cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The accuracy of pre‐operative imaging in the management of hepatic cysts

Background Biliary cystic tumours (BCT) [biliary cystadenoma (BCA) and cystadenocarcinoma (BCAC)] warrant complete resection. Simple liver cysts (SLC) require fenestration when symptomatic. Distinguishing between BCT and atypical SLC with pre-operative imaging is not well studied.
Is the Test Score Decline Responsible for the Productivity Growth Decline

The test score decline between 1967 and 1980 was large (about 1.25 grade level equivalents) and historically unprecedented. New estimates of the trends in academic achievement, of the effect of academic achievement on productivity, and of trends in the quality of the work force are developed. The test score decline did not cause the post-1965 productivity growth slowdown, but it did contribute to its perpetuation. If test scores had continued to grow after 1967 at the rate prevailing in the previous quarter century, labor force quality would have been 2.9 percent ($86 billion) greater in 1987, 5.5 percent greater in 2000, and 6.7 percent greater in 2010. Copyright 1989 by American Economic Association.
Stochastic Motion and Diffusion

In the globally stochastic region of the phase space for a system with two degrees of freedom, in which KAM curves spanning the phase coordinate do not exist, a complete description of the motion is generally impractical. We can then seek to treat the motion in a statistical sense. That is, the evolution of certain average quantities can be determined, rather than the trajectory corresponding to a given set of initial conditions (e.g., Chandrasekhar, 1943; Wang and Uhlenbeck, 1945). Such a formulation in terms of average quantities is also the basis for statistical mechanics (see, for example, Penrose, 1970).
Role of methionine in cephalosporin synthesis

Methionine has an almost unique stimulatory effect on biosynthesis of cephalosporins (by Cephalosporium acremonium). No other sulfur-containing compound tested, except dl-methionine-dl-sulfoxide, replaced methionine. dl-Methionine stimulated the synthesis of cephalosporins when added after the growth phase. The utilization of inorganic sulfate was repressed by methionine. Experiments with l-methionine-S(35) showed that essentially all the sulfur in the cephalosporins was derived from methionine. Sulfur-labeled compounds found in the soluble pool from cells grown with methionine-S(35) were methionine, homocysteine, taurine, cystathionine, cysteic acid, glutathionine, and cysteine. dl-Serine-3-C(14) was incorporated into the antibiotics, and its utilization was stimulated by methionine. l-Cysteine had a sparing effect on the incorporation of methionine-S(35) and serine-C(14) into the antibiotics. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that a cystathionine-mediated pathway is operative in the transfer of sulfur between methionine and cysteine.
Road edge detection for mobile robot navigation

The authors describe a novel algorithm for the detection of road edges in image sequences for mobile robot navigation. The essence of this algorithm is road modeling by spline functions and edge detection by a linear recursive filter. The filter uses a measurement procedure that involves an edge point search about a specified reference curve. This curve is determined automatically by preprocessing the first frame. Estimates of the road edges in each frame are used as the reference curve for the following frame. The algorithm processes a sequence of road images, and it does not require a priori knowledge about the image contents. The algorithm has been tested on image sequences, yielding satisfactory results. >
Self-organized coherence in fiber laser arrays

Self-organized coherence between fiber lasers has been reported both via all-fiber 2x2 directional coupler trees and in spatially multi-core fibers. We have taken this a major step forward, coupling together a number of independent fiber lasers to obtain a spatially and spectrally coherent far field, with no active length, polarization, or amplitude control. The near field output comes from a spatial array rather than from a single fiber, making this approach scalable to extremely high power.
Effect of pressure on the melting of cesium chloride

Abstract Melting curve of cesium chloride has been determined to 50 kbar in a single-stage pistoncylinder apparatus. Our results agree with Clark's experimental data which extend up to 15 kbar. We have also found that the melting temperature of cesium chloride changes linearly with its specific volume up to 45 kbar in contrast to the behavior of other recently studied ionic compounds.
Inductive learning in engineering: a case study

This paper applies learning techniques to make engineering optimization more efficient and reliable. When the function to be optimized is highly non-linear, the search space generally forms several disjoint convex regions. Unless gradient-descent search is begun in the right region, the solution found will be suboptimal. This paper formalizes the task of learning effective search control for choosing which regions to explore to find a solution close to the global optimum. It defines a utility function for measuring the quality of search control. The paper defines and experimentally compares three algorithms that seek to find search control knowledge of maximum utility. The best algorithm, UTILITYID3, gives a speedup of 4.4 over full search (of all convex regions) while sacrificing only 5% in average solution quality.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Electrical Breakdown of Argon and Trimethylsilane in Low-Pressure DC Discharges: The Surface-States Equilibration Principle

The fundamental steps in creating glow discharges of Ar and TMS are completely different. While the glow discharge of Ar is the physical transformation of Ar atoms caused by ionization, the glow discharge of TMS is the chemical transformation of molecules that yields hydrogen atoms and variety of chemically reactive species, mostly free radicals (species with an unpaired electron), caused by the low-energy electron-impact dissociation. The distribution of electron temperature and electron density in the broken-down gas phase of Ar is re-examined in light of the breakdown process, and the concept of the reference energy state of the luminous gas phase is presented.
Distance preserving linear feature selection

Abstract A new method for linear feature selection is described which has as its underlying theme the preservation of actual distances between training data points in the lower dimensional space. Comparison with existing methodology places the method closer to the principle components or Karhunen- Loeve approach than to methods based on an approach through statistical pattern recognition. A computer program implementing the technique is described. An example application to 12 dimensional LANDSAT data is given.
Influence of the glass network on the vibrational energy transfer from H2O impurities in the GeAsSe glass series

Abstract The infrared absorption spectra of H2O doped GeAsSe glasses are divided into three categories: (1) glasses with a high coordination number 〈r〉 which show only OH absorption; (2) glasses in an intermediate range of 〈r〉 with OH and H2O absorption bands and (3) low 〈r〉 glasses with H2O and ice bands. The relaxation of vibrationally excited OH and H2 molecules in these glasses is studied at low temperatures by means of time resolved infrared saturation spectroscopy. In all cases a lifetime is found on the order of 10−10 s that varies over the inhomogeneously broadened absorption lines due to the local bonding. We find that at a fixed frequency the network topology of the glass rather than its chemical composition influences the short vibrational lifetime of the impurity molecule.
Juvenile delinquency in child welfare: Investigating group home effects

Abstract Group homes fall into the broad category of residential care, a category that also includes half-way homes, campus based homes, emergency shelters, self-contained settings, and staff secured setting. In general, residential care services represent an option of last resort. In the current study we use administrative records from a large urban county and propensity score matching to investigate the relationship between group home placements in child welfare and the risk of delinquency ( n = 8226). The results indicate that the relative risk of delinquency is approximately two and one half times greater for adolescents with at least one group home placement as compared with youth in foster care settings. This finding raises serious questions about the use of group homes for victims of physical abuse and neglect.
RELAXIVITY CORRECTED RESPONSE MODULATED EXCITATION (RME) : A T2-CORRECTED TECHNIQUE ACHIEVING SPECIFIED MAGNETIZATION PATTERNS FROM AN RF PULSE AND A TIME-VARYING MAGNETIC FIELD

We have reworked the theory of RF excitation to enable correction for relaxivity while designing response-modulated excitation (RME) to achieve specified magnetization targets. This results in a significant improvement in the ability to achieve a specified target magnetization, especially if excitation time is long or T2 is short. The methods presented may also be used to improve the quality of spatial-spectral pulses as well as localized spectroscopy, real-time imaging, real-time localized velocity, and noninvasive pressure measurement.
An international alliance of “colored humanity”: Robert Williams in Asia

In 1965, the African American civil rights leader Robert Williams left Cuba to live in China as an invited guest of Mao Tse-Tung. After several trips to Hanoi and personal meetings with Ho Chi Minh, he authored a pamphlet titled Listen, Brother! (1968), which deemed the war in Vietnam “a Honky trick worked up against the other oppressed colored people”. Filled with scenes of total devastation of “colored humanity” where bodies burned with napalm, Listen, Brother! urged African American soldiers to realize that participation in the war made them part of a “big mob of savage klansmen who maim and kill in the name of Christian democracy”. Critiquing the dominant cold war ideology of a bipolar power struggle as well as a perceived crisis in representative democracy, Williams hoped to turn cold war violence back against itself. He saw the war in Vietnam as a model for minority revolution in the US, where “black saboteurs” and “guerilla enclaves” were a second front in the war for a lasting world black revoluti...
Effects of Pt···Pt Bonding, Anions, Solvate Molecules, and Hydrogen Bonding on the Self-Association of Chugaev's Cation, a Platinum Complex with a Chelating Carbene Ligand

Five salts, [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)](BPh(4)).CH(3)OH, [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)](PF(6)).CH(2)Cl(2), [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)]Cl.4H(2)O, [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)]Br.3.5H(2)O, and [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)]Cl.0.1H(2)O, have been crystallized and examined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. While the internal structure of the cation is similar in all salts, the interactions between cations vary in the different salts. Yellow [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)](BPh(4)).CH(3)OH and red [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)](PF(6)) form face-to-face dimers with Pt...Pt separations of 3.6617(6) and 3.340(2) A, respectively. In the latter, hydrogen bonding of the chelating ligand to adjacent anions facilitates the close approach of pairs of cations. The salts [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)]Cl.4H(2)O, [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)]Br.3.5H(2)O, and [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)]Cl.0.1H(2)O form columnar structures with Pt...Pt separations that range from 3.2514(5) to 3.5643(6) A. The water molecules and anions surround these columns and form bridges between neighboring columns. The electronic spectra of aqueous solutions of [(C(4)H(9)N(4))Pt(II)(CNCH(3))(2)]Cl.4H(2)O show spectral changes upon increasing concentrations of the platinum complex that are indicative of the formation of a dimer in solution with an equilibrium constant for dimerization of 23(1).
Do shy people feel less communication apprehension online? The effects of virtual reality on the relationship between personality characteristics and communication outcomes

This study examines the effect of 3D virtual worlds on an individual's communication experience in comparison with Face-to-Face communications (FtFCs). Using 2x2 posttest only group design where subjects were asked to discuss over a given topic. This study investigated whether individuals' different personality characteristics (i.e. shyness) influence communication experiences (i.e. communication apprehension). The data suggest that shy individuals felt less of communication apprehension during the discussion conducted online than FtFC. On the other hand, FtFC turned out to be more effective in influencing individuals' intention to change behavior compared to virtual worlds. The results suggest that lack of visual/auditory cues in virtual reality is the major factor that influenced the outcome.
N36, a synthetic N-terminal heptad repeat domain of the HIV-1 envelope protein gp41, is an activator of human phagocytes.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope protein gp41 mediates viral fusion with human host cells. In this study we show that N36, a synthetic peptide derived from the N-terminus of gp41, induced directional migration and calcium mobilization in human monocytes and neutrophils. The activity of N36 on phagocytes was pertussis toxin sensitive, suggesting involvement of a Gi-coupled seven-transmembrane receptor(s). Since high concentrations of the bacterial chemotactic peptide fMet-Leu-Phe (fMLF) partially desensitized the calcium mobilizing activity of N36 in phagocytes, we postulated that N36 might use a low-affinity fMLF receptor. By using cells stably expressing fMLF receptor FPR or FPRL1, we demonstrate that N36 uses FPRL1 as a functional receptor. Our results suggest that HIV-1 gp41 may contain a fragment(s) that activates the innate host immune cells through FPRL1. Since the activation of FPRL1 in monocytes has been shown to heterologously desensitize chemokine receptors, the reduced phagocyte response to chemoattractants seen in AIDS patients may be attributed, at least in part, to heterologous desensitization.
EMAP-Wetlands: A sampling design with global application

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) in 1988. The wetland component (EMAP-Wetlands) is designed to provide quantitative assessments of the current status and long-term trends in the ecological condition of wetland resources. EMAP-Wetlands will develop a wetland monitoring network and will identify and evaluate indicators that describe and quantify wetland condition. The EMAP-Wetlands network will represent a probability sample of the total wetland resource. The EMAP sample is based on a triangular grid of approximately 12,600 sample points in the conterminous U.S. The triangular grid adequately samples wetland resources that are common and uniformly distributed in a region, such as the prairie pothole wetlands of the Midwest. However, the design is flexible and allows the base grid density to be increased to adequately sample wetland resources, such as the coastal wetlands of the Gulf of Mexico, which are distributed linearly along the coast. The Gulf sample network required a 49-fold increase in base grid density. EMAP-Wetlands aggregates the 56 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) National Wetland Inventory (NWI) categories (Cowardin et al. 1979) into 12 functionally similar groups (Leibowitz et al. 1991). Both the EMAP sample design and aggregated wetland classes are suitable for global inventory and assessment of wetlands.
Some observations concerning saccadic eye movements.

Abstract Eye movements, made in response to a target that was displaced twice (pulse-step stimuli), were recorded for three observers in order to ascertain the characteristics of the saccadic control system. Five types of pulse-step stimuli were randomly presented to the observers. The results indicate that observers did not always respond to the initial displacement of the target, but sometimes responded only to the target's final position. The percentage of instances in which observers responded to the pulse increased as the duration of the pulse increased from 50 to 200 msec. In those instances when observers responded to both target displacements, the latency of the second saccade was shorter than that of the first. When observera only responded to the target's final position, the latency of the saccade was shorter if the target's final position was in the same direction than if it was in the opposite direction from its initial displacement. These results suggest that there is continuous input of information into the saccadic control system.
A Novel Energy Efficient Process for Ultra-Fine Coal Grinding

This paper presents the results of an experimental study undertaken to demonstrate the feasibility of using silica sand as a grinding media in stirred ball mills for ultra-fine coal grinding. Laboratory butch as well as bench scale continuous tests indicate that when fracturing silica sand is substituted for steel media, then superior energy savings on the order of 50% and more can be realized. Moreover, this approach has been found to eliminate the disadvantages observed with grinding using steel media such as high replacement cost, contamination of coal through media wear, greater degree of coal oxidation due to higher slurry temperature and greater level of noise dissipation. Additionally, coal-sand attrition system reduces the manpower time because steel media after grinding needs precautionary measures to be taken such as thorough cleaning and their storage in inert atmosphere to avoid rust and corrosion problems.
Women seeking emergency contraceptive pills by using the internet.

The objective of this study was to assess barriers and attitudes related to emergency contraception access among women seeking emergency contraceptive pills by using the Internet. Quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews of 200 women seeking emergency contraceptive pills from The Emergency Contraceptive Website were conducted. Main outcome measures included barriers to and attitudes toward emergency contraception access. Participants were predominately white college- educated urban residents. Women most frequently cited structural barriers to obtaining emergency contraceptive pills such as inconvenient office hours. Although women supported advanced prescription of emergency contraceptive pills there was less enthusiasm for nonprescription access because of concerns that others (but not they) would engage in risky sexual behavior. Women valued the consultation with a health professional; 42% stated they would still speak with a clinician even if nonprescription access was available. The Internet as a resource for emergency contraception appears limited to women of high socioeconomic status in our sample. There is a need to address beliefs that increased access to emergency contraception promotes risky sexual behavior because current evidence refutes this concern. Clinicians should still be prepared to discuss emergency contraception with patients despite the fact that emergency contraceptive pills are now available to most (but not all) women without a prescription. (authors modified)
TALKING BACK TO THE MEDIA IDEAL: THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE CRITICAL PROCESSING OF BEAUTY IMAGES SCALE

This article details the development of the Critical Processing of Beauty Images Scale (CPBI) and studies demonstrating the psychometric soundness of this measure. The CPBI measures women's tendency to engage in critical processing of media images featuring idealized female beauty. Three subscales were identified using exploratory factor analysis and confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis. The Fake subscale assesses women's tendency to critique media images of women as being too perfect to be real. The Questioning/Accusing subscale assesses women's tendency to produce direct accusations suggesting that these types of images are harmful to women. The Too Thin subscale assesses the tendency to think models are too thin or eating disordered. Scores on all subscales demonstrated strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Evidence of convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity are presented. The CPBI may be useful in assessing the outcomes of media literacy efforts and explicating rel...
Cushing's Case XLV: Minnie G.

A 23-year-old patient who was examined in 1910 by Harvey Cushing triggered his lifelong interest in the syndrome that bears his name. "Minnie G.," as she became historically known, presented with a "...syndrome of painful obesity, hypertrichosis, and amenorrhea with overdevelopment of secondary sexual characteristics accompanying a low grade of hydrocephalus and increased cerebral tension." This case stimulated Harvey Cushing's inquisitive mind and sparked an interest that 20 years later culminated in his seminal report, "The basophil adenomas of the pituitary gland and their clinical manifestations (pituitary basophilism)." In this classic work, Cushing reported in detail the cases of two patients encountered from his own practice and 10 similar cases collected from the literature. Minnie G. was the first case that Cushing reported. The clinical course of that case is briefly reviewed in this article.
Lipid-Lowering Therapy in Low-Risk Patients

AFCAPS/TexCAPS enters a field crowded by superbly conceived and implemented clinical trials, usually industryfunded but carried out independently by highly skilled teams from academia. AFCAPS/TexCAPS is no exception. However, examination of these clinical trials from the viewpoint of the target populations enrolled, rather than of the end points or interventions used, begins to show consistent evidence across a spectrum of risk in favor of the efficacy of these drugs. The Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study 2 examined the highest-risk group, survivors of coronary artery disease mostly with highly elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. The Cholesterol and Recurrent Events Study 3
Host deprivation influence on response of Rhagoletis pomonella to its oviposition deterring pheromone.

. The response of host-depibved Rhagoletis pomonella Walsh (Diptera, Tephritidae) females to host fruit (Crataegus viridis L.) marked with R.pomonella oviposition deterring pheromone was measured in the laboratory. A positive correlation was found between length of host deprivation (5, 10, 20, 40 or 80 min) and probability of host acceptance (i.e. oviposition) by flies. The results are discussed in relation to current theories on physiological control of insect feeding and oviposition behaviour.
Early shifts in gene expression during chondroinduction of human dermal fibroblasts.

Treatment options for damaged articular cartilage are limited because of that tissue's poor capacity for repair. Possible approaches to this problem are to stimulate cartilage matrix production in situ or to engineer replacement tissue. Both of these approaches would benefit from a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms of chondroblast differentiation. In previous studies, we described a novel in vitro model of postnatal chondroblast differentiation. That model of induced chondrogenesis was used to test the hypothesis that cellular interactions with demineralized bone powder (DBP) would induce specific, early shifts in gene expression, prior to the expression of cartilage matrix genes. Differentially expressed genes were identified by representational difference analysis of human dermal fibroblasts cultured for 3 days with DBP in three-dimensional collagen sponges. Genes that were upregulated by DBP comprised several functional classes, including cytoskeletal elements, protein synthesis and trafficking, and transcriptional regulation. Kinetic analysis of gene expression over 21 days showed that vigilin was transiently upregulated on day 3. In contrast, expression of cartilage signature genes continued to increase. These results are an important step toward complete characterization of the mechanisms by which DBP induces chondroblastic differentiation in postnatal cells.
Hepatitis C trials that combine investigational agents with pegylated interferon should be stratified by interleukin-28B genotype

Note: Letter / Comment on: Hepatology. 2010 Aug;52(2):421-9 Reference EPFL-ARTICLE-165071doi:10.1002/hep.23826 Record created on 2011-04-15, modified on 2016-08-09
Effects of 4-hydroxypyrazolo(3,4-d)pyrimidine upon the catabolism of purines by various tissues of the rat and upon the rate of growth of Morris 5123-C hepatoma.

Abstract 4-Hydroxypyrazolo(3,4-d)pyrimidine (HPP) injected i.p. caused an inhibition of xanthine oxidase activity in the livers and kidneys (but not the spleens) of rats, as measured by catabolism of hypoxanthine-8- 14 C ( in vivo and in vitro ), inosine (8- 14 C)-5'monophosphate ( in vitro ), and xanthine-8- 14 C ( in vitro ). This action of HPP was transient, and there was no evidence of cumulative effects. Administration of HPP in the diet proved as effective as i.p. injection, but again there was no cumulative effect. It caused a decrease in xanthine oxidase activity and an inhibition of purine biosynthesis in host liver and Morris 5123-C hepatoma. No difference in growth rate of the hepatomas or in body weights of rats maintained on control and HPP-containing diets was observed.
Motility and fertility of equine spermatozoa extended in bovine serum albumin and sucrose

Inclusion of either 1 or 3% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA) in 8.6, 10, or 12% sucrose enhanced the maintenance of equine sperm motility in vitro at 38 degrees C for 8 h. There was a trend toward higher percent motile spermatozoa (PMS) at 16 and 24 h of incubation in semen samples containing BSA than in those that did not. The highest concentration of sucrose (12%) was slightly less effective in supporting PMS than either of the lower concentrations. However, sucrose concentrations had no apparent effect on rate of forward movement (RFM) of spermatozoa. Pregnancy and foaling rates were similar for mares inseminated with semen extended in either cream gel or 3% BSA-10% sucrose.
Effectiveness of Liberalized Bag Limits as Management Tools for Altering Northern Pike Population Size Structure

Abstract Management efforts to restructure populations of northern pike Esox lucius consisting of small (<60 cm total length), abundant individuals in small (<200 hectares) Minnesota lakes has focused on removal by trap-netting and promoting angler harvest through liberalized bag limits. Removal by intensive trap-netting was demonstrated to be ineffective in altering northern pike population size structure, and anglers harvested substantially fewer fish than were removed by trap-netting. Unless more anglers begin harvesting more small northern pike, liberalized bag limits hold little promise as a management tool for altering northern pike population size structure in small Minnesota lakes.
Nasal defects and osseointegrated implants: UCLA experience

Abstract A clinical study of 23 craniofacial implants placed in 11 nasal defects was conducted over a 7-year period. Implant-retained nasal prostheses were fabricated, implant success rate was determined, and the soft tissue responses were recorded at 6-month intervals. No data were gathered on two implants because of patient death. The implant success rate was 71.4% ( 15 21 ) but varied significantly by anatomic site. The implant success rate in the glabella was 0% ( 0 4 ), whereas the success rate in the anterior nasal floor was 88.1% ( 15 17 ). All implant failures occurred within the first year of loading. A five-point scale was used to record the health of the peri-implant soft tissues, and the patients were followed up from 6 to 74 months. The unit of measure was a visit/site, and a unit was assigned for each instance an implant site was evaluated. Evaluations were conducted at 6-month intervals for a total of 76 visit/sites for the study period. The results revealed that 85.5% ( 65 76 ) of the visit/sites demonstrated an absence of inflammation; 10.5% ( 8 76 ) of the visit/sites demonstrated slight redness; 1.3% ( 1 76 ) demonstrated peri-implant red and moist tissues; 2.6% ( 2 76 ) demonstrated granulation tissue associated with the implants; and 0% ( 0 76 ) demonstrated infection of the peri-implant soft tissues. Severe soft tissue reactions around implants placed in the anterior nasal floor are rare.
Emotional well-being among adolescents with and without chronic conditions.

Abstract Purpose: To investigate whether adolescents with chronic conditions differ from adolescents without chronic conditions in several psychological outcomes. An additional purpose was to explore whether adolescents with chronic conditions differ as a function of the visibility of their conditions. Methods: By means of the Adolescent Health Survey, 1683 students (grades 7–12) with a variety of chronic conditions were compared with 1650 students without chronic conditions in regard to emotional well-being, worries and concerns, and body image. Differences in emotional well-being were examined as a function of perception of family connectedness. Comparisons were also made between adolescents with visible and invisible conditions. Results: Adolescents with chronic conditions had lower emotional well-being scores, worried more about dying soon and about school or future work, and had poorer body image. For students with and without chronic conditions, higher emotional well-being scores were significantly related to higher levels of family connectedness. The best explanatory variables of emotional well-being were body image, family connectedness, concerns about school and future work, having a disability, and worry about peer relationships, accounting together for 36% of the variance in the outcome variable. No differences were found between adolescents with visible and invisible conditions. Conclusions: Although adolescents with chronic conditions do less well than adolescents without chronic conditions, having a disability is not the most influential factor on emotional well-being. Family connectedness is of fundamental importance for adolescents' emotional health.
Late Phase Eustachian Tube and Nasal Allergic Responses Associated with Inflammatory Mediator Elaboration

Previous work in our laboratories has documented an IgE-mediated functional obstruction of the nose and eustachian tube (ET) immediately after nasal allergen challenge. The goals of this study were...
Band Structure of Beryllium by the Augmented-Plane-Wave Method

The results of an augmented-plane-wave (APW) calculation of hexagonal-close-packed beryllium are presented in the form of the Fermi energy, energy bands which were extended to energies much higher than the Fermi energy, density-of-states curve below the Fermi energy, and electronic specific heat. The crystalline potential used in calculating the energy bands was obtained by superposing self-consistent Hartree-Fock atomic-beryllium potentials on first-, second-, and third-nearest neighbors, and exchange was treated in the Slater free-electron-exchange approximation. The good agreement between the theoretically and experimentally determined Fermi surfaces which was found previously by the author is discussed. The general features of the density-of-states curve for energies below the Fermi energy are in good agreement with the soft-x-ray emission data, and the electronic specific heat coefficient is in reasonable agreement with published experimental results. The energy bands of hcp beryllium and hcp magnesium are discussed by comparing the logarithmic derivatives of their respective wave functions across the respective APW sphere radii. The results of comparing the logarithmic derivatives of beryllium and magnesium are used to emphasize the close connection between orthogonalized-plane-wave and APW methods.
The capacity dilemma: Regulating microfinance in Sri Lanka and Nepal

This article explores how the capacity of government institutions affects microfinance policy implementation by considering the case of microfinance regulation in Sri Lanka and Nepal. Qualitative analysis of these two cases demonstrates that capacity concerns not only can prevent policy from being passed, they can also compromise the effectiveness of ones that have. So while there are many who feel that microfinance can be more effective within a proper legal framework, implementing that framework requires sufficient capacity on the part of state institutions.
Simultaneous nonlinear diffusion of a solvent and organic penetrant in a polymer

We obtain the exact solution of a fairly large class of somewhat simplified problems involving the simultaneous nonlinear Fickian diffusion of a poor solvent and a dilute organic penetrant, such as a plasticizer, in a semi-infinite polymer slab immersed in the solvent bath. Such problems can also provide useful estimates during certain time regimes of release of drugs from implants, and pesticides and pheromones from certain slow or controlled-release polymeric devices, insofar as these are affected by an environmental solvent bath. We assess the effect of various simplifications made (e.g., neglect of the penetrant concentration dependence in the diffusion coefficient, cross diffusion of solvent and penetrant, and a variety of boundary conditions) by solving exactly some additional specialized cases.
What's on the Menu? Evaluating a Food Availability Model with Young‐of‐the‐Year Chinook Salmon in the Feather River, California

Abstract We adapted a salmonid food availability model by Rader to the Feather River in California and evaluated the ability of the model and two alternative measures of invertebrate abundance to predict the diet of young-of-the-year salmonids. We compared the stomach contents of 240 Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha with the model rankings and the taxonomic abundances in the benthos and drift. Rader's model did not adapt well to the Feather River. The model was correlated with the stomach contents of Chinook salmon but not with invertebrate drift, as theorized by the model's conceptual framework. Invertebrate abundance alone was a better indicator of salmonid feeding, and salmonid diet was correlated with both benthic and drift abundances. We urge caution in applying the model to novel regions and taxa without first examining the correlations between the drift and benthos. Observational studies of salmon foraging behavior, coupled with stomach content and invertebrate collections, may provide more ...
3D colonic polyp segmentation using dynamic deformable surfaces

An improved 3D method for colonic polyp segmentation was developed based on previous 2D method. The method is based on combination of 3D knowledge-guided intensity adjustment, fuzzy clustering, and dynamic deformable surfaces. After intensity adjustment and fuzzy clustering, a deformable surface is employed to locate the polyp boundaries. The surface is also dynamically maintained to preserve the resolution and topology. The deformable surface is operated on a sub-volume of the data set and driven by image forces, balloon forces and internal spline forces. Compared to previous 2D method, the improved method produces much smoother polyp boundaries, and 3D features can be derived from the segmentation, such as 3D aspect ratio, curvatures, and polyp wall thickness etc. The computer segmentations were validated with manual segmentations. Preliminary results showed that the average volume overlap percentage among 25 polyp detections was 80.6%.
Parametrization of exact-finite-range distorted-wave Born approximation overlap integral for reactions induced by heavy ions

In a few recent publications, which utilized exact-finite-range distorted-wave Born approximation, we successfully fitted continuum spectra observed in a variety of heavy-ion reactions. In making it feasible to carry out the numerical calculations involved, we found the use of properly parametrized transition amplitudes was very powerful and almost indispensable. In the present article, methods used for this parametrization are explained in detail.
Holistic study of an aquatic microcosm: theoretical and practical implications

The behavior of any system cannot be understood fully unless it is investigated as an intact unit over a range of states. The main task of holistic investigation is to determine the patterns of the set of responses and state transitions of a system and to examine the state space for trends, phases, and thresholds. Small laboratory ecosystems are ideal tools for holistic investigation of ecosystem function because they are replicable and state settable. A small aquatic microcosm was characterized holistically as an example of this approach. Comparison of the nominal behavior of this system with its behavior under various degrees of cadmium stress (1, 10, or 100 ppm Cd) indicated that holistic investigation of such systems is a sensitive and rapid means of assessing stress at the community level of organization.
Effect of Potato Virus S Infection on Late Blight Resistance in Potato

Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans , is a destructive disease of potato. Defender is the only cultivar in the U.S. with foliar and tuber resistance to this disease. However, this cultivar exhibits susceptibility to infection by Potato virus S (PVS) and severe symptoms appeared on leaves after infection with PVS. PVS is widespread in potato fields in the U.S. To investigate potential interactions between P. infestans and PVS, detached leaves of Defender and Ranger Russet (susceptible to late blight), that were either PVS-infected or non-infected, were inoculated with P. infestans BF-05. The amount of sporulation and the extent of lesion expansion on inoculated leaves were measured to estimate late blight severity. When inoculated with P. infestans only, as expected, Defender exhibited discrete, relatively small, dark purple to black hypersensitive reaction-like spots and on an average had twenty times fewer sporangia compared to Ranger Russet. However, in Defender plants infected with PVS, lesion expansion and sporulation increased significantly compared to PVS-free Defender. The increased severity of late blight in PVS-infected Defender suggests that PVS negatively impacts late blight resistance in this cultivar. This study demonstrates that late blight resistance in cultivars to be released should be screened for PVS susceptibility.
Massively-parallel ultra-high-aspect-ratio nanochannels as mesoporous membranes

Many fabrication technologies have been used to build nano/mesoporous materials/filters with a good size control, but the integration of these systems into a microsystem format has been a challenge. Microfabricated nanofilters suffer from small open volume and low-throughput. In this paper, we developed a novel fabrication strategy for generating massively-parallel, regular vertical nanochannel membranes with a uniform, well-controlled gap size of ∼50 nm and a depth up to ∼40 µm, by using only standard semiconductor fabrication techniques. The vertical nanofilter membranes were fabricated into an anisotropic nanofilter array, which demonstrates the ability to integrate nanofilters and micron-sized channels/pores seamlessly. We demonstrated efficient continuous-flow separation of large DNAs and small molecules in a two-dimensional vertical nanochannel array device. These ultra-high-aspect-ratio nanochannels have the advantage of large open volume, enabling high-throughput applications.
Selective detection of individual DNA molecules by capillary polymerase chain reaction.

On-line capillary polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coupled with laser-induced fluorescence detection was successfully demonstrated for individual DNA molecules. A single 30-microm-i.d. fused-silica capillary was used both as the reaction vessel and for isolating single molecules. SYBR green I dye was added into the reaction mixture for dynamic fluorescent labeling. Because of the small inside diameter of the capillary, PCR-amplified DNA fragments from single molecules were localized in the capillary, providing discrete product zones with concentrations at readily detectable levels. By counting the number of peaks in the capillary via electromigration past a detection window, the number of starting DNA molecules could be determined. With selective primer design, only the molecule of interest was detected. Amplification of the 110-bp fragment from an individual human beta-globin gene and the 142-bp fragment from an individual HIV-1 DNA was demonstrated. This opens the possibility of highly selective and sensitive disease diagnosis at a very early stage.
Information display by transcriptional enhancers

Transcriptional enhancers integrate positional and temporal information to regulate the complex expression of developmentally controlled genes. Current models suggest that enhancers act as computational devices, receiving multiple inputs from activators and repressors and resolving them into a single positive or a negative signal that is transmitted to the basal transcriptional machinery. We show that a simple, compact enhancer is capable of representing both repressed and activated states at the same time and in the same nucleus. This finding suggests that closely apposed factor binding sites, situated within compact cis-elements, can be independently interpreted by the transcriptional machinery, possibly through successive enhancer-promoter interactions. These results provide clear evidence that the computational functions usually ascribed to the enhancer itself are actually shared with the basal machinery. In contrast to the autonomous computer model of enhancer function, an information-display or 'billboard' model of enhancer activity may better describe many developmentally regulated transcriptional enhancers.
MG2+, K+-dependent phosphatase activity during seed development in Nicotiana tabacum

Cation-dependent phosphatase activity was followed in developing Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) seeds from pre-pollination to seed maturity. Enzyme activity increased rapidly up to 6 days post-pollination, then dropped off until 13 days after pollination. At 15 days post-pollination, enzyme activity had increased again, and at 17 days post-pollination, it reached its highest level. At 19 days post-pollination (seed maturity) enzyme activity was still 28% higher than that of the pre-pollination stage. Since the two peaks in enzyme activity correlate very highly with endosperm growth (first peak) and embryo growth (second peak), it is suggested that the Mg2+, K+-dependent phosphatase activity detected in this study is associated with the active transport of nutrients to the endosperm and embryo during -seed development. The relatively high amount of enzyme activity remaining in the mature seed may represent a store of transport phosphatase that will be available for immediate use at the time of germination and early seedling growth.
Twisted Multi-Homogeneous Coordinate Rings☆

Abstract Artin and Van den Bergh have constructed noncommutative analogues of the homogeneous coordinate ring of a projective scheme. We generalize their results to the multiprojective setting. Such multi-homogeneous coordinate rings include tensor products of twisted homogeneous coordinate rings as well as their Rees algebras. Finally, we show that these last two examples are noetherian (assuming ampleness conditions) though the coordinate ring in general is not.
Predicting Discordance Between Self-reports of Sexual Behavior and Incident Sexually Transmitted Infections with African American Female Adolescents: Results from a 4-city Study

This study examined correlates of the discordance between sexual behavior self-reports and Incident Sexually Transmitted Infections. African American adolescent females (N = 964) from four U.S. cities were recruited for an HIV/STI prevention trial. Self-reported sexual behaviors, demographics, and hypothesized psychosocial antecedents of sexual risk behavior were collected at baseline, 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-up assessments. Urine specimens were collected and tested for three prevalent STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomonas) at each assessment. Seventeen percent of participants with a laboratory-confirmed STI reported either lifetime abstinence or recent abstinence from vaginal sex (discordant self-report). Lower STI knowledge, belief that fewer peers were engaging in sex, and belief that more peers will wait until marriage to have sex were associated with discordant reports. Discordance between self-reported abstinence and incident STIs was marked among African American female adolescents. Lack of STI knowledge and sexual behavior peer norms may result in underreporting of sexual behaviors.
Exploiting amyloid fibril lamination for nanotube self-assembly.

Fundamental questions about the relative arrangement of the β-sheet arrays within amyloid fibrils remain central to both its structure and the mechanism of self-assembly. Recent computational analy...
Skin reactivity to purified pollen allergens in highly ragweed-sensitive individuals

Abstract Five hundred twenty-five atopic patients were skin tested over a 12-mo period to several crude allergens with a puncture skin-testing technique utilizing a bifurcated needle originally developed for smallpox immunization. Of these, 122 were highly allergic to short ragweed pollen and were subsequently tested with a series of purified grass and ragweed allergens. Data of their skin reactivity to these allergens is presented, and the phenomenon that each patient has a unique "allergic fingerprint" to purified pollen allergens is shown. The puncture technique showed good correlation with quantitative intradermal skin titration and offered a definite advantage, because many allergens could be rapidly and accurately assayed with good patient compliance.
Bandwidth limits for lossless planar arrays over ground plane

Maximum bandwidth limits are developed for lossless planar arrays over a ground plane through use of Fano's broadband impedance matching method and Richards' transformation. It is demonstrated that such an array cannot exceed 8.3:1 bandwidth without material loading (for VSWR'2). It is also demonstrated that an additional dielectric superstrate layer can provide up to 12.1:1 bandwidth, without magnetic or lossy substrates. A simple analytic expression for the maximum bandwidth is given as a function of impedance mismatch (VSWR) and substrate material parameters. The dependence of bandwidth on aperture complexity is quantified, showing that a simple first-order aperture has a bandwidth limit of 5:1, without material loading.
Efficient and precise computation of Bessel function integrals

Abstract A gaussian quadrature method is used to obtain precise values of important Bessel function integrals. The function is characterized in terms of the number of quadrature points that are required to obtain a specified precision.
Framing Foreign Policy Alternatives in the Inner Circle: President Carter, His Advisors, and the Struggle for the Arms Control Agenda

This article examines strategic framing efforts within the president's inner circle of foreign policy advisors. The comparative case study method is used to describe and explain the framing process involved in President Jimmy Carter's arms control decisions with respect to the Soviet Union. Carter's two central foreign policy advisors, National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, portrayed the Soviets in very different terms. The premise underlying this study is that advisors attempt to frame their policy preferences favorably in order to influence the group process and the president's policy choice. Advisors do so by playing up the positive aspects of an option and downplaying any negative aspects. Three components of the framing process are explored: historical/cultural symbolism, personal beliefs and values, and political cost assessments. Language: en