cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Removing communication barriers at work

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the contribution made by this theme issue to the literature examining workforce diversity in the hospitality industry and methods that can be used to remediate communication barriers due to differences.Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews some of the key contributions arising from this theme issue.Findings – The summary highlights the research on workforce and diversity and communication barriers and discusses the implications of diversity for hospitality employers and researchers.Research limitations/implications – Diversity is a modern day reality that brings challenges and opportunities to hospitality operators.Originality/value – The research in this theme provides insight from both practitioner and academic perspectives as to how employers can remove communication barriers at the workplace.
Deposition Tips for New Litigators

It is increasingly difficult for a new litigator to get into court, most take or defend depositions during the early stages of their career. Unlike other forms of discovery, the deposition involves a face -to- face meeting with opposing counsel and witnesses. Accordingly, the deposition has an added interpersonal dimension that merely filing and receiving written discovery do not. Each side's evaluation of the opponent, the opposing party, and the witnesses play an important role in the ultimate outcome of the litigation. In order for new litigators to make the best impression on opposing counsel and to effectively handle the deposition, the following practices are recommended.
Physician-Assisted Suicide: An Anthropological Perspective

In considering physician-assisted suicide, the real challenge lies in understanding the nature of culture itself. Missing from the debate is a discussion of the social consequences of hidden expectations and obligations with respect to access to health care, allocation of resources, terminal and chronic illness, disability, difference, suffering, and the nature of death itself. Part I explores the hidden dimensions of culture that operate at the level of the unconscious. In order to examine the ways in which our cultural expectations are likely to change with the legalization of physicianassisted suicide and active euthanasia it is imperative that we consider some of our current hidden social expectations, and the ways in which the more vulnerable segments of our society may be affected by new expectations. Part II explores euthanasia from the perspective of the disable. Thus far, clinicians, resource managers, lawyers, journalists and bioethicists have dominated the debate concerning euthanasia policy. Disabled consumers view these individuals as controlling information given to terminally ill patients about future quality of life and prospects for pain and suffering. The debate must include reflections on the ways that euthanasia policy is likely to initiate long-term changes in social relations in our society. PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Older parents of adults with developmental disabilities : Practice issues and service needs

Due to increases in life expectancy rates, older families that include a person with a developmental disability have increased the length of time spent in providing care to their dependent family member. This article examines the stresses and rewards that older caregiving parents experience in their roles as late life care providers. Additionally, interventions and program/policy initiatives that support caregiving families are proposed.
Formal Verification and Biology

The essence of formal verification is the modeling, analysis, and, ultimately, understanding of large reactive systems. How do many parts interact to produce appropriate global behavior? How are properties guaranteed over all the possible variations of timing, non-deterministic behavior of components, and a dynamically changing environment?
Uterine B cell lymphoma in a mare

Summary In this report, we describe the diagnostic findings and outcome of a uterine B cell lymphoma in a mare. A well circumscribed uterine mass with significant peripheral vascularisation was identified by transrectal ultrasonography during the reproductive examination of an 8-year-old Thoroughbred mare. Subsequent hysteroscopy revealed that the uterine mass was located intramurally and contained a protruding polyp-like structure. A diagnosis of uterine B cell lymphoma was established by histopathological examination of a hysteroscopically-obtained tissue sample. Additional diagnostics demonstrated that the uterus was a site of metastasis. Due to her deteriorating condition, extensiveness of the tumour and poor prognosis, the owner decided that the mare should be subjected to euthanasia.
Winter wheat geometry identification by bidirectional canopy reflected spectrum

Effect of crop leaf angle on canopy reflected spectrum cannot be ignored in the inversion of leaf area index (LAI) and the monitoring of the crop growth condition using remote sensing technology. In this study, experiments on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were conducted to identify crop leaf angle distribution (LAD) by bidirectional canopy reflected spectrum. Canopy reflected spectrum has significant differences among erectophile, planophile and horizontal geometry varieties at essentially the same LAI value. Canopy reflectance value at near infrared of the erectophile variety was lower than that of the horizontal variety. The effects of LAI and crop LAD on canopy reflectance were studied among erectophile, planophile and horizontal LAD varieties. The Standard Deviation (STDEV) of canopy reflectance at the near infrared bands (800 nm and 1100 nm) was more significant than those of visible bands (450 nm, 550 nm, 680 nm). It indicates that near infrared bands could be used for different LAD wheat varieties identification. The method for identification of crop geometry parameters was by the bidirectional canopy reflectance at different wave bands and view angles. The bidirectional reflectance of visible and near infrared bands at 15°, 30°and 45°field of view for the main viewing plane could be used for identification of erectophile, planophile and horizontal LAD varieties based on bidirectional data. For erectophile varieties, the bidirectional canopy reflectance at near infrared was f45°
Single-Crystalline, Nanoporous Gallium Nitride Films With Fine Tuning of Pore Size for Stem Cell Engineering

Single-crystalline nanoporous gallium nitride (GaN) thin films were fabricated with the pore size readily tunable in 20-100 nm. Uniform adhesion and spreading of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) seeded on these thin films peak on the surface with pore size of 30 nm. Substantial cell elongation emerges as pore size increases to ∼80 nm. The osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs occurs preferentially on the films with 30 nm sized nanopores, which is correlated with the optimum condition for cell spreading, which suggests that adhesion, spreading, and stem cell differentiation are interlinked and might be coregulated by nanotopography.
Fast Multivariate Ordinal Type Histogram Matching

When patterns are represented as histograms, the earth mover's distance , EMD has been considered an excellent metric between two distributions. EMD is formulated as the transportation problem which is a hard optimization problem. In similarity based pattern retrieval problems, computing EMD s for all histograms in the database against a query histogram would take too long time for users to wait for the output. Hence, the candidate selection technique is presented to speed up the EMD based multivariate ordinal type histogram retrieval problem. It guarantees to find all similar histograms while achieving significant speed up. Theoretical relationships between other metrics for multivariate histograms and their usages are presented as well.
Skill acquisition from experimental data

The authors present a new bottom-up approach to acquire skills in control. The acquired skills represented in the form of state transition laws are modeled by using a Petri net. The focus is on the automatic construction of such a Petri net based on observed data. Systems are considered that are difficult to control due to the problems in modeling system dynamics as well as in applying mathematical tools to derive control laws. The approach is to automatically learn state transition laws based on a globally competitive and locally cooperative algorithm, to model the state transition laws by using a Petri net, and to automatically extract an optimal control law as well as to evaluate system controllability from the Petri net that is constructed. >
Potential energy surfaces for the interaction of atomic and diatomic hydrogen with lithium metal clusters

Abstract In this paper a modified CNDO/2 method is used to study the interaction of hydrogen atoms and molecules with molecular clusters simulating the (100) surface of solid lithium metal. The modification, described in an earlier papers, involves rescaling bicentric CNDO/2 energy contributions with known diatomic bond energies. Potential energy curves are calculated for six attack points by the hydrogen atom on the surface, and for one attack point by the molecule. The results indicate that in both atom and molecule forms hydrogen penetrates the surface and that the molecule most likely dissociates.
Topological repulsion between domain walls in magnetic nanowires leading to the formation of bound states.

The manipulation of domain walls in magnetic nanodevices is a topic of increasing technological relevance. This study examines the interactions that occur between vortex domain walls in permalloy nanowires, and finds that bound states occur between domain walls with opposite magnetic charge.
The effects of low calcium on the voltage-dependent conductances involved in tuning of turtle hair cells

1. The voltage-dependent conductances of turtle cochlear hair cells of known resonant frequency were characterized by tight-seal, whole-cell recording during superfusion with solutions containing normal (2.8 mM) and reduced (0.1-10 microM) Ca2+. 2. In 1 microM Ca2+, the current flowing through the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels was increased roughly fivefold and had a reversal potential near 0 mV. This observation may be explained by the Ca2+ channels becoming non-selectively permeable to monovalent cations in low-Ca2+ solutions. Lowering the Ca2+ further to 0.1 microM produced little increase in the current. 3. The size of the non-selective current increased systematically with the resonant frequency of the hair cell over the range from 10 to 320 Hz. This suggests that hair cells tuned to higher frequencies contain more voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. 4. There was a good correlation between the amplitudes of the non-selective current and the K+ current which underlies electrical tuning of these hair cells. The amplitude of the K+ current also increased systematically with resonant frequency. 5. In cells with resonant frequencies between 120 and 320 Hz, the K+ current was completely abolished in 1 microM Ca2+, consistent with prior evidence that this current flows through Ca2+ activated K+ channels. In a majority of cells tuned between 50 and 120 Hz, the K+ current was incompletely blocked in 1 microM Ca2+, but was eliminated in 0.1 microM Ca2+. In all hair cells the K+ current was abolished by 25 mM tetraethylammonium chloride. 6. In cells tuned to 10-20 Hz, the K+ current was not substantially diminished even in 0.1 microM Ca2+, which argues that it may not be Ca2+ activated. 7. In cells tuned to frequencies above 100 Hz, the K+ current could still be evoked by depolarization during superfusion with 10 microM Ca2+. However, its half-activation voltage was shifted to more depolarized levels and its maximum amplitude was systematically reduced with increasing resonant frequency. 8. These observations are consistent with the notion that in cells tuned to more than 50 Hz, there is a fixed ratio of the number of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels to Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels, the numbers of each increasing in proportion to resonant frequency. The results also provide indirect evidence that the Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels in cells tuned to higher frequencies may be less sensitive to intracellular Ca2+.
“Plethoras of witty verbiage” and “heathen Greek”: Ways of reading meaning in English comic drama

This paper draws upon Horn’s reworking of Grice’s conversational maxims as Q- and R-principles in order to provide a rich pragmatic reading of British comic drama, from the London comedies of Ben Jonson, to the restoration comedy of William Wycherley to the late twentieth-century London comedy of Steven Berkoff. I demonstrate that short-circuited implicatures (SCIs) as well as conventional and conversational implicatures operate to illuminate comic meaning for readers, both knowledgeable and unfamiliar with the historical code and the cultural milieu in which these plays may be set. I conclude that two kinds of pragmatic work are involved in reading comic drama: conversational implicature is situation- rather than code-based, and depends upon our ability to construe pragmatic acts in the dramatic text. The other kind of pragmatic work involves the inference that the meanings intended are conventional and cannot be reconstructed or calculated from what is being said.
Hierarchical nanoparticle morphology for platinum supported on SrTiO 3 (0 0 1): A combined microscopy and X-ray scattering study

Abstract The morphology of metal nanoparticles supported on oxide substrates plays an important role in heterogeneous catalysis and in the nucleation of thin films. For platinum evaporated onto SrTiO 3 (0 0 1) and vacuum annealed we find an unexpected growth formation of Pt nanoparticles that aggregate into clusters without coalescence. This hierarchical nanoparticle morphology with an enhanced surface-to-volume ratio for Pt is analyzed by grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The nanoparticle constituents of the clusters measure 2–4 nm in size and are nearly contiguously spaced where the average edge-to-edge spacing is less than 1 nm. These particles make up the clusters, which are 10–50 nm in diameter and are spaced on the order of 100 nm apart.
Arthroscopic capsular release for stiff shoulders

Abstract Purpose: The etiology, pathogenesis, time course, and response to treatment of stiff shoulder pathology is still under investigation and debate. This prospective study evaluated arthroscopic capsular release to treat stiff shoulder pathology that was resistant to conservative management. The etiology of the shoulder stiffness was categorized and analyzed for effect on outcomes. Type of Study: Operative technique and prospective evaluation. Methods: In 68 stiff shoulders (41 in women, 27 in men) that underwent arthroscopic capsular release, 5 distinct etiologies were identified: postsurgical in 20, idiopathic in 17, post-traumatic in 15, diabetic in 8, and impingement syndrome (prior primary impingement developing stiffness) in 8. Average age was 50 years (range, 29 to 72), and follow-up averaged 3 years (range, 2 to 8). Prior to this procedure, duration of symptoms averaged 7.3 months (range, 3 to 48), and formal physical therapy averaged 3.7 months (range, 1 to 12). Preoperative average American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Score (ASES) was 35.5 (range, 10 to 77), median Simple Shoulder Test (SST) was 3 (0 to 10), and median Visual Analog Score (VAS) for pain was 6 (0 to 10). Average active forward elevation (FE) was 92°, external rotation (ER) at side was 12°, and median internal rotation (IR) was to the buttock. All patients underwent arthroscopic capsular release with a standard aftercare protocol. Results: The study population showed significant improvement ( P Conclusions: Stiff shoulder pathology can result from a variety of differing etiologic factors. Arthroscopic capsular release was equally effective across the 5 identified etiologic groups, and provided significant pain relief, restoration of motion, and function within an average of 3 months.
Regulation of Brain Capillary Endothelial Thrombomodulin mRNA Expression

Background and Purpose Endothelial cells regulate hemostasis in part via expression of thrombomodulin, a potent anticoagulant protein. The purpose of this study was to analyze brain capillary endothelial cell expression of thrombomodulin mRNA. Methods Bovine brain capillary endothelial cells were grown in a blood-brain barrier model in which endothelial cells form capillary-like structures. In situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to examine thrombomodulin expression. Endothelial cells were then cocultured with astrocytes. We examined both coculture and monoculture preparations for γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP), a marker of the blood-brain barrier. We then used quantitative-competitive PCR to compare thrombomodulin expression in endothelial monocultures and astrocyte-endothelial cocultures after 1 and 7 days of culture. Results Both in situ hybridization and PCR studies demonstrated thrombomodulin mRNA expression by endothelial cells. During 1 week of astrocyte-endothelial coculture, there was (1) progressive association of astrocytes with capillary-like structures and (2) expression of GGTP; endothelial monocultures did not express GGTP. There was no significant difference in thrombomodulin mRNA expression for cocultures versus monocultures after 1 day. After 1 week, however, astrocyte-endothelial cocultures had markedly decreased thrombomodulin mRNA compared with monocultures (9±2 versus 189±62 pg/mL; P <.025). This thrombomodulin mRNA decrease thus occurred when elements of the blood-brain barrier phenotype were demonstrable, ie, when astrocyte association with capillary-like structures was maximal and when GGTP was expressed in cocultures. Conclusions These findings indicate astrocyte regulation of thrombomodulin mRNA expression in vitro and suggest an important role for the blood-brain barrier in the regulation of thrombomodulin.
Virus-like particles in the aquatic fungus, Rhizidiomyces

Isometric virus-like particles (VLPs), 60 nm in diameter, have been observed by electron microscopy in eight isolates of thermal-shocked Rhizidiomyces, a zoosporic, unicellular member of the Hyphochytridiales. VLP pathogenesis was observed in all fungal developmental stages from the zoospores to the mature sporangia. Paracrystalline structures associated with mitochondria preceded VLP occurrence in multinucleate sporangia. Particles appeared first in the intact nucleus, and subsequently VLPs completely replaced the nucleus and cytoplasm of the fungal host. Cell wall breakdown followed with release of VLPs into the medium. Approximately 50% of each fungal isolate was destroyed by the VLPs under stress conditions of heat, low nutrition, or aging. However, sufficient numbers of zoospores were capable of maturing into sporangia which produced zoospores to maintain the isolates in culture. After cloning 10 generations of zoospores, VLPs could still be produced in the offspring, thus indicating vertical transmission of the VLPs from generation to generation.
Phonological Deficits, IQ, and Individual Differences in Reading Disability: Genetic and Environmental Influences

Abstract In this paper we review our recent work on the phonological reading deficit in reading disability. Disabled readers typically show poor nonword reading skills relative to their word recognition skills. Behavior-genetic analyses reveal that nonword reading deficits are highly heritable and that heritable variance in word recognition is closely linked to heritable variance in phonological coding. However, subjects vary considerably in terms of the degree of their phonological reading deficits. The analyses show that subjects with lower phonological skills (relative to word recognition) tend to have word recognition deficits that are more heritable compared to subjects whose nonword reading is more congruent with their word recognition skills. We also argue that subjects who showed poor word recognition relative to intelligence would be expected to have word recognition deficits that were more heritable compared to subjects whose reading and intelligence were more congruent. The analyses indicate a trend in this direction but the effect was not significant. We argue that both the nonword deficit dimension and the reading-IQ discrepancy dimension should be investigated in future analyses.
Prognostic value of prechemotherapy skin tests in patients with metastatic breast carcinoma

'Iwo hundred patients with metastatic breast cancer who were treated with combination chemotherapy and nonspecific immunotherapy with BCG or MER were skin tested prior to, and at regular intervals during the administration of chemotherapy with a battery of six antigens (Dermatophytin, Varidase, candida, mumps, PPD, and KLH). Delayed-type hypersensitivity responses to this battery of antigens were analyzed to assess whether they correlated with ability to respond to chemotherapy, length of survival, and a number of other host and tumor characteristics of known prognostic significance. Responsiveness to individual recall antigens or the number of positive skin test responses did not correlate with overall or complete response rates. This correlation did exist with KLH, a primary antigen. A positive response to two or more antigens correlated with a longer survival. Inability to mount a skin test response to any antigen correlated with poor survival. PPD conversions during serial BCG administration did not correlate with a better prognosis. Serial skin testing with a battery of antigens did not correlate with prognosis. Skin test responsiveness to the antigens used in this study did not correlate with other pretreatment factors of prognostic importance such as tumor burden, absolute lymphocyte count, performance status, prior radiation therapy, menopausal status, and age. Therefore, responsiveness to skin testing with these antigens appears to be an independent prognostic variable and should be incorporated in the planning and analysis of systemic treatment programs in metastatic breast cancer. Cancer 47:1369-1376, 1981. hihiIJNoL)F.FiCi EN('Y is a phenomenon commonly
Applicability of Effective-Medium Theories to problems of Scattering and Absorption by Nonhomogeneous Atmospheric Particles

Abstract Effective-medium theories yield effective dielectric functions (or, equivalently, refractive indices) of composite media. Such theories have been formulated that go beyond the Maxwell-Garnett and Bruggeman theories, which art restricted to media composed of grains much smaller than the wavelength. These extended effective-medium theories do not, however, yield effective dielectric functions that can be used for the same purposes for which we unhesitatingly use the dielectric functions of substances such as pure water and pure ice (e.g., reflection and transmission by smooth interfaces; absorption and scattering by particles). Extended dielectric functions can lead to unphysical results; for example, absorption in composite media with nonabsorbing components. Moreover, if the grains in composite media are large enough to give rise to magnetic dipole and higher-order multipole radiation, then the effective permeability of the composite medium cannot be taken to be that of free space even if the gra...
Occurrence of unstable PEP carboxylase in C4 grasses in the genus Spartina Schreb.

Abstract The aims of this work were to discover the distribution within the C4 grass Spartina anglica of a PEP carboxylase which is very unstable during and after extraction, and to determine whether this unstable form occurs in other members of the genus. In S. anglica, only the leaf contains an unstable PEP carboxylase. Within the leaf only the major one of two isoenzymes is unstable, and this is located in the mesophyll cells. The unstable isoenzyme is inactivated during extraction and storage unless protected by bovine serum albumin or Triton X-100, and is inactivated in assay mixtures at optimum pH in the absence of PEP. Evidence is presented that inactivation is not due to degradation or inhibition during extraction and storage. The enzyme from leaves of Spartina species taxonomically closely related to S. anglica is also very unstable during and after extraction, but that from less closely related species is much more stable.
Redox active sulfhydryls are required for fructose 2,6-bisphosphate activation of plant pyrophosphate fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase

Abstract The classical, α β -subunit form (Q2) of green tomato pyrophosphate fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase (PFP, EC 2.7.1.90), a cytosolic enzyme functional in carbohydrate metabolism, was rapidly inactivated on incubation with the oxidant 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB). Analysis of the DTNB-treated sample by a fluorescence procedure revealed that inactivation was accompanied by oxidation of sulfhydryl groups, primarily on the α-subunit. Phosphate metabolites—fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, Pi, and PPi—protected against DTNB inactivation to varying degrees. The Km values for fructose 6-phosphate and PPi were not changed by DTNB treatment, but the capability for activation by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate was severely diminished. The oxidative inactivation of PFP was reversed by dithiothreitol, but not by monothiols (reduced glutathione or β-mercaptoethanol). Reactivation was accompanied by restoration of the ability to undergo activation by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. The findings suggest that sulfhydryl groups are essential for the activation of PFP by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and raise the possibility that a reversible change in their redox status can take place under certain conditions. Evidence that this is the case was obtained with a preparation from wheat flour which, in the absence of an added oxidant, required reduction by a dithiol for activation by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (dithiothreitol and reduced thioredoxin h).
Antiviral Chemoprophylaxis After Occupational Exposure to Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Why, When, Where, and What

Purpose To update ophthalmologists on recent developments in the area of antiviral chemoprophylaxis after occupational exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Background information is provided by which to make an informed decision about whether to initiate antiviral chemoprophylaxis against HIV infection. Methods We discuss why HIV postexposure prophylaxis should be considered; when prophylaxis should be initiated; where prophylaxis medications should be located in the operating or emergency room; and what medications might be used and the factors influencing their selection. Recent provisional recommendations by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International AIDS Society-USA are reviewed along with literature dealing with antiviral chemoprophylaxis against HIV infection. Results Recommendations are made for specific antiviral chemoprophylaxis after occupational exposure to HIV based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International AIDS Society-USA provisional recommendations. Uncertain areas and the minor discrepancies in these two reports are discussed. Conclusions Prevention of HIV transmission after accidental occupational exposure is possible. Combination therapy is more effective than monotherapy in treating HIV infections. Zidovudine (AZT or ZDV) is effective in postexposure prophylaxis; the combination of zidovudine and lamivudine (3TC) and indinavir (IDV) has greater antiretroviral activity than zidovudine alone does. The requirements for effective HIV postexposure prophylaxis may be somewhat different than those for optimum HIV treatment in the chronically ill HIV-positive patient. Ophthalmologists should have an in-depth knowledge of current thinking regarding HIV pathophysiology and treatment.
Relationship of Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory Subscales with Negative Priming

Abstract The relationship between the 4 subscales (Checking, Cleaning, Doubting, Slowness) and total score of the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and performance in a negative-priming task and a response-speed task in 102 undergraduates was examined. Only Cleaning subscale performance correlated with magnitude of negative priming. Performance on the Checking, Slowing, and Doubting subscales was not significantly related to the magnitude of negative priming. The not significant correlation between Checking score and negative priming magnitude supports the findings of Maki, O'Neill, and O'Neill (1994), who observed that compulsive checking (of, e.g., whether the stove is turned off) appeared to be unrelated to deficiencies in inhibitory control. The present results are not, however, consistent with the view that obsessive-compulsive characteristics (as measured by the MOCI) result in a disruption in and a reduction of inhibitory control (Enright & Beech, 1993).
Statistically reconstructing continuous isotropic and anisotropic two-phase media while preserving macroscopic material properties

We propose a method to generate statistically similar reconstructions of two-phase media. As with previous work, we initially characterize the microstructure of the material using two-point correlation functions (a subset of spatial correlation functions) and then generate numerical reconstructions using a simulated annealing method that preserves the geometric relationships of the material's phase of interest. However, in contrast to earlier contributions that consider reconstructions composed of discrete arrays of pixels or voxels alone, we generate reconstructions based on assemblies of continuous, three-dimensional, interpenetrating objects. The result is a continuum description of the material microstructure (as opposed to a discretized or pixelated description), capable of efficiently representing large disparities in scale. Different reconstruction methods are considered based on distinct combinations of two-point correlation functions of varying degrees of complexity. The quality of the reconstruction methods are evaluated by comparing the total pore fraction, specific surface area of the percolating cluster, pore fraction of the percolating cluster, tortuosity, and permeability of the reconstructions to those of a set of reference assemblies. Elsewhere it has been proposed that two-phase media could be statistically reproduced with only two spatial correlation functions: the two-point probability function (the probability that two points lie within the same phase) and the lineal path function (the probability that a line between two points lies entirely within the same phase). We find that methods employing the two-point probability function and lineal path function are improved if the percolating cluster volume is also considered in the reconstruction. However, to reproduce more complicated geometric assemblies, we find it necessary to employ the two-point probability, two-point cluster, and lineal path function in addition to the percolating cluster volume to produce a generally accurate statistical reconstruction.
High prevalence of early-onset osteopenia/osteoporosis after allogeneic stem cell transplantation and improvement after bisphosphonate therapy

Osteopenia/osteoporosis (O/O) has been associated with allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). We retrospectively reviewed 102 patients undergoing a first alloSCT from 2000 to 2005 at our center to evaluate the prevalence of O/O 6 months post-alloSCT. Fifty-six patients did not have a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan following alloSCT. Approximately half (n=13/27) of those with a first DXA scan 6 months. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics between the normal and O/O groups. The dual femur (DF) appeared to be more vulnerable to alloSCT-induced bone mineral density (BMD) loss than the lumbar spine (LS), regardless of screening time. O/O patients were treated with bisphosphonates and 41% had a repeat DXA scan post-treatment. No patient developed jaw osteonecrosis and significant BMD improvement was seen at the LS (mean BMD, 1.03+/-0.13 vs 1.08+/-0.12, P=0.004) but not the DF (mean BMD, 0.84+/-0.06 vs 0.85+/-0.08, P=0.29), indicating BMD loss at the DF is more resistant than the LS to antiresorptive therapy. Our results demonstrate that O/O is an early and late complication post-alloSCT and bisphosphonate treatment reverses BMD loss at the LS.
Wideband digital filter using FPGAs

A digital filter being developed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) is presented here. The filter is designed using field programmable gate array (FPGA) integrated circuits and has an equivalent clock rate of 4 GHz. The ALMA radio astronomy array being developed by the NRAO in cooperation with several European scientific agencies will consist of up to 64 twelve-meter diameter antennas to be used for observing astronomical sources at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. This instrument is to observe with bandwidths up to 16 GHz per antenna in eight unbroken RF bands of 2 GHz each. Bandwidth-resolution trade-offs are done in ALMA by providing each of the eight 4-Gsample/s digitizers per antenna with a programmable Finite Impulse Response (FIR) digital filter. The filter can be selected to perform 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, . . ., 1/64 band filtering and sample decimation. In the 1/2 band mode, the filter has the equivalent of 128 tap weight multiplications. Tap weights increase by factors of two to the limit of 2048 tap weights when the filter is programmed to be a 1/32 band low-pass or high-pass filter. The filter is designed to process the output of a four-bit digitizer. The filter utilizes RAM look-up tables for tap weight multiplications. The output of the tap weight multiplications drive an adder tree which has 10-bit precision in the early stages and 7-bit precision in latter stages. Output quantizing of the adder tree output is done in look-up table RAM to 2- bit, 4-level precision. The filter is implemented on a 280-mm, 6-U, Euro card using FPGA ICs running with a system clock rate of 125 MHz.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Time for chronotherapy? Clock genes dictate sensitivity to cyclophosphamide.

Temporal organization of biological processes is a critical feature of life. In addition to orderly, carefully timed developmental processes, precise temporal organization is also observed on a daily time scale. On Earth, organisms ranging from bacteria to humans have evolved internal timekeeping mechanisms called circadian clocks that control biochemistry, physiology, and behavior to coordinate with the 24-hour day (1–3). Circadian clocks have long been known to drive rhythms in such things as activity, sleep, and hormone secretion, but in recent years it has become clear that these clocks influence the normal homeostasis of organisms on a profound scale, controlling processes as diverse as cell cycle regulation, cell signaling, metabolic events, and cognitive function. Disruption of clock function in mammals results in abnormalities in many physiological functions, resulting in increases in risks for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases, sleep abnormalities, and cancer (reviewed in refs. 1 and 4). In a recent issue of PNAS, Gorbacheva et al . (5) describe a mechanistic link between the circadian clock and sensitivity to the chemotherapeutic agent cyclophosphamide (CY). Although several prior studies have implicated time of day as an important indicator of the morbidity of some cancer treatments, these authors go beyond the vague idea that clocks somehow affect susceptibility to these drugs. Of particular significance is their observation that sensitivity is not dictated by rhythmicity or arrhythmicity per se but instead depends on the specific molecular state of the circadian clock. This study provides a clear mechanistic link between the clock and tolerance of an anticancer drug. Connections between circadian clocks and disease are numerous (reviewed in ref. 1). Many studies have shown increased incidence of disease with disruption of normal clock function by tissue lesions (removal of the central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus or removal of the pineal gland, which …
Brain stimulation reward is altered by affecting dopamine-glutamate interactions in the central extended amygdala.

Abstract This work compares the effects on brain stimulation reward (BSR) when combining D2 dopamine receptor and AMPA glutamate receptor manipulations in the sublenticular central extended amygdala (SLEAc) and the nucleus accumbens shell (NAc shell). Thirty-seven male Long Evans rats received medial forebrain bundle (MFB) stimulation electrodes and bilateral injection guide cannulae aimed at either the SLEAc or the NAc shell. The rate-frequency paradigm was used to assess drug-induced changes in stimulation reward effectiveness and in response rate following 0.5 μl infusions of 0.50 μg of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-nitro-2,3-dioxo-benzo[ f ]quinoxaline-7-sulfonamide (NBQX) (AMPA receptor antagonist), 10.0 μg of quinpirole (D2 receptor agonist), 0.25 μg of AMPA (AMPA receptor agonist), 3.0 μg of eticlopride (D2 receptor antagonist), 0.50 μg of NBQX with 10.0 μg of quinpirole, and 0.25 μg of AMPA with 3.0 μg of eticlopride. The drugs were injected both ipsi- and contralateral to the stimulation site. AMPA blockade and D2 stimulation synergized to reduce BSR’s reward efficacy when directed at the SLEAc contralateral to the stimulation site whereas changes in reward efficacy were primarily D2-dependent following injections into the ipsilateral SLEAc. When injected into the NAc shell the drugs had only one significant effect on the frequency required to maintain half-maximal responding: injections of NBQX with quinpirole ipsilateral to the stimulation site increased required frequency significantly more than did injections of saline. Contrary to expectations, stimulating AMPA receptors with and without co-blockade of D2 receptors also decreased the stimulation’s reward efficacy, although these effects may reflect general behavioral disruption more than effects on reward per se. These results indicate a role for the SLEAc in BSR and also suggest that SLEAc neurons ipsi- and contralateral to the stimulated MFB play their roles in BSR through different mechanisms.
Neuronal cell loss accompanies the brain tissue response to chronically implanted silicon microelectrode arrays

Implantable silicon microelectrode array technology is a useful technique for obtaining high-density, high-spatial resolution sampling of neuronal activity within the brain and holds promise for a wide range of neuroprosthetic applications. One of the limitations of the current technology is inconsistent performance in long-term applications. Although the brain tissue response is believed to be a major cause of performance degradation, the precise mechanisms that lead to failure of recordings are unknown. We observed persistent ED1 immunoreactivity around implanted silicon microelectrode arrays implanted in adult rat cortex that was accompanied by a significant reduction in nerve fiber density and nerve cell bodies in the tissue immediately surrounding the implanted silicon microelectrode arrays. Persistent ED1 up-regulation and neuronal loss was not observed in microelectrode stab controls indicating that the phenotype did not result from the initial mechanical trauma of electrode implantation, but was associated with the foreign body response. In addition, we found that explanted electrodes were covered with ED1/MAC-1 immunoreactive cells and that the cells released MCP-1 and TNF-alpha under serum-free conditions in vitro. Our findings suggest a potential new mechanism for chronic recording failure that involves neuronal cell loss, which we speculate is caused by chronic inflammation at the microelectrode brain tissue interface.
Age of onset in chronic major depression: relation to demographic and clinical variables, family history, and treatment response

Abstract Background : The clinical and etiological significance of the early–late onset distinction in chronic major depressive disorder was explored. Method : Subjects were 289 outpatients with DSM-III-R chronic major depression drawn from a multi-site study comparing the efficacy of sertraline and imipramine in the acute and long-term treatment of chronic depression. Patients received comprehensive evaluations using semi-structured interviews and rating scales. Results : Early-onset chronic major depression was associated with a longer index major depressive episode and higher rates of recurrent major depressive episodes, comorbid personality disorders, lifetime substance use disorders, depressive personality traits, and a history of psychiatric hospitalization. In addition, more early-onset patients tended to have a family history of mood disorders. The early-late onset distinction was not associated with differences in symptom severity, functional impairment, or treatment response. Limitations : Family members were not interviewed directly; there were a large number of statistical comparisons; and interrater reliability of the assessments was not evaluated. Conclusions : Early-onset chronic major depression has a more malignant course and is associated with greater comorbidity than late-onset chronic major depression.
The Critical We

This paper provides a conspectus and critique of current reader response theory by focusing on one of its central terms - what may be called “the critical we”. This term is meant to designate the use of the first person plural in critical statements such as “we pity Gretchen because…” or “the text forces us to recognize that neither of these perspectives is adequate…” Such statements are frequently encountered in criticism dealing with the reader's response to a text, but the interpretive agreement they imply has only recently received serious attention from theorists. By examining the views of Norman Holland, Wolfgang Iser, Jonathan Culler, Stanley Fish, and other writers currently concerned with this problem I attempt to arrive at a clearer understanding of the issues involved and to show that the “critical we” is ultimately part of a prescriptive rather than a descriptive enterprise.
Why Do Students Choose Engineering? A Qualitative, Longitudinal Investigation of Students' Motivational Values

Background Recently published reports call for an increase in the number of engineering graduates and suggest appropriate characteristics that these graduates should embody. Accomplishing such change first requires understanding why students choose to pursue engineering degrees. Purpose (Hypothesis) Framed in motivation theory, our purpose was to better understand how students choose engineering by answering the question: How do engineering students' engineering-related value beliefs contribute to their choices to engage and persist in earning engineering degrees? Design/Method This research uses Eccles' expectancy-value theory in a qualitative, longitudinal examination of undergraduate students' choices to enroll and persist in engineering majors. In particular, the focus of this work is Eccles' subjective task value (STV) construct, which incorporates the personal importance an individual assigns to engaging in an activity. Using a multiple case study method approach, participants included eleven students (five men and six women) at a U.S. technical school. Results Results demonstrate that different patterns exist in the types of value or personal importance that participants assign to earning an engineering degree. Moreover, a primary differentiating feature of these patterns is whether or not participants choose engineering because it is consistent with their personal identity or sense of self. Conclusions We conclude that values are very important in students' choices to become engineers. To increase persistence rates we must focus on values, especially by helping students connect their personal identities to engineering identities.
Alteration of permeability of Lactobacillus plantarum caused by chlorpromazine.

THE mechanism for penetration of oxalacetate into Lactobacillus plantarum 17–5 is inducible. Unless L. plantarum is grown for a few hours in a medium which contains either oxalacetate, acetoacetate or α-ketoglutarate, there is poor penetration of oxalacetate into cell suspensions of this organism afterwards prepared. Oxalacetate decarboxylase (which is also inducible) can be readily detected manometrically in whole organism suspensions of L. plantarum grown with any of the three compounds already mentioned, but can only be detected in disrupted (acetone-dried) organisms if the bacteria had been grown with L-malate, a compound which induces synthesis of oxalacetate decarboxylase but does not induce the mechanism for oxalacetate to penetrate the cell1. An agent which increases cellular permeability, at least with respect to oxalacetate, may be detected by increase of oxalacetate decarboxylase activity of undisrupted L. plantarum which had been grown in a medium containing L-malate.
Artificial Propagation of Sunfishes, with Meristic Comparisons of Three Species of Lepomis and Five of Their Hybrids

Abstract All possible crosses among three species of sunfishes—the bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque; the redear, Lepomis microlophus (Gunther); and the redbreast, Lepomis auritus (Linnaeus)—were successfully produced. One cross, female redbreast X male bluegill, was made by placing one adult of each species in a plastic pool and allowing them to spawn. The five remaining crosses were produced two to nine times each by stripping and artificial insemination. Progeny from five of the six possible crosses were stocked in plastic and/or concrete pools and allowed to grow for approximately 2 months. Samples from each cross were examined, and 10 meristic counts were recorded for each fish. Corresponding counts were made on samples from each parent species. The data provide characterizations of parent species and their hybrids as well as comparisons among them. The comparisons showed that hybrids were generally intermediate between their parent species in most taxonomic characters. A blending or multiple ...
Retrieving the phase and intensity of an ultrashort pulse using frequency-resolved optical gating and a computational neural network

The method known as frequency-resolved optical gating for the retrieval of the electric field of an ultrashort pulse requires the use of an iterative algorithm. Here we show that using a computational neural network the pulse can be directly recovered.
Relationships Between the Release and Tissue Depletion of Norepinephrine from the Heart by Guanethidine and Reserpine

The release of norepinephrine from the heart of anesthetized open-chest dogs has been determined both after the intravenous administration of guanethidine (15 mg/kg) and after reserpine (3 mg/kg) by measuring the plasma norepinephrine concentration with the fluorometric method (THI) in bloods obtained simultaneously from the coronary sinus and femoral artery. In four dogs following the administration of guanethidine, norepinephrine release into the coronary sinus blood occurred and persisted for two to three hours. This release of norepinephrine was accompanied by and adrenergic response of similar duration. The norepinephrine content of atrial appendage was reduced by 24% of control at four hours in these dogs and to extremely low levels in three other dogs 24 hours after guanethidine administration. Thus, the reduction of the tissue content of norepinephrine continued after measurable release of norepinephrine into the coronary sinus blood had ceased. In four dogs following reserpine administration the adrenergic response was consistently smaller, and detectable release of norepinephrine into the coronary sinus blood was found transiently only in one dog. However, the norepinephrine content of atrial appendage was reduced by an average of 65% of control values at four hours. These findings suggest a difference in the mechanism of norepinephrine depletion in the period immediately after administration of guanethidine and reserpine.