cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The perception of transparency with achromatic colors.

Metelli has proposed a model of the intensity relationships in perceptual transparency based on Talbot’s law of color fusion. Four constraints follow from the application of Talbot’s law. Experiments 1 and 2 show that violations of constraints i and ii adversely affect the perception of transparency, while violations of constraints iii and iv do not. Many common occurrences of transparency are in terms of subtractive, rather than additive, color mixture. The constraints derived from the Metelli model are also shown to hold for subtractive color mixture with a filter. An assumption of the Metelli model is that the degree of perceived transparency varies linearly with reflectance. Experiment 3 indicates that the degree of perceived transparency with “partim transparency” varied linearly, not with reflectance, but with lightness, a nonlinear function of reflectance. Experiment 4 indicates that judgments of the degree of transparency with “complete transparency” are based on stimulus relations that differ from those that determine whether the perception of transparency occurs. The results are discussed in terms of how the pattern of intensities relates to other stimulus information, such as figural configuration, in producing the perception of transparency.
Recent developments in photoacoustic image reconstruction

Photoacoustic phenomenon has been investigated. An experimental protocol using photoacoustic principle has been proposed to image the regional distribution of electromagnetic energy absorption density in an object. This paper presents a rigorous method for photoacoustic image reconstruction. It is proved that photoacoustic image reconstruction is intrinsically a three-dimensional (3D) procedure. The spatial smear function (SSF) is introduced. An example using synthetic data proves the validity of photoacoustic image reconstruction theory proposed by the paper. The example shows that even the first order approximation of photoacoustic image reconstruction gives good agreement with the reality. It is also seen from the example that the accuracy and noise immunity of the reconstruction procedure depend on the experimental arrangement.
McN‐A‐343 increases renal sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure by a muscarinic and a non‐muscarinic mechanism in the rat

1. Intravenous administration of the putative M1 muscarinic agonist McN-A-343 to conscious rats evokes an increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) which can be blocked by muscarinic receptor antagonists. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the increase in MAP and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) evoked by intravenous administration of McN-A-343 to urethane-anaesthetized rats. 2. McN-A-343 (0.1-0.3 mg kg-1) evoked a concurrent increase in MAP and RSNA which could be inhibited by the nonselective muscarinic receptor antagonist methylatropine or the selective M1 muscarinic receptor antagonist telenzepine. Administration of higher doses of McN-A-343 (0.3-1.2 mg kg-1) in the presence of muscarinic receptor blockade evoked brief bursts in RSNA accompanied by increases in MAP. 3. The increases in MAP, but not the increases in RSNA, evoked by all doses of McN-A-343 could be attenuated by the selective alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin. Adding the selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine to prazosin did not further inhibit the pressor response to the low doses of McN-A-343. 4. The irreversible alpha-adrenoceptor and NPY receptor antagonist benextramine also attenuated the pressor response evoked by the low doses of McN-A-343 but not the increases in RSNA. However, when combined with muscarinic receptor blockade, benextramine completely inhibited the brief bursts in RSNA, and thus also the increases in MAP, evoked by the high doses of McN-A-343. 5. The pressor response remaining after the administration of high doses of McN-A-343 to rats pretreated with prazosin and methylatropine was inhibited by treatment with alpha,beta-methylene ATP. 6. These results show that McN-A-343 evokes increases in RSNA by muscarinic and non-muscarinic mechanisms. Furthermore, the subsequent increase in MAP is primarily dependent upon activation of vascular alpha 1-adrenoceptors, but may also involve activation of P2 alpha receptors.
El trabajo de campo como colaboración en la diáspora: Iglesia, ONGs y trabajadoras domésticas filipinas en Roma

In conducting ethnographic research, collaboration with various individuals and groups remain critical. Through «narratives of collaboration,» this article discusses the establishment of partnerships from priests to non-government organization workers (NGOs) as well as Philippine embassy officials, while maintaining the trust of the main collaborators, the Filipina domestic workers themselves. It explores the problems stemming from collaborations and from the ethnographer's insider/outsider status in the community. This work looks at the construction of knowledge in the Filipino migrant community in Rome and how it gains credibility and legitimacy.
The adaptive potential of genetically engineered organisms in nature

Most genetically engineered organisms are unlikely to pose any threat to the environment because they are already highly selected for survival under restricted conditions. Engineering for new traits in natural or semi-natural populations, however, may entail greater risks. Genetic novelty, i.e. mutation, is an important component of the evolutionary process; a small but significant proportion of natural mutations lead to improved fitness and increased competitiveness. The artificial insertion of a new trait may produce a similar effect, setting an organism on a new and unpredictable evolutionary track. The current challenge is to attain the capacity to identify the small proportion of genetically engineered organisms in which such events might occur.
Epstein-Barr virus Transformation of B Lymphocytes From IgA Nephropathy Patients and First-Degree Relatives Results in Increased Immunoglobulin Synthesis not Restricted to IgA

In order to study B-cell activation patterns independent of T-cell regulation in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 67 patients with IgAN,15 first-degree relatives of patients with familial disease, and 13 normal controls were transformed with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Culture supernatants of these transformed cells were assayed for levels of IgG, IgA, and IgM, and results obtained on the three populations were compared. EBV-transformed cells of IgAN patients, as well as the population of first-degree relatives, secreted significantly elevated levels of all three isotypes as compared with the normal controls. However, in comparing ratios of secreted isotypes, it was determined that more IgA relative to IgG and IgM was synthesized by cells of these two populations as compared with the normal controls. Our results imply that (1) the population of B cells susceptible to EBV activation is increased in IgAN patients; (2) this population of "activatable" B lymphocytes is polyclonal and not restricted to the IgA class; and (3) even though there may be a primary B-cell abnormality in IgAN, an additional defect(s) is probably operative in the pathogenesis, since cells of clinically unaffected relatives behaved in a pattern similar to that of patients.
Specificity of Pepsin and its Dependence on a Possible ‘Hydrophobic Binding Site’

THE specificity of pepsin has been extensively investigated, and the information obtained from work using synthetic di- or tri-peptides indicates that pepsin preferentially hydrolyses peptides which contain a tyrosine or phenylalanine residue1,2. However, Sanger, using the A and B chains of insulin, found that peptide linkages which did not involve tyrosine or phenylalanine were hydrolysed by pepsin3,4. Bovey and Yanari5 recently reviewed the action of pepsin on synthetic peptides and proposed several general rules. It was pointed out, however, that these rules “do not necessarily apply to the peptic digestion of proteins and large polypeptides, which is often considerably more extensive than these rules would lead one to expect”. In order to understand the action of pepsin on protein substrates, we have made a systematic examination of the sequence of amino-acid residues adjacent to the site of peptic hydrolysis in several proteins of known amino-acid sequences. In this communication, a concept is proposed which explains the specificity of pepsin for protein substrates in terms of a hypothetical ‘hydrophobic binding site’.
Burn prevention in Zambia: a targeted epidemiological approach.

The aim of this study is to assess primary burn prevention knowledge in a rural Zambian population that is disproportionately burdened by burn injuries. A 10-question survey was completed by youths, and a 15-question survey was completed by adults. The survey was available in both English and Nyanja. The surveys were designed to test their knowledge in common causes, first aid, and emergency measures regarding burn injuries. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore relationships between burn knowledge, age, school, and socioeconomic variables. A burn prevention coloring book, based on previous local epidemiological data, was also distributed to 800 school age youths. Five hundred fifty youths and 39 adults completed the survey. The most significant results show knowledge deficits in common causes of burns, first aid treatment of a burn injury, and what to do in the event of clothing catching fire. Younger children were more likely to do worse than older children. The adults performed better than the youths, but still lack fundamental burn prevention and treatment knowledge. Primary burn prevention data from the youths and adults surveyed demonstrate a clear need for burn prevention and treatment education in this population. In a country where effective and sustainable burn care is lacking, burn prevention may be a better investment to reduce burn injury than large investments in healthcare resources. Language: en
Comparison of chromosomal distribution of a retroposon (LINE) and a retrovirus-like element mys in Peromyscus maniculatus and P. leucopus.

Chromosomal distribution for two interspersed elements (LINEs andmys) that are thought to have established their chromosomal position primarily by transposition was compared between two species of deer mice (Peromyscus leucopus andP. maniculatus). Both LINEs andmys generally produced an autosomal banding pattern reflective of G-bands and both hybridized preferentially to the sex chromosomes. The pattern on the long arm of the X was unique for each, withmys reflecting the G-bands (four bands with the telomeric most prominent) and LINE producing five equally spaced bands of equal intensity. LINE also preferentially hybridized to the short arm of the longest autosomal pair. Some aspects of these patterns are explained adequately with proposed mechanisms that would produce a non-random pattern of chromosomal distribution (i.e. both reflect autosomal G-bands and both preferentially insert into AT-rich regions characteristic of G-bands). However, other aspects such as the differences observed on the long arm of the X do not appear to fit any predictions of proposed mechanisms.
Thermochromism and Electrical Conductivity in Doped SrTi O 3

Large reversible thermochromic changes in pure and transition-metal-doped SrTi${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ were observed which depend markedly on impurity concentration, anealing temperature, and especially on the rapidity of the quench. The material also changes its electrical properties from insulator to semimetallic, and for moderately and heavily doped samples, from semiconductor to metalliclike behavior. The optical and electrical properties are stable. Two intrinsic optical-absorption bands and two bands previously found in photochromic studies which depend on the transition-metal impurity are observed. A partial energy-level scheme for SrTi${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ is proposed.
The relationship between vaginal douching and lower genital tract infection in young women

Abstract The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between a history of vaginal douching and gynecologic history, genital examination findings, and laboratory data in predominantly black adolescent and young adult females at an inner city family planning clinic. Of 175 females (mean age 17.7 ± 1.46 years), 69% reported douching. Of those reporting douching, 25% reported douching 48 hours prior to their clinic visit. Univariate analysis indicated significant associations between vaginal douching and a past history of gonorrhea and trichomonas infection, current Neisseria gonorrhoeae and current bacterial vaginosis (p
Experimental Test of the Freundlich Red-Shift Hypothesis

An experiment to test the Freundlich photon-scattering hypothesis, which was designed to explain the Hubble cosmological red shift, is described. Laser light is passed through an rf cavity placed in one arm of an interferometer sensitive to ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ fringe shift. The experiment sets a limit of $\frac{\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\nu}}{\ensuremath{\nu}}l{10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}$ on the frequency shift of 6328-\AA{} photons passing through 2 m of $X$-band radiation field with an energy density of 2 erg/${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$.
Wound healing: The power of the purse string

Abstract Recently, Xenopus oocytes have been shown to repair wounds using a contractile system composed of actin and myosin-II. The work underscores the importance of actin-based myosin-II contractility in cellular and supracellular ‘purse strings' that function in diverse biological processes.
Impaired Awareness of Deficits in Alzheimer Disease

This study examined the relation between awareness of memory and functional decline and cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Twenty-six patients with early AD and 16 nondemented elderly controls were studied. Awareness of deficits was determined by using (a) a discrepancy score between subject's and caregiver's ratings on a memory questionnaire, (b) a discrepancy score between subject's and caregiver's ratings on an activities-of-daily-living scale, and (c) a clinical rating of dementia awareness for patients. Whereas self-ratings of memory and activities of daily living were not significantly different between AD patients and controls, these two measures differed significantly when AD patients' ratings were compared with those of their caregivers. Measures of awareness of deficits correlated with one another and were primarily associated with performance on tests of executive and visuospatial functions but not with depression. Early AD is characterized by a failure of self-monitoring. Deficits in self-monitoring have been proposed to occur after damage to the frontal lobes and other cerebral areas. Impaired awareness of memory and functional deficits in AD is related to cognitive impairments, which may involve frontal and right hemisphere connections.
Aqueous Chloramine Diffusion into Elastomers

Aqueous chloramine diffusion into styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) and natural rubber was analyzed using approximate analytical and numerical solutions of Fick's second law of diffusion to develop long-term mass intake prediction curves. Diffusion coefficients were calculated for 1 mg/L chloramine concentration at three temperatures (23, 45, and 70°C) and also for 23°C at three chloramine concentrations (1, 30, and 60 mg/L). The reasonableness of using increased temperature and/or chloramine concentration to accelerate the diffusion process to obtain long-term information was discussed. For 1 mg/L chloramine concentration, the activation energy for the diffusion of chloramines into SBR and natural rubber were computed to be 51.13 and 77.29 kJ/mol, respectively. Also, concentration profiles were developed to understand the extent of penetration through the elastomer thickness over time and temperature. Considering the reports of elastomeric compound failure in chloramine disinfectant water distribution systems because of swelling, this study will be helpful in understanding the performance of the elastomeric compounds in the system.
Radiation Effects in Microwave Bipolar Transistors

The effects of gamma and neutron radiation on the high frequency characteristics of microwave transistors (HP-35821E) are explored. From theoretical and experimental results, it is determined that the major effect is a decrease in the forward transfer coefficient (S21) resulting from a neutron-enhanced decrease in cutoff frequency (fS) (i.e., increase in emitter-to-collector transit time). For the recommended operating conditions (VCE = 15V, IC = 15 mA) no change in S-parameters was noted after an ionizing dose of 107 rads (Si) in a Co60 source. By increasing the collector voltage so that the epitaxial collector is entirely depleted, these devices can be operated at fluence levels of 8 × 1015 n/cm2 (E> 10 keV).
Self-Monitoring, Marital Dissatisfaction, and Relationship Dissolution: Individual Differences in Orientations to Marriage and Divorce

The relationship between self-monitoring and marriage was examined. In the first study, it was hypothesized that marital satisfaction would be greater for low self-monitoring spouses than for high self-monitoring spouses. One hundred seventeen persons who were currently married completed the Self-Monitoring Scale and the Revised Dyadic Interaction Scale (an index of marital satisfaction). The majority of satisfied spouses were low self-monitors; the majority of dissatisfied spouses were high self-monitors. In the second study, it was hypothesized that divorce would be more likely among high self-monitoring spouses than low self-monitoring spouses. Sixty-five persons who were currently married completed the Self-Monitoring Scale and indicated the number of times they had been divorced. The majority of those who had been divorced one or more times were high self-monitors; the majority of those who had never been divorced were low self-monitors. Although alternative interpretations are plausible, self-monito...
ASSIGNED POWER AND ASCRIBED LEADERSHIP

(1975). Assigned Power and Ascribed Leadership. The Journal of Educational Research: Vol. 68, No. 6, pp. 230-235.
Polymer-Derived Si-Al-C-N-O Ceramics for High Temperature Applications

Polymer-derived ceramics are a new class of materials synthesized by thermal decomposition of polymeric precursors. The resultant materials are amorphous alloys of silicon, carbon, and nitrogen, which can be converted to crystalline materials by annealing at higher temperatures. This novel chemical-to-ceramic route offers a unique opportunity to tailor the structures and compositions, therefore the properties, of the resultant materials by designing the chemistry of the precursors. In this paper we report the studies on synthesis and oxidation behavior of polymer-derived SiAlCN materials. The precursor was synthesized by mixing a polysilazane and aluminum isopropoxide. The mixture was then pyrolyzed at 1000°C in Ar/N2 to convert to SiAlCNO ceramics. The oxidation studies revealed that the SiAlCNO possesses a lower oxidation rate than SiCN. It is believed that the better oxidation resistance exhibited by SiAlCN is due to the oxide layer containing Al, which makes oxygen diffusion more difficult than in pure SiO2 . The materials are promising for many high temperature applications, e.g. environmental barrier coatings, high temperature fibers, matrixes for composites, and even monolithic components.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Patterns of long-bone fracture in two nubian cementeries

The analysis of traumatic fractures can provide valuable information concerning the affects of sociopolitical factors upon the health of prehistoric populations. However, such information can only be acquired by implementing a quantitative demographic approach. The present research applies such a method to longbone fractures in two medieval Christian populations excavated from ancient Nubia. Long-bones of two hundred and eighteen individuals from an early (550 to 750 A.D.) Christian cemetery and 188 individuals from a late (750 to 1450 A.D.) Christian cemetery were examined for evidence of traumatic fracture. Analysis included a determination of fracture rates, age and sex related fracture patterns, and rate of fracture per years at risk. The results of this study indicate that the majority of fractures in both cemeteries were likely caused by accidental falls. Fractures resulting from direct (possibly interpersonal) violence were found in both samples, though at a higher frequency in the early Christian population (27% versus 16%). Middle-aged adults (particularly males) of the early cemetery exhibited a higher than expected risk to fractures indicating an activity related cause of injury. In contrast, the late Christian population showed a marked increase in fractures among both children and the elderly. This distribution may reflect changes in health and residential architecture which occurred during the late Christian period.
Situational Analysis: Explanation in Political Science

This essay forwards situational analysis as the model of explanation most appropriate for an adequate reflective understanding of political science. It keeps centermost our concerns with intentionality, rationality, contextuality, and meaning. It promises to be as general a model of explanation as we can expect because it forges an underlying unity amongst diverse explanatory practices, including substantive models, law-like generalizations, idiographic explanations, and textual interpretations. After a development of situational analysis roughly along Popperian lines, three different sorts of explanations in political science are surveyed in light of it. Its limits are explored, and a brief agenda for further methodological reflection is suggested.
Performance of feature-selection methods in the classification of high-dimension data

Contemporary biological technologies produce extremely high-dimensional data sets from which to design classifiers, with 20,000 or more potential features being common place. In addition, sample sizes tend to be small. In such settings, feature selection is an inevitable part of classifier design. Heretofore, there have been a number of comparative studies for feature selection, but they have either considered settings with much smaller dimensionality than those occurring in current bioinformatics applications or constrained their study to a few real data sets. This study compares some basic feature-selection methods in settings involving thousands of features, using both model-based synthetic data and real data. It defines distribution models involving different numbers of markers (useful features) versus non-markers (useless features) and different kinds of relations among the features. Under this framework, it evaluates the performances of feature-selection algorithms for different distribution models and classifiers. Both classification error and the number of discovered markers are computed. Although the results clearly show that none of the considered feature-selection methods performs best across all scenarios, there are some general trends relative to sample size and relations among the features. For instance, the classifier-independent univariate filter methods have similar trends. Filter methods such as the t-test have better or similar performance with wrapper methods for harder problems. This improved performance is usually accompanied with significant peaking. Wrapper methods have better performance when the sample size is sufficiently large. ReliefF, the classifier-independent multivariate filter method, has worse performance than univariate filter methods in most cases; however, ReliefF-based wrapper methods show performance similar to their t-test-based counterparts.
Cayley-like representations are for all algebras, not merely groups

-groups (for fixed p), and those generated by a primal algebra. If the definition of Cayley-like is stretched to allow the representing functions to have an infinite number of arguments, then all algebras are Cayley-like.
Segmentation-free estimation of volume changes in 3D ultrasound of breast lesion phantoms

Estimation of volume change of structures in response to treatment or growth during breast screening exams is a challenge primarily because of ill-defined boundary. Some treatment procedures alter the lesion completely out of its original shape. In this paper, we present an overview of our recent work on identifying a technique based on Image Volume Based Registration (IVBaR) for estimation of volume. We propose that as long as a region of interest around the lesion can be identified, the exact boundary information would not be necessary. Here, we assume that the surrounding tissue remains nearly unaffected by the treatment procedure, an assumption that is valid in many cases. It is the motion of this tissue in response to changes in the central tumor that would be tracked and used to estimate the change in tumor volume.
Reduced Juvenile Long-Term Depression in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Is Mitigated in Adults by Compensatory Recruitment of mGluR5 and Erk Signaling

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multisystem genetic disease that manifests with mental retardation, tumor formation, autism, and epilepsy. Heightened signaling through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is involved in TSC pathology, however it remains unclear how other signaling pathways are perturbed and contribute to disease symptoms. Reduced long-term depression (LTD) was recently reported in TSC mutant mice. We find that although reduced LTD is a feature of the juvenile mutant hippocampus, heightened expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 and constitutively activated Erk signaling in the adult hippocampus drives wild-type levels of LTD. Increased mGluR5 and Erk results in a novel mTOR-independent LTD in CA1 hippocampus of adult mice, and contributes to the development of epileptiform bursting activity in the TSC2+/− CA3 region of the hippocampus. Inhibition of mGluR5 or Erk signaling restores appropriate mTOR-dependence to LTD, and significantly reduces epileptiform bursting in TSC2+/− hippocampal slices. We also report that adult TSC2+/− mice exhibit a subtle perseverative behavioral phenotype that is eliminated by mGluR5 antagonism. These findings highlight the potential of modulating the mGluR5-Erk pathway in a developmental stage-specific manner to treat TSC.
A Biotin Analog Inhibits Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Activity and Adipogenesis

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase catalyzes the first committed step in the synthesis of long chain fatty acids. In this study, we observed that treatment of 3T3-L1 cells with biotin chloroacetylated at the 1′ nitrogen reduced the enzymatic activity of cytosolic acetyl-CoA carboxylase and concomitantly inhibited the differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with chloroacetylated biotin blocked the induction of PPARγ, STAT1, and STAT5A expression that normally occurs with adipogenesis. Moreover, addition of chloroacetylated biotin inhibited lipid accumulation, as judged by Oil Red O staining. Our results support recent studies that indicate that acetyl-CoA carboxylase may be a suitable target for an anti-obesity therapeutic.
Transesophageal echocardiographic assessment of the contribution of intrinsic tissue thickness to the appearance of a thick mitral valve in patients with mitral valve prolapse

Objectives. This prospective, blinded transesophageal echocardiographic study was performed to determine the relative contributions of leaflet redundancy and overlap versus intrinsic tissue thickening as mechanisms for the apparent increase in diastolic thickness of the mitral valve. Background. Increased diastolic thickness of the mitral valve has been identified as an echocardiographic feature that predicts subsequent adverse sequelae in patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Methods. Eleven patients with clinical and transthoracic echocardiographic evidence of MVP and 11 age-matched control subjects underwent protocol transesophageal echocardiography to image the mitral valve in two orthogonal planes and to measure its thickness in systole and diastole. Results. Maximal diastolic width of the slack, unloaded anterior leaflet was significantly greater in patients with MVP than in control subjects (mean ± SD: 0.64 ± 0.20 cm vs. 0.30 ± 0.04 cm, p Conclusions. The apparent increase in diastolic mitral leaflet thickness in patients with MVP versus control subjects is largely attributable to dynamic factors such as leaflet redundancy, overlap and deformation. During diastole, when the mitral leaflets are slack and unstressed, the leaflets appear markedly thickened in patients with MVP. In contrast, during systole, when developed intraventricular pressure distends the leaflets, causing them to stretch and balloon into the left atrium, the intrinsic tissue thickness is much less than that measured in diastole. These findings have important implications for the morphologic criteria used to diagnose MVP and the potential pathophysiologic mechanisms for adverse sequelae in this syndrome.
The free/total prostate-specific antigen ratio (%fPSA) is the best predictor of tumor involvement in the radical prostatectomy specimen among men with an elevated PSA.

Abstract Background: The relationship between the free-to-total prostate-specific antigen ratio (%fPSA) and prostate cancer (CaP) pathology remains controversial. Previous reports have shown a direct correlation between %fPSA and prostate volume as well as an indirect correlation between %fPSA and unfavorable CaP pathology, particularly among men with an elevated PSA. We evaluated the use of %fPSA to predict CaP pathology including percent of tumor involvement in the radical prostatectomy (RP) specimen. Methods: We prospectively analyzed 124 consecutive patients with CaP who underwent RP. In all patients, preoperative frozen serum was analyzed for assessment of %fPSA (Abbott Axsym). Pathologic review was performed using whole mount sections and total tumor volume was determined by planimetry. Statistical comparison between %fPSA and pathology was performed using log transformation. Results: Percent fPSA was indirectly correlated with prostate volume in both the entire group (N=124) and among those patients (N=87) with a total PSA >4 ng/mL (P 4.0 ng/mL, there was only a significant correlation between tumor density and %fPSA as compared to total PSA (P
Novel rate-division multiple-access scheme for UWB-radio-based sensor networks

A UWB-IR modulation scheme for asynchronous multiple access discussed most often in the literature is TH-PPM; a variation of this is TH-PSK. These modulation schemes allow different transmitters to be distinguished by means of specific pseudorandom TH sequences. As the receiver must be capable of locking to any one of these dithering sequences, the required (signal and sequence) synchronization process can be complex and lengthy. In this paper, a novel multiple-access scheme for asynchronous UWB-IR is proposed, where the modulation is binary antipodal and has a low duty cycle, while the user signals are distinguishable by choosing user-specific symbol rates. We analyze the probability of pulse collisions and present design rules for the choice of symbol rates that make the collision probability independent of the time asynchronism. These design rules also lead to BERs that are independent of the time asynchronism, as shown by simulation results for a sensor network scenario without transmitter power control. It is further demonstrated that the BER performances of TH-PSK and rate-division multiple-access (RDMA) are very similar.
Liquid crystal fiber phase modulator

In the following, we present the fabrication techniques of the liquid crystal fibre phase modulator using liquid crystal fibre (LCF), working theory and measurement on the fiber phase modulation using LCF. We also present the measurement of the propagation loss of the LCF.
Elastic and inelastic scattering to low-lying states of Ni 58 and Zr 90 using 240-MeV Li 6

Elastic and inelastic scattering of 240-MeV $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ particles from $^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$ and $^{90}\mathrm{Zr}$ were measured with the multipole-dipole-multipole spectrometer from ${4}^{\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}\ensuremath{\leqslant}{\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}\ensuremath{\leqslant}{43}^{\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}$. The elastic scattering data were fitted with the double-folding model using the density-dependent M3Y $\mathit{NN}$ effective interaction and with a phenomenological Woods-Saxon potential. $B(E2)$ and $B(E3)$ values obtained for low-lying ${2}^{+}$ and ${3}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ states with the double-folding calculations agreed with the adopted values.
Biological/Chemopreventive Activity of Stilbenes and their Effect on Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in men and women in Western countries. Epidemiological studies have linked the consumption of fruits and vegetables to a reduced risk of colon cancer, and small fruits are particularly rich sources of many active phytochemical stilbenes, such as resveratrol and pterostilbene. Recent advances in the prevention of colon cancer have stimulated an interest in diet and lifestyle as an effective means of intervention. As constituents of small fruits such as grapes, berries and their products, stilbenes are under intense investigation as cancer chemopreventive agents. One of the best-characterized stilbenes, resveratrol, has been known as an antioxidant and an anti-aging compound as well as an anti-inflammatory agent. Stilbenes have diverse pharmacological activities, which include cancer prevention, a cholesterol-lowering effect, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and increased lifespan. This review summarizes results related to the potential use of various stilbenes as cancer chemopreventive agents, their mechanisms of action, as well as their pharmacokinetics and efficacy for the prevention of colon cancer in animals and humans.
Reactive Stroma as a Predictor of Biochemical-Free Recurrence in Prostate Cancer

Extensive scientific literature data point to reciprocal interactions between prostate stromal cells and prostate cancer cells that likely regulate tumor progression. To investigate whether these intratumoral-reactive stromal cells in human prostate cancer are predictive of survival, tumor stroma volume and specific stroma markers were quantitated by using tissue microarrays (index tumors of 847 patients), and the results were analyzed relative to the recurrence-free survival data set for these patients. Tumor tissue was evaluated with Masson’s trichrome stains and by immunohistochemistry with antibody probes to smooth muscle α-actin, desmin, vimentin, pro-collagen type I, and calponin. The relative volume of intratumor stroma (5% stroma, grade 0; 5–15%, grade 1; 15–50%, grade 2; >50%, grade 3) and the expression index of stromal marker (staining intensity grade × percentage of positive cells per field) were quantitated and analyzed. Interpretable data were obtained from 545 patients. Statistical analysis of the survival data set showed that the volume of reactive stroma in the tumor was a significant predictor of disease-free survival. Stroma volume was most optimal as an independent predictor in tumors containing stroma, defined as Gleason 7 and lower grades. Of interest, tumors with either little to no stroma or tumors with abundant stroma each showed reduced recurrence-free survival. For specific stromal markers, reduced desmin and smooth muscle α-actin were hallmarks of cancer-associated reactive stroma relative to normal fibromuscular stroma. Quantitative analysis of desmin and smooth muscle α-actin expression showed both to be significant and independent predictors of recurrence-free survival. This is the first study to demonstrate that nonepithelial-reactive stroma elements in prostate cancer tumors can be used as prognostic indicators. These data also add to the concept that tumors are not purely epithelial and the tumor-reactive stroma must be considered an important biological component of the cancer.
Thoughts about talk in romantic relationships: Similarity makes for attraction (and happiness, too)

This current study assessed whether heterosexual dating partners are similar in their values about communication and how well such similarities predict partners’ attraction to one another and satisfaction with their relationship. Participants were 135 couples who described themselves as “seriously involved”; and had been dating for an average of 15 months. They completed a version of Burleson and Samter's (1990) Communication Functions Questionnaire, which assesses the value placed on several distinct communication skills and activities, and multiple measures of interpersonal attraction and relationship satisfaction. Correlational analyses indicated that partners’ evaluations of communication skills and activities were not significantly related. However, degree of similarity in couples’ communication values was moderately related to the assessments of attraction and satisfaction, demonstrating that partners with similar communication values were more attracted to one another and more satisfied with their ...
In Situ Detection of Anaplasma spp. by DNA Target-Primed Rolling-Circle Amplification of a Padlock Probe and Intracellular Colocalization with Immunofluorescently Labeled Host Cell von Willebrand Factor

Endothelial cell culture and preliminary immunofluorescent staining of Anaplasma-infected tissues suggest that endothelial cells may be an in vivo nidus of mammalian infection. To investigate endothelial cells and other potentially cryptic sites of Anaplasma sp. infection in mammalian tissues, a sensitive and specific isothermal in situ technique to detect localized Anaplasma gene sequences by using rolling-circle amplification of circularizable, linear, oligonucleotide probes (padlock probes) was developed. Cytospin preparations of uninfected or Anaplasma-infected cell cultures were examined using this technique. Via fluorescence microscopy, the technique described here, and a combination of differential interference contrast microscopy and von Willebrand factor immunofluorescence, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Anaplasma marginale were successfully localized in situ within intact cultured mammalian cells. This work represents the first application of this in situ method for the detection of a microorganism and forms the foundation for future applications of this technique to detect, localize, and analyze Anaplasma nucleotide sequences in the tissues of infected mammalian and arthropod hosts and in cell cultures.
A general method for modeling cell populations undergoing G1----G0 transitions during development.

The transition from the dividing state to a non-dividing, terminally differentiated state is common to the history of most populations of cells during development. Quantifying such transitions and events related to them is often difficult, even in those cases for which there is a good tissue culture model, because the process is asynchronous and occurs against a background of continued extensive growth. A general model for analyzing these complex population changes is presented here. In the absence of definitive data, the model provides projections of the possible range, under a given set of boundary values, for the rate of terminal differentiation, the overall growth rate, and the degree of cell death. On the other hand, given data on the rate of DNA accumulation, dividing cell fraction, and generation time, the model provides the effective partitioning coefficient between the dividing and non-dividing states averaged over the population, at a given time. These data also allow for an assessment of the degree of actual cell death against a background in which significant numbers of cells are withdrawing from the cell cycle. The types of data required with respect to the model's ability to resolve the nature of a G0 transition “window” within the cell cycle are also discussed.
Eighth Latin American Labor History Conference

Sponsored by the Latin American studies programs of Yale and the University of Connecticut, the conference on "Women and Labor in Latin America" ex amined the gender dynamics of production and reproduction. The presenta tions, given April 17-18, 1987, touched on a broad spectrum of topics, includ ing women and factory labor, the sexual politics of rural social conflict, the tensions of life among nineteenth-century domestic servants, and women's role in contemporary trade unionism. Dealing with employer visions of the "ideal" industrial employee, Barba ra Weinstein explored the contradictions inherent in the annual industrialist sponsored Operario Padr?o (Ideal Worker) campaigns conducted in S?o Paulo, Brazil between 1964 and 1986. Conducted by the Social Service of In dustry (SESI), this factory, state, and national-level competition was designed to celebrate individual-worker achievement and foster a mobility myth within the factory, and was referred to as the Operario Ladr?o (Worker Thief) or Operario Patr?o (Worker Boss) contest by union activists. Only three of the 55 winners examined by Weinstein were women, despite an industrial work force that was one-quarter female. Susan Besse of City University of New York emphasized that the male ideal underlying the SESI contest clearly implied a larger employer vision of women's proper role. Discussing the stereotyped vision of women's place ad vanced by the Labor Ministry in the 1930s ("efficiency, economy, and Taylor ism in the kitchen"), she suggested ways to explore the differential normative standards of gender that characterized SESI and the male factory workers who voted in these contests. Steven Stein (University of Miami) welcomed Wein stein's use of interviews and work histories to examine the human-level contra dictions of these "ideal workers," who tended on the whole to be male super visory personnel. In "Women and Popular Politics in Postwar S?o Paulo, Brazil," John French (Utah State University) explored women's sociopolitical participation in the industrial ABC region of Greater S?o Paulo, 1945-47. Dealing with a pe riod of political upsurge and mass strikes, he observed that "the greater the ex tent, depth, and intensity of working-class mobilization, the greater the in volvement and visibility of working-class women, including both housewives and women workers." Such abnormal times, he continued, help to reveal the
Tyrosine Nitration Impairs Mammalian Aldolase A Activity

Protein tyrosine nitration increases in vivo as a result of oxidative stress and is elevated in numerous inflammatory-associated diseases. Mammalian fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolases are tyrosine nitrated in lung epithelial cells and liver, as well as in retina under different inflammatory conditions. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, we now show that aldolase A is nitrated in human skin fibroblasts. To reveal the consequences of tyrosine nitration, we studied the impact of peroxynitrite on the glycolytic functions of aldolase A. A peroxynitrite concentration-dependent decrease in fructose-1,6-bisphosphate cleavage activity was observed with a concomitant increase in nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity. Both V(max) and the K(m) for fructose-1,6-bisphosphate decreased after incubation with peroxynitrite. Aldolase nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity diminished following carboxypeptidase Y digestion, demonstrating that tyrosine residues in the carboxyl-terminal region of aldolase are major targets of nitration. Aldolase A contains a carboxyl-terminal tyrosine residue, Tyr(363), that is critical for its catalytic activity. Indeed, tandem mass spectrometric analysis of trypsin-digested aldolase showed that Tyr(363) is the most susceptible to nitration, with a modification of Tyr(342) occurring only after nitration of Tyr(363). These tyrosine nitrations likely result in altered interactions between the carboxyl-terminal region and enzyme substrate or reaction intermediates causing the decline in activity. The results suggest that tyrosine nitration of aldolase A can contribute to an impaired cellular glycolytic activity.
An automated biological fluid dispensing system for microarray fabrication using inkjet technology

This paper presents an automated DNA and protein microarray fabrication system using inkjet technology. The hardware of the system consists of a high-precision motion system, a robotic material handling system, computer control systems, and extensive vision systems. The software of the system includes sophisticated algorithms to handle control, communication, and manufacturing process information. The system has been successfully used to produce cDNA microarrays and in the investigation of protein microarray manufacturing. Ground-breaking results have been attributed to the use of cDNA and protein microarrays in genomics and proteomics research
Nollywood Juxtaposed: Those that Do and Those that DonT

Nollywood film production represents a multimillion-dollar industry with thousands of low-budget movies produced yearly and marketed inexpensively across world. Nollywood is a term used to denote films produced in Nigeria and is a spin of U.S. based cinema site Hollywood. A report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) notes Nollywood is a $2.75 billion film industry, third to the United States (Hollywood) and India (Bollywood). While there is variety of genres in Nollywood productions, a theme that repeats itself is violence against women by their husbands. The question becomes, why do some producers or directors of Nollywood films continue to disseminate such a theme? / / This essay takes an interdisciplinary approach to critique how Nollywood films, with the subtext of violence against wives, by using three theories: Culture of Value, Marital Power, and Group Identity Theories. The objective of this study is to analyze the possible rationales of producers or directors who opt to or reframe from using scenes of violence against wives in their films. This research looks at a small quardi of Nollywood films released in the 21st centrury that have repeated scenes of physical and/or emotional violence perpetrated against adult wives by their husbands. / /
Social Insecurity? Personal Accounts and the Stock Market Collapse

The recent financial crisis and ensuing stock market gyrations have drawn renewed attention to Social Security reform, in particular proposals to establish personal retirement accounts that invest in stocks and bonds. As Barack Obama asked a campaign audience, "Imagine if you had some of your Social Security money in the stock market right now. How would you be feeling about the prospects for your retirement?" But despite the recent market downturn, individuals investing four percentage points of the 12.4 percent payroll tax in a personal account holding a "life-cycle" portfolio and retiring today would have increased their total Social Security benefits by more than 15 percent. Moreover, a simulation of ninety-five cohorts of individuals retiring from 1915 through 2008 found that all of them would have increased their total Social Security benefits by holding personal accounts. These results are not intended to understate the risks of equity investment, but rather put them in perspective. Some analysis has overstated the importance of returns over a short period of time relative to those over the full course of a working lifetime by looking at declines in stock returns over only the last year. While individuals retiring today may have ended with a lower account balance than they expected, they would nevertheless have significantly increased their total retirement benefits by virtue of choosing to participate in a personal retirement account.
Keeping the beat. Focus on "enrichment of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes in primary culture facilitates long-term maintenance of contractility in vitro".

despite 20–30 years of extensive research into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), CVD remains the leading cause of death (25% all-cause mortality) in men and women. Nevertheless, advances in CVD therapeutics, coupled with improved