cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
331 Metastatic and locally recurrent Hepatoblastoma (HB) problems of diagnosis and the role of surgery—results from the siopel I study

In the SIOPEL I Study for Hepatoblastoma and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in children 155 cases of Hepatoblastoma (HB) and 40 cases of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) were accrued from Jan 1990–Febr 1994. 20% of children with hepatoblastoma and 28% of children with hepatocellular carcinoma presented with lung metastases. According to protocol all were treated by pre-operative chemotherapy with 6 courses of PLADO (Cis Platinum 80 mg 2 /over 24 hours and Doxorubin 60 mg 2 /over 48 hours) and delayed surgery of the primary tumour. In Hepatoblastoma complete resection of the primary tumour was achieved in 60% of the patients and the overall survival is 68% (compared to 86% in non metastatic patients) at 18 months. So far in this group 3 patients have had surgery for lung metastases and 2 for local recurrence. 2 of the 3 with lung surgery are alive with NED—1 died (cause at present not known). 1 has had surgery for local recurrence and is alive with slightly raised αFP. The other at present is lost to follow up. The data above will be updated and examined in more detail. Patients with hepatocarcinoma are also being similarly evaluated.
Graduate students as surrogates for managers in experiments on business decision making

Abstract Most laboratory research in business has used graduate or undergraduate business students as subjects. These subjects have been assumed to be suitable surrogates for business managers and, therefore, the experimental results should be applicable to real businesses. This experiment compared the decision making of line managers no lower than second level with that of students with no managerial experience. The level of educational achievement was held constant between the two groups. There were no significant differences between these two groups in making production scheduling decisions.
A (Truly) Local Broadcast Layer for Unreliable Radio Networks

In this paper, we implement an efficient local broadcast service for the dual graph model, which describes communication in a radio network with both reliable and unreliable links. Our local broadcast service offers probabilistic latency guarantees for: (1) message delivery to all reliable neighbors (i.e., neighbors connected by reliable links), and (2) receiving some message when one or more reliable neighbors are broadcasting. This service significantly simplifies the design and analysis of algorithms for the otherwise challenging dual graph model. To this end, we also note that our solution can be interpreted as an implementation of the abstract MAC layer specification---therefore translating the growing corpus of algorithmic results studied on top of this layer to the dual graph model. At the core of our service is a seed agreement routine which enables nodes in the network to achieve "good enough" coordination to overcome the difficulties of unpredictable link behavior. Because this routine has potential application to other problems in this setting, we capture it with a formal specification---simplifying its reuse in other algorithms. Finally, we note that in a break from much work on distributed radio network algorithms, our problem definitions (including error bounds), implementation, and analysis do not depend on global network parameters such as the network size, a goal which required new analysis techniques. We argue that breaking the dependence of these algorithms on global parameters makes more sense and aligns better with the rise of ubiquitous computing, where devices will be increasingly working locally in an otherwise massive network. Our push for locality, in other words, is a contribution independent of the specific radio network model and problem studied here.
DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS OF TIME VARIANT DISCRETE FOURIER TRANSFORM ORDER TRACKING

Several of the common order tracking methods for solving noise and vibration problems of rotating machinery are reviewed. These methods include the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and resampling based order tracking algorithms. The time variant discrete Fourier transform (TVDFT) is developed as a new and alternative order tracking method. This method contains many advantages which the current order tracking methods do not possess. The TVDFT has the advantage of being very computationally efficient as well as the ability to minimise leakage errors. The basic TVDFT method may also be extended to a more complex method through the use of an orthogonality compensation matrix which can separate closely spaced orders as well as separate the contributions of crossing orders. The basic TVDFT is a combination of the FFT and the resampling based methods, a special case of the chirp-z transform. This method can be formulated in several different manners, one of which will give results matching the resampling based methods very closely. Both analytical and experimental data are used to establish the behavioural characteristics of this new method.
Financial performance patterns of new corporate ventures: an alternative to traditional measures☆

Abstract This paper describes some of the limitations involved in using traditional performance measures to evaluate new ventures and suggests an alternative. We argue that the use of traditional performance measures in the new venture setting can produce misdirected decision making by managers and misleading model development by researchers. The traditional performance measures evaluated are return on investment, cashflow, market share gain, and returns to stockholders. The alternative performance measured presented is based upon an evaluation of patterns of improvement in return on investment across time. These patterns of performance are mapped using regression analysis. Return on investment is regressed against time, and the parameters of the resulting models' parameters are themselves used as performance measures. The beta-coefficient (β) is used to measure the overall rate of change in financial performance from year to year and the coefficient of determination (r 2 ) is used to measure the predictability of change. To combine the information available in each of these parameters into a single variable, we multiply β by r 2 and call the result “V.” Thus, V is a measure of the velocity of improvement in financial performance across time adjusted for the level of variability in the performance trend. Much work remains to be done that could substantially improve the usefulness of V to managers and researchers. More sophisticated approaches than the one used here might include weighting either β or r 2 to fit the particular goal orientation of a given management team. Other model parameters might be used in conjunction with, or in place of, β or r 2 to increase or improve the information captured in V. Measures of financial performance other than return on investment (ROI) could also be used as the basis of calculating V. Even in its current simple form, however, V appears to be a useful performance measure. In 87 of 112 NCVs studied, V provided a useful summary of the pattern of performance's development. In 25 of 112 cases, there were important characteristics of performance that could not be captured by V. The most important managerial implication of V entails the shift to evaluating a new venture on the basis of its progress toward a desirable end rather than on the end itself. This provides a logical means of evaluating the financial performance of a new venture at an earlier time than would be possible otherwise.
Tissue-specific DNase I-sensitive sites of the maize P gene and their changes upon epimutation

A map has been developed of nuclease-hypersensitive sites of P-rr, the standard allele of the P-locus of Zea mays L. Using a traditional DNase I assay, eight such sites have been found that are specific for the expressing tissue and span a region of more than 25 kb of the P-locus, making it one of the largest plant genes yet described. The maps of the standard allele have also been compared with the recently described moderately stable P-pr allele, which arose from epimutation. Six of the eight sites exhibit the same tissue-specificity in P-pr plants, while two stay repressed as in non-expressing tissues of plants with the standard allele. Interestingly, the two repressed sites coincide with two hypermethylated restriction sites that have previously been correlated with the expression potential of the P-pr allele. On the other hand, four of the DNase I sites, coinciding with CpG islands that were not hypermethylated by the epimutation, also showed no differences in their sensitivity to DNase I between the standard allele and the P-pr allele. This suggests that the epimutation affects both site-specific methylation changes and a specific local chromatin structure of the P gene involved in its regulation.
Social Group Work Practice: An Evidence-Based Approach

As treatments for different client groups have evolved, group therapy has grown in popularity. Evidence-based practices have expanded their range to the treatment of different clientele and specifi...
Facile synthesis of unsymmetrical 9-phospha- and 9-arsafluorenes

Unsymmetrical 9-chloro-9-phosphafluorenes (dibenzophospholes) and 9-chloro-9-arsafluorenes (dibenzoarsoles) have been obtained by simple thermolysis of m-terphenyldichlorophosphines and -arsines in close to quantitative yields. The reaction temperatures are about 200 degrees C for the phosphines and 140 degrees C for the arsine, and the reactions are complete within 5 min. Alternatively, these compounds can be synthesized through an AlCl3-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts type ring-closure reaction at low temperatures, but this method suffers from difficult workup procedures. The P(As)-Cl functionality is readily alkylated. Methylation of m-xylyl derivative 4 afforded 1-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)-6,8,9-trimethyl-9-phosphafluorene, 11. The latter compound formed the complexes 11 x Fe(CO)4, 12, and 11 x RuCl2(eta(6)-p-cymene), 13, indicating its good donor properties. The new compounds have been characterized by 1H, 13C{1H}, and 31P{1H} NMR spectroscopy; mass spectrometry; and single-crystal X-ray crystallography in the case of 11, 12, and 13.
An ecological survey of the Royal Karnali-Bardia Wildlife Reserve, Nepal. Part II: Habitat/animal interactions

The habitat utilisation by ungulates in a newly created tiger sanctuary of the southwestern Nepalese Terai is analysed. While most of the Royal Karnali-Bardia Wildlife Reserve is covered by a rather homogeneous belt of moist subtropical deciduous forest, one section of the reserve supported a wide variety of habitat types. In this area, flood plain, savannah, and several riverine forest associations intergraded with stands of the dominant Shorea robusta forest. Free-living mammals responded to this ecological heterogeneity, permitting an analysis of habitat preferences by the following species: chital Axis axis, nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, hog deer Axis porcinus, barking deer Muntiacus muntjak, swamp deer Cervus duvauceli, sambar Cervus unicolor, and two primate species, common langur Presbytis entellus, and rhesus monkeys Macaca mulatta. Differences in feeding and anti-predator strategies offered a degree of ecological separation between most of the ungulates studied. Changes in plant distribution and phenology affected ungulate food habits, energy budgets, movements, and seasonal distribution. A special feeding relationship between certain ungulates and langur and rhesus monkeys was observed. The sambar, an ungulate capable of exploiting a feeding niche in continuous climax forest, appears to be best adapted to the habitat types which dominate most of Karnali-Bardia, while only 30% of the reserve could be considered prime habitat for the chital, the most abundant grazing ungulate in the reserve. Proposals to improve habitat conditions for grazing ungulates through an experimental programme integrating controlled burns, water hole development, and the creation of openings in continuous climax forest are examined.
TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT CREEP BUCKLING OF PLATES

Time-dependent lateral deflection of flat rectangular plates is predicted by the Norton-Bailey (Norton 1929, Bailey 1935) power law for material creep. The plates have a through-thickness steady-state temperature distribution, and the effects are considered by using Maxwell's law to modify the power creep law. Equations are derived for creep exponents of 3 and 5, using the sandwich plate element to predict creep buckling of plates. Predictions of creep buckling with a temperature variation between the inner and outer plate surfaces are found to be somewhat dependent on the creep buckling relationship assumed. When significant scatter justifies a variation in the creep constants up to an order of magnitude, discrepancies in predictions using the two exponents are reasonable, and for one engineering material, the predictions have the same degree of agreement with experimental data as have the respective creep laws.
High aspect-ratio holographic photoresist gratings.

Holographic gratings with periods as small as 700 nm, rectangular profiles with linewidths of <120 nm, and depths of 1.2 μm (aspect ratio of 10) have been formed using positive photoresist on Si substrates and visible laser exposure (488 nm). Similar aspect ratios have been achieved at a 400-nm period using 334-nm exposing radiation. A simple exposure and development model, which accounts for the large aspect ratios and predicts the grating fabrication limits, is presented.
Laboratory stabilization/solidification of tank sludges: GAAT, OHF, and combined tank sets.

Abstract Highly radioactive, mixed-waste sludges that have been collected at Oak Ridge over several decades are being combined for treatment and disposal. Stabilization of the sludges in the different tank sets was tested prior to the proposed combination and treatment. This paper, which follows a previous article on the Melton Valley Storage Tank/Bethel Valley Evaporator Storage Tank set, documents the testing of the Gunite and Associated Tank and Old Hydrofracture Facility tank sets, as well as the combined sludges of all the Oak Ridge National Laboratory tank sets; the third paper on this subject will discuss efforts to maximize the sludge loading. The grout formulations were tested in the laboratory with surrogates. A wet-sludge loading of 60 wt% resulted in strong wasteforms with no free water and gave a volume increase of about 30–40 vol%. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act metals included in the surrogate testing were silver, cadmium, chromium, lead, selenium, thallium, zinc, and mercury. The grout formulations stabilized these metals within the Universal Treatment Standards limits. In addition, a grout leachability index of about 10.0–12.0 was measured for both 85Sr and 137Cs, meeting the recommended requirement of >6.0.
Evidence for transsynaptic regulation of neuronal cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan in developing rat superior cervical ganglion.

The effect of neonatal deafferentation on the expression of a neuronal cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HeS-PG) was investigated in the developing rat superior cervical ganglion. Two monoclonal antibodies, one directed against the core protein of HeS-PG, and one to a determinant associated with a heparan sulfate side-chain, were used to monitor postnatal increases of HeS-PG by ra-dioiminunoassay. Following neonatal deafferentation by section of the cervical sympathetic trunk, total protein per ganglion was slightly reduced at survival times of 7, 14, and 30 days. Expression of the core protein determinant on HeS-PG was not altered in deafferented ganglia. In contrast, levels of side-chain determinant were significantly reduced at 14 and 30 days. These results suggest that processing of HeS-PG side-chains by principal ganglionic neurons is partially regulated by transsynaptic influences during development. Transsynaptic regulation of neuronal development may be a more general process than was believed previously, with effects not limited to molecules associated with synaptic development.
Correlations Between Electrical Properties and Solid-State Reactions in Co/N-GaAs Contacts: A Bulk and Thin-Film Study

A fundamental and comprehensive approach has been taken to study Co//GaAs interfacial reactions, using phase diagram determination, bulk and thin-film diffusion couple studies, and electrical characterization. Phase formation sequences and interfacial morphologies are found to be similar in bulk and thin-film couples. Thermodynamic and kinetic analyses are used to rationalize the contact formations. The electrical properties of the contacts are correlated to the phase formation sequences and phase diagram information.
Bounds for energies of radial lithium.

This article presents the first application of a new method for lower bounds to eigenvalues of operators of the kind that describe the energies of atoms and ions. We consider radial models of these atoms and carry out a detailed analysis for radial lithium. The calculations yield the required displacement of essential spectra and give lower bounds where all other methods fail.
Synthesis and biological activity of galanthamine derivatives as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors

Abstract The syntheses of several ester and carbamate derivatives of galanthamine are described. These compounds are potential therapeutic agents in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The inhibition of cortical acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by these drug candidates with different side chains was investigated. Side chain length as well as branching affected the AChE inhibitory activity. Esters were generally less effective than carbamates.
Cervical competence as a continuum: A study of ultrasonographic cervical length and obstetric performance

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the hypothesis that cervical competence is a continuum that is related to cervical length and is reflected by pregnancy history. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was performed of cervical length measured by transvaginal ultrasonography in women with prior preterm delivery at ≤ 26 weeks, 27 to 32 weeks, and 33 to 35 weeks compared with women with cervical incompetence and normal controls delivered at term. RESULTS: Transvaginal cervical length was measured during pregnancy in 32 subjects with cervical incompetence, 98 with previous preterm birth ≤ 26 weeks, 98 with previous preterm birth at 27 to 32 weeks, 127 with previous preterm birth at 33 to 35 weeks, and 106 normal controls. The relationship between obstetric history and cervical length was evaluated by analysis of variance. The gestational age at the first preterm delivery was significantly correlated with cervical length in the current pregnancy at each gestational interval between 20 and 30 weeks in a continuous manner. CONCLUSION: Cervical competence is a continuous rather than categoric variable and is indicated indirectly by measurement of the length of the cervix.
Effect of isoflurane on endothelin-1 mediated airway smooth muscle contraction.

Abstract Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is an endogenously produced 21 amino acid peptide that can cause significant airway smooth muscle (ASM) constriction. Volatile anesthetics e.g. isoflurane, can attenuate ASM constriction. This investigation was undertaken to study the direct effects of isoflurane, at a clinically relevant dose, on endothelin-induced constriction in rat trachea. Five Sprague–Dawley female rats (weight 325–350 g) were euthanized. Four 2–3 mm rings were excised from the mid portion of the trachea, attached to a force transducer for isometric measurement, and were then suspended in jacketed baths containing 37°C KH solution, bubbled with 95% O 2 and 5% CO 2 . Carbachol dose-response curves (10 −8 –10 −4 M ) were obtained to establish the maximal contractility (C max ) for each tracheal ring. Carbachol was then washed out of the bath solution until the tissue tension returned to the baseline. Subsequently, ET-1 dose response curves (3–200 n M ) were generated in the absence (ET-1, control) and in the presence of 2% isoflurane. Our data suggests that isoflurane at 2% concentration, attenuated ET-1 induced tracheal contraction at 100 and 200 n M concentrations by 20%. This is the first demonstration indicating that, at a clinically relevant dose, isoflurane depresses ET-1 induced ASM constriction.
In vitro biosynthesis of oöthecal sclerotization agents from tyrosine by haemolymph of Periplaneta Americana

Abstract Whole haemolymph of the adult female American cockroach was homogenized in distilled water and the extract subjected to column chromatography on Sepharose-6B. The partially purified enzyme, when incubated with the appropriate cofactors, was capable of catalyzing several reactions. With pyridoxal-phosphate and NAD but without the addition of copper, l -14C(U)-tyrosine was metabolized to tyramine, octopamine, p- hydroxymandelic acid, p- hydroxybenzaldehyde , p- hydroxybenzylalcohol , p- hydroxybenzoic acid, p- hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid, p- hydroxyphenylacetic acid, p- hydroxyphenyllactic acid, and p- hydroxyphenylpropionic acid. The major metabolites of l -2′-14C-tyramine were octopamine, p- hydroxymandelic acid and p- hydroxybenzoic acid. Further experiments using the crude homogenate and unlabeled substrates showed that octopamine was metabolized to p- hydroxymandelic acid and that it produced p- hydroxybenzaldehyde , p- hydrosybenzoic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (protocatechuic acid). These results suggest the following pathway exists for the synthesis of protocatechuic acid: tyrosine → tyramine → octopamine → p- hydroxymandelic acid → p- hydroxyphenylglyoxylic acid and/or p- hydroxybenzylalcohol → p- hydroxybenzaldehyde → p- hydroxybenzoic acid→protocatechuic acid. Hydroxylation of the p- hydroxy compounds occurred in the presence of copper but at different rates. The initial transamination and/or deamination of tyrosine to the p- hydroxypyruvate is apparently not instrumental in the synthesis of protocatechuic acid although the results of this investigation do not offer conclusive evidence concerning this question.
DRYING OF SOLVENT COATED POLYMER FILMS

ABSTRACT The ability to predict the drying behavior of coating is of great importance to the coating industry. For this purpose, the model developed by Vrentas and Vrentas has been used to predict the concentration profile as well as the thickness and the temperature change of the polymer film as a function of time. The model incorporates the coupling between heat and mass transfer and diffusion induced convection which occurs when a single layer of a binary polymer solution is dried in a convection heated oven. The model was solved numerically by using the finite difference approximation and it was applied to the well characterized polyvinylacetate(PVAC)-toluene system. The effects of operating conditions on
Captopril cardioplegia on myocardial protection in the hypertrophied rat hearts

Abstract Hearts with pressure-overload hypertrophy show an increased intracardiac activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) which may contribute to myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury. This study investigates whether the hypertrophied myocardium is more vulnerable to ischemia and reperfusion injury and whether the specific inhibition of the cardiac RAS by captopril would modify ischemia and reperfusion injury in the hypertrophied myocardium. By using the isolated working rat heart model, hypertrophied hearts, induced by abdominal aortic banding for 6 weeks, were subjected to 120 min of hypothermic ischemic arrest followed by 30 min of reperfusion. The postischemic cardiac function recovery was measured in both the untreated ( n = 10) and the captopril-treated ( n = 11) groups and was compared with that of the sham-operated non-hypertrophied control hearts ( n = 10). Captopril (23.0 μM) was given to one group with the hypertrophied hearts from the beginning of ischemia to the end of reperfusion. In comparison with the normal control hearts, the cardiac function recovery after 30 min reperfusion was poorer in the hypertrophied hearts, which was associated with a lower recovery of coronary flow (CF), a higher myocardial lactate content and a retarded peak myocardial creatinkinase (CK) release. Captopril significantly improved the cardial function recovery, which was associated with an increased CF recovery and a lower myocardial lactate content, and a rapid peak CK release. In conclusion, this study shows that the hypertrophied myocardium leads to an increased susceptibility to ischemia and reperfusion injury. Captopril, most likely by its inhibition of the cardiac RAS, is effective in preventing the ischemia and reperfusion injury in the hypertrophied heart.
Isolation and identification of avian leukosis viruses: a review.

Avian leukosis virus (ALV) is the most common naturally occurring avian retrovirus that can cause a variety of neoplastic disease conditions in chickens. In addition to causing neoplasia, ALV is known to be associated with reduced productivity and other production problems in affected flocks. Biological and molecular assays for the detection of ALV are very useful in identification and classification of new isolates, safety testing of vaccines and in testing pathogen-free and other breeder flocks for freedom of virus infection. However, such assays are not particularly helpful in the diagnosis of virus-induced neoplastic disease of poultry, as avian oncogenic viruses are widespread and infection in the absence of tumor formation is common. Current technology based on molecular and antigenic characteristics of the virus is being used to develop more sensitive and specific procedures for isolation and identification of ALV. This review is primarily focused on the discussion of current technology most common...
A Simple Synthesis of Oxetanes

WE would like to report a simple method of synthesizing oxetanes. Oxetanes have generally been prepared by a multi-step procedure involving the basic elimination of a halide or acyl radical. The syntheses are involved, and yields are low to fair. Our methods consists of dissolving a diol in a mineral acid, introducing the mixture into a heated solution of base, and distilling off the cyclic ether produced.
Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms: Spectrums of MDCT and MRI appearances

Poster: "ECR 2012 / C-1591 / Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms: Spectrum of MDCT and MRI appearances" by: "A. Osborne, K. Conlan, P. Ridgway, R. Browne; Dublin/IE"
360 CARDIAC DEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF PROSTAGLANDIN D 2 (PGD 2 ) IN AWAKE LAMBS 2 TO 32 DAYS OLD

Cardiac and systemic pressor effects of PGD2 are variable in previous reports utilizing animals pretreated with pentobarbital paralysis and indomethacin. To test PGD2 effects without other drugs, 16 lambs were operated at <24 hours to ligate the ductus arteriosis and to place catheters in the aorta, pulmonary artery (PA), left atrium (LA) and inferior vena cava (IVC) and a flow transducer around the main PA. Vascular and cardiac effects of PGD2 at 0.1, 1, and 10 ug/kg × 1 min on aortic (SAP), PA and LA pressure (PAP, LAP), cardiac output (CO), heart rate (HR) and systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance (SVR, PVR) were studied during normoxia (N) and hypoxia (H) at ages 2.5, 11.4 and 25.5 days. PGD2 had age and oxygen related pulmonary vasodepressor effects. SAP and SVR increased from 5 to 20 mmHg (p<.05-.0001) at all doses and ages, under both N and H. HR and cardiac output fell at all doses. At 10 ug/kg/min: PGD2 in intact unanesthetized lambs is a pressor and depresses cardiac function, perhaps reflexly. Neither age nor hypoxemia alters the response, unlike pulmonary vascular changes. Thus, interactions of PGD2 with other drugs alter cardiac and systemic circulatory resonses. Ill infants treated with combinations of barbiturates, indomethacin and/or paralytic agents may exhibit quite variable responses if also treated with PGD2.
Stationary persistent time series misspecified as nonstationary arima

Long-memory processes, such as Autoregressive Fractionally Integrated Moving-Average processes—ARFIMA—are likely to lead the observer to make serious misspecification errors. Nonstationary ARFIMA processes can easily be misspecified as ARIMA models, thus confusing a fractional degree of integration with an integer one. Stationary persistent ARFIMA processes can be misspecified as nonstationary ARIMA models, thus leading to a serious increase of out-of-sample forecast errors. In this paper, we discuss three prototypical misspecification cases and derive the corresponding increase in mean square forecasting error for different lead times.
Selective site pacing: Rationale and practical application

Although it has become traditional to place permanent pacemaker leads at the right ventricular apex and right atrial appendage, pacing from these locations poorly mimics normal physiology. A growing evidence base shows that right ventricular apical pacing results in ventricular dyssynchrony and various adverse effects. Provocative data from early trials suggest that pacing from alternate sites in the right ventricle—His bundle pacing, para-Hisian pacing, septal right ventricular outflow tract pacing, and right ventricular midseptal pacing—may lead to improved results. Similarly, early data suggest that right atrial pacing near Bachmann’s bundle may lead to superior outcomes when compared with pacing from the right atrial appendage. Several large-scale, randomized clinical trials are now under way to establish the future role of selective site pacing.
History and Vulnerability: A Response to Levene and Furey

The articles by N. Levene (writing on St. Anselm's Proslogion) and C. Furey (on Thomas More's Utopia) in this volume offer a nuanced critical perspective on historicist tendencies in the study of religion. While insisting on the importance of seeing primary texts as embedded in their historical context, both propose that scholars simultaneously seek to maintain an element of openness and vulnerability to the voices of the past. This can serve as a counterweight to the typical historicist strategy of debunking and unmasking the past's pretensions to authoritative discourse.
Phonological facilitation of object naming in agrammatic and logopenic primary progressive aphasia (PPA)

Phonological processing deficits are characteristic of both the agrammatic and logopenic subtypes of primary progressive aphasia (PPA-G and PPA-L). However, it is an open question which substages of phonological processing (i.e., phonological word form retrieval, phonological encoding) are impaired in these subtypes of PPA, as well as how phonological processing deficits contribute to anomia. In the present study, participants with PPA-G (n = 7), participants with PPA-L (n = 7), and unimpaired controls (n = 17) named objects as interfering written words (phonologically related/unrelated) were presented at different stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) of 0, +100, +300, and +500 ms. Phonological facilitation (PF) effects (faster naming times with phonologically related interfering words) were found for the controls and PPA-L group only at SOA = 0 and +100 ms. However, the PPA-G group exhibited protracted PF effects (PF at SOA = 0, +100, and +300 ms). These results may reflect deficits in phonological encoding in PPA-G, but not in PPA-L, supporting the neuropsychological reality of this substage of phonological processing and the distinction between these two PPA subtypes.
Extraction of graphic primitives from images of paper based line drawings

A typical paper based document consists of regions of text, graphics, and halftone images. Developing algorithms for automating the input of such documents is the goal of this research. The scope of this paper is the design of algorithms to process raster oriented binary images of paper based graphics to obtain vector oriented description files. The image is preprocessed to suppress noise and other digitization artifacts. The graphical components are then represented as a union of maximal squares using the maximal square moving algorithm. The pointers describing the connectivity of the maximal squares are analyzed to generate a linked list of squares. Straight line segments, curves, junctions, and large areas are then identified after extensive processing of this linked list. The output of the algorithm is a graphics description file which is then used as input to a graphics recognition system.
Molecular Diagnosis in Head and Neck: What a Surgical Pathologist Must Know

Molecular alterations in tumors have become interesting targets both for diagnostic and for therapeutic and prognostic applications in tumor pathology. In the head and neck, there are a variety of different alterations, encompassing all the different types of genetic events associated with carcinogenesis. This paper reviews three different types of tumors that display a spectrum of genetic alterations: the translocation in Mucoepidermoid carcinoma, Epstein Barr virus association in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and the HRPT2 tumor suppressor gene in parathyroid carcinoma. Basic histology is reviewed and the genetic alterations are discussed, along with a brief discussion of potential diagnostic implications.
A note on a confidence interval for an interclass mean

An exact confidence interval for an interclass mean, that is, the mean of a composite sample made up several subsamples of unequal sizes ni, is presented.
Aqueous cigarette tar extracts damage human alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor.

Abstract The elastase inhibitory capacity (EIC) of human alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (α 1 PI) is severely compromised by aqueous cigarette tar extract (ACTE). An aqueous extract of the tar from two cigarettes causes a loss of EIC of at least 60% in 24 h at 37°C (pH 7.4) and the damaging capability of the ACTE is retained for many hours. Hydrogen peroxide appears to be an essential component of the mechanism by which ACTE damages α 1 PI, since catalase substantially protects α 1 PI from ACTE-mediated damage. Only mild protection is offered by 10 mM diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, indicating only a minor role for transition metal ions in the α 1 PI-damaging process. Hydroxyl radicals are unlikely agents of α 1 PI damage in the ACTE system, as judged from hydroxyl radical scavenger studies. Ascorbate and various thiols offer protection to different degrees, dependent on the incubation conditions. Of several amino acids tested, cysteine and methionine (but not methionine sulfoxide) are the only two that protect α 1 PI. We suggest that components of cigarette smoke particulate matter extracted into the aqueous lung fluid environment may cause local deficiencies in α 1 PI in smokers' lungs.
Studies on the mechanisms of L-dopa-induced depletion of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the mouse brain

Abstract The administration of L-dopa to mice causes an increase in the brain concentrations of dopa and dopamine which is related temporally to a reduction in the brain concentration of 5HT. These effects occur concurrently with a reduction in the conversion of intravenously administered 3 H-tryptophan to 3 H-5HT without an alteration in the accumulation of 3 H-tryptophan in the brain. The L-dopa-induced changes in the brain concentrations of dopa, dopamine and 5HT are not altered by pretreatment with drugs (imipramine, chlorimipramine, benztropine, cocaine) which inhibit the neuronal uptake of amines. Current evidence suggests that L-dopa is decarboxylated in 5HT neurons to dopamine, which displaces 5HT from intraneuronal storage sites.
Mechanisms of cyclic strain hardening in Ni3Al+B single crystals

Abstract The evolution of dislocation substructures and their correlation with strees response in Ni 3 Al+B single crystals fatigued at room temperature has been studied. Fatigue was conducted at total-strain amplitudes of 0.05–0.2%. Cyclic strain hardening and a tension/compression flow stress asymmetry were observed. The magnitude of stress asymmetry was found to depend on the applied cyclic strain. A dislocation structure composed of jogged superdislocations and superdislocation dipoles was observed. The dislocation dipoles were mainly formed by nonconservative of jogged superdislocations. Dragging of jogs, interaction between dislocations, and impedance of dislocation motion by dislocation dipoles (point defect clusters) are considered to be the major contributors to cyclic strain hardening in Ni 3 Al+B single crystals. The separation between superpartial dislocations of a paired superdislocation was found to fluctuate away from the equilibrium spacing during cyclic straining. The extent of the fluctuation became more pronounced as the applied cyclic strain increased. This phenomenon was intimately related to the cyclic-strain dependence of tension/compression flow stress asymmetry found in fatigued Ni 3 Al+B single crystals.
Managing Drug Interactions With Oral Contraceptives

An increasing concern to nurses is the possibility of drug interactions involving oral contraceptives. Information regarding the mechanisms, significance, and management of drug interactions with oral contraceptives is provided. Approaches to counseling patients also are discussed.
Sourceless Abelian gauge strings

An Abelian gauge theory is investigated in the limit of vanishing Higgs fields. Exact, nonperturbative solutions are found which signal the presence of structureless gauge strings. These solutions may be static or time-dependent, but the time-dependent solution varies exponentially with field energy and momentum flowing radially inward toward the gauge string.
Mechanical properties and microstructures of Al-1%Si thin film metallizations

Abstract The microstructures and mechanical properties of Al-1%Si thin film metallizations annealed at temperatures ranging from 250 to 500 °C and then chemically removed from their substrates were evaluated at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy revealed significant grain growth throughout the temperature range studied. The calculated activation energy for grain growth agrees well with previously reported values for the activation energy for aluminum self-diffusion along grain boundaries. The mechanical properties were evaluated under biaxial stress conditions using a testing device that provided reproducible stress-strain diagrams. Increasing grain size leads to an overall decrease in the tensile strength and plastic flow stress at a given strain. Details of the sample preparation, testing equipment and experimental procedure are presented, and the results are discussed in terms of microstructure-property relationships.
A Study of Adducts Involving Dimethyl Sulfide Radical Cations and Methyl Halides: Experiment, Density Functional Theory, and Unimolecular Kinetic Modeling. 2c−3e Bonding vs Hydrogen Bonding

An experimental study of the ion/molecule association reactions in mixtures of methyl halide and dimethyl sulfide has been performed. MS/MS metastable and collision-induced dissociation experiments were performed on each [C3H9SX]•+ association product (X = I, Br, Cl, F) in order to determine structural conformations and to investigate reaction fragmentation pathways. For X = I, Br, and Cl, a two-center three-electron atomic connectivity for the association adduct giving the following structure [CH3X∴S(CH3)2]+ was observed. For X = F, the data suggests an F−H−S-bonded association adduct, [CH2F−H−S(CH3)2]•+. Kinetic energy release distributions were measured for metastable products whenever possible. Furthermore, density functional theory and unimolecular kinetic modeling were carried out to further probe the potential energy surfaces of these radical cations.
The potential impact of natural gas deregulation on manufacturers: A note on a case study for South Carolina

Abstract Using an input-output model, a methodology is developed for analyzing the potential effect on profit margins of manufacturing firms under the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978. Using South Carolina data, we find that only under the extreme case of a 1985 price for natural gas of $9/MCF is there a potential for a wide range of industries and large numbers of employees to be adversely affected.
Septin GTPases spatially guide microtubule organization and plus end dynamics in polarizing epithelia

Establishment of epithelial polarity requires the reorganization of the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton from a radial array into a network positioned along the apicobasal axis of the cell. Little is known about the mechanisms that spatially guide the remodeling of MTs during epithelial polarization. Septins are filamentous guanine triphosphatases (GTPases) that associate with MTs, but the function of septins in MT organization and dynamics is poorly understood. In this paper, we show that in polarizing epithelia, septins guide the directionality of MT plus end movement by suppressing MT catastrophe. By enabling persistent MT growth, two spatially distinct populations of septins, perinuclear and peripheral filaments, steer the growth and capture of MT plus ends. This navigation mechanism is essential for the maintenance of perinuclear MT bundles and for the orientation of peripheral MTs as well as for the apicobasal positioning of MTs. Our results suggest that septins provide the directional guidance cues necessary for polarizing the epithelial MT network.
Allais from Experience: Choice Consistency, Rare Events, and Common Consequences in Repeated Decisions

The Allais Paradox is a well-known bias in which people's preferences result in contradictory choices between two normatively identical gamble pairs. Studies have shown that these preference reversals depend on how information is described and presented. In an experiment, we investigate the Allais gambles in several formats including an experiential paradigm, where participants make selections from two blank buttons and get an outcome as a result of a draw from distributions of outcomes in the selected gamble. Results indicate that a large proportion of Allais reversals are found in the traditional descriptive format, they are reduced when gambles are presented in a descriptive table format, and they disappear when choices are made from experience. Although a majority of participants made consistent choices from experience, the proportion of individual reversals is similar to that of descriptive choices. Detailed analyses of experiential choice suggest interesting behavioral differences between participants classified as consistent and those classified as reversals: consistent participants explore and maximize more than reversal participants. Furthermore, consistent participants demonstrate a different switching behavior after experiencing a rare outcome than do reversal participants. We find that, both, overweighting or underweighting of rare outcomes may occur within the course of an individual's experience; depending on the timing of those experiences, the magnitude of the outcomes observed, and the general accumulated value of the gambles
Survivor Functions as Dependent Variables In Demographic Analysis

When focusing on the regularity discernible in a collection of life tables, the sequence of values of the survivor function at successive ages, or the sequence of conditional probabilites of death has been treated as a multivariate “observation.” After reviewing such works, this paper demonstrates the use of the same strategy in the comparative analysis of cumulative distributions such as the income distribution.
A review on the separators of liquid electrolyte Li-ion batteries

This paper reviews the separators used in liquid electrolyte Li-ion batteries. According to the structure and composition of the membranes, the battery separators can be broadly divided as three groups: (1) microporous polymer membranes, (2) non-woven fabric mats and (3) inorganic composite membranes. The microporous polymer membranes are characterised by their thinness and thermal shutdown properties. The nonwoven mats have high porosity and a low cost, while the composite membranes have excellent wettability and exceptional thermal stability. The manufacture, characteristics, performance and modifications of these separators are introduced and discussed. Among numerous battery separators, the thermal shutdown and ceramic separators are of special importance in enhancing the safety of Li-ion batteries. The former consists of either a polyethylene (PE)–polypropylene (PP) multilayer structure or a PE–PP blend which increases safety by allowing meltdown of the PE to close the ionic conduction pathways at a temperature below that at which thermal runway occurs. Whereas the latter comprises nano-size ceramic materials coated on two sides of a flexible and highly porous non-woven matrix which enhances the safety by retaining extremely stable dimensions even at very high temperatures to prevent the direct contact of the electrodes. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Syntactic Simplification and Text Cohesion

Syntactic simplification is the process of reducing the grammatical complexity of a text, while retaining its information content and meaning. The aim of syntactic simplification is to make text easier to comprehend for human readers, or process by programs. In this paper, we formalise the interactions that take place between syntax and discourse during the simplification process. This is important because the usefulness of syntactic simplification in making a text accessible to a wider audience can be undermined if the rewritten text lacks cohesion. We describe how various generation issues like sentence ordering, cue-word selection, referring-expression generation, determiner choice and pronominal use can be resolved so as to preserve conjunctive and anaphoric cohesive relations during syntactic simplification and present the results of an evaluation of our syntactic simplification system.
Comparison of the Risk of Psychological and Cognitive Disorders Between Persistent and Nonpersistent Statin Users

Despite their cardiovascular benefits, statin use has been associated with a wide array of actual or perceived psychological and cognitive adverse events. The objective of this study was to compare baseline characteristics and the risk of developing psychological and cognitive disorders between persistent and nonpersistent statin users. We performed a retrospective cohort study (October 1, 2003, to March 1, 2010) of 13,626 statin users in a regional US military health-care system. The persistence of statin use was defined by cumulative pharmacy fill data. Outcomes were the occurrence of psychological diseases during follow-up using prespecified groups based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision , codes: (1) schizophrenia and psychosis, (2) major depression and bipolar disorders, (3) all psychological diseases, and (4) dementia and cognitive disorders. Statin users who were nonpersistent at 2 years were younger, less likely to be men, and had fewer co-morbidities than persistent users. They were also more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia or psychosis (odds ratio [OR] 1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20 to 2.10) and cognitive disorders (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.03) during follow-up compared with persistent users. There was not an association between nonpersistence at 2 years and the development of depression and bipolar disorders (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.15) or combined psychological diseases (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.09). Cumulative persistence with statin therapy as a continuous measure was associated with less risk of all outcomes. In conclusion, persistent statin users did not demonstrate an increase in the diagnosis of psychological disorders compared with nonpersistent users. Nonpersistent statin use was associated with a greater likelihood of being diagnosed with psychotic or cognitive disorders.