cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monetary policy in stage three: a review of the framework proposed by the European Monetary Institute

If the European Central Bank (ECB) adopts the proposals of the European Monetary Institute, the formulation of monetary policy for the euro area will be centralized but its implementation will be decentralized. The FOB will probably employ both inflation and monetary targets and use policy instruments resembling those of the Bundesbank. Short-term interest rates will be contained within a corridor bounded from above by the rate charged for overnight credit and bounded from below by the rate on overnight deposits. Market interest rates and bank liquidity will be governed mainly by periodic repurchase operations. But several matters remain unresolved. No decision has been made on the use of reserve requirements or the conduct of foreign-exchange intervention. More importantly, the extent of political influence on monetary policy remains in dispute, even though the Maastricht Treaty guarantees the independence of the ECB. Copyright @ 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved.
Choice of debt in dual offerings

In this study we analyze the determinants of the type and structure of debt included in dual offerings of debt and equity. Our sample consists of 54 dual offerings of convertible bond and common stock (CBCS) and 258 dual offerings of straight bond and common stock (SBCS). We find that firms with high asset substitution problems are more likely to issue CBCS offerings instead of SBCS offerings. These firms are also more likely to include convertible bonds with a high probability of conversion in the issue. The probability of CBCS offerings is higher for firms with low information asymmetry and during high interest rate periods. We also find that the announcement returns of CBCS offerings are lower than the returns of SBCS offerings.
Elite Lineages and the T'O-Pa Accommodation: a Study of the Edict of 495

An examination of the scanty material directly bearing on social class in the state of Northern Wei in the late 5th century suggests that the system for delineating family status outlined in an edict of 495 was elitist rather than aristocratic and that its roots are to be found in Chinese society, not in the Hsien-pei tribal structure. The T'o-pa rulers may have instituted the system in order to systematize and bureaucratize social custom so as to control entry into the elite and thus ensure adequate T'o-pa representation in civil offices. The edict of 495 is also interesting for the information it offers about what may be termed bureaucratic segmentation of lineage; and finally one may infer from the wording of the edict that the T'o-pa clan structure was of the conical type.
Determination of vacancy mechanism for grain boundary self-diffusion by computer simulation

It is currently well established that the fast self-diffusion which occurs along grain boundaries (GBs) in metals must occur by a point defect exchange mechanism. For example, it is known that rapid GB diffusion can transport a net current of atoms along GBs during both sintering and diffusional creep, and that the two species in a binary substitutional alloy diffuse at different rates in GBs. However, it has not been possible to establish firmly whether the defect mechanism involves the exchange of atoms with vacancy or interstitial point defects. It has been suspected that the vacancy exchange mechanism must apply but it has been difficult to prove this hypothesis because of a lack of detailed information at the atomistic level. The results are presented of an effort to establish the GB self-diffusion mechanism in a bcc iron ..sigma.. = 5 (36.9/sup 0/) (001) (310) tilt boundary using the combined methods of computer molecular statics and molecular dynamics simulation.
Anisotropic considerations while interpolating river channel bathymetry

Summary Numerical modeling of flow dynamics in river channels may require the spatial interpolation of scattered measurements of bathymetry elevation to obtain elevations at computational mesh nodes. This paper examines the various spatial interpolation methods used in interpolating river channel bathymetry. Commonly used interpolation methods, namely inverse distance weighting, spline (tension and regularized), natural neighbor, TopoGrid, and ordinary kriging (isotropic and anisotropic) are evaluated within the ArcGIS environment by using root mean square error (RMSE) criteria. To study the anisotropic effects, the interpolation methods are evaluated in two different coordinate systems: a Cartesian (x, y) coordinate system and a flow-oriented (s, n) coordinate system. Using the data from the Brazos River in Texas, it is shown that TopoGrid, natural neighbor and ordinary kriging, which do not account of anisotropy in the data, performed better than anisotropic kriging in the Cartesian coordinate system. In the flow-oriented coordinate system, the performance of anisotropic spatial interpolation methods is significantly better (40% reduction in RMSE) compared to the isotropic interpolation methods. A modified version of inverse distance weighting method, called elliptical inverse distance weighting (EIDW), is developed to account for river anisotropy. The RMSE results from application of EIDW are close to that from anisotropic kriging, thus providing a simple and computationally faster alternative to complex kriging methods.
Barriers to Pediatric Pain Management: A Nursing Perspective

This study describes strategies used by the Joint Clinical Practice Council of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to identify barriers perceived as interfering with nurses' (RNs) ability to provide optimal pain management. A survey was used to ascertain how nurses described optimal pain management and how much nurses perceived potential barriers as interfering with their ability to provide that level of care. The survey, "Barriers to Optimal Pain management" (adapted from Van Hulle Vincent & Denyes, 2004), was distributed to all RNs working in all patient care settings. Two hundred seventy-two surveys were returned. The five most significant barriers identified were insufficient physician (MD) orders, insufficient MD orders before procedures, insufficient time to premedicate patients before procedures, the perception of a low priority given to pain management by medical staff, and parents' reluctance to have patients receive pain medication. Additional barriers were identified through narrative comments. Information regarding the impact of the Acute Pain Service on patient care, RNs' ability to overcome barriers, and RNs' perception of current pain management practices is included, as are several specific interventions aimed at improving or ultimately eliminating identified barriers.
Scattering From a Thin Wire Excited By a Perpendicular Line Current - Abstract

In many applications it is necessary to determine coupling from a line current source to a nearby wire. A common physical configuration occurs when the source and wire are perpendicular to each oth...
Invited Talk 1: Testing of Power Constraint Computing

Summary form only given. Computing trend has taken a right hand turn. Instead of utmost performance at any cost, performance level have to be capped with the maximum power dissipation affordable at any given platform. With thermal dissipation mechanisms and energy cost as the primary drivers, computing at any level, from handheld devices to high-end servers, have to be power constraint. Various innovations arise to this challenge: Clock gating, power gating (sleep) transistors, multiple (and individually controlled) power supplies and power regions, fine grain frequency and power control, in-package Voltage Regulator Module, just to name a few. The power issues are also driving some interesting architectural and interconnect/packaging options into the main stream. While there have been innovations in the Test area for the past 25 years, including advanced fault models, such as bridges and opens, various favors of transition, delay path, crosstalk and the various ATPG that support them, power related test innovations have been seriously lacking. Power related testing issues have mostly been restricted to those of scan shifting and matching up of average power consumption. More recently, some papers have pointed to fast (launch and capture) clock related power transients and IR drops related issues, but the solutions is still far from being able to mimic the real situations and solve real world test problems. This talk will mostly focus on the test implications of power constraints over the spectrum of computing products. These implications are also intertwined with extreme process scaling to make conventional testing paradigm no longer valid. Some discussions of the various test options to deal with the power issues will also be reviewed.
Properties of the highly ionized disk and halo gas toward two distant high-latitude stars

Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) intermediate -resolution observations of S III, Si III, Al III, Si IV, C IV, and N V absorption along the sight lines to HD 18100 (l = 217.9 deg, b = -62.7, d = 3.1 kpc, z = -2.8 kpc) and HD 100340 (l = 258.9 deg, b = +61.2 deg, d = 5.3 kpc, z = 4.6 kpc) are presented. These small science aperture spectra have resolutions ranging from 11 to 20 km/s full width at half maximum (FWHM) and S/N from 30 to 65 per diode substep. Strong absorption by moderately and highly ionized gas is seen in each direction. The absorption in the direction of the south Galactic polar region (HD 18100) is kinematically simple, while the absorption in the direction of north Galactic polar region (HD 100304) is kinematically complex. In each case the absorption by the highly ionized gas lies within the velocity range of absorption by neutral and weakly ionized gas. Along each sight line, the velocity dispersion determined from the unsaturated absorption lines increases with the energy required to create each ion. The logarithmic column densities for Al III, Si IV, C IV, and N V are log N(atoms/sq cm = 12.71, 13.10, 13.58, and 12.75 toward HD 18100 and log N = 12.88, 13.31, 13.83, and 13.04 toward HD 100340. Average ionic ratios among these species are very similar along the two sight lines. Differences in profile shape between the absorption for AL II, Si IV, C IV, and N V provide additional support for the claim of Savage, Sembach, & Cardelli (1994) that there exists two types of highly ionized gas in the interstellar medium. One type of highly ionized gas is responsible for the structured Si IV absorption and part of the C IV absorption. In this gas N(C IV)/N(Si IV) approximately 3.0 and N(C IV)/N(N V) greater than 6. The absorption by this gas seems to be associated with some type of self-regulating interface or mixing layer between the warm and hot interstellar medium. The other type of highly ionized gas is responsible for most of the N V absorption, part of the C IV absorption, and has very little associated Si IV absorption. In this gas N(C IV)/N(N V) is approximately 1 to 3. This gas is hot (T greater than 2 x 10(exp 5) K) and may be tracing the cooling gas of supernova (SN) bubbles or a Galactic fountain. The relative mixture of these two types of highly ionized gas varies from one sight line to the next. The two sight lines in this study sample halo gas in the solar neighborhood and have a smaller percentage of the more highly ionized gas than inner Galaxy sight lines.
Glass-ceramic matrix composites with high oxidation embrittlement resistance

A new concept is introduced to minimize the oxidation embrittlement problem exhibited by Nicalon fibre-reinforced glass-ceramic matrix composites. A small amount of glass is added to the matrix and deforms at temperatures of interest to prevent microcrack formation. The graphitic interphase is thus shielded from an oxidative environment. The composites fabricated with the glass-doped matrices show excellent room- and elevated-temperature strengths and withstand high stresses at elevated temperatures in air for greater than 100 h without any deterioration in properties. The modulus of the glass-ceramic phase, the stiffness percentage of dopant glass and the process temperature were found to affect composite properties significantly.
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Implementation Of The Federal Performance Standard For Laser Products

Laser products today have entered just about every area of the human environment. Laser products are used in medical treatment and diagnosis; in the home in entertainment products; in industry for material processing, process control, metrology and inspection; in communications; in the military in construction and agriculture for surveying and alignment; in physical, chemical and biological research; and in environ-mental protection and pollution control. The outstanding property of the laser that makes it so useful in so many applications, radiance, introduces a potential for exposure hazards that is somewhat unique. Because of the diversity of applications and hazard potential, the Bureau of Radiological Health, FDA, enacted a performance standard for laser products under the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1968. The following discussion will address the structure and requirements of the act and standard, and the organization and function of the agency in enforcement activities.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Studying Parents and Grandparents to Assess Genetic Contributions to Early-Onset Disease

Suppose DNA is available from affected individuals, their parents, and their grandparents. Particularly for early-onset diseases, maternally mediated genetic effects can play a role, because the mother determines the prenatal environment. The proposed maximum-likelihood approach for the detection of apparent transmission distortion treats the triad consisting of the affected individual and his or her two parents as the outcome, conditioning on grandparental mating types. Under a null model in which the allele under study does not confer susceptibility, either through linkage or directly, and when there are no maternally mediated genetic effects, conditional probabilities for specific triads are easily derived. A log-linear model permits a likelihood-ratio test (LRT) and allows the estimation of relative penetrances. The proposed approach is robust against genetic population stratification. Missing-data methods permit the inclusion of incomplete families, even if the missing person is the affected grandchild, as is the case when an induced abortion has followed the detection of a malformation. When screening multiple markers, one can begin by genotyping only the grandparents and the affected grandchildren. LRTs based on conditioning on grandparental mating types (i.e., ignoring the parents) have asymptotic relative efficiencies that are typically >150% (per family), compared with tests based on parents. A test for asymmetry in the number of copies carried by maternal versus paternal grandparents yields an LRT specific to maternal effects. One can then genotype the parents for only the genes that passed the initial screen. Conditioning on both the grandparents' and the affected grandchild's genotypes, a third log-linear model captures the remaining information, in an independent LRT for maternal effects.
Thoracoscopic lobectomy: Report on safety, discharge independence, pain, and chemotherapy tolerance

Objective Controversies regarding the safety, morbidity, and mortality of thoracoscopic lobectomy have prevented the widespread acceptance of the procedure. This series analyzed the safety, pain, analgesic use, and discharge disposition in patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy and segmentectomy at a single institution. Methods We collected data from 153 consecutive patients who underwent thorascopic (video-assisted thoracic surgery) lobectomy and assessed the perioperative outcomes, postoperative pain, and chemotherapy course. A total of 111 of 127 patients with lung cancer had stage I non–small cell lung cancer. The operative technique required 2 ports and an access incision (5–8 cm), individual hilar ligation, and lymph node dissection performed without rib-spreading devices. Results There were 9 major complications (6%), including 1 perioperative death (0.7%). Conversion to thoracotomy occurred in 14 patients (9.2%). Blood transfusion was required in 11 patients (7%). The median chest tube time was 3 days, and the length of hospital stay was 4 days; 94.4% of patients went home at the time of discharge, and 5.6% of patients required a rehabilitation facility. At a median postsurgical follow-up time of 2 weeks, the mean postoperative pain score was 0.6 (0–3), 73% of patients did not use narcotics for pain control, and 47% of patients did not use any pain medication. Of patients receiving chemotherapy (N = 26), 73% completed a full course on schedule and 85% received all intended cycles. Conclusion Thoracoscopic (video-assisted thoracic surgery) lobectomy can be performed safely. Discharge independence and low pain estimates in the early postoperative period suggest that this approach may be beneficial. Furthermore, there is a trend toward improved tolerance of chemotherapy.
Providing feedback to distant students

Describes a feedback system for distant students including the tools and documents to provide feedback on frequent fixed response assignments and on projects or essay response assignments. A distance feedback system depends upon carefully planned, written assignments; specified evaluation criteria; and technology. It includes documentation, progress tracking, standardized responses based upon the specified evaluation criteria, and multiple assessments during the course. The proposed feedback system accommodates technological limitations yet provides useful feedback to facilitate distant student learning. The system could be adapted to benefit students enrolled in traditional instruction. A description of the feedback system components follows a brief introduction to instructional feedback and feedback levels and functions.
A population pharmacokinetic meta-analysis of maraviroc in healthy volunteers and asymptomatic HIV-infected subjects.

AIMS To develop a population pharmacokinetic model for maraviroc, a noncompetitive CCR5 antagonist, after oral administration of tablets to healthy volunteers and asymptomatic HIV-infected subjects and to quantify the inherent variability and influence of covariates on the parameters of the model. METHODS Rich pharmacokinetic data available from 15 studies in healthy volunteers (n = 365) and two studies in asymptomatic HIV-infected subjects (n = 48) were analysed using NONMEM. Maraviroc was administered as single or multiple oral tablet doses under fasted and fed conditions. Doses ranged from 100 to 1800 mg day−1. RESULTS A two-compartment model parameterized to separate out absorption and clearance components on bioavailability was used. Absorption was described by a lagged first-order process. A sigmoid Emax model described the effect of dose on absorption. A visual predictive check and nonparametric bootstrap evaluation confirmed that the model was a good description of the data. Typical CL, Vc and Vp values for a 30-year-old non-Asian are 51.5 l h−1, 132 l and 277 l, respectively. CONCLUSIONS For the typical non-Asian subject, fasted bioavailability increased asymptotically with dose from 24% at 100 mg to 33% at 600 mg. A high-fat meal taken with maraviroc reduced exposure by 43% for a 100-mg dose to approximately 25% at doses of 600 mg. The typical Asian subject had a 26.5% higher AUC than the typical non-Asian subject irrespective of dose, a difference not considered to be clinically relevant. None of the other covariates tested had any clinically relevant effects on exposure.
Short-term foraging dynamics of cattle grazing swards with different canopy structures

The objective of the present experiment was to describe the sward canopy structures of 3 different wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) pastures and relate them to short-term herbage intake rate and foraging dynamics by steers. Pastures were sampled for leaf and stem fractions at the bottom, middle, and top canopy strata. Sward surface heights and tiller and bulk densities were measured. Herbage was separated into stem and leaf, and leaves were then ranked phenologically. Three steers grazed (grazing sessions) 3 different pastures in a Latin square design. Ruminal contents were emptied and weighed before and after grazing sessions to assess herbage intake rate and bite mass. All grazing sessions were video recorded and analyzed for feeding stations (eating steps demarking the potential area of herbage consumption), bites per feeding station, and feeding stations per minute. Bite depth, bite area, and area grazed per feeding station were calculated. Morphological components and tiller density did not differ (P > 0.05) between the pastures, but sward surface height (P < 0.05) and leaf proportions in the middle and top canopy strata did differ. The herbage intake rate, bite mass, and bite area differed between treatments (P < 0.05). Steers grazing the tallest pasture with the greatest leaf accessibility ate faster, navigated slower, and grazed more efficiently (P < 0.05). The area grazed per feeding station differed between treatments (P < 0.05), being 87% for the tallest pasture with the greatest leaf accessibility and the least, 31%, for the pasture with the least leaf accessibility. Pastures with greater leaf accessibility may lead grazing cattle to reach the same herbage intake amount in less time while grazing more efficiently per unit area. Therefore, it may be logical to reduce the area and time allocations in pastures with taller swards where a leafy upper canopy stratum is found.
Prostate Cancer Guidelines on Web 2.0-Based Sites: The Screening Dilemma Continues Online

Little is known about prostate cancer (PrCA) screening information on participatory, interactive, and consumer-generated websites collectively referred to as Web 2.0. A content analysis was conducted of PrCA resources on four highly trafficked Web 2.0 social bookmarking sites. A total of 127 webpages were analyzed. Most content was from news websites (48.9%) and blogs (37.8%). PrCA screening was mentioned on 95.3% of pages; only 30.7% discussed the prostate-specific antigen test. Less than half (43.8%) mentioned current screening guidelines. PrCA content is inconsistent on Web 2.0 sites. Future research should assess the readability and usability of Web 2.0 cancer resources.
Effect of D-amphetamine on the extracellular concentrations of glutamate and dopamine in iprindole-treated rats

Abstract A single administration of d -amphetamine and iprindole has been reported to produce selective, long-lasting decreases in brain dopamine (DA) content because of axon terminal degeneration. It has been found that the noncompetitive glutamate (GLU) antagonist, MK 801, blocks d -amphetamine-induced DA depletion in iprindole-treated rats. In the present study, the effect of d -amphetamine (9.2 mg/kg) and iprindole (10 mg/kg) on the extracellular concentrations of DA and GLU was determined in the striatum of awake, freely moving rats by the use of in vivo microdialysis. D -Amphetamine significantly increased DA and GLU efflux in the striatum of iprindole-treated rats as compared to the vehicle-treated group. The increase in the extracellular concentration of GLU occurred 4–6 hr following drug administration. The concentration of DA was decreased significantly in the striatum of d -amphetamine and iprindole-treated rats 7 days following administration as compared to the vehicle-treated group. Inhibition of tyrosine hydroxylase after α-methylparatyrosine (150 mg/kg) administration attenuated d -amphetamine-induced DA and GLU release. The DA antagonist, haloperidol (1 mg/kg), blocked D -amphetamine-induced GLU release without affecting the increase in the extracellular concentration of DA produced by the combination of D -amphetamine and iprindole. Both α-methylparatyrosine and haloperidol blocked the depletion of DA in the striatum 7 days after d -amphetamine and iprindole as compared to the vehicle group. In addition, administration of MK-801 (2 mg/kg) 2 hr after d -amphetamine significantly attenuated the long-term (7 day) decrease in striatal DA content produced by the combination of d -amphetamine and iprindole. These data provide direct evidence that amphetamine increases the extracellular concentration of GLU in iprindole-treated rats. Moreover, these data are suggestive that the acute increase in GLU efflux contributes to the long-term damage to DA axon terminals produced by high dose amphetamine administration.
Pregnancy failure in female prairie deermice related to parity and social environment

Abstract The occurrence of ‘pregnancy block’ was noted in nulliparous and recently parous female prairie deermice when exposed to one of the following situations during a period from 24 to 72 hr subsequent to insemination: (1) stud male removed and female left alone, (2) stud male left with female, (3) stud male removed and strange male placed with female and (4) strange male placed with female and stud male. All females were killed at 10 days post-insemination and examined for embryos. There was a significantly greater frequency of pregnancy among parous females than nulliparous, although age differences may have been an important confounding variable. Further, there were decreasing pregnancy proportions in both parous and nulliparous females in the treatment sequences of (2) stud male left with female, (1) stud male removed and female left alone, (4) strange male placed with female and stud male and (3) stud male removed and strange male placed with female.
Imaging Pulmonary Inflammation Using Fluorescence Molecular Tomography

Quantitative imaging of fluorescent signatures deep in animal models of lung diseases can enable the study of various molecular pathways and treatment effectiveness. We demonstrate imaging of COPD related signatures using Fluorescence Molecular Tomography (FMT).
Endoscopic signs for gastroesophageal reflux objectively evaluated

Fiberoptic esophagoscopy shows that patients with abnormal gastroesophageal reflux measured by pH testing more often are found with hiatal hernia, patulous diaphragmatic hiatus, and endoscopic esophagitis than those with a competent esophagogastric junction. The presence of an apparently normal distal esophageal mucosa poorly excludes abnormal reflux. The endoscopic diagnosis of hiatal hernia combined with either endoscopic esophagitis or patulous diaphragmatic hiatus accurately predicted abnormal reflux in over 90% of patients. Esophagoscopy with no abnormal findings indicated a low probability for abnormal reflux. Some smokers with both endoscopic and biopsy esophagitis can have competent esophagogastric junctions demonstrated while abstaining from cigarettes.
Factoring through-space and through-bond contributions to rates of photoinduced electron transfer in donor-spacer-acceptor molecules

Abstract Contributions from direct orbital overlap (through-space interactions) and superexchange (through-bond interactions) to the electronic coupling matrix elements for photoinduced charge separation and recombination in a series of linked donor—spacer—acceptor molecules were studied. The molecules consisted of a 4-piperidinyl-naphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide (ANI) electron donor and a N -(n-octyl)pyromellitimide (PI) electron acceptor attached to the 1,5- and 1,8-positions of either anthracene (ANC) or dibenzobicyclo(2.2.2)octatriene (DBO) spacers. For the 1,8-disubstituted compounds, ANI and PI are held approximately cofacial with a center-to-center distance of 5.3 A, whereas for the 1,5-disubstituted compounds, the center-to-center distance increases to 13.5 A. The through-bond interaction was investigated by replacing the ANC spacer with DBO. The charge separation and recombination reactions were examined in both toluene and tetrahydrofuran (THF). The results show that for the 1,8-disubstituted DBO system in both toluene and THF, charge separation and recombination is dominated by through-space interactions. For the 1,8-disubstituted ANC system in both toluene and THF, charge separation occurs by means of a direct, through-space interaction, while charge recombination occurs through the intermediacy of the ANI ANC + PI - ion pair in toluene and directly from ANI + ANC PI - to ground state in THF. For the 1,5-disubstituted molecules, possessing either the ANC or the DBO spacers, electron transfer from 1* ANI to PI was not kinetically competitive with the decay of 1* ANI to ground state in either toluene or THF.
Real-Time Cloud Rendering

This paper presents a method for realistic real-time rendering of clouds suitable for flight simulation and games. It provides a cloud shading algorithm that approximates multiple forward scattering in a preprocess, and first order anisotropic scattering at runtime. Impostors are used to accelerate cloud rendering by exploiting frame-to-frame coherence in an interactive flight simulation. Impostors are shown to be particularly well suited to clouds, even in circumstances under which they cannot be applied to the rendering of polygonal geometry. The method allows hundreds of clouds and hundreds of thousands of particles to be rendered at high frame rates, and improves interaction with clouds by reducing artifacts introduced by direct particle rendering techniques.
Platinum/Graphene Nanosheet/SiC Contacts and Their Application for Hydrogen Gas Sensing

Pt/graphene nanosheet/SiC based devices are fabricated and characterized and their performances toward hydrogen gas are investigated. The graphene nanosheets are synthesized via the reduction of spray-coated graphite oxide deposited onto SiC substrates. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies indicate incomplete reduction of the graphite oxide, resulting in partially oxidized graphene nanosheet layers of less than 10 nm thickness. The effects of interfaces on the nonlinear behavior of the Pt/graphene and graphene/SiC junctions are investigated. Current−voltage measurements of the sensors toward 1% hydrogen in synthetic air gas mixture at various temperatures ranging up to 100 °C are performed. From the dynamic response, a voltage shift of ∼100 mV is recorded for 1% hydrogen at a constant current bias of 1 mA at 100 °C.
The Relationship of Sex-Role Stereotypy to Anger Expression and the Report of Psychosomatic Symptoms

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the relationship between selected psychological and behavioral measures concenred with the expression of anger and the report of psychosomatic symptoms. Presumably healthy college students filled out a symptom inventory which served as the criterion measure. Additionally, questionnaires were used to measure sex-role stereotypy, assertiveness, various types of hostility, and hostility guilt, which were then employed in a series of related analyses. Results supporting predicted relationships consistently demonstrated a positive association between the number of symptoms and indirect expression of anger as well as certain stereotypically feminine traits. Significant negative correlations were found between the symptom measure and assertiveness and between the symptom measure and scores on masculinity scales. Predictions that symptom frequency would be negatively related to the direct expression of hostility and positively related to hostility-guilt were not supported.
Neutrophil–Lymphocyte Ratio is a Simple and Novel Biomarker for Prediction of Survival after Radioembolization for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Previous studies have reported that an elevated preoperative Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) is associated with poor prognosis in patients with various solid tumors including colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we examine whether NLR predicts survival in patients with unresectable CRC metastases undergoing hepatic radioembolization. A retrospective review of 104 consecutive patients with unresectable metastatic CRC who were treated with radioembolization after failing first and second-line chemotherapy. Between 2002 and 2012, the median NLR for all patients was 4.6. Using receiver operating curve analysis, there was no difference between using an NLR cut-off of 4.6 or 5. Forty-eight patients had a high NLR of ≥5 and 56 patients had an NLR of <5. Patients in both groups had similar previous extensive chemotherapy and liver-directed interventions. The median survival of patients with high NLR was 5.6 months (range 4.9–7.9 months) compared with 10.6 months (range 8.3–17.0 months) for patients with low NLR; a significant difference was found in overall survival (log-rank test; p = 0.001). Other factors associated with risk of death were extrahepatic spread of disease, presence of pulmonary nodules, previous liver-targeted intervention, and radiographic response. On multivariate analysis, high NLR, progressive radiographic response, and presence of extrahepatic disease remained independently associated with increased risk of death. NLR is a simply attainable, inexpensive, and useful biomarker to predict outcome in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving radioembolization.
901–48 Antibody Conjugation of Acoustically Reflective Liposomes for Tissue Targeting

We have previously demonstrated the formulation of acoustic multilamellar liposomes that does not require gas entrapment. Successful antibody conjugation of liposomes, while retaining acoustic properties, could provide an ultrasonic contrast agent for the early detection of atherosclerosis, thrombi, and vegetations. We prepared liposomes from a (55: 10: 5: 30) molar mixture of egg phosphatidylcholine, 4-(p-maleimidophenyl)butyryl-phosphatidylethanolamine, dipalmitoyalphosphatidylglycerol, and cholesterol by hydration of the lipid film and sonication followed by freeze drying and resuspension. Human gamma globulin was thiolated for conjugation to the liposomes with N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate. Following reaction, the unbound antibody was removed by separation on a Sepharose 4B column. To determine acoustic properties, the conjugated preparation was imaged with a 20 mHz intravascular ultrasound catheter (Cardiovascular Imaging System, Sunnyvale, CA) and compared to water and our previously unconjugated liposomes. Results This method allowed near complete conjugation of liposomes. The average liposomal size following antibody conjugation was 0.5 μm. Gray Scale brightness (mean) and heterogeneity. Gray scale Water Unconjugated Conjugated Mean 10.9 57.9 * 47.4 * Heterogeneity 4.55 14.12 15.45 * p l 0.005 vs. water Magnitude of brightness Δ vs. water in dB (20log[lipo/water]) was 14.5 for unconjugated and 12.7 for conjugated liposomes. We have demonstrated a method of antibody conjugation to liposomes that allows the liposomes to retain their acoustic reflectivity. This novel technique allows for target-specific in-vivo acoustic enhancement of pathologic vascular structures.
CD200, a “no danger” signal for hair follicles

The "danger model" of immune recognition proposes that the immune system does not differentiate between self and non-self when deciding whether to mount a response, but instead, discerns between that which is dangerous or not dangerous to the host. Danger signals incite inflammatory responses, which can lead to the induction of tissue-specific autoimmunity. Immunosuppressive molecules expressed on selected cells have the potential to regulate tissue-specific inflammation, and consequently, autoimmunity. Recent studies have revealed that CD200, a potent immunoregulatory protein, is expressed on Langerhans cells (LCs) and keratinocytes (KCs) in mouse epidermis. CD200 expression is concentrated on KCs comprising the outer root sheath (ORS) of murine hair follicles (HF). Skin deficient in CD200 is highly susceptible to HF-associated inflammation and immune-mediated alopecia. In this concept review, the results of recent studies on CD200 and its inhibitory receptor, CD200R, are summarized and integrated to yield a model whereby CD200-CD200R interaction attenuates perifollicular inflammation, prevents HF-specific autoimmunity and may protect epidermal stem cells from autoimmune destruction. Further elucidation of the CD200-CD200R signaling pathway in cutaneous tissues may advance understanding of how immune homeostasis is established and maintained in the skin.
Historical Analysis, a Valuable Tool in Community-Based Environmental Protection

A historical analysis of the ecological consequences of development can be a valuable tool in community-based environmental protection. These studies can engage the public in environmental issues and lead to informed decision making. Historical studies provide an understanding of how current ecological conditions arose, provide information to identify past pollutant inputs, identify modification or loss of habitat, help identify changes in species composition and abundance, and help in planning remediation projects. We chose New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts, as a case study for a historical analysis. New Bedford Harbor gained attention when it was named a Superfund site because of PCB contamination, but current conditions in the harbor are the cumulative result of over 250 years of agricultural, commercial and industrial activities. Analysis of historical information about New Bedford revealed four sequential developmental periods, agriculture, whaling, textile, and post-textile, each with a distinct effect on estuarine conditions. This historical analysis illustrates how impacts to New Bedford Harbor have occurred throughout the development period, not just in recent years. It provides valuable insight in formulating remediation strategies, and is a useful tool to engage the public in environmental issues.
Assessment of exposure risk of polychlorinated biphenyls to interior least terns (Sterna antillarum).

Risk of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure and effects were assessed for a colony of federally endangered interior least terns (Sterna antillarum) nesting on the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NM, USA). The colony feeds from an area on the Refuge (Hunter Marsh/Oxbow Complex) wherein fish with elevated concentrations of total PCBs have been documented. Concentrations of total PCBs in whole fish averaged 0.94 mg/kg with a maximum concentration of 2.77 mg/kg, wet weight. Estimated daily PCB intake rates by adult birds throughout their 180-d breeding season ranged from <0.01 mg/kg/d to 0.98 mg/kg/d, yielding hazard quotients that ranged from 0.01 to 21.68. Polychlorinated biphenyls pose a moderate risk to the colony of interior least terns that breed at the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, but the exposure rate is not likely to threaten their overall breeding success.
The role of problem drinking in psychiatric admissions.

Although problem drinkers are over-represented in psychiatric treatment populations throughout the United States, it is unclear whether this is primarily due to difficulties in differentially diagnosing alcohol and mental problems and to high rates of comorbidity, or to factors unique to help-seeking for alcohol problems. This article examines the role that alcohol problems play in treatment entry to inpatient and outpatient mental health agencies, considering the potential roles of a drinking problem both as a condition perceived by the sufferer to require a psychiatrist's help, and as a source of social disruption that activates others to encourage mental health treatment. Analysis focuses on comparing samples of newly admitted patients in a community mental health system and untreated individuals with high levels of psychiatric symptoms living in the same community. Experiencing the adverse social consequences of a drinking problem, holding the belief that drinking has caused one's psychological problems, and having prior experiences in mental health treatment for a drinking problem are factors found to be positively associated with psychiatric admissions, while heavier drinking and dependence symptoms are not. Further analysis of events precipitating psychiatric admission suggests that an important role for the mental health system vis a vis alcohol problems is to contain social disruptions attributable to problem drinking in the community. Alcohol-related psychiatric admissions are found to have more frequently involved public disruptions, to have elicited police or court referrals, and to have more often resulted in the client's going to a locked hospital ward, as opposed to a mental health outpatient clinic.
A uniqueness theorem in the theory of Cosserat surface

Within the scope of the non-isothermal theory of an elastic Cosserat surface and for a system of linear equations characterizing the initial mixed boundary-value problems of thermoelastic shells, a uniqueness theorem is obtained without the use of definiteness assumption for the free energy. The theorem holds for nonhomogeneous and anisotropic shells undergoing small motions (and small temperature change) superposed on a large deformation.
Analysis of multithreaded architectures for parallel computing

Multithreading has been proposed as an architectural strategy for tolerating latency on multiprocessors and, through limited empirical studies shows to offer promise. This paper develops an analytical models of multi threaded processor behavior based on a small set of architectural and program parameters. The model gives rise to a large Markov chain, which is solved to obtain a formula for processor in terms of the number of threads). transition, and saturation efficiency depends only on the remorse reference rate and switch case. Formulas for regime boundaries are derived. The model is embellished to reflect cache degradation due to multithreading, using an analytical model of cache behavior, demonstrating that returns diminish as the number threads becomes large. Predictions from the embellished model correlate will with published empirical measurements. Prescriptive use of the model under various scenarios indicates that multithreading is effective But the number of useful threads per processor is fairly small.
Ultrasound in paediatric anaesthesia

Abstract Regional anaesthesia is widely employed for the perioperative pain control also in children. The literature data confirm the very low rate of complications and side effects of regional anaesthesia in children but there are key points for performing a block and placing a catheter in children: there is the need of good knowledge of anatomical and physiological differences; the use of the more recent local anaesthetics increases the therapeutic window and it is mandatory to work with dedicated paediatric tools. Through the use of new techniques like ultrasound we can improve the success of the blocks reducing the risks and adding safety and efficacy to a technique that is part of our daily clinical practice.
Capacity region of two symmetric nearby erasure channels with channel state feedback

This work considers a commonly encountered wireless transmission scenario: Two nearby 1-hop flows s 1 → d 1 and s 2 → d 2 are within the transmission range of each other. The network nodes thus have to share the time resources, which limits the sum-rate performance. On the other hand, both s i and d i can (occasionally) overhear the transmission of the other pair (s j , d j ) for all i ≠ j, which opens up the opportunity of using network coding (NC) and ACK/NACK to improve the throughput. The key challenge, however, is that any dedicated communication between s 1 and s 2 also consumes the precious time resources. Hence NC coordination must be achieved through unreliable overhearing. In this work, the above scenario is modeled as four wireless nodes interconnected by broadcast erasure channels with channel state feedback. The corresponding capacity region (R1,R2) is fully characterized for the setting of symmetric, spatially independent erasure channels.
Internal conversion coefficients of Ni56

Abstract The internal conversion coefficients of the 0.164, 0.272 and 0.484 MeV gamma rays of Ni 56 have been determined utilizing a scintillation gamma ray spectrometer and a Siegbahn-S)atis intermediate-image beta-ray spectrometer. Respective conversion coefficients of (1.2±0.1) × 10 −2 , (3.4±0.2) × 10 −3 and (1.5±0.15) × 10 −3 were found. Comparison with theoretical conversion coefficients expected for pure multipole transitions and use of the Weisskopf single-particle estimates for the gamma-ray transition probabilities lend considerable support to an analysis of the low-excited states of Co 56 in terms of a simple shell model for an odd nucleus.
Shock-induced solid-state chemical reactivity studies using time-resolved radiation pyrometry

Abstract Time-resolved radiation pyrometry has been used to study materials which undergo solid-state chemical reactions due to shock loading. Shock-induced chemical reactivity in solids is fundamentally different than that in high explosives and other energetic materials because, if no volatiles are present, the reaction products end up in the condensed, rather than the vapor, state. Bulk property changes accompanying the solid-state reactions may therefore be too small to be observable with wave profile or shock-velocity measurements. However, some solid-state reactions, such as that between metallic nickel and aluminum, are exothermic enough to give rise to a measurable increase in temperature, so pyrometry can be used to detect the reactions. Unfortunately, these measurements are complicated by the large temperature increases generated by other sources. Possible mechanisms for generation of these high temperatures, and their effect on the chemical reaction, are suggested
5SL: a language for declarative specification and generation of digital libraries

Digital libraries (DLs) are among the most complex kinds of information systems, due in part to their intrinsic multi disciplinary nature. Nowadays DLs are built within monolithic, tightly integrated, and generally inflexible systems -- or by assembling disparate components together in an ad-hoc way, with resulting problems in interoperability and adaptability. More importantly, conceptual modeling, requirements analysis, and software engineering approaches are rarely supported, making it extremely difficult to tailor DL content and behavior to the interests, needs, and preferences of particular communities. In this paper, we address these problems. In particular, we present 5SL, a declarative language for specifying and generating domain-specific digital libraries. 5SL is based on the 5S formal theory for digital libraries and enables high-level specification of DLs in five complementary dimensions, including: the kinds of multimedia information the DL supports (Stream Model); how that information is structured and organized (Structural Model); different logical and presentational properties and operations of DL components (Spatial Model); the behavior of the DL (Scenario Model); and the different societies of actors and managers of services that act together to carry out the DL behavior (Societal Model). The practical feasibility of the approach is demonstrated by the presentation of a 5SL digital library generator for the MARIAN digital library system.
Origins and expertise in the musical improvisations of adults and children: a phenomenological study of content and process

This study explores the musical content and human processes of improvisations of children and adults using the phenomenological lenses of time, space and responsivity. Paired improvisational performances of two late-career adult composers and two 7-year-old children were analysed considering a lifespan-related perspective involving the origins of spontaneous musical creativity associated with childhood dispositions and the musical expertise gained from practice, training and experience. Findings suggest that origins and expertise are operating in improvisational experiences of children and adults. Implications are drawn for musically meaningful research and evaluation of children’s improvisations.