cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-dose gadolinium-enhanced MRI for diagnosis of meningeal metastases

We compared high-dose (0.3 mmol/kg) and standard-dose (0.1 mmol/kg) gadolinium-enhanced MRI for diagnosis of meningeal metastases in 12 patients with suspected meningeal metastases. They were imaged with both standard-dose and high-dose gadolinium. All patients with abnormal meningeal enhancement underwent at least one lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology, while patients with normal meningeal enhancement were followed clinically. All patients with negative CSF cytology also were followed clinically. A single observer reviewed all the images, with specific attention to the enhancement pattern of the meninges. Abnormal leptomeningeal enhancement was present in three cases, and abnormal pachymeningeal enhancement in three other patients. All of these patients had abnormal CSF analyses. In two of the three cases of abnormal leptomeningeal enhancement the disease was more evident on high-dose than on standard-dose imaging; in one case the abnormal enhancement was visible only on high-dose imaging. In one of the three cases with abnormal pachymeningeal enhancement, the disease was evident prospectively only with high-dose imaging.
Dissection of the Physiological Interconversion of 5α-DHT and 3α-Diol by Rat 3α-HSD via Transient Kinetics Shows That the Chemical Step Is Rate-Determining: Effect of Mutating Cofactor and Substrate-Binding Pocket Residues on Catalysis†

3α-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (3α-HSDs) catalyze the interconversion between 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT), the most potent androgen, and 3α-androstanediol (3α-diol), a weak androgen metabolite. To identify the rate-determining step in this physiologically important reaction, rat liver 3α-HSD (AKR1C9) was used as the protein model for the human homologues in fluorescence stopped-flow transient kinetic and kinetic isotope effect studies. Using single and multiple turnover experiments to monitor the NADPH-dependent reduction of 5α-DHT, it was found that klim and kmax values were identical to kcat, indicating that chemistry is rate-limiting overall. Kinetic isotope effect measurements, which gave Dkcat = 2.4 and D2Okcat = 3.0 at pL 6.0, suggest that the slow chemical transformation is significantly rate-limiting. When the NADP+-dependent oxidation of 3α-diol was monitored, single and multiple turnover experiments showed a klim and burst kinetics consistent with product release as being rate-limiting ove...
Power Division in Spread Spectrum Systems with Limiting

This paper finds power division through a bandpass nonlinearity when the input is two spread spectrum signals plus noise. This model applies to code division multiple access (CDMA) satellites or to multiple transmission of CDMA through a common Earth terminal transmitter. The solution requires finding a single attenuation constant for each input signal including the input noise. This approach provides the first exact power division solutions for spectrally overlapping, possibly coherently generated, spread spectrum signals plus noise through a bandpass limiter. Two examples illustrate the approach. Simultaneous transmission of coherently generated QPSK spread signals through a hard limiter without noise may cause whichever is the smaller of the two to suffer a sharp 6 dB suppression. This suppression is highly phase dependent and can be alleviated by proper phasing of the signals prior to hard limiting. In the second example, input/output SNR relations are found and compared with those given by Jones for two unmodulated sine waves and noise. A significant reduction in output SNR exists for spread signals compared to the two sine wave case examined by Jones.
Regulation by thyroid hormone of nuclear and mitochondrial genes encoding subunits of cytochrome-c oxidase in rat liver and skeletal muscle.

Biogenesis of mitochondria involves the expression of genes located on nuclear chromosomes as well as on mitochondrial DNA. We studied the coordination of the two genomes by measuring transcript levels for nuclear (IV, Va, and VIc) and mitochondrial (II and III) subunits of cytochrome-c oxidase after altering the mitochondrial content of rat muscle and liver by altering the thyroid state of the animals. Tissue levels of these mRNAs were generally decreased in hypothyroid animals and were up-regulated again after thyroid hormone (T3) treatment. However, significant increases in the levels of all nuclear transcripts were observed in the liver 24 h after T3 treatment, but were delayed or remained unaltered (VIc) in muscle. In contrast, levels of mitochondrial transcripts were elevated early in muscle and late in liver. The abundance of the corresponding polypeptides, which were analyzed by immunoblotting, changed in direction and magnitude according to the changes in their mRNAs, indicating pretranslational ...
Effect of nitrogen source on aluminum toxicity in nonmycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal pitch pine seedling

Abstract The effect of elevated nitrate [(NO3‐nitrogen (N)] or ammonium (NH4)‐N on the response of nonmycorrhizal (NM) and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) pitch pine (Pintis rigida Mill.) seedlings to aluminum (Al) was determined in experiments in which N was increased three times above ambient levels. Seedlings with and without the mycorrhizal fungus Pisolithus tinctorius (Pers.) Coker & Couch were grown in sand irrigated with nutrient solution (pH 3.8) containing 0, 10, or 20 mg Al L‐1 (0, 370, or 740 μM Al). The nutrient solution simulated that for the sandy, nutrient‐poor soil of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Elevated NO3‐N had no significant effect on Al toxicity in NM seedlings, but Al toxicity at ambient NH4‐N was ameliorated by elevated NH4‐N. Symptoms of Al toxicity in roots (thick and stunted) of ECM seedlings at ambient N levels were reduced by elevated NH4‐N and absent at elevated NO3‐N. When N was elevated by an increase in NO3‐N or NH4‐N, uptake of N and relative increases in total biomass were greater...
Equilibrium Magnetization at the Boundary of a Magnetoelectric Antiferromagnet

Symmetry arguments are used to show that a boundary of a magnetoelectric antiferromagnet has an equilibrium magnetization. This magnetization is coupled to the bulk antiferromagnetic order parameter and can be switched along with it by a combination of E and B fields. As a result, the antiferromagnetic domain state of a magnetoelectric can be used as a nonvolatile switchable state variable in nanoelectronic device applications. Mechanisms affecting the boundary magnetization and its temperature dependence are classified. The boundary magnetization can be especially large if the boundary breaks the equivalence of the antiferromagnetic sublattices.
Extraction/Chromatographic Testosterone RIA Can Be Used as the “Gold Standard” for Determining the Reliability of Direct Testosterone Immunoassay Measurements

In their reply to my letter to the editor published in a recent issue of Clinical Chemistry (1), Herold and Fitzgerald state that there are no convincing data showing that extraction/chromatography testosterone RIAs work. In addition, they conclude that unless an extraction/chromatographic RIA has been validated against a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GS-MS) method, the results generated from such tests are subject to question. I disagree with their point of view. The extraction/chromatography RIA method has been used for measurement of testosterone and many other steroid hormones ever since the RIA method was first developed by Abraham (2) for measuring estradiol in 1969. Over the years, this RIA method has remained essentially the same, with the exceptions that tritiated ligands used in the RIAs have been replaced with iodinated derivatives to improve assay sensitivity and that more-specific antibodies are used. When properly validated with respect to sensitivity, accuracy, precision, and specificity and …
Case of Infantile-Onset SCA-5 and a Novel SPTBN2 Mutation (P02.174)

Objective: To describe a girl with infantile onset of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 5 and novel SPTBN2 mutation. Background Dominant spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are a rare clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders. They are characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia resulting in unsteady gait, clumsiness, dysarthria and swallowing difficulty. The onset usually occurs during the third or fourth decade of life; however, manifestations may start as early as late infancy or childhood. Design/Methods: Clinical and genetic description of neurological and developmental symptoms and signs in 12 year-old with mutation of SPTBN2 identified on Spinocerebellar Ataxia Panel. Results: Spinocerebellar Ataxia Panel identified a SPTBN2 gene mutation (transition C>T) at nucleotide position 1438. Further analysis of this variant found that this change has not been seen in normals, the position is highly conserved, and computer protein analysis predicted the change to be pathogenic. Conclusions: A novel SPTBN2 mutation (transition C>T) at nucleotide position 1438 leads to a more severe phenotype of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type. Disclosure: Dr. Ho has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jacob has nothing to disclose. Dr. Darras has received personal compensation for activities with UpToDate, Inc., Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc, and Athena Diagnostics as a consultant.Dr. Darras has received research support from PTC Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Martinez-Ojeda has nothing to disclose. Dr. Torres has nothing to disclose. Dr. Khwaja has nothing to disclose.
Density-dependent interactions and the folding model for heavy-ion potentials☆

Abstract It is pointed out that the failure of the single-folding model to predict the correct real part of heavy-ion optical potentials is partially due to the omission of effects arising from any density dependence present in the underlying nucleon-nucleon interaction. An estimate is made of the error introduced in typical calculations.
10.3.3 10 Golden Questions for Concept Exploration and Development

Project engineers and development teams must be able to quickly understand the customer's need. There are many tools, methods, and processes suggested for conducting “Concept Exploration” and “Concept Development“. The author believes that there are “10 golden questions” which get the requirements elicitation done right. They apply to any Product (knowledge, good or service), system, or organizational structure. The “10 Questions” go a bit further than grammar school's: “who, what, where, when, why, and how.” Interaction with the customer/user illumines a key aspect of the system solution, “How does failure affect customer satisfaction?” Asking, “What if the product, (seen at its various levels of decomposition such as, “system/product/component”), FAILS to satisfy these ‘requirements‘?”, leads the designer to a better system solution. These answers take one to the next important discovery, answering, “How do we achieve mitigation and control of any critical failure modes and their effects on mission success, (through design, manufacturing, materials, and training).” This is the true purpose of the systems engineering lifecycle.
Models with incomplete correspondence with the prototype

Abstract The use of analogies is often advantageous in design and in the prediction of the behavior of complex systems. As developed previously, each component in the model (analog) corresponds to a specific component in the prototype (original system). However, this condition is a consequence of using linear relationships between model and prototype. If the condition of linearity is relaxed, the analog may have components which do not correspond to components in the prototype. Consequently, greater freedom is realized in design of the analog making it possible to overcome conflicting design requirements. Application of the nonlinear prediction equations to a forced vibrating system illustrates the general principles involved.
New vessel formation in the context of cardiomyocyte regeneration – the role and importance of an adequate perfusing vasculature

The history of revascularization for cardiac ischemia dates back to the early 1960's when the first coronary artery bypass graft procedures were performed in humans. With this 50 year history of providing a new vasculature to ischemic and hibernating myocardium, a profound depth of experience has been amassed in clinical cardiovascular medicine as to what does, and does not work in the context of cardiac revascularization, alleviating ischemia and adequacy of myocardial perfusion. These issues are of central relevance to contemporary cell-based cardiac regenerative approaches. While the cardiovascular cell therapy field is surging forward on many exciting fronts, several well accepted clinical axioms related to the cardiac arterial supply appear to be almost overlooked by some of our current basic conceptual and experimental cell therapy paradigms. We present here information drawn from five decades of the clinical revascularization experience, review relevant new data on vascular formation via cell therapy, and put forward the case that for optimal cell-based cardiac regeneration due attention must be paid to providing an adequate vascular supply.
Long memory in REIT volatility and changes in the unconditional mean: a modified FIGARCH approach

We examine the long memory of real estate investment trust (REIT) volatility in the mature REIT markets of Australia, Japan, the UK and the US, and propose a modified fractionally integrated (FIGARCH) model for forecasting at daily and weekly frequencies. Long memory of volatility occurs when the effects of volatility shocks persist over extended periods of time. Our results suggest that the appearance of long memory in REIT return series is due to a lack of adjustment for temporal changes in the unconditional mean of volatility. Based on our long memory results, we empirically test a modified FIGARCH model and show that it performs better at weekly and daily forecast horizons. Forecasting REIT series volatility has important implications for risk evaluation, portfolio optimisation and derivatives pricing.
Performance of a general decoding technique over the class of randomly chosen parity check codes

The paper extends a general decoding technique developed by Metzner and Kapturowski (1990) for concatenated code outer codes and for file disagreement location. That work showed the ability to correct most cases of d-2 or fewer erroneous block symbols, where d is the outer code minimum distance. Any parity check code can be used as the basis for the outer codes, and yet decoding complexity increases at most as the third power of the code length. In this correspondence, it is shown that, with a slight modification and no significant increase in complexity, the general decoding technique can be applied to the correction of many other cases beyond the code minimum distance. By considering average performance over all binary randomly chosen codes, it is seen that most error patterns of t/sub M/ or fewer block errors can be corrected, where: 1) t/sub M/ in most cases is much greater than the code minimum distance, and 2) asymptotically, the ratio of t/sub M/ to the theoretical maximum (the number of parity symbol blocks) approaches 1. Moreover, most cases of noncorrectable error block patterns are detected. >
Enthalpies of helix–coil transitions in polypeptides

Certain discrepancies in measured heats of helix–coil transitions in polypeptides are examined in terms of the theory of the effect of solvent composition on transition temperatures and heats in such systems. It is found, generally, that disagreement between enthalpy measurements conducted at fixed solvent compositions and isothermally may be expected because of the possibility of incomplete conversion of the polypeptide from the random-coil to the helical conformations, or vice versa in one, or both, of these regimes in the course of the transition. The magnitude of the disagreement, if any, can depend quite critically on the particular region in the transition temperature–solvent composition plane in which measurements are undertaken. Application of these results to the system, poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate–dichloroacetic acid-1,2-dichloroethane, however, suggests that previously observed discrepancies in enthalpies here cannot be attributed to this phenomenon.
Function spaces on fractals

Abstract We construct function spaces, analogs of Holder–Zygmund, Besov and Sobolev spaces, on a class of post-critically finite self-similar fractals in general, and the Sierpinski gasket in particular, based on the Laplacian and effective resistance metric of Kigami. This theory is unrelated to the usual embeddings of these fractals in Euclidean space, and so our spaces are distinct from the function spaces of Jonsson and Wallin, although there are some coincidences for small orders of smoothness. We show that the Laplacian acts as one would expect an elliptic pseudodifferential operator of order d+1 on a space of dimension d to act, where d is determined by the growth rate of the measure of metric balls. We establish some Sobolev embedding theorems and some results on complex interpolation on these spaces.
Considerations of polarization in inclusive electron scattering from nuclei

Abstract Inclusive electron scattering of either unpolarized or polarized electrons, (e, e′) or ( e , e′ ), from polarized nuclei is considered. General formulas are given for arbitrary nuclear transitions and polarizations, in the extreme relativistic limit for the electron, and examples where the nuclear states involved have specific angular momenta and parities are discussed in some detail.
A crystal-chemical basis for Pb retention and fission-track annealing systematics in U-bearing minerals, with implications for geochronology

This study develops an empirical crystal-chemical framework for systematizing the kinetics of Pb loss and fission-track annealing in U-bearing minerals. Ionic porosity, Z (the fraction of a mineral's unit-cell volume not occupied by ions) potentially accounts for kinetic behavior by monitoring mean metal-oxygen bond length/strength. Various tests of a general kinetics-porosity relationship are presented, based upon diverse mineral data including: (1) Pb diffusion parameters; (2) measured closure temperatures (TC) for fission-track annealing and (3) retentivities of both Pb and fission tracks, from apparent-age data. Every kinetic parameter (including TC and mineral age for both the U/Pb and fission-track systems) is inversely correlated with Z within the sub-assemblage: zircon (Z ≈ 29%), titanite (∼ 34%) and apatite (∼ 38%). Assuming a diffusional closure model, Pb isotopic transport phenomena are described by a TC-Z scale “calibrated” with field-based TC data for titanite (≥ 680 ± 20°C) and apatite (∼ 500°C). Extrapolation of this scale yields TC estimates for the following minerals: staurolite (TC ≥ 1060°C, Z ≈ 25%); garnet (≥ 1010°C, ∼ 26.5%); zircon (≥900°C); monazite, xenotime, and epidote (≥ 750°C, ∼ 32%); and Ca-clinopyroxene (≥ 670 ± 30°C, ∼ 34 ± 1%, depending on composition). These empirical results imply that a (U/)Pb/Pb date for staurolite or garnet records the time of mineral growth, not post-growth isotopic closure, as also concluded in recent field studies. Because Z systematizes fission-track annealing, this recrystallization process, like volume-diffusion, must also be rate-limited by the strength of chemical bonds. The extent to which other recrystallization processes are likewise rate-limited is important to U/Pb geochronology because they potentially compete with diffusion as mechanisms for Pb-isotopic resetting in nature.
Low‐Income Mothers' Conversations About Emotions and Their Children's Emotional Competence

This study examined the linkage between low-income mothers' conversations about emotions and their children's understanding of emotion. Forty-five low-income preschoolers and their mothers were videotaped while viewing a wordless picture book designed to elicit talk about emotions. Three maternal and child emotional language behaviors were coded from the videotapes: (a) unelaborated comments about emotions; (b) explanations about the causes and consequences of emotions; and (c) empathy-related statements. The children's questions about emotions were also coded. In a separate interview, the preschoolers were administered tasks that assessed emotional expression knowledge, emotional situation knowledge, and emotional role-taking. The results revealed that emotional situation knowledge was positively predicted by mothers' empathy-related statements. Mothers' explanations about the causes and consequences of emotions were uniquely related to emotional role-taking ability. There were very few correlations between the mothers' and children's talk about emotions. Results are discussed in terms of the functional significance of mothers' emotional language for young children's emotional competence.
Numerical simulation of near-surface GPR in TE and TM modes

Stimulated by the inquiry of using high frequency electromagnetic ground waves to communicate information among unattended ground sensors, numerical simulations of GPR performance in different near-surface geological settings were conducted. Two sets of 400 MHz GPR field data, one from Fort Richardson, Alaska, and the other one from Hanover, New Hampshire, were used to be the 'ground truth' to compare with numerical simulations. The numerical simulation algorithm we used adapts the finite difference time domain method, with a perfectly matched layer as the absorption boundary condition to truncate outbound waves. The signal impulse has a central frequency of 400 MHz, and the time step is 0.067 ns. We have simulated four cases: a combination of two radiation polarizations (TM and TE), and two geological settings, i.e., a sandy/gravelly half-space overlain by a silty/clayey layer (the case of Fort Richardson, AK), and a silty/clayey half-space overlain by sandy/gravelly layer (the case of Hanover, NH). The results depict the following implication. (1) More EM energy is radiated into the air as an air wave for the TM mode, and more EM energy will be sent into the ground when the TE mode is used, regardless of the geological setting. (2) Where a gravelly sandy half-space overlain by a silty/clayey layer, more EM energy will be trapped in the silty/clayey layer as a ground wave guide in the TE mode with almost no air radiation, when compared with the same radiation mode in the case of silty/clayey half-space overlain by a layer of gravelly sandy. (3) For the geological setting of a sandy/gravelly half-space overlain by a silty/clayey layer, the TE mode only contains ground wave and the TM mode only contains air wave energy. This implies that for this case a far more complete separation of the air wave and the ground wave can be reached. These simulation results imply that transmission mode should consider the on-site geological setting when attempt to use the ground wave as a communication carrier.
Scaling of Statistical Fluctuations in Particle-In-Cell Loading Schemes

Summary form only given. The scaling of statistical fluctuations due to two particle-in-cell loading schemes is examined. A global loading scheme inverts the spatial distribution function over the entire system length, while a local loading scheme inverts the spatial distribution independently within each cell. The particle density is then interpolated to grid nodes, and the fluctuations are quantified. The scaling with particle number, N, is the familiar N-1/2, with the local scheme having a slightly smaller coefficient. The scaling of the fluctuation level with the number of cells, J, is J-3/2 for non-uniform distributions due to the filtering errors generated by interpolation to the mesh. The noise fluctuation level shows a minimum for a fixed number of particles, indicating that there exists an optimum choice for the number of cells
A randomized controlled trial of high dose vitamin D3 in patients with heart failure.

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin D3 on physical performance in patients with heart failure (HF). Background HF is associated with functional decline and frailty. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with loss of muscle strength and poor outcomes in patients with HF. Methods Sixty-four patients participated in a 6-month parallel-design, double-blind randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that oral vitamin D3 would improve physical performance. Vitamin D3 50,000 IU or placebo was given weekly; all patients received daily calcium. Patients were included, regardless of ejection fraction, if they had 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels ≤37.5 ng/ml. The primary outcome was peak oxygen uptake, and secondary outcomes were 6-min walk distance, timed get up and go, and knee isokinetic muscle strength. Between-group comparisons were made using analysis-of-covariance models that adjusted for baseline measures. Results Patients’ mean age was 65.9 ± 10.4 years, 48% were women, 64% were African American, the mean ejection fraction was 37.6 ± 13.9%, 36% were in New York Heart Association functional class III, and the remainder were in functional class II. At baseline, the vitamin D group’s mean 25(OH)D level was 19.1 ± 9.3 ng/ml and increased to 61.7 ± 20.3 ng/ml; in the placebo group, the mean baseline 25(OH)D level was 17.8 ± 9.0 ng/ml and decreased to 17.4 ± 9.8 ng/ml at 6 months (between-groups p l 0.001). There was no significant change from baseline to 6 months in peak oxygen uptake, 6-min walk distance, timed get up and go, or isokinetic muscle strength. Conclusions Vitamin D3 did not improve physical performance in patients with HF despite a robust increase in serum 25(OH)D levels. Vitamin D repletion in patients with HF should conform to standard adult guidelines for vitamin D supplementation. (A Trial of Vitamin D Therapy in Patients With Heart Failure; NCT01125436)
Analysis of Silver Nanoparticles in Antimicrobial Products Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most commonly used nanoparticles in consumer products. Concerns over human exposure to and risk from these particles have resulted in increased interest in novel strategies to detect AgNPs. This study investigated the feasibility of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a method for the detection and quantification of AgNPs in antimicrobial products. By using ferbam (ferric dimethyl-dithiocarbamate) as an indicator molecule that binds strongly onto the nanoparticles, AgNPs detection and discrimination were achieved based on the signature SERS response of AgNPs-ferbam complexes. SERS response with ferbam was distinct for silver ions, silver chloride, silver bulk particles, and AgNPs. Two types of AgNPs with different coatings, citrate and polyvinylpirrolidone (PVP), both showed strong interactions with ferbam and induced strong SERS signals. SERS was effectively applicable for detecting Ag particles ranging from 20 to 200 nm, with the highest signal intensity in...
THE EOTVOS EXPERIMENT, SPATIAL ISOTROPY, AND GENERALLY COVARIANT FIELD THEORIES OF GRAVITY

Abstract It has been suggested that the numerical value of the fine structure “constant” may in fact be variable, being determined by the distribution of matter in the universe. However, there is some reason to believe that this conjecture is not consistent with the observed structure independence of gravitationa acceleration and the test of spatial isotropy discussed by Drever and others. The purpose of this article is to discuss this idea within the framework of a classical, generally covariant field theory. The usual electromagnetic field equations are modified so that the value of the fine structure constant which one would determine from a local experiment is given by a scalar gravitational field. With these modified equations, a field theory of gravity in which the motion of free test particles is consistent with the observed structure independence of gravitational acceleration may be constructed in a straightforward way. However, it is shown that this theory must be ruled out by the experimental observations of spatial isotropy.
From Pearl Harbor to Saigon: Japanese American Soldiers and the Vietnam War

"The DI put me and my friend in front of the platoon and said, 'this is what the View Cong looks like, with slanted eyes'." - Raymond Imayama, US Marine Corps, Dong Ha, 1968-69. Among Vietnam veterans, Japanese Americans have remained largely silent about their wartime experiences. Until now. In this ground-breaking book, many of them talk for the first time about their struggle for identity in the US and how this affected their participation in the Vietnam War. Toshio Whelchel interviewed over one hundred veterans in the course of his work, and here he presents the most revealing and moving of their stories. Several of them begin in the relocation camps to which many Japanese American families were posted during and after the Second World War environments which led many young men to accept the military draft without question. Some reveal the various forms of discrimination practised across the different military institutions. All illustrate the profound influence of the war on their lives: how they dealt with routine racism, their growing politicisation and the struggle to reintegrate themselves into American society after the war. "What the American presence in Vietnam was doing was creating a dehumanizing environment for all the Vietnamese. Part of this dehumanization was the paranoia about who the enemy really was. I think that many Marines lost the ability to make that distinction, and that realization started to bother me because I was Asian. If I could be mistaken for a Vietnamese, then I could be a gook. In the eyes of many Americans, I was already a gook!" -- Marcus Miyatomo, US Marine Corps, Danang, 1965-1966
Explicit formulas for the Szegö kernel for some domains in C2

We study the Szego kernel for a class of strictly pseudoconvex domains in C2. An explicit algorithm is given to compute the complete asymptotic expansion for the symbol of the Szego kernel for these domains. It is then easy to compute the first three terms explicitly in terms of the defining function and its derivatives. We give an example where the first three terms (including the logarithmic term) are all non zero. Finally, we show that if the second term vanishes identically, then the boundary is locally biholomorphic to the surface Im w = ¦z¦2.
Rates of recycling of biogenic components of settling particles in the ocean derived from sediment trap experiments

Abstract The rates of recycling of the major components of the biologically produced particulate flux (organic carbon, calcium carbonate, and opal) were measured at three sites in the North Equatorial Pacific. The measured biogenic fluxes in sediment traps were normalized to the particulate aluminum flux, and reaction rate constants were derived assuming first order processes occurring during particle settling between adjacent pairs of sediments trap. Mid-water flux maxima were found at each site. Assuming a particle settling rate of 100 m day−1, organic carbon, calcium carbonate and opal rate constants below the mid-water flux maxima were 3.7–13 y−1, 2.3–4.5 y−1, and 1.0–7.9 y−1, respectively. Ranges for rate constants above the mid-water flux maxima were 15–32 y−1 for organic carbon, 11–20 y−1 for calcium carbonate, and 6.4–27 yt-1 for opal.
Behavioural acculturation and demographic characteristics of Asian‐Indian immigrants in the United States of America

Tests the reliability of an empirical model designed by Szapocznik et al to measure acculturation levels of first‐generation immigrants. Applies model to a demographically diverse sample group of first‐generation Asian‐Indian immigrants in three cities near New York (USA) to establish levels of cultural and behavioural acculturation, and the relevance of demographic variables, such as gender, marital status, religion and occupation. Establishes a series of statistically significant correlations between the variables examined; compares these results with findings of other studies involving different immigrant groups. Asserts that the model provides a reliable basis for assessing acculturation characteristics of immigrants; concludes that the findings of this study provide an objective basis for the development of social and public policy aimed at accommodating acculturation needs of this particular immigrant group.
The Paths of Ions in the Cyclotron II. Paths in the Combined Electric and Magnetic Fields

It has been pointed out in a recent paper that a variation of the magnetic field of a cyclotron with polar angle can produce a focusing effect on the beam, while preserving resonance and stability. In that paper the effects of the magnetic field alone were considered. It is shown below that the effects of variation with polar angle of the accelerating electric field and of the magnetic field can be considered as almost independent; the second order cross terms between them are without practical effect. Thus the results contained in the above paper (1) may simply be superposed on those obtained by other workers.
A glass rodent enclosure: Gerbil City

A glass housing unit for the study of rodent burrowing behavior is described. The results of 18 months of burrowing for a family ofMeriones unguiculatus are depicted. The system can be used to investigate relationships among the animals’ behaviors, communication processes, and ecology.
Pathophysiology of autoimmune polyneuropathies.

The most common autoimmune neuropathies include the acute inflammatory polyneuropathy [the Guillain-Barre Syndrome(s)]; chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) and IgM anti-MAG-antibody mediated paraproteinemic neuropathy. These neuropathies occur when immunologic tolerance to peripheral nerve components (myelin, Schwann cell, axon, and motor or ganglionic neurons) is lost. Based on the immunopathologic similarities with experimental allergic neuritis induced after immunization with nerve proteins, disease transfer experiments with the patients' serum or with intraneural injections, and immunocytochemical studies on the patients' nerves, it appears that both cellular and humoral factors, either independently or in concert with each other, play a role in the cause of these neuropathies. Although in some of them there is direct evidence for autoimmune reactivity mediated by specific antibodies or autoreactive T lymphocytes, in others the underlying immune-mediated mechanisms have not been fully elucidated, in spite of good response to immunotherapies. The review highlights the factors associated with breaking the T-cell tolerance, the T-cell activation and costimulatory molecules, the immunoregulatory T-cells and relevant cytokines and the antibodies against peripheral nerve glycolipids or glycoproteins that seem to be of pathogenic relevance. Antigens in the nodal, paranodal and juxtaparanodal regions are discussed as potentially critical targets in explaining conduction failure and rapid recovery. Based on the immunopathologic network believed to play a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of these neuropathies, future therapeutic directions are highlighted using new biological agents against T-cells, cytokines, B-cells, transmigration and transduction molecules.
Consequences of a 17 keV neutrino

If the controversial 17-keV neutrino exists, laboratory, astrophysical and cosmological bounds, unless significantly weakened, require that (1) it be a Majorana neutrino and mainly {nu}{sub {tau}}; (2) it not be the dark matter of the universe, although its existence would rule out dominant hot dark matter; (3) the {nu}{sub {mu}} be a heavy Majorana neutrino of mass 17 keV or in the range 170--270 keV; and (4) the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein solution to the solar-neutrino problem involve {nu}{sub {ital e}} conversion to a light sterile (SU(2)-singlet) neutrino.
Watermark evaluation testbed

While digital watermarking has received much recent attention, it is still a relatively young technology. As such, there are few accepted tools and metrics that can be used to validate the performance claims asserted by members of the research community and evaluate the suitability of a watermarking technique for specific applications. This lack of a universally adopted set of metrics and methods has motivated us to develop a web-based digital watermark evaluation system known as the watermark evaluation testbed or WET. This system is designed to be focused on still image digital watermarking. WET consists of reference software that includes both watermark embedders and detectors, attacks, evaluation modules, and a large image database. This system has undergone several improvements since its inception. Our ultimate goal has been to develop a platform where any watermarking researcher can test not only the performance of known techniques, but also their own techniques. This goal is reached by the latest version of the system. New tools and concepts are designed to achieve the desired objectives. Moreover, we also summarize the development process of the entire project as well as introduce new directions for future work. ©
Collective Student Trust: A Social Resource for Urban Elementary Students

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine if collective student trust functions as a resource for urban elementary students.MethodsData from 1,646 students nested in 56 elementary schools i...
Patterns in the Shadows: Attention in/to the writings of Michael Baxandall

This essay reads the collected works of Michael Baxandall as an exercise in the melancholy of art history writing. His fascination with the gap between words and images, historical scholarship and early modern works of art has implications for a general postmodern malaise: why do those of us who write about the past still cling to the hope that historical meaning can be discovered, even as we recognize the absolute futility of finding out where? The elegiac paradox of having to write about an absent past through the enduring material presence of works of art has engendered Baxandall’s very distinctive historiographic approach. The visual arts demand different modes of attention (a key concept in each of his texts) than other historical artefacts. This awareness, I argue, has provided the rationale for Baxandall’s unique focus on the variety of contexts that shadow works of art.
Adaptive signal processing for jammer suppression using MIMO radar

an innovative approach is proposed to suppress jammer signals in both mainlobe and sidelobe directions for adaptive target detection using MIMO radar.
Mechanisms of endotoxin tolerance in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis: role of interleukin 10, interleukin 1 receptor antagonist, and soluble tumour necrosis factor receptors as well as effector cell desensitisation

BACKGROUND—In patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, endotoxaemia is a frequent finding. Unknown mechanisms, however, prevent typical clinical symptoms of endotoxaemia in many patients. METHODS—We determined plasma levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, ex vivo cytokine secretion capacity, and expression of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptors on phagocytic blood cells in 49 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and 41 age matched healthy controls. RESULTS—In addition to increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines in cirrhotic patients, we observed consistent upregulation of the anti-inflammatory mediators interleukin 10 (IL-10) (plasma 15.75 (1.6) v 6.6 (1.3) pg/ml (p<0.001); ex-vivo 108.4 (22.0) v 40.1 (7.4) pg/ml (p<0.05)), interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (plasma 527.1 (83) v 331.4 (56) pg/ml (p<0.05); ex vivo 19.9 (3.4) v 10.2 (2.7) ng/ml (p<0.01)), and soluble TNF receptors (sTNF-R) in plasma (sTNF-RI 3157.2 (506.2) v 607.9 (300.3) pg/ml; sTNF-RII 3331.0 (506.2) v 1066.4 (225.1) pg/ml (p<0.001 for both)). Desensitisation at the target cell level was indicated by reduced expression of TNF receptor I on granulocytes (64.8 (6.5) v 40.1 (7.3)% positive cells; p<0.05) and unaltered plasma levels of soluble E-selectin. CONCLUSION—In patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, upregulation of the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine system and simultaneous desensitisation of effector cells could explain the restricted systemic inflammatory response to chronic endotoxaemia. This alteration in immune status may lead to impairment of host defences against infections which are frequent complications of alcoholic cirrhosis. Keywords: liver cirrhosis; lipopolysaccharide; lipopolysaccharide desensitisation; anti-inflammatory cytokines; tumour necrosis factor
Cold Storage Enhances the Efficacy and Margin of Security in Postharvest Irradiation Treatments Against Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)

ABSTRACT Cold storage is used to preserve fruit quality after harvest during transportation in marketing channels. Low temperature can be a stressor for insects that reduces survivorship, and cold storage may contribute to the efficacy of postharvest quarantine treatments such as irradiation against quarantine insect pests. The combined effect of irradiation and cold storage was examined in a radiation-tolerant fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillet (melon fly), and a radiation-intolerant fruit fly, Ceratitiscapitata (Wiedemann) (Mediterranean fruit fly) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Third instars on diet or in papaya were treated with a sublethal radiation dose of 30 Gy and stored at 4 or 11°C for 3–13 d and held for adult emergence. For both fruit fly species, survival of third instars to the adult stage generally decreased with increasing cold storage duration at 4 or 11°C in diet or papaya. Survivorship differences were highly significant for the effects of substrate (diet > papaya), temperature (11 > 4...
Development of the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure.

Researchers currently lack a reliable and valid means of assessing minority stress and resilience factors in transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) people. This study was conducted to develop and evaluate the validity of a tool to better assess these constructs in TGNC populations. The Gender Minority Stress and Resilience (GMSR) measure was developed grounded on Meyer’s minority stress model, and adjusted to reflect the experiences of TGNC populations based on TGNC literature and archival data from TGNC focus groups. The final GMSR includes scales assessing 9 constructs: gender-related discrimination, gender-related rejection, gender-related victimization, nonaffirmation of gender identity, internalized transphobia, negative expectations for future events, nondisclosure, community connectedness, and pride. In the current study, 844 participants completed the GMSR measure as well as measures related to mental health, general life stress, and social support. Results indicated good model fit, criterion validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity for the 9 hypothesized scales. Discriminant validity for the scales were also partially supported. Overall, the current study offers preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the GMSR Measure for use with TGNC populations. The GMSR Measure has several uses for both research and clinical purposes, including increasing understanding of the experiences and correlates of gender minority stress and resilience factors and assessing whether specific therapies or interventions are helpful in reducing risk and supporting resilience in TGNC populations.
Mutual Intentionality: A Theory of Support Processes in Pregnant African American Women

The grounded theory study described in this article explored social support processes in low-income African American women during high-risk pregnancy and early parenthood. Participants included 10 pregnant African American women, 3 close support providers, and 11 health care providers. Investigators served as participant observers and conducted audiotaped interviews. The substantive theory of support that emerged from the data was labeled “mutual intentionality.” This term described the active role that both pregnant woman and support givers played in the helping process. The phrase “being there” summarized the women’s definition of support, implying that the support giver was available and willing to provide help when needed. Support was further described as “caring,”“respecting,”“sharing information” with, “knowing,”“believing in,” and “doing for” the other. For support to happen, mutuality must be established within the relationship, and both support giver and recipient intentionally aim to meet the re...
Pool Boiling Studies on Nano-Textured Surfaces: Impact of High Subcooling

The effect of surface nano-texturing using Multi-Walled Carbon Nano-Tubes (MWCNT) on pool boiling heat transfer is studied under high subcooling (∼30 °C). Three different substrates were used in this study: a bare silicon wafer (450 μm thick), and two similar silicon wafers coated with 9 μm (Type-A) and 25 μm tall (Type-B) MWCNT. The MWCNT are deposited by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), have diameters ranging between 8–16 nanometers and a randomized center to center pitch ranging between 24–45 nm. PF-5060, a fluorocarbon is used as the test fluid. In the nucleate boiling regime the surface coated with Type-A MWCNT shows a significant enhancement in heat transfer in comparison to the bare silicon wafer and Type-B MWCNT coated wafer. Type-B MWCNT on the silicon substrate results in only a slightly higher heat transfer rate as compared to the bare silicon wafer. The presence of MWCNT seems to disrupt the formation of a stable vapor film thus delaying the onset of film boiling. Based on the experimental results, the following transport mechanisms have been identified for the observed enhancement of pool boiling heat flux on the MWCNT: the enhanced surface area (nano-fin effect), enhanced nucleation, disruption of the “microlayer” region in nucleate boiling, and the high thermal conductivity of MWCNT.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Self‐Determination Theory and Well‐Being in the Health Care Profession

In the current study, we predicted two forms of well-being using basic needs theory (BNT). We examined domain-specific (i.e., exercise) and global basic needs satisfaction (e.g., competence). One-hundred twenty-one pharmacists and nurses from eight hospitals in a large Midwest inner city participated. We predicted 24% and 44% of the variance in mindfulness and vitality, respectively, with basic needs in exercise and life in general making significant contributions. Our findings supported the importance of competence satisfaction as the most critical basic need compared to autonomy and relatedness. Regular physical activity alleviates negative psychological states but can also potentially enhance positive mood states such as mindfulness and vitality if the exercise setting promotes a need satisfaction for competence.
Visualizing uncertainty: the impact on performance.

>> Objective: This work investigated the impact of uncertainty representation on performance in a complex authentic visualization task, submarine localization. Background: Because passive sonar does not provide unique course, speed, and range information on a contact, the submarine operates under significant uncertainty. There are many algorithms designed to address this problem, but all are subject to uncertainty. The extent of this solution uncertainty can be expressed in several ways, including a table of locations (course, speed, range) or a graphical area of uncertainty. Method: To test the hypothesis that the representation of uncertainty that more closely matches the experts’ preferred representation of the problem would better support performance, even for the nonexpert., performance data were collected using displays that were either stripped of the spatial or the tabular representation. Results: Performance was more accurate when uncertainty was displayed spatially. This effect was only significant for the nonexperts for whom the spatial displays supported almost expert-like performance. This effect appears to be due to reduced mental effort. Conclusion: These results suggest that when the representation of uncertainty for this spatial task better matches the expert’s preferred representation of the problem even a nonexpert can show expert-like performance. Application: These results could apply to any domain where performance requires working with highly uncertain information.