cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Feasibility of Using Millimeter Wave Heating for Non-Invasive Measurement of Skin Blood Flow in Humans

A non-contacting method to measure skin blood flow (SkBF) in human extremities that is both simple and accurate could be invaluable in the diagnosis and management of several clinical conditions. For excample, measurement of SkBF in the digit(s) can be useful in the diagnosis and management of Peripheral Arterial Disease, often associated with Type 2 diabetes (Petrofsky et al., 2008). Skin blood flow in the foot can be an indicator of successful infrainguinal revascularization surgery in patients with lower limb ischemia (Saucy et al., 2006; Yamada et al., 2008). Assessment of peripheral perfusion can be useful in determining hemodynamic stability of patients suffering from acute circulatory shock (Lima et al., 2009) or circulatory failure (Lima and Bakker, 2005).Copyright © 2013 by ASME
RPE-secreted factors: influence differentiation in human retinal cell line in dose- and density-dependent manner

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells play an important role in normal functioning of retina and photoreceptors, and some retinal degenerations arise due to malfunctioning RPE. Retinal pigment epithelium transplantation is being explored as a strategy to rescue degenerating photoreceptors in diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Additionally, RPE-secreted factors could rescue degenerating photoreceptors by prolonging survival or by their ability to differentiate and give rise to photoreceptors by transdifferentiation. In this study, we have explored what role cell density could play in differentiation induced in a human retinal progenitor cell line, in response to RPE-secreted growth factors. Retinal progenitors plated at low (1 × 104 cells/cm2), medium (2–4 × 104 cells/cm2), and high (1 × 105 cells/cm2) cell density were exposed to various dilutions of RPE-conditioned medium (secreted factors) under conditions of defined medium culture. Progenitor cell differentiation was monitored phenotypically (morphological, biochemical analysis, and immunophenotyping, and western blot analysis were performed). Our data show that differentiation in response to RPE-secreted factors is modulated by cell density and dilutions of conditioned medium. We conclude that before embarking on RPE transplantation as a modality for treatment of RP and AMD, one will have to determine the role that cell density and inhibitory and stimulatory neurotrophins secreted by RPE could play in the efficacy of survival of transplants. We report that RPE-conditioned medium enhances neuronal phenotype (photoreceptors, bipolars) at the lowest cell density in the absence of cell–cell contact. Eighty percent to 90% of progenitor cells differentiate into photoreceptors and bipolars at 50% concentration of conditioned medium, while exposure to 100% conditioned medium might increase multipolar neurons (ganglionic and amacrine phenotypes) to a small degree. However, no clear-cut pattern of differentiation in response to RPE-secreted factors is noted at higher cell densities.
On connections between 3-D microstructures and their 2-D images

The problem of recovery of three-dimensional microstructural parameters from two-dimensional images is addressed in its inverse form. Three-dimensional inhomogeneous solids with known microstructures are generated virtually and images of their cross-sections are analyzed. Three different types of randomly oriented microcracks and microcracks having preferential orientation with some scatter. Somewhat unexpected result is that, in all the cases considered, three-dimensional defect densities are very close to average values of corresponding two-dimensional parameters.
Radiology Teaching Files: an Assessment of Their Role and Desired Features Based on a National Survey.

A radiology teaching file (TF) is a system containing a collection of cases with teaching value. Given the wide variety of TF solutions available, we conducted a national survey to better understand the need for TFs, TF features desired by users and their current implementation. A 28-question survey was created which explored TF implementation, utilization, and preferences among respondents. The survey was emailed to residents and faculty throughout the USA, with a request for program coordinators to forward the survey to their departments. The survey was completed by 396 respondents from 115 different institutions. These respondents included 60 % residents, 21 % attendings (non-program directors), 12 % program directors, 5 % fellows, and 1 % medical students. TFs were assigned to one of three categories: personal TFs, shared in-house TFs, and public TFs. Seventy-six percent of respondents kept a personal TF using a variety of media, and 67 % used a shared in-house TF. Of the public TFs used, the most popular were those requiring paid subscriptions. The features respondents valued most provided efficient querying of cases, simulated basic PACS functionality, enabled self-directed learning, and facilitated case submissions. There is a trend toward utilizing electronic media for TFs. The media utilized should be understood and reviewed to ensure PHI is properly secured. Contemporary users demand a high degree of functionality from TF solutions, and use both in-house and commercial products to meet their needs.
Traditional foods and physical activity patterns and associations with cultural factors in a diverse Alaska Native population.

Objectives. To determine the prevalence of traditional food and physical activity use and associations with cultural factors among 3,830 Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) people enrolled in the Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH) Study in 3 regions of Alaska. Study design. Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a cohort study. Methods. Participants (2,323 women and 1,507 men) completed a computer-assisted self-administered questionnaire that included information on diet, physical activity, life-style and cultural factors. Results. Over 92% of participants reported eating at least 1 traditional food in the past year. The top 3 traditional foods reported were fish, moose and agutaq (a mixture of berries and fat). The percentage of people who consumed traditional foods varied by region and age but not by sex (p<0.01). Almost 70% of participants engaged in at least one traditional harvesting physical activity. Picking berries or greens, cutting/smoking fish or meat and fishing were the most common activities. Participation in traditional physical activity was highest in south-west Alaska and was higher among men than women, but did not differ by age (p<0.01). Both traditional food and physical activity were associated with greater tribal self-identification, speaking a Native language at home, using traditional remedies and participating in or attending traditional events (p<0.05). Conclusions. The EARTH Study found relationships between traditional food use, physical activities, cultural activities and behaviours. Consumption of a variety of traditional foods and participation in traditional physical activities remain an important part of the contemporary Alaska Native life-style. Efforts to promote and sustain these foods and activities in AN/AI populations may lead to improved health outcomes. (Int J Circumpolar Health 2008; 67(4):335-348) Keywords: Alaska Natives, traditional diet, physical activity
Vibratory sources as compound stimuli for the octavolateralis systems: Dissection of specific stimulation channels using multiple behavioral approaches

Underwater vibratory sources simultaneously present acoustic and hydrodynamic disturbances. Because vibratory dipole sources are poor sonic projectors, most researchers have assumed that such sources are of greatest relevance to the lateral line system. Both hydroacoustic principles and empirical studies have shown that dipole sources are also a potent stimulus to the inner ear. Responses to vibratory sources in mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi) were assessed using unconditioned orienting, differential and nondifferential conditioning. Orienting responses are dominated by lateral line inputs and eliminated by lateral line inactivation. Simple conditioning depends on inputs from other systems and was not affected by lateral line inactivation. Differential conditioning alters behavioral control, and sculpin could be conditioned to ignore substrate-borne vibrations and respond only to hydroacoustic stimulation of the ear. The lateral line and inner ear of mottled sculpin do not necessarily exhibit range fractionation, as both systems operate over a similar distance (within 1.5 body lengths) and respond to many of the same sources. Vibratory dipole sources generate compound stimuli that simultaneously activate multiple octavolateralis systems, and sculpin make use of the channels differentially under different behavioral tasks.
Feeling good, happy, and proud: a meta-analysis of positive ethnic-racial affect and adjustment.

One point of intersection in ethnic and racial identity research is the conceptual attention paid to how positively youth feel about their ethnicity or race, or positive ethnic–racial affect. This article reports results of a series of meta-analyses based on 46 studies of this dimension and psychosocial, academic, and health risk outcomes among ethnic and racial minority youth. The overall pattern of results suggests that positive ethnic–racial affect exhibited small to medium associations (r range = |.11| to |.37|) with depressive symptoms, positive social functioning, self-esteem, well-being, internalizing, externalizing, academic achievement, academic attitudes, and health risk outcomes. Implications for theory and research about the role of positive ethnic–racial affect among youth growing up in an increasingly diverse society are discussed.
Random bonds and topological stability in gapped quantum spin chains.

Using an asymptotically exact real space renormalization procedure, we find that the dimerized spin-1/2 chain is extremely stable against bond randomness. For weak dimerization or, equivalently, strong randomness, it is in a Griffiths phase with short-range spin-spin correlations and a divergent susceptibility. The string topological order persists. We conjecture that random integer spin chains in the Haldane phase exhibit similar thermodynamic and topological properties.
Evolution of material voids for highly anisotropic surface energy

Abstract In this paper we consider the evolution by surface diffusion of material voids in a linearly elastic solid, focusing on the evolution of voids with large surface energy anisotropy. It is well known that models for the time evolution of similar material surfaces can become mathematically ill-posed when the surface energy is highly anisotropic. In some cases, this ill-posedness has been associated with the formation of corners along the interface. Here the ill-posedness is removed through a regularization which incorporates higher order terms in the surface energy. Spectrally accurate numerical simulations are performed to calculate the steady-state solution branches and time-dependent evolution of voids, with a particular emphasis on inferring trends in the zero regularization (c→0) limit. For steady voids with large anisotropy we find that apparent corners form as c→0. In the presence of elastic stresses σ the limiting corner angles are most often found to differ from angles found on the (σ=0) Wulff shape. For large elastic stresses we find that steady solutions no longer exist; instead the void steadily lengthens via a filamenting instability referred to as tip streaming.
Effects of line and passivation geometry on curvature evolution during processing and thermal cycling in copper interconnect lines

Abstract A simple theoretical analysis for curvature evolution in unpassivated and passivated copper interconnect lines on a silicon substrate is proposed. A layer consisting of copper and oxide lines is modeled as a homogenized composite that has different elastic moduli and thermal expansion coefficients in two different directions, i.e. along and across the lines, due to the anisotropic line geometry. These effective thermoelastic properties of the composite layer are approximated in terms of volume fractions and thermoelastic properties of each line using standard composite theory. This analogy facilitates the calculation of curvature changes in Damascene-processed copper lines subjected to chemical–mechanical polishing and/or thermal cycling. The effects of line height, width and spacing on curvature evolution along and across the lines are readily extracted from the analysis. In addition, this theory is easily extended to passivated copper lines irrespective of passivation materials by superimposing the curvature change resulting from an additional layer. Finite element analysis has been used to assess the validity of the theoretical predictions; such comparisons show that the simple theory provides a reasonable match with numerical simulations of curvature evolution during the Damascene process in copper interconnects for a wide range of line and passivation geometry of practical interest.
Towards the Scientific Study of Imagination

Since the days of the ancient Greeks or of the Chinese philosophers who flourished in the same period approximately 2500 years ago, it has been apparent that human beings have recognized the existence of a special experience which we label imagination. The ability to reproduce faces of persons, snatches of dialogue, or objects no longer immediately available to the primary senses and then to reshape further the memories of these experiences into new and complex forms has been described by a variety of writers in the past millennium. The attempt to formalize our understanding of the imagination and to attribute to it a major and critical role as a part of human functioning has emerged, however, more clearly in the period known as the Enlightenment as Engell (1981) has ably documented. While Shakespeare makes numerous references to “fancy,” “dreams,” and is full of insight about such processes, he presents imagination from the perspective of the story he is telling and the characterization therein.
Direct effect of elevated CO2 on nocturnal in situ leaf respiration in nine temperate deciduous tree species is small

Direct (i.e., short-term) effects of elevated CO 2 on nocturnal in situ leaf respiration rate were measured in nine deciduous tree species (seven genera) in 20 3.5-4.0-h experiments. During the experiments, CO 2 concentration was alternated between 400 and 800 ppm (approximately 40 and 80 Pa of CO 2 ). Data analysis accounted for effects on respiration rate of the normal decline in temperature with time after sunset. The median response to a 40-Pa increase in CO 2 was a 1.5% decrease in respiration rate, with responses ranging from a 5.6% inhibition to a 0.4% stimulation. Direct effects of elevated CO 2 on respiration were similar among the species. Thus, the response of nocturnal leaf respiration rate to a short-term CO 2 increase was small, and of little practical importance to the accuracy of measurements of respiration involving similar changes in CO 2 concentration during measurement. These direct respiratory responses of leaves to elevated CO 2 would translate into only slight, if any, effects on the carbon balance of temperate deciduous forests in a future atmosphere containing as much as 80 Pa CO 2 .
Cation-exchange capacity of plant cell walls at neutral pH

A new method of measuring the cation-exchange capacity (CEC) of plant materials was developed utilising the tripositive rare earth (RE) elements praseodymium (Pr) or neodymium (Nd). Unlike monovalent cations, the trivalent rare earths become tightly bound to fibre thus decreasing the variability involved with washing. Since the acetate complexes of the rare earths are soluble and relatively stable to hydroxide formation up to pH 7.0, this method can be used to measure CEC of plant materials over the pH range of the gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, background levels of the RE elements are low in plant tissue. Trivalent Pr and Nd absorb in the visible region of the light spectrum and have the greatest absorptivity of the RE elements. Pr was selected over Nd for this method based upon the binding characteristics of the element. However, Nd may be used if interferences are encountered using Pr. The conditions chosen for optimal binding of Pr to plant materials are as follows: 0.5g samples soaked in 10ml of 0.10M RE acetate, at pH 7.0, for 24h, at 39°C. Coefficients of variation were less than 3.6% for each RE-feedstuff combination examined.
Maximum Usage Levels of Cooked Full-Fat Soybeans in All-Mash Broiler Diets

Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated the necessity of pelleting broiler diets containing high levels of cooked unextracted soybeans. Trials were conducted to determine the maximum amount of full-fat soybeans that could be incorporated into all-mash broiler diets since many mills lack pelleting facilities. Results indicated that no more than 25% full-fat beans cooked by dry roasting or extruding with or without steam should be included in all-mash broiler diets.
Bilateral atrial appendectomy abolishes increased plasma atrial natriuretic peptide release and blunts sodium and water excretion during volume loading in conscious dogs.

The atrial appendages contain most of the atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) in the mammalian heart, and atrial appendage mechanical function predicts ANF secretion during volume loading. To demonstrate the crucial role of the atrial appendages in ANF release, we first measured hemodynamics and changes in plasma ANF after injection of 1,000 ml i.v. normal saline in conscious dogs and again after bilateral atrial appendectomy; we next measured changes in renal function using infusions of atriopeptin 24 to achieve plasma levels corresponding to levels achieved during volume loading; and we lastly measured renal function during acute volume expansion and also after atrial appendectomy. Plasma ANF increased from 65 +/- 11 to 246 +/- 54 pg/ml after volume loading but did not increase after atrial appendectomy. Atrial appendectomy did not alter the tachycardia or hemodynamic effects of volume loading. Infusion of 10 ng/kg/min atriopeptin 24 increased plasma ANF from 50 +/- 9 to 234 +/- 54 pg/ml, increased urine output 34 +/- 10%, and increased sodium excretion 62 +/- 10% in dogs with intact atrial appendages. Renal function was compared in dogs before atrial appendectomy: 20, 40, and 60 minutes after volume loading, urine flow rate increased by 5.9 +/- 0.5, 6.9 +/- 0.4, and 4.4 +/- 0.8 ml/min, while sodium excretion increased by 717 +/- 60, 839 +/- 84, and 582 +/- 57 mueq/min. After atrial appendectomy urine flow rate increased 2.1 +/- 0.7, 2.7 +/- 0.7, and 2.0 +/- 0.6 ml/min, and sodium excretion increased only by 327 +/- 110, 324 +/- 77, and 340 +/- 92 mueq/min (p less than 0.01) during volume loading.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Besicovitch-Eggleston Function

In this work we introduce a function based on the well-known Besicovitch-Eggleston sets, and prove that the Hausdorff dimension of its graph is 2.
Supercritical Fluid Fabrication of Metal Nanowires and Nanorods Templated by Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

A rapid, direct and clean approach has been developed to synthesize metal (Pd, Ni and Cu) nanowires and nanorods using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as templates and supercritical CO{sub 2} as the reaction medium. Filling of metals into MWCNTs to form nanowires or nanorods was easily achieved by the simple hydrogen reduction of metal-b-diketone complexes in supercritical CO{sub 2}.
Green’s functions for an anisotropic thin plate with a crack or an anticrack

Abstract Based on the octet formalism established by the authors, Green’s functions for an infinite anisotropic elastic thin plate with a Griffith crack or an anticrack (rigid line inclusion) are studied. The plate can be laminated or consist of a continuously inhomogeneous material in the thickness direction. Two systems of problems of the plate under non-self-equilibrated loads are solved. The first is associated with discontinuous in-plane displacements and slopes, in-plane concentrated forces and out-of-plane concentrated moments. The second is associated with a transverse concentrated force. The Green functions for an infinite plate with a crack or an anticrack and the surface Green functions for an infinite plate with a crack are obtained in an exact closed form. The surface Green functions and associated stress resultants at any point throughout the line where the crack is located are presented in a real form. The intensity factor of membrane stress resultants and bending moments are obtained in a real form for the Griffith crack subjected to concentrated loads.
Teleoperation And Autonomy In Space Station Robotic Systems

The United States Space Station will employ robotic systems in conjunction with crew-member Extravehicular Activity (EVA). The control methods and corresponding crew interfaces for these systems are currently in development. Both teleoperation and autonomous operation are being pursued to provide either low-level control or high-level supervision of robotic tasks. The Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) will be launched during the Station assembly process and will be teleoperated to perform a variety of assembly, maintenance, and servicing tasks. The EVA Retriever is a free-flying autonomous robot designed for retrieval of a drifting crewmember or piece of equipment inadvertently detached from the Station. These two robotic systems exemplify the choices which must be made in designing the robot control method. Teleoperation and autonomy are the ends of a spectrum of possible control modes. In choosing a design point along this dimension, the complexity of the robotic task must be considered along with the technologies required to support either teleoperation or autonomous performance of the task. Requirements of the crew operators and the workloads to be imposed on them must be weighed during selection and design of the control method. Safety considerations will also constrain the design. Space Station operations will be enhanced by optimization of each robot's control method with respect to its mission.
Resources, absorptive capacity, and technology sourcing

This paper explores the determinants of firms' external technology sourcing mode. Instead of focusing on opportunistic behaviour in knowledge transactions and assuming minimising transaction costs as a firms' objective, I focus on firms' absorptive capacity and emphasise gains from knowledge transfer in technology sourcing. I analyse how a firm matches a sourcing mode with its absorptive capacity to enhance knowledge transfer in technology sourcing, and I find positive relations between a firms' absorptive capacity and interactive technology sourcing modes.
Chromosome studies in chaenactis and chamaechaenactis (Compositae, Helenieae)

The genus Chaenactis is represented by annual, biennial and perennial taxa that occupy relatively dry habitats in the western United States and adjacent Canada and Mexico. Morphological variation is considerable, and differences between certain taxa are often blurred, especially in regions where ranges overlap. Cronquist (1955), Munz (1959) and Ferris (Abrams and Ferris 1960) consider Chaenactis to include about 24 or 25 species, but Stockwell (1940) in his revision of the genus recognized 33 species. The monotypic Chamaechaenactis Rydb. and Orochaenactis Cov. have been erected for, respectively, C. scaposa Eastw. and C. thysanocarpha A. Gray. Stockwell (1940) reported chromosome counts of n = 5, 6, 7, or 8 in different species of Chaenactis, and found natural interspecific hybrids between some with different numbers of chromosomes. The existence of extensive morphological and cytological variation, haziness of specific distinctions, occurrence of natural interspecific hybrids and the relative ease with which plants are cultured and examined cytologically suggest that Chaenactis offers interesting possibilities for experimental studies. The purpose of this paper is to report some of the karyological information discovered in a continuing biosystematic study of Chaenactis and related taxa. The bulk of the work has been on the polymorphic and widely distributed Chaenactis douglasii complex, but I have also obtained chromosome counts from 12 other Chaenactis species and from Chamaechaenactis scaposa. As far as known, my counts for six of these species are first reports, as are the counts of 2n = 13, 14, 15, 15-17, 18, 25, 26, 27, 28 and ca 38 in the C. douglasii complex. This means that published counts are now available for all but two of the undoubtedly valid species of Chaenactis, thus permitting a better understanding of this interesting genus. Most of the chromosome counts were obtained by squashing microsporocytes of buds collected in the field or experimental garden in acetocarmine or propionocarmine. Young heads were fixed either in 1:3 acetic-alcohol or in 1:3:6 aceticchloroform-alcohol. The latter appeared to afford better fixation. The best preparations of wild plant material generally were obtained from plants in early bloom, provided that the heads were fixed before noon or after 5 p.m. Early-season bud material exhibited stringy, "sticky" and diffuse chromosomes, and buds collected during the warmest part of the day usually showed badly clumped chromosomes. A few counts were derived from propionocarmine preparations of radicles or root tips of garden-grown material fixed in 1: 3 acetic-alcohol, sometimes preceded by pretreatment with oxyquinolene. One count was obtained from tapetal cells. Table 1 shows the chromosome counts obtained by examining microsporocytes from one or more populations of 13 species of Chaenactis and from Chamraechaenactis scaposa. The counts for Chaenactis alpina, C. cusickii, C. evermannii, C. nevii,
Theory of neutron-antineutron oscillation using bottled ultracold neutrons

We contrast the quantum-mechanical treatment of neutron oscillations in a ''bottle'' with the usual free-space formalism. The quantum-mechanical corrections appear to reduce the figure of merit for the bottled-neutron experiments, and also place constraints on the experimental arrangement.
Viral infection in internally structured hosts. I. Conditions for persistent infection

For a virus population within its host, two important levels of structure can be considered: multiple cell types which can be infected, and tissue types or body compartments which may be coupled via movement. We develop a model with both types of structure. Migration between compartments can create "sources" and "sinks" within the virus population, where realized viral growth rate and abundance is lowered in some compartments compared to what would be observed in isolation. Using both analytical and numerical methods, we investigate how this within-host spatial structure affects the conditions for persistent viral infection. We find that migration between compartments makes the establishment of infection more difficult than it would be in the absence of migration, implying that within-host spatial structure combined with viral movement decreases the likelihood of viral establishment. If migration is symmetrical and compartments are heterogeneous, an increase in migration rates between compartments generally makes establishment less likely. This may help to explain the tissue specificity observed for many viruses. There are, however, important exceptions to this result. These include circumstances where the virus initially invades a compartment that is unfavorable to population growth and migration is necessary to infect other parts of the host body. Stochastic aspects of viral establishment may also favor increased migration as it tends to dampen the amplitude of fluctuations in population size during the initial transient phase of establishment.
Towards a theory of cost management for digital libraries and electronic commerce

One of the features that distinguishes digital libraries from traditional databases is new cost models for client access to intellectual property. Clients will pay for accessing data items in digital libraries, and we believe that optimizing these costs will be as important as optimizing performance in traditional databases. In this article we discuss cost models and protocols for accessing digital libraries, with the objective of determining the minimum cost protocol for each model. We expect that in the future information appliances will come equipped with a cost optimizer, in the same way that computers today come with a built-in operating system. This article makes the initial steps towards a thery and practice of intellectual property cost management.
Wood preservative leachates from docks in an estuarine environment.

Environmental concentrations and biological effects of certain metals and organic compounds found in wood preservatives were examined. The study focused on leachates from private residential docks in South Carolina tidal creeks. Copper, chromium, arsenic, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in composite samples of surficial sediments and naturally occurring oyster populations (Crassostrea virginica) from creeks with high densities of docks, and from nearby reference creeks with no docks. In some cases, metal concentrations in sediments and oysters were higher immediately adjacent to dock pilings than they were elsewhere in the same creek. Sediments from most sites had concentrations of metals and total PAHs which were below levels reported to cause biological effects, however. Solid-phase Microtox® bioassays using whole sediments and rotifer bioassays using sediment pore water showed no significant differences in acute toxicity between creeks with and without docks. Oysters growing directly on dock pilings had significantly higher concentrations of copper than oysters growing at least 10 m away; however, there was no significant difference in the physiological condition of these oysters. Four-day field bioassays measuring percent survival of mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus), mud snails (Ilyanassa obsoleta), juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), and juvenile white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus) showed no significant differences between sites near to and distant from newly constructed docks. Hatchery-reared oysters showed no significant differences between dock and reference sites in percent survival, growth, or bioaccumulation of metals after six weeks of exposure. The results suggest that, in estuarine environments with a moderate tidal range (1.5–2.0 m), wood preservative leachates from dock pilings have no acutely toxic effects on four common estuarine species, nor do they affect the short-term survival or growth of juvenile oysters.
Spectroscopic evidence for amyloid-like interfacial self-assembly of hydrophobin Sc3.

Amphipathic fungal proteins called hydrophobins are able to self-assemble into insoluble supramolecular structures at hydrophobic/hydrophilic interfaces, but the molecular mechanism and underlying protein conformation changes are not known. Secondary-structure prediction indicated that hydrophobin Sc3 is an all-beta protein. Many amyloidogenic proteins self-assemble into insoluble amyloid fibrils while undergoing a change to an all-beta conformation. In this study we show that two dyes, thioflavin T, and Congo red, which are widely used for specific detection of stacked beta sheets, interact with Sc3 assemblies in the same way as with the amyloid beta-sheet fibrils. We conclude that Sc3, and probably other hydrophobins too, self-assemble at interfaces in the same manner as amyloidogenic proteins, i.e., through beta-sheet stacking.
DIABETES MELLITUS AND ADDISON'S DISEASE IN AN ADOLESCENT FEMALE

. Matsaniotis, N., Tzortzatou-Stathopoulou, F., Thomaidis, Th., Karakatsani-Kerasioti, Z., Theodoridis, Ch. and Dacou-Voutetakis, C. (First Department of Paediatrics of Athens University, “Aghia Sophia” Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece). Diabetes mellitus and Addison's disease in an adolescent female. Acta Paediatr Scand, 70: 949, 1981.-This short report describes a 16-year-old female who presented with Addison's disease 6 years after diabetes mellitus had been diagnosed. The possibility of both conditions being present should be borne in mind whenever an unexplained reduction of insulin requirements is noted, especially if this is accompanied by cutaneous pigmentation. The metabolic interrelationships of the two conditions are briefly discussed.
What to do about the incidentally found adrenal mass

The wider use of abdominal computerized axial tomography (CT) has led to the incidental discovery of increasing numbers of asymptomatic adrenal masses. The significance of these masses and the question as to their management have posed a new and important dilemma in clinical medicine. The majority of asymptomatic masses are benign and nonfunctional. The size of an adrenal mass on CT is still the most helpful finding in its evaluation. We propose that metabolically inactive lesions 6 cm, because there is a high probability for malignancy. For tumors 3.0–6.0 cm in diameter, management should be individualized. Under certain circumstances, especially in older and poor-risk patients, a conservative approach with more frequently obtained CT scans (6-week intervals) may be recommended. At the present time, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques cannot reliably distinguish benign from malignant adrenal masses and should be considered investigational in this setting, pending results of larger studies to determine its true sensitivity and specificity.
A phase I trial of perillyl alcohol administered four times daily for 14 days out of 28 days

Purpose Perillyl alcohol (POH) has been shown to have both chemopreventative and chemotherapeutic activities in preclinical studies. The underlying mechanism(s) of action of POH have yet to be delineated but may involve effects on the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and/or the Ras signaling pathways. A phase I study of POH for 14 days out of every 28 days in subjects with advanced malignancies was performed to evaluate dose escalation, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and effects on TGFβ and Ras.
About this non-negative business

Summary form only given: The foundations of signal processing are firmly set in least squares, an approach that has served us very well for years (and still does). With the increasing presence of machine learning and sophisticated statistics in audio processing, we are slowly seeing that not everything has to be based on Gaussians anymore. One recently popular approach along these lines is that of non-negative modeling, especially in problems that involve complex audio mixtures. In this keynote I'll talk about how these models came to be, what they can do, why they have been so successful, and I'll ponder on what the future holds as new developments are continuously coming in.
Informational basis for expert intuition.

Informational basis for expert intuition Aim. Intuition has been cited as an integral part of nursing clinical expertise. Responding to the recent scholarly debate over the status of expert nursing intuition as part of the art or science of nursing, this article proposes an alternative view that may provide an informational basis for what has been described phenomenologically as intuition. Rationale. Two reasons for the dispute over the status of nursing intuition as `art' or `science' are proposed: The first is methodological. The second relates to intuition's close link with perception and underlying assumptions about perception. By examining intuition through an ecological psychology framework, the problem takes on a different character, one that is no longer focused solely on the expert's cognitive (or perceptual) processes, but also on the information provided by the patient and the context of care. Conclusions. This perspective has several implications for nursing. By investigating information sources (i.e. higher order variables or constraints) in the nurse-patient encounter, the problem of intuition may be clarified, and perhaps simplified. We may find that what nurse researchers have called `intuition' is what Gibson (1966, 1986) termed `direct perception.' Intuition as direct perception is information-based and lawful. Finally, although some aspects of intuition may be hard-wired through evolution, intuition as direct perception can be developed through education and extensive, deliberate practice with appropriate exemplars. Characterized as direct perception, intuition is an observable, lawful phenomenon that is measurable, potentially teachable, and appropriately part of nursing science.
Clinical Studies of Olfaction

Disorders of the senses of taste and smell are not uncommon, occurring in over three million adults in the United States alone. Olfactory dysfunction occurs in about half of the population between the ages of 65 and 80 years and in about three-quarters of those 80 years of age and older (Figure 1). Although rarely appreciated, taste and smell disorders have significant consequences for the patient, including (i) impaired quality of life; (ii) increased health or safety risks from spoiled foods and dangerous vapors (e.g. leaking natural gas); (iii) compromised vocational abilities; and (iv) altered food choices and consumption patterns that can adversely impact health or worsen underlying illnesses (e.g. decreased body weight, impaired immunity, overuse of salt in hypertension or sugar in diabetes mellitus). A major focus of our Center over the last 25 years has been on the development of reliable, valid and easy-to-use tests for evaluating the senses of taste and smell. Quantitative testing is needed to (i) determine what specific cranial nerves are affected; (ii) accurately assess function (patient subjective reports can be misleading); (iii) communicate valid information to patients regarding the level of dysfunction and whether it is normal for their age and sex; (iv) monitor disease progression; (v) determine treatment efficacy; (vi) provide objective information regarding worker’s compensation and other insurance or legal claims; (vii) detect early signs of tumors and neurological disorders that may not be discerned otherwise; (viii) maximize efficacy of intervention or treatment; (ix) detect malingering; and (x) provide state-of-the-art medical surveillance and care. Most of the olfactory tests we have developed, including tests of odor detection, identification and memory, are commercially available and some, such as the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), have been translated into multiple languages and administered to hundreds of thousands of persons. Among the findings of our Center is the close relationship between a test’s length (e.g. number of items) and its reliability, a key index of its sensitivity (Figure 2).
Variation among Plasmodium falciparum Strains in Their Reliance on Mitochondrial Electron Transport Chain Function

Previous studies demonstrated that Plasmodium falciparum strain D10 became highly resistant to the mitochondrial electron transport chain (mtETC) inhibitor atovaquone when the mtETC was decoupled from the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway by expressing the fumarate-dependent (ubiquinone-independent) yeast dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (yDHODH) in parasites. To investigate the requirement for decoupled mtETC activity in P. falciparum with different genetic backgrounds, we integrated a single copy of the yDHODH gene into the genomes of D10attB, 3D7attB, Dd2attB, and HB3attB strains of the parasite. The yDHODH gene was equally expressed in all of the transgenic lines. All four yDHODH transgenic lines showed strong resistance to atovaquone in standard short-term growth inhibition assays. During longer term growth with atovaquone, D10attB-yDHODH and 3D7attB-yDHODH parasites remained fully resistant, but Dd2attB-yDHODH and HB3attB-yDHODH parasites lost their tolerance to the drug after 3 to 4 days of exposure. No differences were found, however, in growth responses among all of these strains to the Plasmodium-specific DHODH inhibitor DSM1 in either short- or long-term exposures. Thus, DSM1 works well as a selective agent in all parasite lines transfected with the yDHODH gene, whereas atovaquone works for some lines. We found that the ubiquinone analog decylubiquinone substantially reversed the atovaquone inhibition of Dd2attB-yDHODH and HB3attB-yDHODH transgenic parasites during extended growth. Thus, we conclude that there are strain-specific differences in the requirement for mtETC activity among P. falciparum strains, suggesting that, in erythrocytic stages of the parasite, ubiquinone-dependent dehydrogenase activities other than those of DHODH are dispensable in some strains but are essential in others.
The Evaluation of a Temporal Reasoning System in Processing Clinical Discharge Summaries

Abstract Context TimeText is a temporal reasoning system designed to represent, extract, and reason about temporal information in clinical text. Objective To measure the accuracy of the TimeText for processing clinical discharge summaries. Design Six physicians with biomedical informatics training served as domain experts. Twenty discharge summaries were randomly selected for the evaluation. For each of the first 14 reports, 5 to 8 clinically important medical events were chosen. The temporal reasoning system generated temporal relations about the endpoints (start or finish) of pairs of medical events. Two experts (subjects) manually generated temporal relations for these medical events. The system and expert-generated results were assessed by four other experts (raters). All of the twenty discharge summaries were used to assess the system’s accuracy in answering time-oriented clinical questions. For each report, five to ten clinically plausible temporal questions about events were generated. Two experts generated answers to the questions to serve as the gold standard. We wrote queries to retrieve answers from system’s output. Measurements Correctness of generated temporal relations, recall of clinically important relations, and accuracy in answering temporal questions. Results The raters determined that 97% of subjects’ 295 generated temporal relations were correct and that 96.5% of the system’s 995 generated temporal relations were correct. The system captured 79% of 307 temporal relations determined to be clinically important by the subjects and raters. The system answered 84% of the temporal questions correctly. Conclusion The system encoded the majority of information identified by experts, and was able to answer simple temporal questions.
Radiation characteristics of an insulated antenna in an arbitrary homogeneous medium

An insulator dipole with axisymmetric geometry in an arbitrary medium is studied. The radiation properties of electromagnetic fields of such an antenna are investigated. It is demonstrated that the surface of integration should be closed because the currents on the caps of the insulator make a significant contribution to the fields and input impedance of the insulator dipole. It is observed that the insulated antenna has a more uniform near field along the antenna than the bare antenna. Also, it is seen that the coating material changes the effective length, near field, and input impedance of insulated antennas. >
Efficacy for Teaching Elementary Science and Mathematics Compared to Other Content

The study was conducted to examine preservice, elementary teachers' efficacy for teaching science and mathematics as compared with other elementary content. The instrument assessed efficacy for teaching (EFT) five elementary content areas: science, mathematics, reading, classroom management, and general instruction. Three hundred twenty-five preservice, elementary teachers completed a 15-item instrument assessing efficacy for teaching in these five areas. The instrument was found to be valid and reliable. Overall group results indicated participants' EFT science and mathematics were lower than for teaching other areas. Intra-individual patterns showed there were six clusters including a group with low EFT mathematics and a group with low EFT mathematics and science. Implications for preservice, teacher preparation opportunities and experiences are discussed.
An assessment of survey research in POM: from constructs to theory

Abstract The use of field-based empirical methodologies in the production and operations management (POM) area has been steadily increasing over the past several years. One of the most prominent among these is the survey research methodology which has often been used to capture data from business organizations. However, to effectively contribute to theory development in the POM field, this methodology must be carefully implemented. Poorly designed and executed survey research is of little or no value. This paper attempts to provide a normative perspective on `good survey research practices'. In doing so, it attempts to bridge the gap between survey research and theory development. The paper liberally draws from work in other social science disciplines like psychology, marketing, organizational behavior, and other related fields that are more mature in the use of surveys, and applies it to the POM area. A set of ideal survey research attributes are identified, and existing POM survey work in four prestigious academic journals is evaluated with respect to these attributes. Results of assessing 25 survey-based articles published in these journals between 1990 and 1995 indicate that both exploratory as well as explanatory survey research is being conducted, with current emphasis being more on explanatory kind of research. In order to move the field forward, greater attention will need to be focused on employing multi-item constructs, assessing them for content validity, and purifying them through field-based pretesting. More sophisticated POM studies in the future would have to aim for testing theory with reliable and valid scales that are relatively free of measurement related errors. It is hoped that this work will act as a catalyst in compressing the learning curve with respect to survey research practices in POM, and also accelerate the use of greater methodological rigor in future empirical studies in the field.
Measuring the success of virtual tutoring

Starting in the Spring of 1996, the Del E. Webb School of Construction (DEWSC) at Arizona State University (USA) implemented a new system of teaching engineering courses. The lectures became more like social events, with issues being discussed rather than merely presented. Performance measurements that were developed and performed, as well as the comments of the students, indicate that the system has been very successful. The system combines the advantages of distance education (mainly WWW and email communication) with the use of classical textbooks and cooperative learning to enhance the preparation of students BETWEEN lectures. The students can also use the services of a "virtual tutor". The virtual tutor offers quick-response help through email. This paper describes the adopted method and focuses on the measurements that were developed to assess the success and effectiveness of the system.