cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adenocarcinomas of the jejunum and ileum: A 25-year experience

Adenocarcinomas of the jejunum and ileum are rare gastrointestinal malignancies. Because few large published experiences exist, we reviewed patients with jejunal and ileal adenocarcinoma treated at our institution over the last 25 years. Between January 1976 and December 2001, 77 patients had an operation for a jejunal or ileal adenocarcinoma. Records were retrospectively reviewed for patient, tumor, and treatment variables. Factors affecting disease recurrence and patient survival were investigated. Fifty-two of the adenocarcinomas (67%) occurred in the jejunum and 25 occured in the ileum (33%). Mean patient age was 63 ±14 years. Segmental bowel resection was performed in 50 patients (65%) with curative intent. Palliative operative procedures including resection or bypass were performed in 27 patients (35%). One (1%) patient had stage I, 18 (23%) stage II, 19 (25%) stage III, and 39 (51%) stage IV adenocarcinoma at diagnosis. Postoperatively, 12 patients had palliative and 18 adjuvant chemotherapy (n 5 30), radiation therapy (n = 1), or combination treatment (n = 7). Median patient survival was 19 months. Sixty-six percent of patients who had a curative operation had a tumor relapse. Tumor stage had a highly significant effect (P < 0.0001) on median survival (72 months for stage I and II, 30 months for stage III, and 9 months for stage IV disease). In multivariate analysis of patients having curative treatment, tumor recurrence (P < 0.0001), stage (P < 0.0002), and weight loss (P < 0.001) were significant negative prognostic indicators. Most patients with adenocarcinoma of the jejunum or ileum present with advanced disease. Tumor stage, disease recurrence, and weight loss predicted patient outcome following a curative operation. Early recognition of these tumors requires a high index of suspicion.
Nutritional studies on species and mutants of Lepista, Cantharellus, Pleurotus and Volvariella

The purpose of this study is to determine the ability of select Agaricales species to utilize various sources of carbon, nitrogen, vitamins, and growth hormones. Fungi selected for the studies include:Cantharellus clavatusFries,C. cibariusFries,Lepista nuda (Bull. ex. Fries)Cooke,Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex. Fries)Kummer, andVolvariella volvacea (Bull. ex. Fries)Singer. Three strains ofC. cibarius and one mutant ofV. volvacea (V135), V134, were employed to determine if nutritional requirement differences occurred. One species,V. volvacea, is grown commercially as a cottage industry in the Orient (Alicbusan &Ela, 1961) while the other species currently have no commercial value. All species studied possess pleasing flavors and have potential use in the mushroom production industry.
The Unmet Needs of African American Women with Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and treatment includes various combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy. The multimodal treatment of breast cancer improves survival outcomes, but it also contributes to a prolonged period of medical intervention with associated physical and emotional consequences. However, we know less about the specific clinical experiences of African American (AA) women during treatment for breast cancer and in survivorship. The studies that have addressed the issue of breast cancer in AA women have focused primarily on early detection and epidemiological variables such a screening, mortality and staging at diagnosis. In our study, in-depth semi-structured phone interviews were conducted to explore the clinical experiences, concerns and needs of AA women who had survived breast cancer. The AA women reported that their physicians did not provide adequate disease and treatment information; did not discuss clinical trials with them; and did not offer access to support services.
In vitro differentiation inhibits the migration of cultured neonatal rat cortical astrocytes transplanted to the neonatal rat cerebrum

Abstract Neonatal rat astrocytes transplanted into the rat cerebrum migrate extensively. However, few of the molecular signals determining this migration have been defined. In the present study, in vitro modifications were designed to examine whether differentiation prior to transplantation would affect the magnitude or pattern of astrocyte migration in the neonatal host brain. Here, cortical astrocytes were collected from the brains of rats 1–3 days postpartum and purified by culturing them in DME medium supplemented with 10% calf serum. After 14–21 days, astrocytes were labelled with fluorescein-tagged latex microspheres for 16 hr; the label was then removed and replaced with either fresh medium or fresh serum-free medium plus 1 mM dbcAMP. After 48 hr, cells were harvested and then transplanted into the right frontal cerebrum of neonatal rats at 3 days postpartum by injection with a hand-held Hamilton syringe. Animals were sacrificed at 3, 6, 9, 15, 21 and 28 days after inoculation and their brains examined with fluorescence microscopy. Astrocytes not exposed to dbcAMP prior to implantation migrated along the corpus callosum, internal capsule, glial limitans, ventricular linings and the hippocampal structure. They also appeared to migrate in a radial fashion toward the periphery from the ventricular lining. Astrocytes treated with dbcAMP prior to transplantation did not appear to migrate into the neonatal parenchyma, remaining confined to the injection site for at least 6 days. Migration then appeared to commence at a normal rate after 9 days. Thus, neonatal cortical migrate outward in a pattern similar to that defined by the radial glia. Astrocytes differentiated by dbcAMP treatment, however, do not appear to migrate to any large degree in the neonatal brain until the treatment effect diminishes, suggesting that differentiation may represent an end-point to glial migration in the neonatal host brain.
Breast Cancer Genes: Therapeutic Strategies

Although effective treatments for breast cancer predated the identification of causative molecular defects in humans, it is widely hoped that an understanding and/or manipulation of the key genetic events will lead to even more effective therapies or even cures. Powerful methods of positional cloning and gene identification have identified the breast cancer genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, which together are responsible for the majority of cases of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Although the BRCA1 gene is rarely mutated in sporadic breast or ovarian cancer, levels of BRCA1 mRNA and protein are markedly decreased in the majority of sporadic cases of cancer. This suggests that hereditary and sporadic breast cancer share common genetic themes and that treatments aimed at increasing levels of BRCA1 or BRCA2 may be useful for both hereditary and sporadic cancers. We have demonstrated that gene transfer of wild-type BRCA1 inhibits the growth of sporadic breast and ovarian cancer cells and suppresses growth of established breast and ovarian tumor models in nude mice. Mutant BRCA1 genes do not inhibit growth or suppress tumor, providing additional evidence that BRCA1 is a tumor-suppressor gene. Strategies designed to increase BRCA1 expression or development of BRCA1-mimetic agents may be ultimately useful as therapeutic approaches.
Validity and reliability of community health activities model program for seniors and short-form international physical activity questionnaire as physical activity assessment tools in patients with fibromyalgia.

Purpose. There currently is a paucity of well-validated instruments to quantitatively measure physical activity (PA) levels in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). This study aims to determine the construct validity and test–retest reliability of two self-report physical activity questionnaires [short-form international physical activity questionnaire (s-IPAQ) and community health activities model program for seniors (CHAMPS)] in a fibromyalgia population.Methods. Thirty subjects (mean age 49.1 ± 9.6 years; 90% females) who met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for FMS were invited to participate in the study. Two-week test–retest reliability was evaluated for the CHAMPS and s-IPAQ. Construct validity was evaluated by comparing PA reported from these questionnaires with data obtained from accelerometry (steps/week, counts/week) and the 6-minute walk test (6-MWT).Results. CHAMPS showed greater test–retest reliability (r = 0.58; p < 0.001) compared with s-IPAQ (r = 0.18; p = 0.15). No sign...
Electron spectroscopy for chemical analyses (ESCA)—A tool for studying treated textiles

Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) has been successfully used to determine the location of flame-retardant polymers or reagents and crosslinking and oil/water-repellent reagents in relation to fiber surfaces of chemically modified cotton fabrics and cotton/polyester blends. Changes in intensity of characteristic ESCA element signals were followed as the particle size of the treated fabric varied. Dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) and the flame-retardant polymer formed from tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride (Thpc) and urea penetrate and are homogeneously deposited throughout cotton fabrics. The oil/water-repellent finish, FC-218, and the flame retardants from the THPOH/NH3 reaction and tris(dibromopropyl) phosphate are deposited on the surfaces of both cotton and polyester fibers.
Graph-theoretic model reduction of oscillation propagation in spatially distributed power system networks

In this paper we consider continuum models of large distributed power systems defined over dynamic equivalent clusters, and derive a model reduction method to illustrate how oscillations can propagate from one cluster to another in the form of equivalent frequency waves depending on the topology of their interconnections. Previous results in [1], [2] have modeled such electromechanical waves mostly for two-area radial transfer paths (or, equivalently for a two-node line graph) by representing the swing dynamics in terms of partial differential equations (PDEs). Our results extend this approach to a network of areas connected by equivalent transfer paths, and defines an equivalent Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue equation for the entire network. We show that depending on the network topology the solutions of this eigenvalue problem can be significantly different from those for the individual paths. Simulation results for several representative power system network structures confirm our hypothesis.
Hierarchical registers for scientific computers

Simulations of scientific programs running on traditional scientific computer architectures show that execution with hundreds of registers can be more than twice as fast as execution with only eight registers. In addition, execution with a small number of fast registers and hundreds of slower registers can be as fast as execution with hundreds of fast registers. A hierarchical organization of fast and slow registers is presented, register-allocation strategies are discussed, and a novel, indirect, register-addressing mechanism is described.
Spectroscopic phase-dispersion optical coherence tomography measurements of scattering phantoms.

We demonstrate a novel technique to determine the size of Mie scatterers with high sensitivity. Our technique is based on spectral domain optical coherence tomography measurements of the phase dispersion that is induced by the scattering process. We use both Mie scattering predictions and dispersion measurements of phantoms to show that the scattering dispersion is very sensitive to small changes in the size and/or refractive index of the scatterer. We also show the light scattered from a single sphere is, in some cases, non-minimum phase. Therefore, the phase is independent of the intensity of the scattered light, and both intensity and phase must be measured directly in order to characterize more completely the scattering problem. Phase dispersion measurements may have application to distinguishing the size and refractive index of scattering particles in biological tissue samples.
Higher excited states of benzene: Polarized ultraviolet two‐photon absorption spectroscopy

The Rydberg spectrum of benzene is explored by means of linear and circular polarized ultraviolet two‐photon absorption spectroscopy of the jet‐cooled molecule. A strong gerade Rydberg series previously designated nRg and all its associated vibronic structure seen in linear polarization is shown to have symmetry A1g, but analysis of spectra obtained under circular polarization demonstrates that E2g origins lie just to lower energies. These combined facts give an unambiguous assignment of this series as nd1 (E2g, A1g, A2g). Four new Rydberg series, each having vibrational structure nearly identical to each other and to the ground state ion, are also identified and have E1g or E2g symmetry. The five Rydberg series converging to the first ionization potential have quantum defects 0.77, 0.06, 0.05, 0.02, and −0.11. Bandwidths indicative of ultrafast radiationless decay processes are observed for low‐n vibronic states, but higher states are sharp. In addition, an Eg band system is observed at 68 980 cm−1 (69 3...
Properties of a 20-component spin-1/2 relativistic wave equation

A new 20-component relativistic wave equation is studied. It is shown that this manifestly Lorentz-covariant equation describes particles with unique mass $m$ and spin 1/2. A nonsingular $\ensuremath{\eta}$ matrix is also shown to exist. The free wave equation is equivalent to the Dirac equation, but when a minimally coupled external electromagnetic field is introduced the new equation behaves differently from the Dirac equation. For example, the magnetic moment of a particle described by the 20-component equation depends on a free parameter and can thus take on any value including zero. The proposed equation is irreducible and the ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ matrices satisfy a fourth-order minimal algebra, and thus ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{0}$ is nondiagonalizable. Previously, examples of irreducible wave equations with nondiagonalizable ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{0}$, that could continue to propagate causally in an external field, were not known. The equation proposed here is an example of such a theory.
Test-retest reliability of serial pure-tone audiograms in children at a school for the deaf.

Successive air-conduction audiograms obtained between ages 1¼ and 12 years and recorded in the charts of 75 children at a school for the deaf were analyzed statistically. Approximately half of 414 ...
Observations of Infrasound and Subsonic Disturbances Related to Severe Weather

Summary During the past 10 years the Geoacoustics Group of NOAA's Wave Propagation Laboratory studied travelling low-frequency pressure variations related to thunderstorms and severe weather. Two general categories of waves were associated with severe weather conditions: ‘subsonic’ pressure disturbances and infrasonic waves with acoustic velocities. The low-frequency pressure variations were measured at the Earth's surface using microphone arrays located at times thousands of kilometres from the severe-weather disturbance. The radiated infra- sound was related to thunderstorms penetrating the tropopause and spectral analyses were performed on several signals. Possible practical applications to storm warning and classification are discussed for both infrasound and ‘subsonic’ pressure disturbances. Past measurements of these signals are reviewed.
A Test of Potential Pleistocene Mammal Seed Dispersal in Anachronistic Fruits Using Extant Ecological and Physiological Analogs

Abstract Using Elephas maximus (Asian Elephant) and Equus ferus caballus (Domesticated Horse) as ecological analogs to extinct Pleistocene mammals, we tested the effect of gut passage on 3 proposed anachronistic fruits: Diospyros virginiana (American Persimmon), Maclura pomifera (Osage Orange), and Asimina triloba (Paw Paw). We found that elephant-gut passage of persimmon seeds increased their germination success and decreased their time to sprout, while Osage Orange seeds showed no benefit to gut passage. Neither American Persimmon nor Osage Orange seeds survived gut passage through horses. Both mammals refused to consume Paw Paw fruits. Assuming a similar physiology and behavior compared to our modern analogs, we suggest that extinct North American elephant species could have been important seed dispersers for American Persimmons but were unlikely to be effective for Osage Orange or Paw Paw, while horses would have been poor dispersers for all plant species tested.
Toll‐like receptor 4 knockout mice are protected from endothelial overactivation in the absence of Kupffer cells after total hepatic ischemia/reperfusion

Kupffer cells (KCs) have been shown to be critical mediators of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in the murine liver. Using liposomal clodronate (LC), we found that KCs were protective in models of total hepatic ischemia with bowel congestion. We investigated the role of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the damage that occurs after I/R in KC-depleted livers. We injected 8-week-old C57BL/10J mice and C57BL/10ScN [toll-like receptor 4 knockout (TLR4KO)] mice with LC 48 hours before 35 minutes of warm hepatic ischemia with bowel congestion, which was followed by either 6 or 24 hours of reperfusion. The KC-depleted animals had increased mortality as well as a 10-fold increase in their aminotransferase levels that correlated with increases in centrilobular necrosis. These changes were absent in the TLR4KO animals. Lipopolysaccharide was bound extensively to endothelial cells after I/R, and this binding was diminished in the TLR4KO animals. In conjunction with this, there was an up-regulation of endothelial cell adhesion molecules in the LC-treated animals that was absent in the TLR4KO animals. Finally, there was a dramatic increase in the proinflammatory cytokine levels of the LC-treated animals, and the TLR4KO animals were protected against this increase. In conclusion, TLR4 promotes endothelial overactivation after I/R in the absence of KCs.
Presumed Assault or Accommodative Reactions Involved in Human Renal Transplantation

The concept that allograft loss is secondary to immune assault mechanisms and graft success is simply due to abatement of such graft-destructive forces represents a reductive viewpoint of the complex immune processes that are involved in allograft rejection. The immunologically dominated fate of renal allografts appears to rest on the delicate balance between mutually opposing graft-destructive and graft-protective immune mechanisms unleashed by the host following the perception of potent stimulatory signals originated by the allograft. Activated cells and their secretory products, responsible for the irrevocable destruction of the allograft and immune circuits that are pivotal to the generation of graft-adaptive immune responses, are being rapidly identified.
Reflexive Inquiry in Organizational Research: Questions and Possibilities

Over the last 20 years, social science scholars have challenged conventional conceptions of social reality, knowledge, and the validity of our methods of inquiry. Many have criticized the aim of mainstream social science to provide an absolute, objective view of the world and have called for a reflexive stance in which we recognize all social activity, including research itself, as an ongoing endogenous accomplishment. Three main themes have emerged: a crisis of representation, an emphasis on the constitutive nature of language, and a call for reflexive approaches to research. Contemporary organizational theorists have found themselves drawn into the debate and struggling with a number of questions around how to carry out reflexive research. I examine those questions and explore the implications for organizational research. In doing so, I attempt to enact reflexivity through one layer of narrative circularity.
Dibromsulphalein (DBSP) estimation of hepatic transport function in man.

. Bromsulphalein (BSP) and dibromsulphalein (DBSP) were given separately in equimolar amounts by intravenous injection or infusion to 15 apparently healthy individuals and 33 individuals with hepatobiliary disease. The slope (K) of the plasma disappearance rate, the relative storage capacity (S) and the maximum biliary excretion rate (Tm) for both BSP and DBSP were calculated and the mean values for each group determined. – In the normal group, K for DBSP, 0.234 ± 0.023 (1 SD), was found to be significantly greater than K for BSP, 0.151 ± 0.042, indicating a more rapid plasma disappearance rate for DBSP. Similarly, S was significantly higher for DBSP, 124.6 ± 56.6 (imol/(xmol/100 ml, than for BSP, 67.7 ± 34.1. The Tm for DBSP however, 10.9 ± 1.6 μmol/min., was not significantly different from that for BSP, 9.5 ± 1.7. – In the patients with cirrhosis, there was reduction in K, S, and Tm, which was of the same order of magnitude for both dyes, indicating that DBSP is as sensitive as BSP in the detection of liver disease. Since DBSP is not conjugated in vivo, this suggests that the modifications of BSP disposition in cirrhosis are attributable primarily to a defect in the transport function of the liver cell. Defective conjugation of BSP therefore probably does not contribute importantly to the BSP abnormalities observed in cirrhotic patients.
Cowboys and Constructions: Nationalist Representations of Pastoral Life in Post-Portalian Chile

This article examines political ideology, cultural nationalism and the contesting of identity in early twentieth-century Chile. It does so by tracing the emergence of a unique cultural construct – the huaso cowboy – in the literary sphere and by exploring a ‘rural idealist’ discourse employed by middle-class, reformist intellectuals who hoped for the mitigation of the ‘social question’ and the displacement of traditional oligarchs from cultural and political centrality. It also seeks to explain how the fiction genre known as criollismo challenged elitist conceptions of ‘nation’ and ‘culture’ in the context of dramatic socio-political, economic and demographic change.
The interpretation of the Hall effect in the silver-gold system

Abstract It is suggested that in the Ag-Au system the effects upon the Hall coefficient of the impurity scattering and the band structure can be separated. Further information is then obtained about the temperature dependence of these effects.
Women in the early days of cytology: A personal recollection

The fight for the acceptance of the validity of cytopathology has been fought by a group of individuals associated with George N. Papanicolaou. The common effort to convince the skeptics that Papanicolaou's method of diagnosing cancer was the best way to detect its presence at an early stage became a bond linking all of us. When we taught cytology, we felt more like preaching a gospel than like teaching a subject. Those of us who became involved in original research experienced an additional excitement from expanding the frontiers of our new specialty. This uniquely stimulating experience has been shared by women and men in most of the early cytology teaching centers throughout the world. This was diffrent from the enthusiasm with which people enter the field of cytopathology today. All of us had to constantly prove the validity of what we were doing, whereas now the value of cytologic diagnosis is fully recognized and taken for granted. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dihydropyridines: a new class of angiotensin II antagonists

Abstract The syntheses and biological activities of dihydropyridine angiotensin II (AII) antagonists are described. Compounds such as 12 are examples of a new, structurally distinct class of AT(in1-selective agents.
Interpenetrating polymer networks of poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4 phenylene oxide) and poly(urethane acrylate). II

Synthese et caracterisation de ces IPN en utilisant l'ethylenediamine comme reticulant pour le PPO et le styrene-divinylbenzene pour le PUA
Sonographic quantification of ovarian tumor vascularity.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of quantitated color Doppler sonography in differentiating benign from malignant ovarian tumors, with the use of tumor histologic examination as a reference standard. Methods. The vascularity of 38 ovarian masses (30 benign and 8 malignant) as quantitatively depicted with color Doppler sonography was analyzed with a readily available software program (ImageJ; National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD). The following quantitative sonographic criteria for tumor vascularity were analyzed: the vascularity index (VI) quantified the difference between the total number of pixels and the number of pixels containing no color/total × 100, whereas the power-weighted pixel density (PWPD) weighted the strength of the signal/total. The accuracy of sonographic criteria for malignant ovarian tumors was evaluated with univariate analysis. Results of tumor histologic examination were used as proof of the final diagnosis. Results. The mean values of VI and PWPD were significantly different in benign versus malignant ovarian lesions (VI, 1.3 ± 1.6 versus 4.7 ± 3.9; P < .01; PWPD, 2338 ± 3305 versus 9403 ± 9946; P < .05). With a VI of greater than 2.3, sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 90% were obtained. When combined with a PWPD of greater than 4555, sensitivity improved to 88%, and specificity improved to 93%. Morphologic analysis had sensitivity of 72% and specificity of 76% for malignancies. Conclusions. Quantitated color Doppler sonography was found to be helpful for distinguishing benign from malignant ovarian masses. However, the wide range in values makes it most useful as an adjunct to morphologic assessment. It is anticipated that quantitated color Doppler sonography could result in a slight improvement in detection of ovarian malignancies. Key words: color Doppler sonography; morphologic assessment; ovarian masses; quantitative analysis; vascularity.
Prevalence and correlates of adult overweight in the Muslim world: analysis of 46 countries.

The primary objectives of the study were to calculate overweight prevalence (body mass index ≥ 25.0) and simple correlations between 10 demographic, social welfare and behavioural variables and overweight prevalence for Muslim countries (populations >50% Muslim; N = 46). Overweight data for a country's total, male and female populations were extracted from the World Health Organization's (WHO) STEPwise country reports and relevant publications. Country-level data for potential correlates were extracted from multiple sources: Central Intelligence Agency (literacy), Gallup Poll (religiosity), United Nations (agricultural employment, food supply, gender inequality, human development), World Bank (automobile ownership, Internet, labour force) and WHO (physical inactivity). The overall, male and female overweight prevalence was 37.4, 33.0 and 42.1%, respectively. Prevalence estimates significantly differed by economic classification, gender and ethnicity. Middle- and upper income countries were 1.54-7.76 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-8.07) times more likely overweight than low-income countries, females were 1.48 (CI: 1.45-1.50) times more likely overweight than males and Arab countries were 2.92 (CI: 2.86-2.97) times more likely overweight than non-Arab countries. All 10 of the potential correlates were significantly associated with overweight for at least one permutation (total, economic classification, gender, ethnicity). The greater percentage of poorer countries among non-Arab Muslim countries, which compared with Arab countries have not as rapidly been transformed by globalization, nutrition transition and urbanization, may partially explain prevalence differences. Evaluation of correlational data generally followed associations seen in non-Muslim countries but more complex analysis of subnational data is needed. Arab women are a particularly vulnerable subgroup and governments should act within religious and cultural parameters to provide environments that are conducive to negative energy balance. Language: en
Chern classes of automorphic vector bundles

1.1. Suppose X is a compact n-dimensional complex manifold. Each partition I = {i1, i2, . . . , ir} of n corresponds to a Chern number c(X) = (ci1(X)∪ci2(X)∪. . .∪cir(X)∩[X]) ∈ Z where c(X) ∈ H(X;Z) are the Chern classes of the tangent bundle, [X] ∈ H2n(X;Z) is the fundamental class, and : H0(X;Z) → Z is the augmentation. Many invariants of X (such as its complex cobordism class) may be expressed in terms of its Chern numbers ([Mi], [St]). During the last 25 years, characteristic classes of singular spaces have been defined in a variety of contexts: Whitney classes of Euler spaces [Su], [H-T], [Ak], Todd classes of singular varieties [BFM], Chern classes of singular algebraic varieties [Mac], L-classes of stratified spaces with even codimension strata [GM1], Wu classes of singular spaces [Go2], [GP] (to name a few). However, these characteristic classes are invariably homology classes and as such, they cannot be multiplied with each other. In some cases it has been found possible to “lift” these classes from homology to intersection homology, where (some) characteristic numbers may be formed ([BBF], [BW], [Go2],[GP], [T]). The case of locally symmetric spaces is particularly interesting. Suppose Γ is a torsionfree arithmetic group acting on a complex n-dimensional Hermitian symmetric domain D = G/K, where G is the group of real points of a semisimple algebraic group G defined over Q with Γ ⊂ G(Q), and where K ⊂ G is a maximal compact subgroup. Then X = Γ\D is a Hermitian locally symmetric space. When X is compact, Hirzebruch’s proportionality theorem [Hr1] says that there is a number v(Γ) ∈ Q so that for every partition I = {i1, i2, . . . , ir} of n, the Chern number satisfies c(X) = v(Γ)c(Ď), where Ď = Gu/K is the compact dual symmetric space (and Gu is a compact real form of G(C) containing K). If X = Γ\D is noncompact, it has a canonical Baily-Borel (Satake) compactification, X. This is a (usually highly singular) complex projective algebraic variety. To formulate a proportionality theorem in the noncompact case, one might hope that the tangent bundle TX extends as a complex vector bundle over X, but this is false. In [Mu1], D. Mumford showed that TX has a particular extension EΣ → XΣ over any toroidal resolution τ : XΣ → X of the Baily-Borel compactification and that for any partition I of n, the resulting Chern numbers c(EΣ) = (c (EΣ) ∪ c(EΣ) ∪ . . . ∪ c(EΣ) ∩ [XΣ]) (1.1.1)
Management of Scaphoid Fractures in the Athlete

Fractures of the scaphoid are common athletic injuries. Although nondisplaced fractures of the scaphoid may heal with cast immobilization, prolonged immobilization may lead to muscle atrophy, possible joint contracture, disuse osteopenia, and possibly financial hardship. Approximately 10% to 15% of all scaphoid fractures progress to nonunion even under the most ideal circumstances. Percutaneous and arthroscopic assisted fixation of scaphoid fractures offers a middle ground between traditional recommendations of cast immobilization and open reduction for displaced fractures of the scaphoid. These techniques reduce exposure and minimize soft-tissue dissection with potential loss of vascularity to the fracture fragments. These techniques are particularly useful in the young active population in which scaphoid fractures are most commonly found and are less likely to tolerate prolonged periods of immobilization, and early return to function is a priority.
Increasing instructional efficiency by presenting additional stimuli in learning trials for children with autism spectrum disorders

The current study examined the effectiveness and efficiency of presenting secondary targets within learning trials for 4 children with an autism spectrum disorder. Specifically, we compared 4 instructional conditions using a progressive prompt delay. In 3 conditions, we presented secondary targets in the antecedent or consequence portion of learning trials, or in the absence of prompts and reinforcement. In the fourth condition (control), we did not include secondary targets in learning trials. Results replicate and extend previous research by demonstrating that the majority of participants acquired secondary targets presented in the antecedent and consequent events of learning trials.
Timing of Specimen Collection for Blood Cultures from Febrile Patients with Bacteremia

Bloodstream infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Physician orders for blood cultures often specify that blood specimens be collected at or around the time of a temperature elevation, presumably as a means of enhancing the likelihood of detecting significant bacteremia. In a multicenter study, which utilized retrospective patient chart reviews as a means of collecting data, we evaluated the timing of blood culture collection in relation to temperature elevations in 1,436 patients with bacteremia and fungemia. The likelihood of documenting bloodstream infections was not significantly enhanced by collecting blood specimens for culture at the time that patients experienced temperature spikes. A subset analysis based on patient age, gender, white blood cell count and specific cause of bacteremia generally also failed to reveal any associations.
Localized Modeling of Biochemical and Flow Interactions during Cancer Cell Adhesion

This work focuses on one component of a larger research effort to develop a simulation tool to model populations of flowing cells. Specifically, in this study a local model of the biochemical interactions between circulating melanoma tumor cells (TC) and substrate adherent polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) is developed. This model provides realistic three-dimensional distributions of bond formation and attendant attraction and repulsion forces that are consistent with the time dependent Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) framework of the full system model which accounts local pressure, shear and repulsion forces. The resulting full dynamics model enables exploration of TC adhesion to adherent PMNs, which is a known participating mechanism in melanoma cell metastasis. The model defines the adhesion molecules present on the TC and PMN cell surfaces, and calculates their interactions as the melanoma cell flows past the PMN. Biochemical rates of reactions between individual molecules are determined based on their local properties. The melanoma cell in the model expresses ICAM-1 molecules on its surface, and the PMN expresses the β-2 integrins LFA-1 and Mac-1. In this work the PMN is fixed to the substrate and is assumed fully rigid and of a prescribed shear-rate dependent shape obtained from micro-PIV experiments. The melanoma cell is transported with full six-degrees-of-freedom dynamics. Adhesion models, which represent the ability of molecules to bond and adhere the cells to each other, and repulsion models, which represent the various physical mechanisms of cellular repulsion, are incorporated with the CFD solver. All models are general enough to allow for future extensions, including arbitrary adhesion molecule types, and the ability to redefine the values of parameters to represent various cell types. The model presented in this study will be part of a clinical tool for development of personalized medical treatment programs.
Role of hormones and growth factors in melanomas

HE QUESTION OF the role of various hormones in the growth and development of malignant melanoma has been an area of interest and controversy for the past 40 years. Initial observations of a negative influence of pregnancy on patients with melanoma’ along with earlier case reports of orchiectomy induced responses233 stimulated curiosity regarding the role of sex steroids in this disease. Observations of increased skin pigmentation associated with pregnancy and estrogen administration also suggested that the melanocytes and possibly their malignant counterpart, melanoma, were under hormonal influence.4’5 During the mid 1960s and early 1970s several trials of synthetic estrogens and progestins in advanced melanoma produced overall response rates of -1O-2O%.6‘8 The low response rate limited interest in hormonal therapy in melanoma until the presence of receptors for estrogen and other steroids in malignant melanoma was reported9~‘0,11~12 in the mid 1970s which mounted a flurry of new trials with the antiestrogen tamoxifen. These also resulted in a disappointing 10% to 20% overall response rate with no correlation with the presence or absence of estrogen receptor (ER).r3-17 Reports of nonspecific receptor binding coupled with the lack of response again limited enthusiasm for hormonal therapy in advanced melanoma. In spite of a limited response rate, several epidemiologic observations suggest that sex steroids influence the natural history of malignant melanoma. Although no sex difference in the frequency of cutaneous melanoma appears to exist,‘* there is a significantly improved survival rate in premenopausal women compared to men.19-21 Indeed one recent study2’ found that women, irrespective of age, level of invasion, lesion site, thickness, etc lived significantly longer than men, suggesting that this difference reflected the effect of differing steroid milieu. Similarly, it has been sug
Design and optimization of a total vaporization technique coupled to solid-phase microextraction.

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a popular sampling technique in which chemical compounds are collected with a sorbent-coated fiber and then desorbed into an analytical instrument such as a liquid or gas chromatograph. Typically, this technique is used to sample the headspace above a solid or liquid sample (headspace SPME), or to directly sample a liquid (immersion SPME). However, this work demonstrates an alternative approach where the sample is totally vaporized (total vaporization SPME or TV-SPME) so that analytes partition directly between the vapor phase and the SPME fiber. The implementation of this technique is demonstrated with polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene (PDMS-DVB) and polyacrylate (PA) coated SPME fibers for the collection of nicotine and its metabolite cotinine in chloroform extracts. The most important method parameters were optimized using a central composite design, and this resulted in an optimal extraction temperature (96 °C), extraction time (60 min), and sample volume (120 μ...
Detection of Cortical Venous Drainage and Determination of the Borden Type of Dural Arteriovenous Fistula by Means of 3D Pseudocontinuous Arterial Spin-Labeling MRI.

OBJECTIVE. The risk of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula is linked to its pattern of venous drainage (Borden type), in particular the presence of cortical venous drainage. The purpose of this study was to assetss the accuracy of 3D pseudocontinuous arterial spin-labeling (ASL) MRI for noninvasive delineation of venous drainage. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This retrospective study included 34 patients with a dural arteriovenous fistula who had undergone both digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and 3D pseudocontinuous ASL MRI. Two neuroradiologists blinded to the DSA results independently assessed ASL images for the presence of cortical vein hyperintensity (cortical venous drainage) and the distribution of venous hyperintensity (Borden type). DSA was used as the reference standard. The sensitivity and specificity of 3D pseudocontinuous ASL MRI for the detection of cortical venous drainage were determined. Intermodality and interobserver agreement for Borden type was determined by use of the weighted kap...
Discover Colorado: Its People, Places, and Times, by Matthew Downey and Jennifer Pettit

Discover Colorado: Its People, Places, and Times provides an in-depth look at the geography, history, economics, and government of the state of Colorado. This book is a thoughtful, engaging text th...
Simplified LSTM unit and search space probability exploration for image description

We present a novel method for addressing the semantic description of images. Our method offers two main contributions. First we introduce a recurrent unit that we call a simplified long short-term memory (LSTM) unit which, in contrast to traditional LSTM units, couples the functions of the input and forget gates into a single gate; we observed that this simpler unit improves accuracy. We also propose a novel algorithm for exploring the search space of sentences inferred through a joined Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and our simplified LSTM unit. We explore the search space by reducing it to a search over sequential trees for the combination of sequences that best represent the image to be described. Our results show improvement over the state of the art methods on the COCO [1] and Flickr8K [2] datasets.
Epidemiological survey on diabetes among the community residents in Lanzhou

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of diabetes mellitus among the residents in Lanzhou and provide scientific basis for prevention and control strategies for diabetes mellitus. Methods By PPS sampling, the residents above 18 years old were investigated by questionnaire and physical measurement. The prevalence was subsequently analyzed.Results The gross prevalence rate of diabetes mellitus among adults in Lanzhou was 3.50%. The prevalence rate was higher among urban residents than rural residents(4.14% and 1.95%). The prevalence rate increased with increasing age. The rate of residents lacking exercise was higher than the rate of residents taking exercise. The prevalence rate was higher among the residents with BMI≥24 kg/m2 and longer waistline(male≥90 cm and female≥85 cm) than people with average BMI and waistline.. The residents with higher education background had lower diabetes prevalence. There was no significant difference for diabetes prevalence between male and female. Conclusion Prevention should be taken against overweight residents with over-waistline, especially the aged residents.
Reductionist contractualism : Moral motivation and the expanding self

According to a popular contemporary contractualist account of moral motivation, the most plausible explanation for why those who are concerned with morality take moral reasons seriously — why these reasons strike those who are moved by them with a particular inescapability — is that they stem from, and are grounded by, a desire to be able to justify one's actions to others on grounds they could not reasonably reject. My belief that an action is immoral, on this account, triggers this desire, this source of my moral motivation, and consequently I am moved to refrain from such an action by the fundamental desire that my actions be adequately justifiable. Furthermore, it is this desire to which contractualism appeals in its account of the wrong-making feature of certain actions: an action is wrong if it would violate a set of rules which no one could reasonably reject. There seem, however, to be two general worries about this picture: one, that the range of its application is too extensive; the other, that the range of its application is too limited.
KWIVER: An open source cross-platform video exploitation framework

We introduce KWIVER, a cross-platform video exploitation framework that Kitware has begun releasing as open source. Kitware is utilizing a multi-tiered open-source approach to reach as wide an audience as possible. Kitware's government-funded efforts to develop critical defense technology will be released back to the defense community via Forge.mil, a government open source repository. Infrastructure, algorithms, and systems without release restrictions will be provided to the larger video analytics community via kwiver.org and GitHub. Our goal is to provide a video analytics technology baseline for repeatable and reproducible experiments and to serve as a framework for the development of computer vision and machine learning systems. We hope that KWIVER will provide a focal point for collaboration and contributions from groups across the community.
Interactive pathways to substance abuse.

• A model that more specifically predicts who is most vulnerable to developing addiction was offered.
The entangled nature of interdependence. Bistability, irreproducibility and uncertainty

Abstract With models focused on individuals in research that often fails to be reproduced, social science has been unable to generalize theory into a mathematical physics of social reality to advance the science of teams. For example, Shannon’s information theory and the social sciences, including economics, assume that individual observation of behavior records the actual behaviors that have occurred, including self-reports of behavior. In the social sciences this phenomenon allows social scientists to assume that self-reported behavior is actual behavior, justifying strictly cognitive models (but if true, self-deceiving behaviors would not exist). Many economists consider interpersonal comparisons meaningless. We claim that this focus on individuals is unsupported by the evidence, including the laboratory games agreeing with religious beliefs that cooperation provides for the best social good. At the heart of these rational, but false models, interdependence is seen as a constraint (information theory) or experimental confound (cognitive models) that must be overcome to confirm models based on individuals. But, we argue, social scientists have come to believe they understand interdependence when they do not. By replacing independent individuals with interdependent ones in quantum-like models, we have found that only a competition among teams establishes social reality; that the aggregation of neutral individuals determines the team that best captures reality; and that the best performing teams maximize their search of the environment for solutions to the problems they were designed to solve, while poorer performers seek better strategies, teammates (e.g., mergers) or to jettison weaker teammates. With our quantum-like model of interdependence, we solve an open problem to show that redundant members impede team interdependence and performance justifying our conclusion that interdependence is a resource free humans intuitively exploit to promote social welfare.
Calpain inhibition decreases inflammatory protein expression in vessel walls in a model of chronic myocardial ischemia.

Background Emerging data suggest a link between calpain activation and the enhanced inflammatory response of the cardiovascular system. We hypothesize that calpain activation associates with altered inflammatory protein expression in correlation with the proinflammatory profile of the myocardium. Our pig hypercholesterolemic model with chronic myocardial ischemia was treated with calpain inhibitors to establish their potential to improve cardiac function. Methods Yorkshire swine, fed a high cholesterol diet for 4 weeks then underwent placement of an ameroid constrictor on the left circumflex artery. Two weeks later, animals received either no drug (high-cholesterol control group, n = 8), a low dose of calpain inhibitors (0.12 mg/kg, n = 9), or a high dose of calpain inhibitors (0.25 mg/kg; n = 8). The high-cholesterol diet and calpain inhibitors were continued for 5 weeks, after which the pig was euthanized. The left ventricular myocardial tissue (ischemic and nonischemic) was harvested and analyzed for inflammatory protein expression. Data were statistically analyzed via the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn post hoc test. Results Calpain inhibitor treatment coincides with increased expression of IKB-α and decreased expression of macrophages, NFkB, IL-1, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the ischemic myocardial tissue as compared with the control group. An NFkB array revealed decreased expression of IRF5, JNK1/2, JNK2, CD18, NFkB p65, c-Rel, Sharpin, TNF R1, TNF R2, and DR5 in the ischemic myocardium of the group treated with a high dose of calpain inhibitors compared with the control. Conclusion Calpain activation in metabolic syndrome is a potential contributor to cardiac dysfunction in metabolic disorders with ischemic background. We suggest that calpain inhibition downregulates NFkB signaling in the vessel walls, which might be useful for improving myocardial blood flow in ischemic conditions.