cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental test of the affect-regulation theory of bulimic symptoms and substance use: a randomized trial.

Objective: Conduct a randomized trial to test whether a cognitive behavioral intervention designed to decrease depressive symptoms produces subsequent decreases in bulimic and substance use symptoms. Methods: Female participants (N=145) with elevated depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to a 4-session depression intervention or a measurement-only condition and assessed through 6-month follow-up. Results: Relative to control participants, intervention participants showed decreases in depressive symptoms. Intervention participants also showed significantly greater reductions in bulimic symptoms, but not substance use, and change in depressive symptoms mediated this effect for bulimic symptoms. Discussion: Results provide experimental support for the theory that affect disturbances contribute to bulimic pathology, but do not support the affect regulation theory of substance use.
Kleptocracy, Nepotism, Kakistrocracy: Impact of Corruption in Sub-Saharan African Countries

The adverse effect of corruption has been widely investigated in literature. Corruption is said to hamper both economic and human development. A foe of transparency and ethical business ambiance, corruption promotes a trans-lucid accounting milieu. In this paper we investigate the impact of corruption in structuring a country’s governmental accounting framework in a set of Sub-Saharan countries. This paper contributes to the research literature regarding corruption and government accountability, by developing a new index measure of accountability, which incorporates socio-economic indicators of government accountability. Using this index, results of analysis indicate that corruption has a significant negative relationship with the quality of the government accounting framework and with economic development in the Sub-Saharan countries included in the study.
Cartilage synthesizes the serine protease inhibitor PAI-1: support for the involvement of serine proteases in cartilage remodeling.

The work described here demonstrates the synthesis by human articular cartilage of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a potent inhibitor of the serine protease tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). We also present data demonstrating an increase in PAI-1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in chondrocytes exposed to the cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1). Interestingly, this elevation of steady-state mRNA levels does not appear to result in an increase in synthesis of PAI-1 protein. Northern blot analysis reveals that of the two mRNA species (3.4 kb, 2.4 kb) previously reported for PAI-1, only the larger species (3.4 kb) appears to be synthesized by chrondrocytes. Our data demonstrate the IL-1-stimulated production by cartilage of tissue plasminogen activator. We also show evidence for the presence of plasminogen in cartilage. A scheme is presented indicating the probable importance of the serine proteases (tPA and plasminogen) and PAI-1 in cartilage degradation.
Perspectives on radiation dose in abdominal imaging

Reported instances of patients’ overexposure to imaging-related radiation have spurred the radiology and medical physics communities to identify and develop methods for decreasing the amount of radiation used to achieve diagnostic-quality images. These initiatives include examining and optimizing conventional CT scanning parameters, introducing innovative scan protocols, and incorporating novel dose reduction technologies. The greatest challenge to effective dose reduction in the abdomen and pelvis remains patient size. Here, we review the state of the art in abdominopelvic CT in both adult and pediatric patients and describe some of our own efforts in dose reduction for these types of examinations.
Splenic I-J-bearing antigen-presenting cells in activation of suppression: further characterization.

Abstract A set of I-J-bearing murine splenic antigen-presenting cells (APC) has been found to be responsible for first order suppressor cell (Tsl, afferent suppressor cell) activation in the azobenzenearsonate (ABA) hapten system after intravenous administration. Suppressor cells induced by this set of hapten-coupled cells do not function in the efferent phase of the delayed hypersensitivity (DTH) response. The functional activity of this novel APC to activate afferent suppressor cells was resistant to a dose of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) sufficient to largely abrogate the ability of splenic APC to immunize for a DTH response. It was also found that the previously described splenic I-J-bearing APC needed for third-order suppressor cell (Ts3, effector-suppressor cell) activation is adherent and UVR resistant. The sets of I-J-bearing APC appear to be crucial elements in the activation of suppression and thus in determining the balance between immunologic reactivity and unresponsiveness. Furthermore, the UVR resistance of this set of novel APC may be relevant to the in vivo effects of UVR exposure to mice.
Automated zone correction in bitmapped document images

The optical character recognition system (OCR) selected by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) as part of its system for automating the production of MEDLINER records frequently segments the scanned page images into zones which are inappropriate for NLM's application. Software has been created in-house to correct the zones using character coordinate and character attribute information provided as part of the OCR output data. The software correctly delineates over 97% of the zones of interest tested to date.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Editorial: Molecular Endocrinology Articles in the Spotlight for August 2012

We are pleased to feature the following articles in this month’s issue of Molecular Endocrinology. In “COUP-TFII Is a Major Regulator of Cell Cycle and Notch Signaling Pathways,” Chen et al. investigate underlying mechanisms by which chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor II (COUP-TFII) controls specification of arterial-venous identity and tumor angiogenesis within endothelial cells. Their data indicate that COUP-TFII regulates the transcription of E2F1 and the activity of the Notch signaling pathway as well as repressing the expression of Hey2, Foxc1, and Np-1 at the transcriptional level. These results raise the possibility of screening for COUP-TFII antagonists to identify novel therapeutic agents that could be used to inhibit tumor angiogenesis. “Secretin Receptor Promotes the Proliferation of Endocrine Tumor Cells Via the PI3K/AKT Pathway” by Lee et al. demonstrates that the secretin receptor is overexpressed in various endocrine tumor cells and plays a proproliferative role in pheochromocytoma and adrenocortical carcinoma cells. Tumor cells expressing high levels of secretin receptor are sensitive to treatment with inhibitors of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/serine-threonine protein kinase (AKT) pathway, offering a novel treatment option for patients presenting with tumors exhibiting high receptor expression. During pregnancy, progesterone signaling through its receptor (PR) maintains myometrial quiescence by repressing a group of contraction-associated (CAP) genes, such as connexin43 and the oxytocin receptor. Xie et al.’s “Expression and Function of Myometrial PSF Suggest a Role in Progesterone Withdrawal and the Initiation of Labor” demonstrates that PR and its associated coregulators [e.g., protein-associated splicing factor (PSF), switch independent 3 homolog A (Sin3A)/histone deacetylase (HDAC)] are recruited to CAP gene promoters, triggering repression of their transcriptional activity. Furthermore, expression of PSF was found to be negatively regulated by both estradiol and mechanical stretch of the myometrium by the growing fetus, providing a mechanism that could contribute to the functional withdrawal of progesterone action at term labor. Congratulations to the authors of these papers and to all authors published in the August issue. Donald B. DeFranco, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief, Molecular Endocrinology E D I T O R I A L
Using the Biot theory to establish a baseline geoacoustic model for seafloor sediments

Abstract By modeling the soft, fine-grained sediments of Eckernforde Bay, Germany, as porous viscoelastic materials filled with a viscous fluid, the Biot theory is used to establish a baseline geoacoustic model that is useful as a starting point for studies of scattering and other phenomena caused by the introduction of free gas into the sediment. The basic parameters of the model are derived from a wide variety of field measurements made during the Coastal Benthic Boundary Layer research program. The low permeability revealed by these measurements indicated that the overall fluid mobility would be small and therefore it would be necessary to include the effects of local fluid motion in “hidden” coordinate systems in order to model the dispersion and attenuation that is observed over a wide fre-quency range. This was accomplished by using a very general viscoelastic model (Cole–Cole model) to describe the response of the skeletal frame in a water environment. By adjusting the three free parameters of this model it was possible to match both overall attenuation and velocity in both high- and low-frequency ranges, however, because of the fact that compressional attenuation and velocity were only measured at two relatively high frequencies and shear wave attenuation determined only at low frequency, it is not clear whether the best rheological model was chosen to model the skeletal frame. This suggests that more specially designed experimental studies are desirable if the objective is to define the most general baseline model, applicable over a wide frequency range.
Distance Measurements in Multiply Labeled Crystalline Cytidines by Dipolar Recoupling Solid State NMR

To systematically explore the effects of spin system size and geometry on the precision and accuracy of two-dimensional solid state NMR distance measurements, we have applied two homonuclear dipolar recoupling experiments, 2D DRAWS and 2D RFDR, to five polycrystalline samples of uniformly or selectively 13C-labeled cytidine. Distance information has been obtained from the intensities and time behavior of cross-peaks observed in the resulting two-dimensional spectra. The experimental cross-peak buildup curves obtained from these crystalline cytidine samples have been analyzed by comparison with simulations. In uniformly 13C-labeled cytidine, indirect coherence transfer mechanisms lead to low-precision distance measurements not unlike those measured in solution state NOESY experiments. In the selectively labeled cytidines, the distance measurements are considerably more precise, allowing the possibility of very accurate structure determinations from selectively or randomly labeled spin systems. Of the two t...
Assessment of an Online Consumer “Ask Your Pharmacist” Service

OBJECTIVE:To describe consumer demographics and the types of questions submitted to an online Ask Your Pharmacist (AYP) drug information service.METHODS:This is a retrospective review of a sample of consecutive queries submitted online to an AYP service between 1999 and 2000. All data were coded, transcribed, and evaluated in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Data regarding gender, age, patient relationship to consumer, allergies, medical conditions, products, and question types were evaluated.RESULTS:One thousand eighty-seven queries involving drug information or health-related questions were evaluated: 65% of the queries were from consumers requesting information for themselves; 55.2% of queries originated from women; 61% of consumers were between 19 and 55 years of age. The 5 most listed medical conditions were depression-related, hypertension, allergies, pain, and infectious disease. More than 60% of the questions involved prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications; another 10% targeted herbal pr...
Manipulating lossless video in the compressed domain

A compressed-domain transformation is one that operates directly on the compressed format, rather than requiring conversion to an uncompressed format prior to processing. Performing operations in the compressed domain offers large speedups, as it reduces the volume of data processed and avoids the overhead of re-compression. While previous researchers have focused on compressed-domain techniques for lossy data formats, there are few techniques that apply to lossless formats. In this paper, we present a general technique for transforming lossless data as compressed with the sliding-window Lempel Ziv algorithm (LZ77). We focus on applications in video editing, where our technique supports color adjustment, video compositing, and other operations directly on the Apple Animation format (a variant of LZ77). We implemented a subset of our technique as an automatic program transformation. Using the StreamIt language, users write a program to operate on uncompressed data, and our compiler transforms the program to operate on compressed data. Experiments show that the technique offers speedups roughly proportional to the compression factor. For our benchmark suite of 12 videos in Apple Animation format, speedups range from 1.1x to 471x, with a median of 15x.
Caldera Development During the Minoan Eruption, Thira, Cyclades, Greece

The well-known caldera of Thira (Santorini), Greece, was not formed during a single eruption but is composed of two overlapping calderas superimposed upon a complex volcanic field that developed along a NE trending line of vents. Before the Minoan eruption of 1400 B.C., Thira consisted of three lava shields in the northern half of the island and a flooded depression surrounded by tuff deposits in the southern half. Andesitic lavas formed the overlapping shields of the north and were contemporaneous with and, in many places, interbedded with the southern tuff deposits. Although there appears to be little difference between the composition of magmas erupted, differences in eruption style indicate that most of the activity in the northern half of the volcanic field was subaerial, producing lava flows, whereas in the south, eruptions within a flooded depression produced a sequence of mostly phreatomagmatic tuffs. Many of these tuffs are plastered onto the walls of what appears to have been an older caldera, most probably associated with an eruption of rhyodiacitic tephra 100,000 years ago. The Minoan eruption of about 1400 B.C. had four distinct phases, each reflecting a different vent geometry and eruption mechanism. The Minoan activity was preceded by minormore » eruptions of fine ash. (1) The eruption began with a Plinian phase, from subaerial vent(s) located on the easternmost of the lave shields. (2) Vent(s) grew toward the SW into the flooded depression. Subsequent activity deposited large-scale base surge deposits during vent widening by phreatomagnetic activity. (3) The third eruptive phase was also phreatomagmatic and produced 60% of the volume of the Minoan Tuff. This activity was nearly continuous and formed a large featureless tuff ring with poorly defined bedding.« less
Reliability of high-speed SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors under very high forward current density

As device scaling for higher performance bipolar transistors continues, the operation current density increases as well. To investigate the reliability impact of the increased operation current density on Si-based bipolar transistors, an accelerated-current wafer-level stress was conducted on 120-GHz SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), with stress current density up to as high as J/sub C/=34 mA//spl mu/m/sup 2/. With a novel projection technique based on accelerated-current stress, a current gain shift of less than /spl sim/15% after 10/sup 6/ h of operation is predicted at T=140/spl deg/C. Degradation mechanisms for the observed dc parameter shifts are discussed for various V/sub BE/ regions, and the separation of the current stress effect from the self-heating effect is made based on thermal resistance of the devices. Module-level stress results are shown to be consistent with wafer-level stress results. The results obtained in this work indicate that the high-speed SiGe HBTs employed for the stress are highly reliable for long-term operation at high operation current density.
Alliance governance and technological performance: some evidence from biotechnology alliances

Pursuing alliance opportunities are fraught with difficulties due to information asymmetry between the potential partners, as well as technological and/or market uncertainties. In this article, I empirically test how social ties between alliance partners, alliance governance, and individual firm characteristics impact alliance performance. Since alliances are by definition relationships between two or more independent firms, defining and measuring alliance performance is difficult as the partner firms may have different objectives in entering the alliance. Therefore, analyzing alliance performance at different stages of the alliance process, using intermediate indicators of “success” can provide help to better understand the determinants of alliance performance as well as how these determinants may change over time.
Effect of hip angle on anterior hip joint force during gait

Anterior hip or groin pain is a common complaint for which people are referred for physical therapy. We have observed that people with anterior hip pain often walk in greater hip extension than people without anterior hip pain, and that the pain is reduced when they walk in less hip extension. Therefore, we investigated anterior hip joint forces which may contribute to anterior hip pain and examined the effect of end range hip extension on the anterior hip joint force during gait. To do this, we used a 6 degree of freedom, three-dimensional musculoskeletal model to estimate hip joint forces during gait. Within subjects, the maximum anterior hip joint force for gait trials with the most hip extension was compared to the anterior hip joint force for gait trials with the least hip extension. The musculoskeletal model indicated that increasing the maximum end range hip extension when walking results in an increase in the anterior hip joint force when compared to walking in less hip extension. Walking in greater hip extension may result in an increase in the anterior hip joint force, and thereby contribute to anterior hip pain. The findings of this study provide some evidence supporting the use of gait modification to reduce anterior hip force when treating people with anterior hip pain.
PCB-MEMS Environmental Sensors in the Field

Sensor networks for in-water measurements using Organic MEMS are progressing in our research effort. PCBMEMS enabled systems, primarily in Liquid Crystal Polymer material (LCP) have emerged from the laboratory and are operational in the field. The latest progress in sensor development has yielded PCBMEMS sensors operating in the field for extended periods. In addition, we have developed the multisensor system that measures conductivity, temperature, and pressure, and combined it with a 3D system-in-package wireless module based on the 802.11b protocol to create a salinity network node and an environmental network system. The power consumption, reliability and fouling of the fieldable sensors have been evaluated. Our results indicate that biofouling has become the limiting factor for sustained performance of the multisensor system within the environment.
Learning in the multiple class random neural network

Spiked recurrent neural networks with "multiple classes" of signals have been recently introduced by Gelenbe and Fourneau (1999), as an extension of the recurrent spiked random neural network introduced by Gelenbe (1989). These new networks can represent interconnected neurons, which simultaneously process multiple streams of data such as the color information of images, or networks which simultaneously process streams of data from multiple sensors. This paper introduces a learning algorithm which applies both to recurrent and feedforward multiple signal class random neural networks (MCRNNs). It is based on gradient descent optimization of a cost function. The algorithm exploits the analytical properties of the MCRNN and requires the solution of a system of nC linear and nC nonlinear equations (where C is the number of signal classes and n is the number of neurons) each time the network learns a new input-output pair. Thus, the algorithm is of O([nC]/sup 3/) complexity for the recurrent case, and O([nC]/sup 2/) for a feedforward MCRNN. Finally, we apply this learning algorithm to color texture modeling (learning), based on learning the weights of a recurrent network directly from the color texture image. The same trained recurrent network is then used to generate a synthetic texture that imitates the original. This approach is illustrated with various synthetic and natural textures.
Nicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticide resistance in houseflies (Diptera: Muscidae) collected from Florida dairies.

BACKGROUND:Thehousefly,MuscadomesticaL.,continuestobeamajorpestofconfinedlivestockoperations.Houseflieshave developedresistancetomostchemicalclasses,andnewchemistriesforuseinanimalagricultureareincreasinglyslowtoemerge. Five adult housefly strains from four Florida dairy farms were evaluated for resistance to four insecticides (beta-cyfluthrin, permethrin,imidacloprid and nithiazine). RESULTS: Significant levels of tolerance were found in most field strains to all insecticides, and in some cases substantial resistance was apparent (as deduced from comparison with prior published results). At the LC90 level, greater than 20-fold resistance was found in two of the fly strains for permethrin and one fly strain for imidacloprid. Beta-cyfluthrin LC90 resistance ratios exceeded tenfold resistance in three fly strains. The relatively underutilized insecticide nithiazine had the lowest resistanceratios;however,fourfoldLC90 resistancewasobserved inonesouthernFloridaflystrain.Farminsecticideuseandits impact on resistance selection in Florida housefly populations are discussed. CONCLUSION: Housefly resistance to pyrethroids is widespread in Florida. Imidacloprid resistance is emerging, and tolerance was observed to both imidacloprid and nithiazine.If these insecticides are to retain efficacy, producer use must be restrained. c � 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
Variation of Cole-Cole model parameters with the complex permittivity of biological tissues

Cole-Cole relaxation models have been widely used by researchers to extrapolate the measured permittivity of biological tissues to higher frequencies. There is much variability of the measured permittivity from one sample to another for the same type of tissue requiring different Cole-Cole fitting parameters. However, no studies have been conducted on the dependence of the Cole-Cole fitting parameters on tissue constituents such as their geometry, concentration and distribution. In this communication, a single-pole Cole-Cole model is used to fit the frequency dependence of the dielectric permittivity of fatty tissues. Different geometries of water distribution in fat are studied. Multiple scattering full wave simulation is shown to be a useful approach to catalog and analyze different types of geometries. This study can serve as a useful tool to extract more detailed information about a biological tissue from its dielectric permittivity and explain the variation of the measured data.
Something to do with a Girl Named Marla Singer: Capitalism, Narcissism, and Therapeutic Discourse in David Fincher’s Fight Club

David Fincher’s Fight Club well represents the violent effects of capitalism on psychic structure. While offering a critique of the violence wrought by commodity capitalism and technical rationality, and while empathizing with the pain suffered by the narcissistic character structure it fosters, the film simultaneously presents a narrative whose form mimics the damaging effects of capitalism on the male psyche. The film offers two different solutions to the main character’s suffering: self-help therapy groups and Fight Club. The chapter argues that the incoherence introduced by a narrative rupture that separates the presentation of the two solutions—a rupture blamed on the film’s female protagonist—represents the site of unconscious conflict. Although the film makes it clear that the protagonist’s pain is a result of the meaninglessness of his relationships and the immorality of his job, the film yet proffers re-masculinization as a solution. In so doing, the film suggests that narcissistic wounds are best treated by shoring up male narcissism.
A polarized photobleaching study of DNA reorientation in agarose gels

Polarized fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (pFRAP) has been used to study the internal dynamics of relatively long DNA molecules embedded in gels that range in concentration from 1% to 5% agarose. The data indicate that, even in very congested gels, rapid internal relaxation of DNA is largely unhindered: however, interactions with gel matrices apparently do perturb the larger amplitude, more slowly (microseconds to milliseconds) relaxing internal motions of large DNAs. The relationship between this work and recent studies which indicate that internal motions of DNA play an important role in the separation achieved with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis techniques is discussed. The polarized photobleaching technique is also analyzed in some detail. In particular, it is shown that "reversible" photobleaching phenomena are probably related to depletion of the ground state by intersystem crossing to the triplet state.
Influence of In Situ Factors on Dynamic Response of Piedmont Residual Soils

The in situ chemical and physical weathering of igneous and metamorphic rocks, identified as the process of formation of Piedmont residual soils, is a fairly well-understood phenomenon. However, the effect this weathering has on the physical, mechanical, and dynamic properties of the rock/soil is not understood fully. This study focuses on the dynamic shear modulus, G, and material damping ratio, D, of this soil formation for low- to midlevel amplitudes of vibration. The paper presents laboratory test results and correlations that demonstrate the effects that the degree of weathering has on these properties for various levels of confining pressure and shear strain amplitude. A total of 12 specimens of Piedmont residual soils from different depths were tested in a Resonant Column device. The specimens tested were SM and ML soils according to the Unified System (USCS) classification. The low-amplitude shear modulus and damping values were found to be similar to those reported in the literature from laboratory and in situ tests on the same type of soils. It was found that weathering, void ratio, and apparent overconsolidation ratio exert a noticeable influence on the dynamic response as a result of variations in confining pressure. The understanding of these effects will allow for a better prediction of phenomena such as soil amplification, which may result in damage to existing civil infrastructure founded on these soil deposits. The response in free field soil deposits compared with that of soils experiencing added confining stresses caused by foundation loading appears to vary significantly in these geologic formations. Threshold strain and the variation of damping, D, with the normalized shear moduli, G/G sub max, fall within the same range as those recently reported by other authors in similar soils.
Statistical Explanation in Cross‐cultural Research: a Comparison of the Utility of Linear and Curvilinear Correlation

Data from 483 societies included in the Ethnographic Atlas were used to compare the relative utility of linear (r) and curvilinear (Eta) correlation models in cross-cultural research. The societies included in the sample were selected in accordance with the procedures recommended by Murdock. The variables included in the study were selected so as to represent four important areas of evolutionary theory: energy supply (agricultural levels), differentiation (class stratification and the division of labor used in metal working, weaving, and pottery making), societal scale (mean size of local communities and settlement pattern), and integrative mode (central states). In addition to supporting the hypothesis that energy supply, differentiation, societal scale, and integrative mode are interrelated, the results indicate that the linear correlation model, r, frequently results in underestimations of the true strength of relationship between variables. It is suggested that comparativists should regularly test for curvilinear relationships in order to avoid possible errors in estimation.
Anisotropy in Thermal, Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Spin-Coated Polymer Dielectrics

In MCM-D applications, interlayer dielectrics separate and insulate metal conductors to form a three-dimensional interconnection structure. Due to the three-dimensional nature of these structures, the thermal, electrical and mechanical properties of the dielectric materials must be known for all orientations in order to correctly design and simulate devices. The most commonly used polymer in microelectronics, polyimide, exists in formulations which have been shown to have a high degree of orientation and exhibit anisotropic properties.1-10 Measurement of through-plane mechanical properties of thin films is difficult due to the high resolution required to measure the small property changes. Existing techniques require either stacked thin films or a single cast thick film of 100 micrometers or more to achieve dimensional changes large enough to be measurable.7-10 In addition, most existing techniques require removing a large area of film, if not the whole film, from a supporting substrate to perform the measurement. These techniques neglect the effects of the dielectric-substrate interaction, such as Poisson’s effect and adhesive effects. Since most MCM-D structures utilize thin films adhered to a substrate, the measured through-plane coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) from these other techniques may not reflect the true thermal expansion expected in real devices. Similarly, direct measurement of in-plane dielectric properties of in-situ, thin polymer films is difficult due to the small cross-sectional area in the thickness direction. To date, all reported dielectric constants for polymer films in the in-plane direction have been calculated from Maxwell’s relation from the optical birefringence of the film. This calculation of the in-plane permittivity may not hold if there are any dielectric loss modes that are present at electrical frequencies that are not present at optical frequencies. This work proposes two in-situ measurement techniques capable of measuring through-plane CTE of insulating thin films. The first technique is based on in-situ dielectric measurements utilizing two electrode geometries, a comb electrode structure and a parallel-plate capacitor structure. The second technique is based on ellipsometric measurements of very thin polymer films (one micrometer or less). This work also presents an in-situ measurement technique to directly measure the in-plane dielectric constant of thin polymer films. This technique utilizes a comb electrode for obtaining a measurement of the combined electrical response of the polymer film in both the in-plane and through-plane directions. A finite element model has been developed to extract the in-plane component of the dielectric constant if the through-plane dielectric constant is known.
Aqueous systems at high temperature—IV: Compositions of light- and heavy-liquid phase in the systems UO3SO3H2O and UO3SO3D2O, 280–350°C

Abstract The system UO3SO3H2O at high temperature is characterized by a range of compositions in which liquid-liquid immiscibility occurs. Some equilibrium compositions of the two liquid phases with vapour present in this system and its D2O analogue have been determined from 280 to 350°. The nature of the equilibrium is unusual since at 350° in certain parts of the systems the light-liquid phase, 0·02 to 0·1 molal in SO3, is in equilibrium with a heavy-liquid phase, 9 molal in SO3. The light-liquid phases contain an excess of free H2SO4 whereas the heavy-liquid phases either are stoicheiometric in UO2SO4 or contain a small excess of free H2SO4 or UO3. Comparative liquid-phase compositions in the analogous D2O system showed little difference in composition in the heavy-liquid phases but indicated approximately 10 per cent lower saturation molal ratios, mUO3:mSO3, for the light-liquid phases.
A label-free photonic crystal biosensor imaging method for detection of cancer cell cytotoxicity and proliferation

A label-free method for detecting the attachment of human cancer cells to a biosensor surface for rapid screening for biological activity is described, in which attachment of a cell results in highly localized increase of the resonant reflected wavelength of a photonic crystal narrowband reflectance filter incorporated into a standard 96-well microplate. An imaging detection instrument is used to determine the spatial distribution of attached cells by mapping the shift in reflected resonant wavelength as a function of position. The method enables monitoring of cancer cell attachment, cell proliferation, and cell detachment that is induced by exposure of the cells to drug compounds. We demonstrate the efficacy of this method as an early screening technique for the rapid quantification of the rate of cancer cell proliferation on the sensor surface, and subsequently as a means for quantifying cell detachment resulting from apoptosis that is induced by exposure of the cells to cytotoxic chemicals.
Electrosleep and chronic pain.

Abstract Electrosleep has been used in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Many treatments that are helpful in treating anxiety and depression also reduce chronic pain. Therefore, seven patients with chronic pain were treated with electrosleep. No patient reported significant improvement. Electrosleep does not appear to offer a useful treatment for chronic pain.
Surgical Treatment of Nonruptured Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture carries a 90% overall mortality, and a 40—50% mortality for those patients who reach a hospital alive. Because of this, the primary goal of AAA therapy is to avoid rupture. Treatment of ruptured AAAs is very costly to the health care system. To date, there are two effective methods to treat AAA, and thus exclude the AAA from pressurized blood flow. The first is an open surgical exclusion of the AAA, along with an interposition synthetic graft, while the second is an endoluminally placed covered stent graft (endovascular aortic aneurysm repair, EVAR) that can be inserted either via the femoral artery or the iliac artery. The most important factors that increase the risk of open aneurysm repair are renal dysfunction with a creatinine level greater than 1.8 mg, congestive heart failure, jugular venous distention, ischemic electrocardio-graphic changes with ST depression greater than 2 mm, history of a prior myocardial infarction, pulmonary dysfunction including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dyspnea on exertion or prior lung surgery, old age, and female gender. In the absence of risk factors, elective open AAA carries an operative mortality of 3—5%, but the risk rises as high as 40% if several of the aforementioned risk factors are present.
Intertemporal Information Acquisition and Investment Dynamics

This paper studies intertemporal information acquisition by agents that are rational Bayesian learners and that dynamically optimize over consumption, investment in capital, and investment in information. The model predicts that investors acquire more information in times when future capital productivity is expected to be high, the cost of capital is low, new technologies are expected to have a persistent impact on productivity, and the scalability of investments is expected to be high. My results shed light on the economic mechanisms behind various dynamic aspects of information production by the financial sector, such as the sources of variation in returns on information acquisition for investment banks or private equity funds.
Environmental Mediation for International Problems

Environmental mediation has found some success as a mechanism for dispute settlement and problem solving in domestic settings. The prospects for its application in the international polity are explored here in the context of both localized transboundary issues and global environmental problems. Though facing a formidable set of necessary conditions, international environmental mediation could prove efficacious. Indeed, mediation offers one of the few methods for coping with environmental problems that retains the essentially decentralized character of the contemporary international political system.
Problem Solving/Reading Modules for Trade Students

(1983). Problem Solving/Reading Modules for Trade Students. Journal of College Reading and Learning: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 96-99.
Changes in Autofluorescence and Macular Pigment with Age & Implications for Vision

Whereas macular pigment protects the photoreceptors from photopic insult, lipofuscin accumulation indirectly results from photoreceptors damage. The aging process for these pigments plays important roles in health and disease of the retina.
THE MIMIC-WAR AT MIAMI: A CASE STUDY OF 19th CENTURY SPEAKER BANS

(1982). THE MIMIC-WAR AT MIAMI: A CASE STUDY OF 19th CENTURY SPEAKER BANS. Free Speech Yearbook: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 70-77.
Her Fight is Your Fight: “Guest Worker” Labor Activism in the Early 1970s West Germany

When the postwar economic boom came to a crashing halt in early 1970s West Germany, foreign “guest workers,” often the first to be laid off, bore the brunt of high inflation, rising prices, declining growth rates, widespread unemployment, and social discontent. Following the economic downturn and the ensuing crisis of stagflation, workers' uprisings became increasingly common in West Germany. The summer of 1973 saw a sharp increase in workers' activism broadly, including a wave of “women's strikes.” However, historical attention to the role of foreign workers, especially of foreign female workers, within these strikes has been limited. This article presents a case study of wildcat strikes spearheaded by foreign, female workers in the early 1970s, focusing specifically on the strikes at the Pierburg Autoparts Factory in Neuss, West Germany. For these foreign women, activism in the early 1970s had a larger significance than just securing better working conditions. Indeed, striking foreign workers were no longer negotiating temporary problems; they were signaling that they were there to stay. Foreign workers' sustained and successful activism challenged the imposed category of “guest worker,” switching the emphasis from guest to worker. Ultimately, the Pierburg strikes' outcomes benefited all workers—foreign and German, male and female—and had grave implications for wage discrimination across West Germany as well.
On the Approaches to the ABC Theory Therapetics and Job-hunting Process of College Counselors

The ABC Theory Therapetics is a typical cognitive therapy which can sloved the emotional distress problem effectivey.The College students' employment problem became the topic of social concern,severe employment situation had bring about unhealthy psychological impact.The college counselors and college students had closely connection,therefore,the college counselors had play an important role in job-hunting process.This paper holds a discussion on the ABC theories and methods and analysis the main emotional problems,also,on the approaches to the ABC theory therap etics and job-hunting process of instructor.
Review of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

Traditional risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) include only the patient's age and family history and whether there is evidence of hypertension, elevated LDL, low HDL, diabetes or history of smoking. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in identifying a new generation of risk factors, including Lp(a), triglycerides, subfractions of HDL and LDL, modified LDL, apo E phenol genotype, homocysteine and fibrinogen. At the same time, studies have broadened our knowledge of traditional markers. These advances have enabled physicians to make a better assessment of patient risk for CHD and to prescribe more appropriate treatment.
Induction therapy pre-autologous stem cell transplantation in immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis: a retrospective evaluation.

There is no consensus on whether patients with immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL) should receive induction therapy prior to an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). This study investigated the relationships between baseline bone marrow plasmacytosis (BMPC), cardiac staging, and pre-transplant induction in AL patients. All patients who received ASCT for AL within 12 months of diagnosis were included. Patient characteristics and outcomes were abstracted. Univariate and multivariate modeling was performed. Among 415 AL patients, 35% had induction prior to ASCT. Post-ASCT hematologic CR plus VGPR rates were significantly higher in those with baseline BMPC ≤ 10% compared to BMPC >10% (58% versus 40%, P = 0.0013). Significant risk factors for lack of attainment of CR included attenuated dose melphalan conditioning, baseline BMPC > 10%, no induction, and male gender. The 5-year OS for the entire group was 65%. On multivariate analysis, risk factors for inferior OS included no induction therapy, advanced AL amyloid staging, BMPC > 10%, attenuated conditioning melphalan dose, and male gender. Patients with Mayo 2012 stage I–II patients with BMPC ≤ 10%, who comprised 56% of the ASCT population fared exceedingly well regardless of whether or not they received induction therapy with a 5-year OS of 81 to 83%. Induction therapy pre-ASCT may improve outcomes among AL patients due to a rapid reduction of toxic light chains or alternatively by elimination of less fit patients by “testing” their ability to tolerate chemotherapy. Prospective studies will be required to sort out these and other questions. Am. J. Hematol. 91:984–988, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Use of the Home Safety Self-Assessment Tool (HSSAT) within Community Health Education to Improve Home Safety

This exploratory research examined the benefits of a health education program utilizing the Home Safety Self-Assessment Tool (HSSAT) to increase perceived knowledge of home safety, recognition of unsafe activities, ability to safely perform activities, and develop home safety plans of 47 older adults. Focus groups in two senior centers explored social workers' perspectives on use of the HSSAT in community practice. Results for the health education program found significant differences between reported knowledge of home safety (p = .02), ability to recognize unsafe activities (p = .01), safely perform activities (p = .04), and develop a safety plan (p = .002). Social workers identified home safety as a major concern and the HSSAT a promising assessment tool. Research has implications for reducing environmental fall risks.
Resolving the confusion surrounding adjuvant radiation in endometrial cancer.

Published analyses combining groups of patients with different risk profiles have created confusion surrounding patient selection for adjuvant treatment after surgery for endometrial cancer. As a result, no randomized trial has demonstrated a survival benefit with the addition of adjuvant radiation
Role of MRI for detecting micro cracks in teeth

Objectives:To evaluate the limit of tooth crack width visualization by two MRI pulse sequences in comparison with CBCT.Methods:Two extracted human teeth with known crack locations and dimensions, as determined by reference standard microCT, were selected for experimental imaging. Crack location/dimension and the presence of common dental restorative materials such as amalgam were typical of that found clinically. Experimental imaging consisted of conventional CBCT scans and MRI scans with two pulse sequences including Sweep Imaging with Fourier Transformation (SWIFT) and gradient echo (GRE). CBCT and MR images of extracted teeth were acquired using acquisition parameters identical to those used for in vivo imaging. Experimental and reference standard images were registered and the limit of tooth crack visualization was determined.Results:Collected images indicate that SWIFT could demonstrate cracks with 20-µm width, which is 10 times narrower than the imaging voxel size. Cracks of this size were not visib...
CD47-Blocking Antibodies and Atherosclerosis.

Phagocytosis is a well understood process whereby pathogens and cell debris are removed from within the body, and it is an important homeostatic mechanism in health and disease. What is less commonly discussed is the process of “efferocytosis.” This term, derived from the Latin prefix effero- ,
Counting characters above invariant characters in solvable groups

Abstract This paper discusses two related questions. First, given a G-invariant character θ of a normal subgroup N of a solvable group, what can we say if the number of characters of G above θ is in some sense as small as possible? Isaacs and Navarro [5] have shown that under certain assumptions about primes dividing the order of the group, one can show that G / N must have a very particular structure. Here we show that these assumptions can be weakened to obtain results about all solvable groups. We also discuss a related question about blocks. For a prime p and a p-block B of G, we let k ( B ) denote the number of ordinary characters in B. It is relatively easy to show that k ( B ) is bounded below by k ( G , D ) , which is the number of conjugacy classes of G that intersect the defect group D of B. In this paper we ask what can be said if equality is achieved. We show that for p-solvable groups, if k ( B ) = k ( G , D ) , then B is nilpotent and thus k ( B ) = | Irr ( D ) | . In addition, we show that this result holds for many blocks of arbitrary finite groups, including all blocks of the symmetric groups. We also extend a result on fully ramified coprime actions in [5] .
Management of Advanced Heart Failure in a Cancer Patient

In addition to chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy (CCMP), evidence suggests that patients with heart failure from other etiologies have a 60% greater incidence of cancer compared to matched controls. Furthermore, patients with heart failure and cancer have higher 5-year mortality compared to controls with cancer alone or heart-failure patients who do not develop malignancies. Careful management of patients with both diagnoses is therefore crucial, and in this chapter we explore the decisions involved in providing advanced heart-failure therapies for patients with prior or active cancer diagnoses.
High-Q and low-loss chalcogenide waveguide for nonlinear supercontinuum generation

We report on wafer-scale processing of GeSbS-based chalcogenide waveguides on silicon substrates. High Q-factor (106), low propagation loss (0.2 dB/cm), and supercontinuum generation in a 2-cm-long waveguide with 120 pJ pulses are demonstrated.
Chapter 3 – Uniaxial tension in elastic metal matrix composites

Publisher Summary A micromechanical damage analysis is presented in this chapter for a unidirectional fiber-reinforced composite thin lamina subjected to uniaxial tension. The analysis is based on a combination of the micromechanical composite model coupled with continuum damage mechanics. The theory presented in this chapter can be generalized for general states of deformation and damage in metal–matrix composites. However, tensor analysis is needed for the mathematical formulation. The matrix and fibers are assumed to be elastic with the fibers continuous and aligned. An overall damage variable is introduced based on the concept of effective stress. The local damage effects are modeled through two additional separate damage variables that represent matrix and fiber damage. In addition, a local–overall relation for the damage variables is derived. Stress and strain concentration factors are derived for the damaged composite. Damage evolution is also considered in this chapter using both local and overall analysis based on an extremum principle.