
Pneumocystis carinii enhancessoluble mannose receptor production by macrophages

Phagocytosis of extracellular organisms in the alveolar spaces of the lungs represents the first-line of host defense against pulmonary pathogens. Disruption of this process is likely to interfere with the generation of appropriate specific immune responses, and lead to a delayed or inefficient clearance of the pathogen. Pneumocystis carinii, an opportunistic pathogen in immunodeficient individuals, is cleared from the lung by alveolar macrophages. In the absence of specific anti-Pneumocystis antibodies, phagocytosis is dependent on the non-opsonic macrophage mannose receptor (MR). Recent studies have demonstrated that alveolar macrophage MR activity is downregulated in individuals infected with HIV, and that functional MR is shed from the macrophage cell surface. Here we report that P. carinii enhances the formation of soluble MR by macrophages in vitro. Soluble MR was detected in cell-free alveolar fluid from humans infected with HIV and/or P. carinii, but not in alveolar fluid from healthy controls. Soluble MR was found in association with extracellular clumps of P. carinii in the lungs of mice with P. carinii pneumonia, and was associated with P. carinii organisms purified from these mice. When purified P. carinii organisms were incubated with soluble MR-containing supernatants, they were phagocytosed less readily by alveolar macrophages than were control organisms. Our results suggest that P. carinii organisms enhance the shedding of MR from the surface of alveolar macrophages, and that the resultant soluble MR binds to intra-alveolar organisms, thereby interfering with their non-opsonic uptake via the macrophage cell surface MR.
Die ausdrucksform für “veräusserlichen” und “unveräusserlichen besitz” im frühgriechischen (Das Funktionsfeld von homer. φελoζ)

Abstract Das homerische Griechisch besitzt eine formelle Opposition “verauβerliches”/“unverauβerliches Besitzverhaltnis”, ausgedruckt durch a. adnominales φeλoζ gegeni ber adnominalem o oder αvtov (ohne Possessivpronomen), b. adnominalen Dativ gegenuber adnominalem Genitiv des Personalpronomens (letzteres ergibt sich beiUberprufung des Verhaltens des Havers'schen “Dativus sympatheticus”). Eine formell mogliche genaue Abgrenzung der “Inalienabeln”kategorie des Homerischen laβt den Vergleich mit den von C. C. Uhlenbeck, Levy-Bruhl und anderen abgegrenzten Parallelkategorien anderer (nicht-indogermanischer) Sprach systeme zu. - Die syntaktischen Verbindungsmoglichkeiten von φeλoζ bei Homer (wie z.B. auch im Lesbischen) sind eng begrenzt und denen eines Pronomens praktisch identisch. Vom Vokativ abgesehen, steht es 1. attributiv nur bei Bezeichnungen von inalienabeln Gegenstanden, 2. pradikativ nur mit bezugsbezeichnender Dativerganzung und nicht in Bezug auf Inalienabilia, 3. substantiviert (nie mit beschreibender Adnominalerganzung) a. nichtpradikativ im masc. pl., b. pradikativ, c. im n. pl. mit Dativerganzung (wie 2); ferner steht es 4. in vokativischer Anrede. Jeder der genannten syntaktischen Stellurgen laβt sich ein modernesUbersetzungsaquivalent zuweisen (1. “eigen”, 2. “zueigen”, 3.a.“Angehorige”, b. “was (jemandem) zu eigen ist”, c.= 2, 4. “mein”, substantiviert “Monsieur etc.”); das Funktionsfeld von hom. φeλoζ ist also nicht lexikal-semantisch komplex, sondern syntaktisch gegliedert. Nachhomerisch fallen die syntaktischen Einschrankungen weg, φeλoζ wird nichtpronominales Adjektiv und volles Substantiv, und aus (2) entwickelt sich “lieb”, “Geliebter” in allen Stellungen.
Improved colorization for night vision system based on image splitting

The success of a color night navigation system often depends on the accuracy of the colors in the resulting image. Often, small regions can incorrectly adopt the color of large regions simply due to size of the regions. We presented a method to improve the color accuracy of a night navigation system by initially splitting a fused image into two distinct sections before colorization. We split a fused image into two sections, generally road and sky regions, before colorization and processed them separately to obtain improved color accuracy of each region. Using this approach, small regions were colored correctly when compared to not separating regions.
Quorum sensing on mobile ad-hoc networks

Mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) are an increasingly important networking paradigm that will be the backbone of important defense and first response networks. Group decision-making is key to these environments, but is made difficult when MANETs are introduced due to network disruptions, bandwidth limitations, and host mobility patterns. Results gathered using standard group decision-making algorithms can become inaccurate, time-insensitive, or computationally undecidable. This paper focuses on a group decision-making approach using agent-based quorum sensing (ABQS) on MANETs. A mobile agent collects information (e.g., votes) from each host on a network until it can make an informed decision about global preference. This agent exploits the inherent tradeoff between efficient vote collection and result accuracy in order to provide better results, when considering survivability, hosts visited, hops made, and time spent, with only a very slight drop in correctness---benefits that greatly outweigh costs. Experimental evidence from live MANETs demonstrates the effectiveness of this solution.
Investigation of the stabilities of neutral and ionic lead and lead-antimony clusters under single and multiphoton ionization conditions

The fluence dependence of lead cluster ion distributions at 222 nm and 308 nm reveal markedly different behavior. Results obtained at 308 nm display a simple uniform increase in intensity with higher laser fluence with little change in relative intensities. At 222 nm, however, a significant transformation is found from a markedly different low fluence distribution to a high fluence pattern, which is essentially indistinguishable from that observed at 308 nm. It is concluded that mass spectra obtained at 308 nm, regardless of fluence, or at 222 nm and high fluence contain appreciable contributions from fragmentation. Hence, under these conditions the mass spectra are found to be dominated by cluster ion stabilities. Magic numbers observed at both high and low fluence correspond well to those obtained using electron-impact ionization, and in many instances parallel the magic numbers characteristic of rare-gas clusters. This suggests the stabilities of both neutral and monovalent cationic lead clusters are largely determined by close-packing considerations, and are not appreciably influenced by electronic structure. Similar preferences for close-packed structures are also found for mixed lead-antimony clusters containing one or two antimony atoms that are ionized using high fluence 308 nm excitation.
Automatic Theorem Proving With Renamable and Semantic Resolution

The theory of J. A. Robinson's resolution principle, an inference rule for first-order predicate calculus, is unified and extended. A theorem-proving computer program based on the new theory is proposed and the proposed semantic resolution program is compared with hyper-resolution and set-of-support resolution programs. Renamable and semantic resolution are defined and shown to be identical. Given a model M, semantic resolution is the resolution of a latent clash in which each “electron” is at least sometimes false under M; the nucleus is at least sometimes true under M.The completeness theorem for semantic resolution and all previous completeness theorems for resolution (including ordinary, hyper-, and set-of-support resolution) can be derived from a slightly more general form of the following theorem. If U is a finite, truth-functionally unsatisfiable set of nonempty clauses and if M is a ground model, then there exists an unresolved maximal semantic clash [E1, E2, · · ·, Eq, C] with nucleus C such that any set containing C and one or more of the electrons E1, E2, · · ·, Eq is an unresolved semantic clash in U.
Myocardial perfusion studies by contrast echocardiography.

Determination of regional myocardial blood flow may provide clinically valuable information about ischemia, risk area, and the effect of angioplastic, surgical, and pharmacologic interventions. Contrast echocardiography, with use of prepared microbubbles of 4 to 8 μm size, graphically demonstrates perfusion characteristics in the catheterization laboratory. Analysis and interpretation of this data and the creation of contrast materials that will demonstrate myocardial perfusion after intravenous injection are some of the next challenges in these techniques.
Streptococcus pyogenes polymyxin B-resistant mutants display enhanced ExPortal integrity

The ExPortal protein secretion organelle in Streptococcus pyogenes is an anionic phospholipid-containing membrane microdomain enriched in Sec translocons and postsecretion protein biogenesis factors. Polymyxin B binds to and disrupts ExPortal integrity, resulting in defective secretion of several toxins. To gain insight into factors that influence ExPortal organization, a genetic screen was conducted to select for spontaneous polymyxin B-resistant mutants displaying enhanced ExPortal integrity. Whole-genome resequencing of 25 resistant mutants revealed from one to four mutations per mutant genome clustered primarily within a core set of 10 gene groups. Construction of mutants with individual deletions or insertions demonstrated that 7 core genes confer resistance and enhanced ExPortal integrity through loss of function, while 3 were likely due to gain of function and/or combinatorial effects. Core resistance genes include a transcriptional regulator of lipid biosynthesis, several genes involved in nutrient acquisition, and a variety of genes involved in stress responses. Two members of the latter class also function as novel regulators of the secreted SpeB cysteine protease. Analysis of the most frequently isolated mutation, a single nucleotide deletion in a track of 9 consecutive adenine residues in pstS, encoding a component of a high-affinity Pi transporter, suggests that this sequence functions as a molecular switch to facilitate stress adaptation. Together, these data suggest the existence of a membrane stress response that promotes enhanced ExPortal integrity and resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides.
Children's contributions to household activities in single‐parent and two‐parent families

Differences in children's contributions to total household work, food preparation, dishwashing, shopping, housecleaning, and the maintenance of home, yard, car and pets were examined. Differences due to the impact of age and sex of the child as well as the employment status of the homemaker were also analysed.
Density, Perceived Choice, and Response to Controllable and Uncontrollable Outcomes

With increasing density in almost every major urban center and the population continuing to grow dramatically, the study of crowding has begun to attract considerable attention in the social sciences. Interestingly, it was a series of animal studies (Calhoun, 1961, 1962) that first provided systematic evidence associating a number of social pathologies such as infanticide, aberrant sexuality, and high rates of mortality with increased density. In his experiments, Calhoun simply provided normal rats with sufficient food and water and allowed them to reproduce and overpopulate in a fixed area. The pathologies developed when high densities were reached. While there are correlational studies that have reported comparable social disorganization and pathology related to overcrowding in humans (Galle, Gove, & McPherson, 1972; Schmitt, 1957, 1966; Winsborough, 1965), Freedman (1975) has suggested that the statistical relationship may occur because both are effects of poverty and undereducation and concluded that high density does not necessarily have negative effects on people (Freedman, Heshka, & Levy, 1975).
Phagokinetic properties of human mononuclear phagocyte cell cultures.

Abstract Random movement of human peripheral blood monocyte and pulmonary alveolar macrophage (PAM) cultures was examined using the phagokinetic track assay. The track type of the two cell types was distinct; PAMs cleared larger areas of the colloidal gold. Both cell populations exhibited increases in phagokinesis by 1 week of in vitro culture; PAM cultures by 1 day of in vitro culture. Alteration of the substratum by coating with BSA-anti BSA immune complexes resulted in the inhibition of the movement of monocytes but not PAMs. Electronmicroscopy and microcinematography were used to study cell-substratum interactions.
Expression of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors in an immortalized hippocampal neuronal cell line

A clonal cell line of rat embryonic hippocampal origin (H19-7) has been examined for the expression of glucocorticoid receptors (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptors (MR). H19-7 cells grown at 33°C continue to divide, however when grown at 39°C in reduced levels of serum the cells undergo morphological differentiation and express neuronal properties. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that H19-7 cells express both MR and GR when grown at either 33°C or 39°C. GR mRNA is readily detected in H19-7 cells by RNase protection assay. MR mRNA levels in H19-7 cells are too low to detect by RNase protection, but can be detected by RT-PCR. RT-PCR also demonstrated that H19-7 cells express more GR mRNA than primary hippocampal neurons. Since previous studies have shown that the level of MR mRNA is higher than that of GR mRNA in hippocampal neurons, these studies suggest that H19-7 cells represent hippocampal neurons immortalized at an early stage when the MR system is not yet fully differentiated.
Analysis of VEGF/PlGF heterodimer level in pancreatic cyst fluid as a biomarker for serous cystadenoma.

Introduction Pancreatic cyst fluid (PCF) analysis provides valuable information in the preoperative evaluation of pancreatic cysts. Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) and other proangiogenesis factors such a placental growth factor (PlGF) are promising biomarkers for identifying serous cystadenoma (SCA). VEGF-A has recently been reported as a SCA marker. We sought to assess the value of the VEGF-A/PlGF heterodimer as a potential biomarker of SCA in PCF. Materials and methods PCF was analyzed for VEGF/PlGF and 7 additional proangiogenic markers including VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, TEK tyrosine kinase, endothelial (TIE-2), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), PlGF, and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). True-positive or false-negative results were determined by histological confirmation of SCA and false-positive or true-negative results with confirmation of a non-SCA cyst by either cytology or histology, elevated carcinoembryonic antigen ≥192 ng/mL, elevated amylase ≥5000 U/L, or detected KRAS/GNAS mutations. Results Forty-eight PCFs were analyzed; 1 was technically inadequate. Of the remaining 47, 3 (6%) contained measurable (>60 pg/mL) concentrations of VEGF/PlGF heterodimer: 1 pseudocyst, 1 cystic adenocarcinoma, and 1 SCA. Of 6 histologically confirmed SCAs, there was only 1 (17%) true positive. Six PCFs were not classifiable due to insufficient data, leaving 41 PCFs for performance calculations (33 true negative, 5 false negative, 1 true positive, and 2 false positive) yielding a sensitivity of 17% and specificity of 94%. Conclusions VEGF/PlGF heterodimer is present in low concentrations in PCF and is an insensitive biomarker for SCA. Additional study is required to determine clinical utility of heterodimeric VEGF/PlGF in combination with other proangiogenic markers.
Classification of EEG recordings without perfectly time-locked events

This paper considers the problem of classification of electroencephalography (EEG) recordings without the precise time locking between stimulus presentation times and the recorded EEG waveforms. Traditionally, time locking, or perfect timing, information between stimulus and EEG recordings have been crucial in locating the region of possible neural response. In reality, the stimulus' time information is usually unavailable and the latency of test subjects may not be constant (due to fatigue, concentration, interference, etc.). Therefore, new classification approaches that do not depend on stimulus' time information are needed. To tackle this problem, we firstly characterized the brain response pattern of the target event using the EEG data, in which the timing information is available. Then, based on the pattern, a sliding window was applied to the EEG recordings to detect possible target image response started from each individual location. Finally, the probability of a target image event appeared during an entire EEG recording epoch is estimated by summarizing all the possible locations. The results show that, for classification of EEG epochs of 5s, the approach we proposed can obtain a median area under ROC 0.96, a result that comparable to that with perfect stimulus time information.
Effect of electric-field-induced mobility degradation on the velocity distribution in a sub- mu m length channel of InGaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction MODFET

The electric field distribution, the velocity distribution, the effective saturation velocity, and the maximum operating frequency are evaluated for an InGaAs/AlGaAs MODFET by taking into account the electric-field-induced mobility degradation, which becomes important when the electric field in the channel exceeds in *=vth/2 mu o=1.7 kV cm-1, where vth=3.9*107 cm s-1 is the thermal velocity of an electron. In the limit of small gate-length, the effective electron velocity is shown to approach the limiting value vth, the internal transconductance reaches the limit Covth, and the saturation current is /Dsat=nsDqvthW, W being the gate width. The ratio of the carrier density at the drain end of the channel to that at the source end, at the onset of saturation, is found to be nsD/nso=1-(Vc/V'g)((1+V'g/Vc)12/-1), which approaches unity in the short-channel limit and V'g/2Vc in the long-channel limit, in direct contrast to the well known pinch-off behaviour, where nsD vanishes. Here, Vc=vthL/ mu o, where L is the gate length. An analysis of the effective saturation velocity, and maximum frequency of the MODFET as a function of the gate length is presented.
Conditional simulation of multi-variate Gaussian fields via generalization of Hoshiya's technique

Abstract This paper generalizes conditional simulation technique of uni-variate Gaussian random fields by the stochastic interpolation proposed by Hoshiya, to multi-variate random fields. The kriging estimation of multi-variate Gaussian fields is proposed, and basic formulation for conditional simulation of multi-variate random fields is established. For the particular case of uncorrelated components of multi-variate field, the formulation reduces to that of uni-variate field given by Hoshiya. The paper also provides proofs of some important properties of the estimation error vector, which guarantee that the conditional simulation of the multi-variate field can be implemented by separately computing its kriging estimate and simulating the error vector. An analytical example of two-variate field is elucidated and some numerical results are discussed.
Advances in early fetal loss research: importance for risk assessment.

The assessment of early fetal losses (EFLs) in relationship to environmental agents offers unique advantages compared to other end points for hazard assessment. There is a high incidence (greater than 20% of all pregnancies end in an EFL), and the interval between exposure and end point is the short duration between conception and event, i.e., approximately 12 weeks. In contrast, cancer, which is the primary end point evaluated in risk assessment models, occurs with much lower frequency, and the latency period is measured in years or decades. EFLs have not been used effectively for risk assessment because most of the events are not detected. Prospective studies provide the only approach whereby it is possible to link exposure to EFLs. Recent methodologic advancements have demonstrated that it is now possible to conduct population-based studies of EFLs. It is likely that EFLs could serve as sentinels to monitor adverse health effects of many potential environmental hazards. The methodology will be demonstrated using lead exposure in utero as an example.
The Impurity Effect in the Space Shuttle Dendritic Growth Experiments with Succinonitrile

Abstract The high purity succinonitrile (SCN) used in the recent space shuttle dendritic growth experiments of Glicksman and co-workers was reported to be 99.999% pure. This material is treated as a very dilute alloy with a composition C o = 0.001%. The dendrite tip temperature ( T t ) is determined from both heat flow and interfacial equilibrium considerations. Only the latter is affected by the presence of impurities. For the experimentally measured values of the tip growth rate ( R ) and tip radius ( r t ), the values of T t estimated on the basis of the Ivantsov heat flow solution are in excess of the equilibrium melting point of succinonitrile. A consideration of the impurity effect suggests that the microgravity experiments correspond to what is considered to be the rapid solidification regime. The chemical Peclet number, p = Rr t /2 D L , where D L is the diffusivity of the impurity, is greater than one-half (p > 0.50) in a large number of experiments and greater than one ( p > 1) in some experiments.
Goals-delphis for urban planning: Concepts in their design

Abstract An algorithm for the use of the Delphi technique in developing goal hierarchies for urban systems planning is outlined. Some of the major psychological forces operating in the Delphi process, particularly the influence of group pressure, are discussed, and the implications of these in terms of alternative internal designs are described. Goals-Delphis may be considered to involve value judgments, and as such are subject to certain restrictions. They have organizational implications beyond the deliberate goal setting effort, and may be adapted for use as change agents through administrative experiments. The possibility of the use of Delphi for improving the efficiency of multidisciplinary research teams is explored.
An in vitro test for Loxosceles reclusa spider bites.

Abstract Envenomation by the brown recluse spider and other Loxosceles species is recognized now as a public health problem in the United States. We have developed a lymphocyte transformation test using 50 ng of venom protein as an in vitro test to detect persons who have immunity to Loxosceles spider venom as the result of a previous bite. This test will recognize, in advance, persons who are at a risk if bitten and confirm mild and unusual manifestations of envenomation. This method has demonstrated immune cross-reactivity between the venoms of L. reclusa and L. arizonica and has advanced our understanding of the immunogenic mechanisms following Loxosceles bites.
The effects of design variables and surface films on the contact resistance of copper-copper contact interfaces

Studies are made on the effects of contact normal force, wipe, geometry, and hardness on cylindrical copper-copper contacts. The results show a complex interaction among the variables in determining whether reliable, metallic asperity contact can be established. No straightforward relationship among the variables is established, and no conclusion is reached concerning the effects of any single variable for which exceptions could not be found. Contact wipe and normal force effects are as expected and have the greatest effect on contact resistance. At a normal force of 100 g, the effects of most other variables is extremely large. A new effect of contact wipe is shown. Wipe is beneficial in improving contact resistance. For wipe distances greater than about 0.025 mm, low-contact resistance is generally established. Smaller distances of wipe frequently produce very large increases in contact resistance compared to the zero wipe condition. >
The role of embolization in reducing the complications of cryoablation in renal cell carcinoma

Aim To investigate whether embolization prior to cryoablation would decrease morbidity without negative effects on tissue pathology, renal function, or recurrence. Material and methods The electronic medical records of all patients undergoing cryoablation for renal cell carcinomas were reviewed for lesion size, pre-ablative renal function, post-ablative renal function, post-ablative complications, recurrence, and quality of biopsy specimen. Comparisons were made between patients who underwent cryoablation (the Cryo-Only group) and those who underwent cryoablation after same-day coil embolization of their lesion (the Cryo-Embo group). Further comparison was made between the Cryo-Embo lesions and the subset of larger Cryo-Only lesions (≥3 cm), which were expected to have a higher natural complication rate. Results A total of 21 lesions in 19 patients were treated by percutaneous cryoablation (17 Cryo-Only, four Cryo-Embo). Complications were seen in 83% of the large Cryo-Only lesions (average size 3.6 cm), whereas no complication was seen amongst Cryo-Embo lesions (average size 4 cm). Embolization significantly decreased complications between size-matched lesions ( p = 0.048) without impacting renal function ( p = 1), biopsy quality ( p = 1), or recurrence ( p = 1). Conclusion Performance of trans-arterial embolization prior to cryoablation of large renal cell carcinomas significantly decreases complications, such as haemorrhage, without a discernible effect on biopsy quality, renal function, or recurrence rate.
THE TEST PERFORMANCE OF HANDICAPPED PEOPLE

This paper is the second in a series of reports emanating from a four-year research program meant to further knowledge of college and graduate admissions testing and handicapped people. The purpose of this paper is to document existing research on the test performance of handicapped people with respect to admissions and other similar tests. In addition, the psychometric characteristics of these tests when used with handicapped people are reported. Though much more data need to be collected, several observations are made. Handicapped students as a general group perform appreciably lower than national norms on the SAT and ACT Assessment (by about .5 standard deviations). Of the four specific disability groups discussed, the admissions test performance of physically handicapped and of visually impaired examinees is most similar to the nondisabled population. The admissions test performance of learning disabled individuals ranks third among the specific disability groups. With limited exceptions, the performance of this group is appreciably lower than national norms (generally by at least .5 standard deviations). Hearing impaired students perform the least we 11 of all disabled groups on admissions tests. The limited data on the reliability of cognitive tests for handicapped examinees show no trustworthy differences in measurement precision between disabled and nondisabled populations. The results of the small number of validity investigations that have been conducted also show no dependable differences across populations. Data on the ACT Assessment and the SAT generally support the validity of these measures as equivalent predictors of col lege performance in selected disabled student groups and the nonhandicapped population. The lack of data on test performance, reliability, and validity prohibits drawing definitive conclusions at this time. Further research is necessary before the fairness of the admissions testing process for handicapped examinees can be soundly evaluated.
Change in a state department of mental health: a view of within.

From a personal perspective, the author describes the obstacles to change in a state mental health department. Even the best conceived, most carefully planned changes can fall victim to vested interests, political and economic uncertainties or simply inertia.
Liver metastases with 10 human colon carcinoma cell lines in nude mice and association with carcinoembryonic antigen production

Background. The secretion of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) by many colorectal tumors is associated with a worse prognosis and a greater likelihood of metastases. The exact biologic function of CEA is not known. In the literature, it has been postulated CEA may be a tumorigenicity-enhancing factor. Methods. Ten different human colonic adenocarcinoma cell lines (RW-7213, RW-2982, LS174T, SW1116, RW-5928, DLD-2, SW-48, DLD-1, SW-480, and HCT-8) with a wide range of CEA production (from undetectable to 5200 ng/ml in culture medium) were injected into the spleens of groups of nude mice as a model for experimental hepatic metastasis. Results. There was a wide range in local tumorigenicity in the spleen (from 0–90%) and in liver metastases (from 0–70%). The capacity to grow in both liver and spleen was associated with CEA production. The four cell lines that secreted the highest amounts of CEA produced the highest tumorigenicity in the spleen (67–90%) with frequent liver colonization (25–70%). The two cell lines that secreted no detectable CEA produced neither splenic tumors nor hepatic colonies. Low-level CEA production was associated with intermediate and more variable tumorigenicity. Conclusions. There was an association between CEA secretion and the ability of 10 different colorectal cell lines to grow in nude mouse spleen and liver models.
Ipecac-induced toxicity in eating disorders.

A review of the medical literature provides evidence that ipecac-induced toxicity occurs in patients with eating disorders. However, the reported number of clinical studies is small compared with the number of patients consuming ipecac syrup. The purpose of this article is to inform the healthcare professional of the metabolic consequences, myopathy and death, of ipecac abuse. The patient's medical history, clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory data, and muscle biopsy are important in diagnosing ipecac-induced toxicity. In some clinical situations, the deleterious effects of ipecac syrup are reversible when the patient stops consuming the drug. Thus, the healthcare professional can play an important role by educating these patients about the serious medical problems associated with ipecac abuse.
Imaging complex structures with diffuse light

We use diffuse optical tomography to quantitatively reconstruct images of complex phantoms with millimeter sized features located centimeters deep within a highly-scattering medium. A non-contact instrument was employed to collect large data sets consisting of greater than 107 source-detector pairs. Images were reconstructed using a fast image reconstruction algorithm based on an analytic solution to the inverse scattering problem for diffuse light.
PARENT-YOUNG VOCAL COMMUNICATION IN EARED GREBES

In a series of experiments, we played eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) and western grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) food calls in random order to eared grebe chicks brooded under the back-feathers of their parents. We examined the responses of chicks that were 12-23 h, I day, and 2-3 days old. Over the first 3 days, there was a significant increase in responsiveness (poking out the head and begging) to the parental food call. In similar experiments using the alarm call, eared grebe chicks with their heads out responded strongly to their own species' calls by ducking their heads beneath the back-feathers. Cross-fostered eared and western grebe chicks rarely responded to food calls of their own species, but responded vigorously to their foster species' calls. On the other hand, a cross-fostered eared grebe chick showed strong responses to the alarm calls of its own species, even though its foster parents were not using that type of call. This chick had not learned to respond to its foster species' alarms. Cross-fostered western grebe chicks responded to the alarms of both species, even though they were unlikely to have heard their own species' calls. Whether their alarm responses to both species was a manifestation of incomplete learning or of an absence of species specificity unaffected by early experiences remains to be determined. If learning was involved, it appeared to occur at a slower rate than did responses to the food calls of foster parents. The importance of learning appeared to vary considerably between the two types of calls, and the advantages of this are discussed. Although young chicks respond to the food and alarm calls from any adult of their species, playback experiments using the advertising calls of adults suggest that older grebe chicks can learn to individually identify their parents by the time they begin swimming on their own.
EFFECT OF LYSINE AND WETTING AGENTS ON ACTIVATED PLASMINOGEN SOLUTIONS

The inclusion of lysine or of lysine with Emulphor 620 or Pluronics F68 increases the stability of a solution of streptokinase-activated plasminogen. Lysine plus Emulphor 620 greatly speeds up the ...
Determining the Internal Quantum Efficiency of PbSe Nanocrystal Solar Cells with the Aid of an Optical Model

We determine the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of the active layer of PbSe nanocrystal (NC) back-contact Schottky solar cells by combining external quantum efficiency (EQE) and total reflectance measurements with an optical model of the device stack. The model is parametrized with the complex index of refraction of each layer in the stack as calculated from ellipsometry data. Good agreement between the experimental and modeled reflectance spectra permits a quantitative estimate of the fraction of incident light absorbed by the NC films at each wavelength, thereby yielding well-constrained QE spectra for photons absorbed only by the NCs. Using a series of devices fabricated from 5.1 ± 0.4 nm diameter PbSe NCs, we show that thin NC cells achieve an EQE and an active layer IQE as high as 60 ± 5% and 80 ± 7%, respectively, while the QE of devices with NC layers thicker than about 150 nm falls, particularly in the blue, because of progressively greater light absorption in the field-free region of the films...