cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sense and avoid based on visual pose estimation for small UAS

Small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) must be able to detect and avoid conflicting traffic, an especially challenging task when the threat is another small UAS. Collision avoidance requires trajectory prediction and the performance of a collision avoidance system can be improved by extending the prediction horizon. We describe an algorithm that predicts the trajectory of a small, fixed-wing UAS using an estimate of its orientation. First, a computer vision algorithm locates specific feature points of the threat aircraft in an image. Next, the POSIT algorithm uses these feature points to estimate the pose (position and attitude) of the threat. A sequence of pose estimates is then used to predict the trajectory of the threat aircraft in order to avoid a collision. To assess the algorithm's performance, the predictions are compared with predictions based solely on position estimates for a variety of encounter scenarios. Simulation and experimental results indicate that trajectory prediction using orientation estimates provides quicker response to a change in the threat aircraft trajectory and better prediction and avoidance performance.
Bermudagrass Cultivar Trial Subjected to Simulated Athletic Field Traffic

Interest in bermudagrass use as an athletic field playing surface has grown recently with the release of more cold tolerant cultivars of bermudagrass. Bermudagrass is more traffic tolerant than Kentucky bluegrass in many situations. It also performs better during the summer months due to the C4 photosynthesis pathways compared with the C3 pathways of Kentucky bluegrass. For these reasons, many Iowa athletic field managers are curious about the performance of bermudagrass as an athletic field playing surface in Iowa. The objectives of this study were to compare the performance and traffic tolerance of cold tolerant bermudagrass cultivars with a simulated Iowa high school football traffic season. This is the first year of a two-year study.
EzColocalization: An ImageJ plugin for visualizing and measuring colocalization in cells and organisms.

Insight into the function and regulation of biological molecules can often be obtained by determining which cell structures and other molecules they localize with (i.e. colocalization). Here we describe an open source plugin for ImageJ called EzColocalization to visualize and measure colocalization in microscopy images. EzColocalization is designed to be easy to use and customize for researchers with minimal experience in quantitative microscopy and computer programming. Features of EzColocalization include: (i) tools to select individual cells and organisms from images; (ii) filters to select specific types of cells and organisms based on physical parameters and signal intensity; (iii) heat maps and scatterplots to visualize the localization patterns of reporters; (iv) multiple metrics to measure colocalization for two or three reporters; (v) metric matrices to systematically measure colocalization at multiple combinations of signal intensity thresholds; and (vi) data tables that provide detailed information on each cell in a sample. These features make EzColocalization well-suited for experiments with low reporter signal, complex patterns of localization, and heterogeneous populations of cells and organisms.
Graph Clustering Using One-Bit Comparison Data

Graph clustering with partial adjacency information has garnered significant interest in data processing and learning applications. In this paper, we propose an extension of a set of non-convex programs, generally referred to as Comparison-Aided 2-Hard and Comparison-Aided 2-Soft Clustering programs, that rely on matrix factorization formulations to process one-bit comparison data. Numerical results confirm not only the usefulness of the proposed methodologies, but also their potential to be used in future data processing applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work in the area of graph clustering that relies only on comparison information to accomplish the clustering task.
Isotopologue consistency of semi-empirically computed infrared line lists and further improvement for rare isotopologues: CO2 and SO2 case studies

Abstract The semi-empirical molecular rovibrational IR line lists, such as ExoMol, TheoReTs, and Ames, combine the experimental accuracy and theoretical power to reach better than 0.1 cm−1 accuracy for line positions and better than 80–90% agreement for line intensities. The quality of these existing semi-empirical IR lists allows further improvements of intensity and line positions for those unobserved minor isotopologues. This paper presents our new BTRHE (Best Theory + Reliable High-resolution Experiment) strategy implementation. For line intensity, the isotopologue consistency and the patterns of mass dependence in the Ames-296 K SO2 and CO2 IR lists are quantitatively presented along the mass-inverse coordinates. The consistency and patterns are better than those in existing experimental data. The methodology proposed here can be used to identify inconsistencies, outliers, and mistakes in intensities, and help improve Effective Dipole Model (EDM) and molecular IR databases. We call for an experimental study on the 50006 and 60007 bands of CO2 628. For line position predictions, a simple approach combining the variational IR line lists with Effective Hamiltonian (EH) model may refine the effective rotational constants A0/B0/C0 and quartic centrifugal distortion constants of minor isotopologues. The prediction accuracy may be improved by two orders of magnitude, i.e. reaching 0–5 MHz prediction accuracy in the range of J
Comparisons of WO3 reduction to HxWO3 under thermochemical and electrochemical control

The use of renewable electricity as an energy source for the chemical industry is attractive from the standpoint of improved environmental sustainability. The development of such electrification strategies would greatly benefit from improved understanding of the relationships between thermochemical and electrochemical redox processes. We have used time-resolved optical microscopy to study HxWO3 bronze formation from WO3via thermochemical H-spillover and electrochemical H-intercalation reactions. The rates of hydrogen uptake in these films were found to be similar in each case, and too fast to be limited by proton diffusion in the solid state. These results point to a single predominant reaction mechanism that is primarily gated by interfacial electron-transfer rather than proton or hydrogen-atom diffusion.
High-Power Terahertz Generation from Bias-Free, Telecommunication-Compatible Photoconductive Nanoantennas

We present a bias-free photoconductive terahertz emitter that operates at telecommunication optical pump wavelengths, at which low-cost and compact femtosecond fiber lasers are commercially available. Bias-free operation is enabled by a built-in electric field formed between the device contact electrodes and photoconductor substrate, and ensures a highly reliable operation by eliminating high photoconductor dark currents that are detrimental to the device reliability. Arrays of plasmonic nanoantennas are utilized as terahertz radiating elements to obtain a broadband terahertz radiation. We demonstrate terahertz radiation powers exceeding 0.25 mW over a 0.1-3.5 THz frequency range with a 90 dB dynamic range.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging

This article provides an overview of the origin, computation, properties, and applications of the diffusion tensor model. It details how the diffusion tensor formalism was initially introduced to quantify anisotropic diffusion of water molecules in the brain and to model diffusion-weighted measurements from magnetic resonance imaging experiments. It outlines the various computational options to reliably estimate the diffusion tensor. It finally describes the mathematical properties of the tensor model, how they relate to tissue microstructure, and how they can be used for neuroscience and clinical applications.
Student Motivation and Resistance in Active Learning Classrooms

Although the positive effects of active learning (AL) on students’ learning and attitudes are well documented, there seems to be an equally large amount of evidence suggesting that students resist AL. In this chapter, we explore this AL paradox by describing a study that employed a novel AL approach aligned with reform documents and a consensus definition of AL in order to uncover sources of motivation from and resistance to AL. The purpose of the chapter is to aid college science instructors in recognizing these sources of motivation and resistance in their own classrooms so that they are able to emphasize the former and address the latter.
Mechanisms and prevention of acid reflux induced laryngospasm in seizing rats.

Abstract Objective Recent animal work and limited clinical data have suggested that laryngospasm may be involved in the cardiorespiratory collapse seen in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). In previous work, we demonstrated in an animal model of seizures that laryngospasm and sudden death were always preceded by acid reflux into the esophagus. Here, we expand on that work by testing several techniques to prevent the acid reflux or the subsequent laryngospasm. Methods In urethane anesthetized Long Evans rats, we used systemic kainic acid to acutely induce seizure activity. We recorded pH in the esophagus, respiration, electrocorticography activity, and measured the liquid volume in the stomach postmortem. We performed the following three interventions to attempt to prevent acid reflux or laryngospasm and gain insights into mechanisms: fasting animals for 12 h, severing the gastric nerve, and electrical stimulation of either the gastric nerve or the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Results Seizing animals had significantly more liquid in their stomach. Severing the gastric nerve and fasting animals significantly reduced stomach liquid volume, subsequent acid reflux, and sudden death. Laryngeal nerve stimulation can reverse laryngospasm on demand. Seizing animals are more susceptible to death from stomach acid-induced laryngospasm than nonseizing animals are to artificial acid-induced laryngospasm. Significance These results provide insight into the mechanism of acid production and sudden obstructive apnea in this model. These techniques may have clinical relevance if this model is shown to be similar to human SUDEP.
Loss of Unilateral Lacrimation Following Adenoidectomy.

Complications following an adenoidectomy are rare. A 13-month-old female developed unilateral lacrimation impairment following an adenoidectomy and bilateral ventilation tube insertion. The patient’s post-operative course was marked by a fever, rhinorrhea, and dehydration. We suspect the impairment to be secondary to injury by suction cautery or post-operative inflammatory response and infection. Over the first nine months after surgery, the impairment spontaneously remitted.
Paper-Based Enzyme Biosensor for One-Step Detection of Hypoxanthine in Fresh and Degraded Fish

Food freshness monitoring, which can reflect the quality of the product at the time of use, remains a great challenge for consumers and the food industry. Herein, we report the development of a cost-effective enzyme-based paper biosensor, which can monitor fish freshness and predict spoilage. The biosensor measures the release of hypoxanthine (HX), an indicator of meat and fish degradation, using the enzymatic conversion of HX by xanthine oxidase (XOD). We demonstrate that the entrapment of XOD and an organic dye, nitro blue tetrazolium chloride (NBT), within a sol-gel biohybrid enables their stabilization on paper and promotes the enzymatic reaction with further retention of the reaction products within the cellulosic network . Linearity in the micromolar concentration range with a detection limit of 3.7 μM for HX is obtained. The biosensor has high selectivity toward HX and is manufactured in few steps from inexpensive widely available materials. The applicability of the biosensor is demonstrated by following fish degradation over time and measuring HX concentrations ranging from 117 (±9) to 198 (±5) μM within 24 h of degradation, at levels that are comparable with those measured by a commercial enzymatic kit for HX detection. As compared to the commercial kit, our biosensors are more cost-effective, do not require addition of exogenous reagents and are portable, having all of the reagents needed for analysis embedded within the sensing platform. This proof-of-concept work demonstrates that the paper-based HX biosensor has potential as a robust reagentless device for real-time monitoring of food freshness and for other applications in which HX plays an important role.
Efficient Model Performance Estimation via Feature Histories

An essential step in the task of model selection, such as hyper-parameter optimization (HPO) or neural architecture search (NAS), is the process of estimating a candidate model's (hyper-parameter or architecture) performance. Due to the high computational cost of training models until full convergence, it is necessary to develop efficient methods that can accurately estimate a model's best performance using only a small time budget. To this end, we propose a novel performance estimation method which uses a history of model features observed during the early stages of training to obtain an estimate of final performance. Our method is versatile. It can be combined with different search algorithms and applied to various configuration spaces in HPO and NAS. Using a sampling-based search algorithm and parallel computing, our method can find an architecture which is better than DARTS and with an 80\% reduction in search time.
Prognosis after neoadjuvant chemoradiation or chemotherapy for locally advanced gastro-oesophageal junctional adenocarcinoma.

Background Trials typically group cancers of the gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ) with oesophageal or gastric cancer when studying neoadjuvant chemoradiation and perioperative chemotherapy, so the results may not be fully applicable to GOJ cancer. Because optimal neoadjuvant treatment for GOJ cancer remains controversial, outcomes with neoadjuvant chemoradiation versus chemotherapy for locally advanced GOJ adenocarcinoma were compared retrospectively. Methods Data were collected from all patients who underwent neoadjuvant treatment followed by surgery for adenocarcinoma located at the GOJ at a single high-volume institution between 2002 and 2017. Postoperative major complications and mortality were compared between groups using Fisher's exact test. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed by log rank test and multivariable Cox regression analyses. Cumulative incidence functions were used to estimate recurrence, and groups were compared using Gray's test. Results Of 775 patients, 650 had neoadjuvant chemoradiation and 125 had chemotherapy. These groups were comparable in terms of clinical tumour and lymph node categories, although the chemoradiation group had greater proportions of white men, complete pathological response to chemotherapy, and smaller proportions of diffuse cancer, poor differentiation, and neurovascular invasion. Postoperative major complications (20.0 versus 17.6 per cent) and 30-day mortality (1.7 versus 1.6 per cent) were not significantly different between the chemoradiation and chemotherapy groups. After adjustment, type of therapy (chemoradiation versus chemotherapy) was not significantly associated with OS (hazard ratio (HR) 1.26, 95 per cent c.i. 0.96 to 1.67) or DFS (HR 1.27, 0.98 to 1.64). Type of recurrence (local, regional, or distant) did not differ after neoadjuvant chemoradiation versus chemotherapy. Conclusion In patients undergoing surgical resection for locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the GOJ, OS and DFS did not differ significantly between patients who had neoadjuvant chemoradiation compared with chemotherapy.
Enzymic modification of proteins. I. General characteristics of the arginine-transfer reaction in rabbit liver cytoplasm

Abstract An enzyme which catalyzes the transfer of arginine from tRNA to protein has been partially purified from the soluble fraction of rabbit liver cytoplasm. The reaction requires mercaptoethanol, a monovalent cation and an acceptor protein such as bovine serum albumin. The latter can be replaced by certain other proteins. A tetrapeptide containing 80% of the radioactive arginine incorporated into albumin has been obtained after chymotryptic digestion of the labeled product. This peptide has been shown to have the sequence arginine-aspartic acid-threonine-histidine. Since the amino terminal and penultimate amino acids of albumin are known to be aspartic acid and threonine respectively, the data indicate that the protein has been modified by the addition of an arginine residue to the amino terminal end.
Japanese Capital Structure During A Turbulent Period: 1984-2000

For Japan, 1984-2000 includes a major financial liberalization, a stock and real estate market boom followed by a crash, plus the subsequent weakness of most Japanese banks. We examine how Japanese corporations responded in terms of overall leverage, its determinants, and the mix of bank versus market debt. The analysis also considers the behavior of keiretsu firms with close bank ties versus that of non-keiretsu firms. Both sets of firms display substantially different behavior regarding market debt versus bank loans. We find considerable evidence that financial liberalization and market access played a major role in capital structure decisions during the later 1980's. There is also evidence of some changes in the 1990's which may relate to bank weakness; however, it appears that the 1980's capital structure adjustments headed off more serious impacts from Japanese bank weakness.
An examination of within-person variation in response propensity over the data collection field period

Statistical examinations of deterministic and stochastic response propensity assert that a sample case’s propensity is determined by fixed respondent characteristics. The perspective of this article, that of dynamic response propensities, differs, viewing sample cases’ propensities as evolving over the course of the data collection. Each sample case begins the data collection period in a “base” response propensity. Each change in the data collection protocol which the survey organization subsequently makes might change that base propensity. This article examines four questions: (1) Is there any evidence that the average response propensities of sampled individuals vary over the data collection? (2) Is there any evidence that propensities are influenced in accordance with specific actions taken by the survey recruitment protocol? (3) Do these changes have fixed effects or do they also vary across sample units or across the data collection period? (4) Does the change in propensities coincide with changes in nonresponse bias of key survey estimates?
Strategic and Operational Prepositioning in Case of Seasonal Natural Disasters: A Perspective

This article discusses prepositioning as a strategic and operational process and addresses shortcomings in current predisaster planning for humanitarian logistics in case of seasonal natural disaster. A distinction is made between strategic and operational approaches. Strategic prepositioning occurs long before the disaster strikes, involves the acquisition or expansion of assets for increasing capacity, and establishes contractual agreements and protocols for collaboration. Operational prepositioning deals with the issues of inventory levels, the location of warehouses, and the functionality of disaster centers for the humanitarian operations that take place when a disaster is imminent or has already struck. The examples described in the article illustrate the development of optimization models and solution processes that can be used to analyze and address similar disaster situations. Keywords: humanitarian logistics; relief operations; strategy; prepositioning; capacity planning; facility location
Targeted Disruption of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibits Development of Papillomas and Carcinomas from Human Papillomavirus-immortalized Keratinocytes

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) is frequently overexpressed in human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated dysplasias and carcinomas, implying that it is important for the progression of keratinocytes to malignancy. We used mice with a targeted disruption of the EGF-R gene to directly examine its role in cell immortalization and tumor development. Epidermal keratinocytes were cultured from EGF-R knockout, heterozygous, and wild-type mice, infected with retroviruses encoding HPV-16 E6 and E7 oncogenes, and grafted to nude mice. E6/E7 induced immortalization of EGF-R wild-type cells 5-fold more efficiently than null cells. Immortal EGF-R null cells grew more slowly, achieved a lower saturation density, and were more sensitive to apoptosis than the immortalized wild-type or heterozygous cells. Analyses using cDNA expression arrays showed that EGF-R null cells expressed increased levels of RNAs encoding p21waf and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-2. EGF-R-positive immortal keratinocytes formed papillomas in 17% (15 of 90) of skin grafts, and seven grafts progressed to squamous carcinoma after 6-12 months. EGF-R null keratinocytes did not form papillomas, but 1 of 96 grafts progressed to a squamous carcinoma after 1 year. However, treatment with the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate induced tumors in 18 and 35% of grafts containing EGF-R null or EGF-R-positive cells, respectively. Transduction with an activated v-Ha-ras gene, which signals downstream of the EGF-R, induced rapidly growing carcinomas in all grafts regardless of EGF-R genotype. These results directly show that the EGF-R is important, but not essential, for immortalization by HPV and for progression of immortal cells to papillomas and carcinomas.
An Adapted Lesk Algorithm for Word Sense Disambiguation Using WordNet

This paper presents an adaptation of Lesk's dictionary-based word sense disambiguation algorithm. Rather than using a standard dictionary as the source of glosses for our approach, the lexical database WordNet is employed. This provides a rich hierarchy of semantic relations that our algorithm can exploit. This method is evaluated using the English lexical sample data from the SENSEVAL-2 word sense disambiguation exercise, and attains an overall accuracy of 32%. This represents a significant improvement over the 16% and 23% accuracy attained by variations of the Lesk algorithm used as benchmarks during the Senseval-2 comparative exercise among word sense disambiguation systems.
Chapter 6 Past events never come back

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses irreversibility—that is, time's arrow and the fact that its origin remains the source of much scientific discussion. The dispute has been nourished by inaccurate definitions and hasty conclusions concerning a number of concepts such as the word irreversibility itself, isolation, relaxation, and equilibrium. Arguments based on observation and theoretical discussions strictly compatible with confirmed laws of mechanics (at microscopic level) have been used in this work to emphasize that the equilibrium state cannot be defined without taking account of the conditions valid in the environment. Relaxation dynamics represents exchange with the surroundings that is an export of coherent (collective) information compensated by stochastic import of thermalized (incoherent) information. In the domain where Hamiltonian dynamics is valid, forces acting on the components of the system have a sum identically to zero. Some forces clearly have an external source.
Energy conservation and productivity growth: Can we have both?

Rapid multifactor productivity growth and strong improvements in energy efficiency have occurred simultaneously over long periods of time in the USA. Not so, however, after 1973 when energy efficiency made substantial gains while productivity growth languished. Based upon an examination of US data, this article argues that the key to achieving both energy conservation and multifactor productivity growth at the same time has been to use energy in conjunction with technologies that achieve more efficient means of combining all production inputs, instead of emphasizing technologies in which energy conservation alone is the over-riding objective.
Student contributions to the EUVE project

A program under which some 30 undergraduates participate in the EUVE project is briefly reviewed. The paper summarizes students' contributions to the project, the types of projects and tasks handled by the students, and skills developed as a result of the program.
Particle and Field Signatures of Coronal Mass Ejections in the Solar Wind

When CME plasma passes over a spacecraft in interplanetary space, it can often be recognized by a number of characteristic signatures in the properties of the plasma and magnetic field. Those signature are briefly summarized.
The Security of Elastic Block Ciphers Against Key-Recovery Attacks

We analyze the security of elastic block ciphers against key-recovery attacks. An elastic version of a fixed-length block cipher is a variable-length block cipher that supports any block size in the range of one to two times the length of the original block. Our method for creating an elastic block cipher involves inserting the round function of the original cipher into a substitution-permutation network. In this paper, we form a polynomial-time reduction between the elastic and original versions of the cipher by exploiting the underlying network structure. We prove that the elastic version of a cipher is secure against a given key-recovery attack if the original cipher is secure against such an attack. Our analysis is based on the general structure of elastic block ciphers (i.e., the network's structure, the composition methods between rounds in the network and the keying methodology) and is independent of the specific cipher.
The use of externally monitored radioisotope techniques in the study of regional carotid blood flow under various experimental conditions

Summary o 1. The regional isotope flow curve obtained following intravascular injection of RISA is described. 2. In a model circulatory system, blood flow is proportional to the tangent of the angle formed by the intersection of the upsweep portion of the isotope curve with the horizontal baseline. 3. Changes in regional carotid blood flow associated with Crutchfield clamp occlusions, intracarotid injection of emboli, pentobarbital injection and intracranial injection of clots in dogs and monkeys are described. 4. The application of this technique in studying regional cerebral blood flow in various clinical situations is discussed.
Phenolsulphotransferase in human tissue: Radiochemical enzymatic assay and biochemical properties

Phenosulphotransferase (EC 2.8.2.1) (PST) is an important catecholamine and drug metabolizing enzyme. Optimal conditions have been determined for the accurate measurement of PST activity in the human platelet, human renal cortex, and human jejunum with a radiochemical microassay. 3-Methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and 35S-3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (35S-PAPS) were the substrates for the reaction. The apparent Michaelis-Menten (Km) values for MHPG with platelet, renal cortex, and jejunum were 1.09, 0.46 and 1.16 mmol/l, respectively. Apparent Km values for PAPS in the same tissues were 0.14, 0.13 and 0.21 mumol/l. The pH optimum of the reaction in all three tissues was approximately 6.2--6.8 with three different buffer systems. The coefficients of variation for the assay of platelet, renal cortex, and jejunal activities were 6.2%, 3.4% and 4.4%, respectively. Mean platelet PST activity in blood samples from 75 randomly selected adult subjects was 5.0 +/- 1.72 nmol of MHPG sulfate formed per hour per mg of platelet protein (8.3 x 10(-5) +/- 2.9 x 10(-5) mumol . min-1 . mg-1, mean +/- S.D.). There was a 5-fold intersubject variation in platelet PST activity within two standard deviations of the mean value. Experiments in which partially purified human erythrocyte PST was added to platelet, kidney and gut homogenates under these assay conditions provided evidence that endogenous PST inhibitors did not affect the observed enzyme activity.
Duplex ureteroceles: is radical surgery always necessary?

Pour repondre a la question du meilleur traitement des enfants avec ureterocele sur duplication, nous avons partages les patients de notre Hopital en deux groupes et les avons controles a la policlinique. Le premier groupe etait compose de patients traites entre 1971 et 1986. Ce groupe a ete compare aux enfants du deuxieme groupe, traites entre 1987 et 1992. Chez les patients du premier groupe, on a essaye une reparation complete de la malformation avec exerese du kyste, nephro-ureterectomie ou reimplantation de l'uretere en un seul temps. Dans ce groupe, 8 des 18 patients devraient etre reoperes. Trois renicules inferieurs ont perdu leurs fonctions apres l'intervention
Diamagnetic lanthanide tris β-diketonates as organic-soluble chiral NMR shift reagents

Diamagnetic lanthanium(III) and lutetium(III) tris β-diketonate complexes of 3-(trifluoroacetyl)-d-camphor, 3-(heptafluorobutyryl)-d-camphor, and d,d-dicampholylmethane are shown to be effective chiral NMR shift reagents for determining the enantiomeric purity of compounds with hard Lewis base functional groups. These include substrates with amine, alcohol, epoxide, sulfoxide, and oxaxolidine moieties. Enantiomeric discrimination is observed in the 1H NMR spectrum. Diamagnetic lanthanide complexes represent an alternative to paramagnetic varieties that often cause too much line broadening in the NMR spectra. The choice of which metal to use varies with substrate. Similarly, there is no consistent trend with ligand as not one of the complexes is consistently better than the others for all substrates. The enantiomeric discrimination also varies with solvent. Comparisons show that the chiral recognition was usually larger in benzene-d6 than in chloroform-d or cyclohexane-d12. Chirality, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Angiopeptin, the octapeptide analogue of somatostatin, decreases rat heart endothelial cell adhesiveness for mononuclear cells

Abstract The effect of angiopeptin, a stable analogue of somatostatin, was studied on basal and interleukin-1-β-induced endothelial cell adhesiveness for mononuclear cells, and compared to the effect of somatostatin. Angiopeptin and somatostatin decreased basal and interleukin-1-β-induced endothelial cell adhesiveness for mononuclear cells. The decreased mononuclear cells adhesion to endothelial cells exposed to angiopeptin and somatostatin is not due to modulation of the expression of intrecellular adhesion molecule-1 because neither angiopeptin nor somatostatin decreased basal and interleukin-1-β-induced expression of this adhesion molecule. The effect of angiopeptin in inhibiting endothelial cell adhesiveness for mononuclear cells was abolished by addition of dibutyryl-cyclic AMP. Angiopeptin induced a transient decrease in basal and interleukin-1-β-induced cyclic AMP levels in endothelial cells. Exposure of unstimulated and interleukin-1-β-activated endothelial cells to KT5720, a specific inhibitor of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, decreased endothelial cell adhesiveness for mononuclear cells. Thus, angiopeptin most likely diminishes endothelial adhesiveness for mononuclear cells by affecting the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase signal transduction pathway. The findings suggest that angiopeptin and somatostatin may modify the development of the immune response by attenuating endothelial cell adhesiveness for mononuclear cells. Angiopeptin may have a potential clinical application as a modulator of some aspects of the immune response due to its long half-life and prolonged inhibitory effect on interleukin-1-β induced endothelial adhesiveness for mononuclear cells.
Effect of a Depilatory Agent on Cotton, Polyester, and Rayon Versus Human Hair in a Laboratory Setting

Study objective We examine the ability of a depilatory agent, Nair, to dissolve strands of hair, cotton, polyester, and rayon. Methods We conducted a bench laboratory study in which we tested single strands of hair and natural and synthetic fibers under static tension with a 10.8-g weight and application of Nair. The dependent variable, time until breakage, was recorded. If the strand did not break within 8 hours, the experiment was discontinued. Three types of hair were tested (thin, medium, and thick, as recorded per diameter). Three types of natural and synthetic fibers were tested (cotton, polyester, and rayon). Results All types of hair had breakage within 10 minutes of the Nair application. Synthetic materials had no breakage after 8 hours with application of Nair. Conclusion Depilatory agents dissolve hair under tension within minutes. However, they do not dissolve cotton, polyester, and rayon even after many hours of application.
Estimating the unperturbed dimensions of polymer molecules

A procedure is described for estimating unperturbed molecular dimensions from data obtained in “nonideal” solvents. A knowledge of [η], M, and A2 is required. This should be particularly useful for high melting crystalline polymers, since for these polymers a direct determination by light scattering measurements performed under Flory θ conditions is complicated by the tendency of the polymer to crystallize from solution as the solvent becomes thermodynamically poorer. The intrinsic viscosity at θ, [η]θ, is calculated from the semi-empirical relation: where Γ2 = A2M. The unperturbed dimensions are then calculated through use of the relations appearing in Flory's treatment of intrinsic viscosity: Unperturbed dimensions calculated in this manner for polyisobutylene and polystyrene compare favorably with values directly measured by light scattering. This procedure is used to estimate the unperturbed dimensions of polyethylene, 6,6-nylon, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyacrylonitrile. A comparison of the relative chain stiffness of these polymers allows some interesting correlations with Flory's theoretical treatment of semi-flexible chain molecules.
The effect of harvesting the central one-third of the patellar tendon on patellofemoral contact pressure

This study assessed whether removing the central one- third of the patellar tendon, with or without side-to-side repair of the patellar tendon defect, would alter patel lofemoral pressure. Patellofemoral pressure was as sessed by testing five stable knees from five different cadaveric donors on a specially designed hydraulic knee machine. Patellofemoral joint pressures were measured by placing pressure-sensitive film into the patellofemoral articulation. The joint was loaded in a static fashion, with quadriceps forces consistent with walking (647 N) and stair climbing (1923 N), at 30°, 60°, and 90° of knee flexion. Using the same knees, the central one-third of the patellar tendon was then sectioned, and patellofemoral joint pressure measure ments were repeated at identical knee flexion angles and quadriceps forces. Side-to-side repair of the patel lar tendon defect was performed and patellofemoral joint pressure measurements were repeated.There were no statistically significant differences be tween the c...
Clinical significance of Myb protein and downstream target genes in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), the second most frequent malignancy of the major and minor salivary glands, comprise of approximately 15–23% of all carcinomas at these locations. ACC is uniquely formed of dual epithelial and myoepithelial cells that give rise to different phenotypic patterns. We hypothesize that the dual myoepithelial/epithelial composition of ACCs underlie their biological heterogeneity and may impact on their therapeutic management. A recurrent reciprocal translocation of t(6;9)(q22–23;p23–24) resulting in fusion gene partners comprising MYB gene the transcription factor NFIB has been reported in ACC of breast, salivary, lachrymal and ceruminal glands. In fusion positive and a subset of fusion negative ACCs, high expression of the transcript Myb was found. However, the role of Myb protein expression and the potential effect on the downstream targets have not been investigated. To investigate the biological and prognostic significance of use of elevated levels of Myb and its downstream target genes (c-kit, cox-2, bcl-2), we analyzed, by immunohistochemistry, the protein expression of these genes in 156 ACCs. We have found that 55% of ACCs have increased Myb expression mainly confined to myoepithelial cells. We validated Myb expression on a large cohort of ACCs (156 patients). Although no significant effects of the individual Myb and downstream targets c-kit, bcl-2 and cox-2 on survival was noticed, the combinations survival curve for Myb+/c-kit+/cox-2+ showed better survival than combination Myb−/c-kit+/cox-2+. Myb may serve as a new target for the management of this disease, and future therapeutic trials of these tumors may be better based on biomarker stratification and the cellular composition of these tumors.
Effects of spatial variation of cells and nutrient and product concentrations coupled with product inhibition on cell growth in a polymer scaffold

The effects of spatial variation of cells and nutrient and product concentration, in combination with product inhibition in cell growth kinetics on chondrocyte generation in a polymer scaffold, are analyzed. Experimental studies reported previously have demonstrated spatial dependence in the cultivation of chondrocytes. In the present study, the cell-polymer system is assumed to consist of two distinct phases. The cells, fluid, polymer matrix, and extracellular matrix comprise one phase, and the other phase consists of a fluid and polymer matrix. The only two species in the fluid considered to affect cell growth are the nutrient and product. The multiphase transport process of these two species in the cell-polymer system is described by the species continuity equations and corresponding boundary conditions for each individual phase. A volume-averaging approach is utilized for this system to derive averaged species continuity equations for the nutrient and product concentrations. The volume-averaging approach allows for a single species in a two-phase system to be represented by a single averaged continuity equation. Competitive product inhibition, saturation kinetics of substrate, and cell population control are assumed to affect the cell growth kinetics. A modified Contois growth kinetic model is used to represent the three factors that affect cell growth. A parameter analysis is performed and the results are compared qualitatively with experimental data found in the literature.
Effect of laser trabeculoplasty on nocturnal intraocular pressure in medically treated glaucoma patients.

Purpose To evaluate the effects of laser trabeculoplasty on 24-hour intraocular pressure (IOP) in a group of medically treated open-angle glaucoma patients. Design Prospective experimental study. Participants Eighteen open-angle glaucoma patients. Methods Laser trabeculoplasty (180°) was performed on 28 eyes of 18 glaucoma patients. Twenty-four–hour IOP data were collected in a sleep laboratory before and 45 to 80 days after the procedure. Measurements of sitting and supine IOP were taken during the 16-hour diurnal/wake period, and measurements of supine IOP were taken during the 8-hour nocturnal/sleep period in 2-hour intervals. Main Outcome Measures Changes in the mean, peak, and range of IOP during the office-hour, diurnal, nocturnal, and 24-hour periods. Results Compared with the baselines, changes in the mean, peak, and range of IOP were not significant during the office-hour period and during the diurnal period in either the sitting or the supine position. The mean, peak, and range of IOP were reduced significantly during the nocturnal period in the supine position. Mean and peak 24-hour IOP were reduced significantly in the habitual body positions (sitting during the diurnal period and supine during the nocturnal period). The reduction of mean 24-hour IOP in the supine position also was significant. Conclusions In this group of medically treated open-angle glaucoma patients, laser trabeculoplasty reduced IOP more consistently during the nocturnal period than during the diurnal period.
ISAR image analysis using the curvelet transform

Cheney and Borden [1] and Cheney and Nolan [2] have proposed that target identification may be achieved by an analysis of the microlocal structure of their ISAR images. To implement their idea, a Radon transform approach was used [3]. Noise is a problem for the Radon transform and consequently a more robust method against noise is preferable. Candes and Donohoe have investigated the use of the Curvelet transform for Radon data with noise [4] and have shown it to be superior to traditional methods. In this paper, we use simulated ISAR data to investigate the ability of the Curvelet transform to recognize different types of scattering elements in a low signal-to-noise environment.
Vesicotropic action of digitalis.

Abstract Digitalis was investigated for its potential effect on pressure-volume relationships in the bladder of monkeys. This drug reproducibly decreased bladder capacity and increased intravesical pressure. This effect appears to be mediated by an increase in tension of the bladder wall. These changes were prevented by prior treatment with atropine which was given to produce pharmacologic impairment of the parasympathetic innervation to the bladder. Digitalis may represent a potentially useful drug for the treatment of some types of hypotonic, neurogenic bladder or bladders with persistent decompensation following correction of associated distal urinary tract obstruction.
Isolated inferior rectus palsy caused by a metastasis to the oculomotor nucleus.

Abstract PURPOSE: To report a case of isolated inferior rectus palsy secondary to a metastasis to the oculomotor nucleus. METHODS: Case report. A 41-year-old woman with a history of breast cancer presented with acute onset of left hypotropia and exotropia. RESULTS: Forced generation testing confirmed weakness of the right inferior rectus muscle that was not reversed by intravenous edrophonium infusion. Magnetic resonance imaging disclosed numerous metastatic lesions to the cerebral hemispheres and brainstem. One lesion in the right midbrain was adjacent to the cerebral aqueduct in the right oculomotor nucleus. CONCLUSION: Metastasis to the oculomotor nucleus is a rare cause of isolated inferior rectus palsy; however, this entity should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an isolated inferior rectus palsy because of the life-threatening consequences of a brainstem lesion.
Higher Education in China.

This paper discusses the system of higher education in China today. Eight years after the beginning of the upheaval known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, educational principles and practice are still considered experimental. New types of schools have been established, and old ones have been reoriented to conform to recent ideological imperatives. The administrative system has gone through a number of changes and is not yet standardized; innovative enrollment procedures, strongly influenced by social class considerations, are changing the complexion of the student body; teaching methods and curriculum combine teaching, productive labor and scientific research in an effort to relate higher education more closely to the economic and social needs envisioned by the Maoist leadership.
Poverty and Halakhic Agency: Gleanings from the Literature of Rabbinic Palestine

AbstractThe dynamic of charity works to figure the poor as outsider, both to the circle of donors, and, more fundamentally, to the sphere of agency. The current article examines ways in which the halakhic system, as constructed in rabbinic Palestine of the classical period, mitigates this dynamic, both by highlighting aspects of agency at work in the very act of receiving and consuming charity, and, at greater length, by collecting and analyzing cases in which the halakhic system enables the poor, through charity and other means, not only to survive, but to act as halakhic agents themselves.
The effect of a weak vertical magnetic field on fluctuation-induced transport in a Bumpy-Torus plasma

Digital spectral analysis techniques are used to observe that, under the appropriate experimental conditions, the radial fluctuation-induced transport in the NASA Lewis Bumpy Torus plasma may be reversed from outward to inward by applying a weak vertical magnetic field. This reversal in the transport direction corresponds to a reversal in the sign of the phase angle between the density and potential fluctuations and results in an enhancement of the plasma density by a factor of five or more.
Acquired microvascular dysfunction in inflammatory bowel disease: Loss of nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation.

Abstract Background & Aims: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; i.e., Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis) is characterized by refractory inflammatory ulceration and damage to the intestine. Mechanisms underlying impaired healing are not defined. Because microvascular dysfunction resulting in diminished vasodilatory capacity and tissue hypoperfusion is associated with impaired wound healing, we hypothesized that microvascular dysfunction may also occur in chronic IBD. Methods: Intact submucosal arterioles from control, involved, and uninvolved IBD specimens were assessed using in vitro videomicroscopy to assess endothelium-dependent vasodilation in response to acetylcholine (Ach) and fluorescence microscopy to detect oxyradicals. Results: Normal microvessels dilated in a dose-dependent and endothelium-dependent manner to Ach (maximum, 82% ± 2%; n=34). Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase with N G -nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) reduced maximal dilation to 54% ± 6% ( P P Conclusions: Human intestinal microvessels from chronically inflamed IBD show microvascular endothelial dysfunction, characterized by loss of NO-dependent dilation that may contribute to reduced perfusion, poor wound healing, and maintenance of chronic inflammation.
Soft X-ray emission from galactic radio spurs.

Shklovsky and Sheffer1 have recently raised the interesting possibility that the galactic radio spurs could be soft X-ray sources. As radio spurs have often been considered to be very old supernova remnants2,3, and since three old remnants have been found to be soft X-ray sources4,5, this idea has particular merit. Shklovsky and Sheffer point out that the soft X-ray (0.21 to 0.28 keV) map of Bowyer et al.6 shows enhanced emission in the northern galactic hemisphere in a region coincident with secondary radio ridges of the North Polar Spur7 and that this correlation may provide experimental verification of the hypothesis concerning the possible supernova remnant origin of the spurs.
Asymptotic properties of the tumor growth curve estimator

Abstract The estimator of growth curve of tumors (based on a single observation per tumor, viz. its size at detection), proposed earlier is analyzed. The results concern its asymptotic bias and MSE as well as the limiting behavior of the estimator treated as a stochastic process.
International Business: An Examination of the Corporate Viewpoint

This research surveyed both the views of major international business executives concerning teaching and research in international business and the perceived ranking of the importance of various international business problems. Opinions are tabulated, ranked, evaluated for consistency and tested for possible randomness. Most opinions were significantly consistent enough to permit many conclusions.