cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implementation of high throughput soft output Viterbi decoders

The architectural considerations for VLSI implementations of soft output Viterbi decoders are presented. Structural transformation of the add-compare-select structures provides high throughput with small area overhead. Modifications to the survivor memory unit and a comparison between the register exchange and memory traceback methods are highlighted. A 4 mm/sup 2/ demonstration chip, consisting of two parallel, 8-state, 7-bit soft output Viterbi decoders, has been implemented in 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS technology, and decodes at 500 Mb/s with 1.8 V supply. These decoders are used with turbo codes, which have been demonstrated to achieve information rates close to the Shannon limit.
Fully Complex Multi-Layer Perceptron Network for Nonlinear Signal Processing

Designing a neural network (NN) to process complex-valued signals is a challenging task since a complex nonlinear activation function (AF) cannot be both analytic and bounded everywhere in the complex plane {\bb C}. To avoid this difficulty, ‘splitting’, i.e., using a pair of real sigmoidal functions for the real and imaginary components has been the traditional approach. However, this ‘ad hoc’ compromise to avoid the unbounded nature of nonlinear complex functions results in a nowhere analytic AF that performs the error back-propagation (BP) using the split derivatives of the real and imaginary components instead of relying on well-defined fully complex derivatives. In this paper, a fully complex multi-layer perceptron (MLP) structure that yields a simplified complex-valued back-propagation (BP) algorithm is presented. The simplified BP verifies that the fully complex BP weight update formula is the complex conjugate form of real BP formula and the split complex BP is a special case of the fully complex BP. This generalization is possible by employing elementary transcendental functions (ETFs) that are almost everywhere (a.e.) bounded and analytic in {\bb C}. The properties of fully complex MLP are investigated and the advantage of ETFs over split complex AF is shown in numerical examples where nonlinear magnitude and phase distortions of non-constant modulus modulated signals are successfully restored.
Increased methylphenidate usage for attention deficit disorder in the 1990s.

Objective To estimate the increased use and the prevalence of methylphenidate (Ritalin) treatment of youth with attention deficit disorder (ADD) during the 1990s. Design Using time-trend findings from two large population-based data sources, three pharmaceutical databases, and one physician audit, a best-fit estimate of the usage and the usage trends for methylphenidate treatment over the half decade from 1990 through 1995 was sought. Setting Five regions in the United States (US) and the nation as a whole. Patients Youths on record as receiving methylphenidate for ADD. Results The findings from regional and national databases indicate that on average, there has been a 2.5-fold increase in the prevalence of methylphenidate treatment of youths with ADD between 1990 and 1995. In all, approximately 2.8% (or 1.5 million) of US youths aged 5 to 18 were receiving this medication in mid-1995. The increase in methylphenidate treatment for ADD appears largely related to an increased duration of treatment; more girls, adolescents, and inattentive youths on the medication; and a recently improved public image of this medication treatment. Conclusion The database findings presented serve to correct exaggerated media claims of a 6-fold expansion of methylphenidate treatment, although they do not clarify the issue of the appropriateness of this treatment.
Visual Displays: the highlighting Paradox

Office computer users view well over a billion displays in a given year. The savings of only a fraction of a second in the time it takes users to process each display can potentially lead to enormous time and cost savings. In recent research investigators have shown that on average subjects are quicker to find a target option in a highlighted display than in a display without highlighting. Paradoxically, in related research other investigators have shown that subjects are slower to find a target in a highlighted display than in a display without highlighting. In an attempt to resolve this paradox, an additional set of experiments was performed. Results from these experiments suggest that in order to determine whether highlighting will be of benefit, one must know the type of highlighting, the level of highlighting validity, and the probability that subjects attend first to the highlighted options.
Bringing the Body Back to Life through Radical Geography of Hunger: The Haymarket Affair and its Aftermath

In several locations throughout the city of Chicago every week, people collectively gather to share free food that would have otherwise spoiled and been needlessly wasted with those who do not have access to enough food to sustain their daily lives. They do so without making hungry people ravaged by the destructive work of neoliberal capitalism jump through hoops and feel like secondclass citizens. These groups share food while handing out pamphlets with titles like “Don't Just March Organize Nonviolent Civil Resistance”, “Anti-McDonalds Day”, and “End Torture by the United States”. They often share food under banners that have slogans like, “This is Solidarity, Not Charity” printed on them in bold letters. They do not share food in an effort to reform the defunct state apparatus that allows so many across Chicago, the US and the world to go hungry, but rather, to contribute to revolutionary changes through which a new egalitarian society can emerge in which basic human rights, like food, are met unconditionally. They share food because as Peter Kropotkin (1995) pointed out over a century ago in The Conquest of Bread, there is immense revolutionary potential that lurks
Social Preferences in Experimental Economics

This article explores some issues having to do with the use of experimental results from one-shot games to reach conclusions about the existence of social preferences that are taken to figure in the explanation of cooperation in repeated interactions in real life.
Foveal contour changes following surgery for idiopathic epiretinal membrane.

Purpose. We evaluated the change in foveal contour in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) before and four months following pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting and epiretinal membrane peeling, and correlated foveal contour with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters.
An empirical investigation of project evaluation criteria

In this article, we report on an empirical study conducted in the USA to determine the performance measures project managers commonly use to evaluate the success of their projects. Specifically, we identify project managers’ orientations toward using internal and/or customer driven measures of performance. We also investigate the priority given to these measures at different stages of a project by identifying the primary objective at those stages. In general we find that project managers’ primary success measure is quality and their most important objective is meeting customer needs. The priority given to this objective does not change during various stages of a project regardless of the project type and industry classification. The choice of performance measures, however, is influenced by project type and industry classification.
Zeta-crystallin, a novel protein from the guinea pig lens is related to alcohol dehydrogenases.

Abstract ζ-Crystallin is a major component of the water-soluble proteins of the guinea pig lens. We have constructed a lens cDNA library from one- to seven-day-old guinea pigs in the plasmid Bluescript KS + and used the 16 amino acid (aa) sequence of a CNBr peptide to design an oligodeoxyribonucleotide probe. Analysis of two positive clones and direct sequence of the 5′ end of the RNA resulted in the completion of a most probably full-length mRNA comprising 1842 nucleotides (nt). The ATG start codon occurs 83 nt downstream from the 5′ end. The open reading frame, ending with a stop codon at nt position 1070, predicts a protein of 328 aa with a calculated M r of 35071. Comparison of the amino acid sequence with the National Biomedical Research Foundation protein data base reveals a significant similarity of ζ-crystallin with the enzyme of the alcohol dehydrogenase family.
Accurate image reconstruction of a small ROI using fully truncated data in differential phase contrast computed tomography

Differential phase contrast computed tomography (DPC-CT) is a novel X-ray imaging method that uses the wave properties of imaging photons as the contrast mechanism. It has been demonstrated that differential phase contrast images can be obtained using either synchrotron radiation or a conventional X-ray tube and a Talbot- Lau-type interferometer. These data acquisition systems offer only a limited field of view and thus, are prone to data truncation. In this work, we demonstrated that a small region of interest (ROI) of a large object can be accurately and stably reconstructed using fully truncated projection datasets provided that a priori information on electron density is known inside the ROI. The method reconstructs an image iteratively to satisfy a group of physical conditions using a projection onto convex set (POCS) algorithm. This POCS algorithm is validated using numerical simulations.
Environmental Perturbations Lift the Degeneracy of the Genetic Code to Regulate Protein Levels in Bacteria

The genetic code underlying protein synthesis is a canonical example of a degenerate biological system. Degeneracies in physical and biological systems can be lifted by external perturbations, thus allowing degenerate systems to exhibit a wide range of behaviors. Here we show that the degeneracy of the genetic code is lifted by environmental perturbations to regulate protein levels in living cells. By measuring protein synthesis rates from a synthetic reporter library in Escherichia coli, we find that environmental perturbations, such as reduction of cognate amino acid supply, lift the degeneracy of the genetic code by splitting codon families into a hierarchy of robust and sensitive synonymous codons. Rates of protein synthesis associated with robust codons are up to 100-fold higher than those associated with sensitive codons under these conditions. We find that the observed hierarchy between synonymous codons is not determined by usual rules associated with tRNA abundance and codon usage. Rather, competition among tRNA isoacceptors for aminoacylation underlies the robustness of protein synthesis. Remarkably, the hierarchy established using the synthetic library also explains the measured robustness of synthesis for endogenous proteins in E. coli. We further found that the same hierarchy is reflected in the fitness cost of synonymous mutations in amino acid biosynthesis genes and in the transcriptional control of σ-factor genes. Our study suggests that organisms can exploit degeneracy lifting as a general strategy to adapt protein synthesis to their environment.
Prognostic factors and survival of patients with brain metastasis from breast cancer who underwent craniotomy

Brain metastasis (BM) in patients with breast cancer is a catastrophic event that results in poor prognosis. Identification of prognostic factors associated with breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) could help to identify patients at risk. The aim of this study was to assess clinical characteristics, prognostic factors, and survival of patients with BCBM who had craniotomy and resection in a series of patients treated with modern multimodality therapy. We analyzed 42 patients with BCBM who underwent resection. Patients were diagnosed with breast cancer between April 1994 and May 2010. Cox proportional hazards regression was selected to describe factors associated with time to BM, survival from the date of first recurrence, and overall survival (OS). Median age was 51 years (range 24–74). Median follow-up was 4.2 years (range 0.6–18.5). The proportion of the biological subtypes of breast cancer was ER+/HER2− 25%, ER+/HER2+ 15%, ER-/HER2+ 30%, and ER-/HER2− 30%. Median OS from the date of primary diagnosis was 5.74 years. Median survival after diagnosis of BM was 1.33 years. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, stage was the only factor associated with shorter time to the development of BM (P = 0.033), whereas age was the only factor associated with survival from the date of recurrence (P = 0.027) and with OS (P = 0.037). Stage at primary diagnosis correlated with shorter time to the development of BM, while age at diagnosis was associated with shorter survival in BCBM. None of the other clinical factors had influence on survival.
Profile of the regions on the α-chain of human acetylcholine receptor recognized by autoantibodies in myasthenia gravis

Abstract Eighteen synthetic overlapping peptides encompassing the entire extracellular part (residues α 1–210) of the α-chain of human acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and a 19th peptide (residues α 262–276) corresponding to an extracellular connection between two transmembrane regions were prepared and used for the measurement, by solid-phase radioimmunoassay, of the binding of autoantibodies in plasma from myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. Autoantibodies were found to recognize only a limited number of the synthetic peptides. The regions recognized resided predominantly within the areas α 10–30, α 111–145 and α 175–198 and, less frequently, region α 45–77. Differences in the recognition profile of the peptides from patient to patient indicated that the autoantibody responses were under genetic control. However, by using a mixture of the appropriate peptides, it was possible to determine autoantibodies in all 15 myasthenia sera and to distinguish between these, normal human sera and other neurological or autoimmune diseases. The mapping of the continuous antigenic regions recognized by autoantibodies on the α-chain of human AChR has permitted a comparison of the regions recognized by autoantibodies and autoimmune T-cells from the same donor. It also provided a peptide-based direct antibody binding method for diagnosis of MG.
SU‐FF‐T‐554: Commissioning a New Anthropomorphic Spine and Lung Phantom to Be Used for Remote Dose Verification of Spine Radiosurgery

Purpose: The commissioning of a new anthropomorphic spine/lung phantom for use in credentialing institutions for participation in an RTOG protocol comparing fractionated IMRT to radiosurgery for spine tumors. Method and Materials: The spine/lung phantom was constructed to approximate the geometric distribution of anatomy encountered in spinal radiosurgery; these anatomical features include the spinal canal, vertebrae, esophagus, heart,lungs and tumor volume. The remainder of the phantom is water filled. These anatomical features were constructed from materials of different densities to allow for visualization with CT and for heterogeneous dose calculation verification. The tumor is loaded with TLD and gafchromic film in the axial and sagittal planes. To commission this system, planning and irradiation must demonstrate agreement of the measured dose distribution with the planned dose distribution to 5% within 3mm. First, two beams in an anterior‐posterior arrangement delivered 8 Gy to 90% of the tumor volume. More complex plans are being developed to be administered. Results: The anterior‐posterior beam arrangement showed reasonable agreement with the planned dose distribution. The axial and sagittal plans had 87% and 91% agreement, respectively (at the gamma level 5%/3mm). These results validated the tool utilized to register the treatment plan to the measured dose distribution. The results also confirmed the accuracy of the treatment isocenter. However, because of the simple beam arrangement, the prescribed critical structure tolerances could not be achieved. The critical structure tolerances can be achieved with the development of a clinically relevant IMRT plan. Conclusion: The phantom has been validated to register and calculate differences in planned and measured dose distributions with a gamma calculation. The simple anterior‐posterior beam arrangement showed good agreement between planning and measurement. Next, clinically relevant IMRT plans will be administered to the phantom. This work is supported by PHS CA010953 and CA081647, awarded by NCI, DHHS.
Gender and politics at the 2012 Olympics: media coverage and its implications

As the world's premier multi-sport event, the Olympic Games present a propitious opportunity to explore the nexus of gender and politics. In this study, we zero in on the role of gender at the 2012...
What Future for the Global Environment Facility

For more than a decade, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has provided critical support to developing countries for fighting global environmental problems such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity. But recent developments do not bode well for the ability of the GEF to continue playing its pivotal role in support of implementing multilateral environmental agreements. Its already modest resource base has been declining in real terms, and a December 2005 deadline for the conclusion of the fourth replenishment of the GEF (GEF4) passed without a compromise between major donors. The adoption of a resource allocation framework in September 2005 is likely to complicate how the GEF can program its resources in the future, even if replenishment negotiations can be completed by June 2006. Current events reinforce the need for a close look at what the future role of the GEF should be and how resources for addressing global environmental problems in developing countries should be raised.1
Applications of In Vitro–In Vivo Correlations in Generic Drug Development: Case Studies

In vitro–in vivo correlation (IVIVC) is a predictive mathematical model describing the relationship between an in vitro property and a relevant in vivo response. The main objective of an IVIVC is to serve as a surrogate for human bioequivalence (BE) studies, which may reduce the number of BE studies performed during the initial approval process as well as with certain scale-up and postapproval changes. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a regulatory guidance related to development, evaluation, and applications of IVIVC for extended-release (ER) oral dosage forms in September 1997. Despite the publication of this guidance, the deficiencies related to IVIVC are still identified by the Division of Bioequivalence in the process of Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) review. Thus, the main objective of this article is to present the most commonly occurring deficiencies associated with IVIVCs via selected case studies from the ANDAs for oral ER drug products only. We searched internal FDA databases from January 1996 to December 2014 to identify the ANDAs for proposed generic oral ER drug products containing IVIVC. Only 14 ANDA submissions had IVIVC data, and most were not acceptable. Only one ANDA submission included adequate information related to IVIVC data enabling the completion of BE review within first review cycle. It is hoped that awareness of the deficiencies presented in our article would help the generic drug applicants to submit complete and appropriate information related to IVIVC data, ultimately, resulting in a more timely approval of ANDAs.
Progress on EUV mask fabrication for 32-nm technology node and beyond

Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) tool development achieved a big milestone last year as two full-field Alpha Demo Tools (ADT) were shipped to customers by ASML. In the future horizon, a full field "EUV1" exposure tool from Nikon will be available by the end of 20071 and the pre-production EUV exposure tools from ASML are targeted for 20092. It is essential that high quality EUVL masks can be made and delivered to the EUVL tool users to support the technology development. In the past year, we have demonstrated mask fabrication with low stress absorber deposition and good etch process control yielding a vertical etch profile and a mask CD control of 5.7 nm for 32 nm (1x) space and 7.4 nm for 32 nm (1x) lines. Mask pattern resolution of 15 nm (1x) dense lines was achieved. Full field reflective mask die-to-die inspection at a 125nm pixel size was demonstrated after low defect multilayer blanks became available. In this paper, we will present details of the Intel EUVL Mask Pilot Line progress in EUVL mask defect reduction, pattern CD performance, program defect mask design and inspection, in-house absorber film development and its performance, and EUVL metrology tool development. We will demonstrate an overall improvement in EUV mask manufacturing readiness due to our Pilot Line activities.
The effect of rolling and orbital motion on herpesvirus replication in tube cultures and shell vials.

Abstract Background : Isolation of viruses from clinical specimens remains a viable diagnostic manoeuvre but positive isolation rates may be low and time to observe cytopathic effects (CPE) may be longer than preferred for optimal management. Both shell vial (SV) centrifugation and rolling of conventional tube cultures (TC) have been used to enhance the isolation process Objectives : To determine the effect of rolling and orbital motion on the replication of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) TC and SV. Study design : TC were inoculated with HSV or CMV at varying dilutions and subjected to rolling or incubated stationary. Samples were selected to determine the impact of motion on viral yield, time to CPE according to initial multiplicity of infection (MOI) and stage of the infection process. Similar studies were performed with SV centrifuged with virus followed by stationary incubation or not centrifuged but incubated on an orbital shaker. Results : Rolling HSV-infected TC 383 rotations per minute (RPM) (30.2 × g ) for 4 days enhanced viral yields by 53-fold over TC without motion. The optimal RPM response for HSV replication occurred at 96 RPM (1.9 × g ) where an 89-fold increase in viral yield was detected, P Conclusion : Our studies indicate that orbital motion and motion yielding a force near 2 × g enhances the isolation and growth of HSV and CMV in TC and SV.
Subject Sensitivity to Color in Estimation of Dot Frequency for Samples of Color Normal and Color Defective Males

Summary Color normal and color defective male subjects were presented randomly either yellow-red, yellow-green, or neutral gray circular dots at seven frequency levels on each block of two homogeneous backgrounds of white or black color. Subjects estimated the number of dots at each of two illumination levels. Dot color and color-frequency interaction failed to reach .05 level for the Brandt-Snedecor chi-square test. For two digit coding, actual dot frequency was significant, and the estimates were linear and approximate over the 16 to 37 range. No significant mean difference was obtained between color normal and color defective subjects.
Proopiocortin-Converting Enzyme Activity in Bovine Neurosecretory Granules

Neurosecretory granules (NSGs) from neural lobes of bovine pituitary glands were isolated in a highly purified form by metrizamide-sucrose gradient centrifugation. The purified NSGs were lysed and centrifuged, and the supernatants were further fractionated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75. Proopiocortin-converting enzyme activity was assayed by incubation of [3H]arginine- or [3<H]phenylalanine-labeled toad proopiocortin with NSG supernatant fractions. The processed products were identified by immunoprecipitation with ACTH and β-endorphin antisera, followed by acid-urea gel electrophoresis. The optimum pH for the enzyme-mediated conversion was around pH 5.0. Conversion of toad proopiocortin by NSG converting enzyme activity was inhibited by leupeptin, antipain, p-chloromercuribenzoate, and pepstatin A, but not by diisopropyl fluorophosphate, EDTA, or N-α-p-tosyl-L-lysine-chloromethyl ketone HCl. The results suggest that the proopiocortin-converting enzyme activity in bovine neurosecretory granules is due...
Translation by abduction

Abstract : Many existing approaches to machine translation take for granted that the information presented in the output is found somewhere in the input, and, moreover, that such information should be expressed at a single representational level, for example, in terms of the parse trees or of "semantic" assertions. Languages, however, not only express the equivalent information by drastically different linguistic means, but also often disagree in what distinctions should be expressed linguistically at all. For example, in translating from Japanese to English, it is often necessary to supply determiners for noun phrases, and this in general cannot be done without deep understanding of the source text. Similarly, in translating from English to Japanese, politeness considerations, which in English are implicit in the social situation and explicit in very diffuse ways in, for example, the heavy use of hypotheticals, must be realized grammatically in Japanese. Machine translation therefore requires that the appropriate inferences be drawn and that the text be interpreted to some depth (see Oviatt, 1988). Recently, an elegant approach to inference in discourse interpretation has been developed at a number of sites (e.g., Hobbs et al., 1988; Charniak and Goldman, 1988; Norvig, 1987), all based on the notion of abduction, and we have begun to explore its potential application to machine translation. We argue that this approach provides the possibility of deep reasoning and of mapping between the languages at a variety of levels (See also Kaplan et al., 1988, on the latter point.) Abductive inference is inference to the best explanation. The easiest way to understand it is to compare it with two words it rhymes with-deduction and induction. Much of the way we interpret the world in general can be understood as a process of abduction.
Tactical population movements and distributions for ideally motivated competitors.

Abstract: The spatial distributions of populations are a reflection of underlying rules for movement behavior in the context of the environment encountered by individuals. Here I study how ideal directed movement—in which individuals travel in the direction offering the most immediate perceived improvement to their personal fitness—dictates the spatial position of two populations occupying the same relative niche and engaged in competition via interference to an individual’s ability to gather resources. Drawing on the analytic derivation of equilibria, numerical simulations, and graphical assessments, I provide conditions under which sympatry, parapatry, or regional exclusion is expected during different phases of the community’s development. I also demonstrate that specific competitive asymmetries produce distinguishable distributions and invasion patterns and identify which populations are found centrally or peripherally. Dynamic and dispersal equilibria were examined for differences in the sensitivity ...
Osteonecrosis of the knee following laser-assisted arthroscopic surgery: A report of six cases

We report six cases where significant postoperative pain persisted in individuals following arthroscopic surgery augmented with the use of lasers. Subsequent magnetic resonance images showed lesions with signal changes compatible with the diagnosis of osteonecrosis in areas directly addressed with laser energy.
Resonant inhomogeneous molecular absorption of ultrashort laser pulses: role of the pulse spectrum

A model molecular system composed of an inhomogeneous distribution of homogeneous wave packets is presented in analogy with gain saturation in atomic systems. The numerically computed optical free-induction-decay pulse spectrum (as a representative picosecond-pulsed laser system) and other idealized pulse spectra are used as inputs to the molecular system to probe its absorption characteristics in the inhomogeneous limit. Various aspects of pulse spectral structure and their relative significance to the observed nonlinearity of the numerically computed 1/σ2-versus-I plot is discussed in detail. The relevance of such behavior in interpreting experimental data is also indicated.
Energy losses in simulated relativistic Michigan A6 magnetron with shaped cathode

There has been much research interest in improving magnetron performance by employing various priming techniques, such as shaped cathodes and nonuniform magnetic fields. These priming techniques have been successfully applied to reduce magnetron noise and also improve mode-locking and efficiency (Neculaes et al., 2005), (P. Fleming et al., 2007).
Pulmonary vasculitis presenting as atypical asthma.

CASE REPORT A 9-year-old female was referred to our clinics in January 1998 because of multisystem complaints. The patient had a 2-year history of cough, episodes of chest pain, and tightness upon increasing activity. The patient had minimal response to 2-agonists and was noted to improve upon treatment with oral glucocorticosteroids. She was diagnosed with atypical asthma and was treated with inhaled glucocorticosteroids and 2-agonists. Concomitant with chest symptoms, the patient experienced frequent arthralgias, fatigue, generalized lymphadenopathy, hypertension, transient ischemic attacks, Raynaud’s phenomenon, growth failure, abdominal pain, headaches, and frequent infections characterized as recurrent otitis media and sinusitis. Her medications included beclomethasone inhaler double strength 2 puffs bid, albuterol inhaler every 4 to 6 hours as needed, fluticasone nasal spray 1 spray qd, loratidine 5 mg qd, sucralfate 1 g tid, nifidipine 30 mg qd, baby aspirin 81 mg qd, ibuprofen every 6 to 8 hours as needed and growth hormone injection qd. The patient was admitted to the hospital for further evaluation and treatment. On physical examination, the patient weighed 25.6 kg (5th percentile) and was 126 cm in height ( 5th percentile). Pertinent findings included mobile and tender cervical, axillary, and inguinal lymphadenopathy; clear breath sounds; mild epigastric tenderness; and hepatosplenomegaly. Capillary nail beds were abnormal in that they exhibited telangiectasia and vascular dropout. The skin was dry with a fixed salmoncolored macular rash on the upper chest and neck. The rest of the physical examination was unremarkable.
The cannabinoid agonist WIN 55, 212-2 increases nociception threshold in cholestatic rats: implications for the treatment of the pruritus of cholestasis

Dronabinol, a synthetic agonist at cannabinoid receptors, was reported to decrease the pruritus of cholestasis, in an uncontrolled observation. We hypothesized that the reported antipruritic effect of dronabinol might have resulted from an increased threshold to experience nociception (i.e. pruritus) by the drug. To test this hypothesis, we studied the effect of WIN 55, 212-2, a cannabinoid agonist, on the threshold to experience nociception, using a tail-flick assay in rats with cholestasis secondary to bile duct resection and in sham-resected controls. The administration of WIN 55, 212-2 was associated with a significant increase in the mean tail-flick latency in both groups as compared to baseline. Pruritus is a nociceptive stimulus; accordingly, drugs that increase the threshold to nociception in human beings may be a novel approach to the treatment of this symptom in patients with liver disease.
Biochemical Mechanisms and Diagnostic Microassays for Pyrethroid, Carbamate, and Organophosphate Insecticide Resistance/Cross-Resistance in the Tobacco Budworm,Heliothis virescens

Abstract Tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens, larvae were collected from wild velvet leaf in Macon Ridge (LA) where insecticide resistance in cotton was previously reported. The initial resistance levels were 58.0-fold for thiodicarb and 16.0-fold for cypermethrin compared to a susceptible laboratory population. Selection of this Macon Ridge population with thiodicarb on cotton increased resistance for thiodicarb to 172.9-fold and resulted in cross-resistance for cypermethrin to 161.3-fold compared to the susceptible control. Thiodicarb-selected Macon Ridge budworms were also resistant to methyl parathion (7.6-fold), profenofos (59.9-fold), and azinphosmethyl (>38.8-fold). Cytochrome P450 metabolism of p -nitroanisole was elevated 30.1-, 16.8-, and 18.8-fold in midgut, fat body, and carcass, respectively, of the selected Macon Ridge budworms. The P450 content was also increased. Ester hydrolysis of 1-naphthyl acetate and p -nitrophenyl acetate as well as 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene glutathione S -transferase activity were elevated approximately 2-fold with some variability among the specific tissues examined. Piperonyl butoxide increased thiodicarb toxicity by 14.8-fold, methyl parathion by 9.3-fold, and cypermethrin by 19.4-fold. S,S,S -Tributylphosphorothioate increased thiodicarb toxicity by 14.5-fold, methyl parathion by 6.6-fold, and profenofos by 7.2-fold. These results suggests that both cytochrome P450 and esterase play an important role in tobacco budworm resistance and cross-resistance between carbamates, organophosphates, and pyrethroids. Acetylthiocholine hydrolysis was 3.4- and 3.5-fold insensitive to paraoxon and methomyl, respectively, in the thiodicarb-selected Macon Ridge strain. Microassays based on p -nitroanisole and p -nitrophenyl acetate metabolism were successfully used to diagnose resistance in field populations of the tobacco budworm in different geographical areas of the U.S.
Acute granulomatous interstitial nephritis and colitis in anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome associated with lamotrigine treatment

We present the case of a 17-year-old woman with a history of bipolar disorder, who developed a clinical syndrome manifested by fever, lymphadenopathy, skin rash, diarrhea, and acute renal failure requiring dialysis after the use of lamotrigine. Renal biopsy showed acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) with focal granulomas. Similarly, colonic biopsy specimens showed colitis and ileitis with non-necrotizing epithelioid granulomas. The patient had a complete recovery after withdrawal of the medication and steroid treatment. Although lamotrigine has been previously implicated in the development of anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome, there have been no previous reports of acute granulomatous interstitial nephritis or colitis associated with the use of this drug.
FEEDBACK CONTROL IN DISTRIBUTED PARAMETER GYROSCOPIC SYSTEMS: A SOLUTION OF THE PARTIAL EIGENVALUE ASSIGNMENT PROBLEM

Abstract This paper presents a novel solution to the partial eigenvalue assignment problem of an undamped gyroscopic distributed parameter system. The partial eigenvalue assignment problem is the problem of reassigning by feedback a few undesired eigenvalues of the open-loop operator pencil while leaving the remaining infinite number of eigenvalues unchanged. The distinctive practical features of our solution are (i) it requires the solution of only a small finite-dimensional linear algebraic system and knowledge of only a small finite number of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the infinite-dimensional open-loop operator pencil, (ii) no spill-over occurs; that is, the remaining infinite number of eigenvalues and eigenvectors that are required to remain invariant will remain in their places and (iii) it is obtained completely in a distributed parameter setting and no discretisation to second-order system of differential equations is invoked so that vital inherent properties of the original system are fully preserved. Because of the above-mentioned practical features, the proposed solution is readily applicable to stabilise or to combat the effects of excessive vibrations in a large structure.
Design for implementation of color image processing algorithms

Color image processing algorithms are first developed using a high-level mathematical modeling language. Current integrated development environments offer libraries of intrinsic functions, which on one hand enable faster development, but on the other hand hide the use of fundamental operations. The latter have to be detailed for an efficient hardware and/or software physical implementation. Based on the experience accumulated in the process of implementing a segmentation algorithm, this paper outlines a design for implementation methodology comprised of a development flow and associated guidelines. The application of this methodology to four segmentation algorithm steps produced measured results with 2-D correlation coefficients (CORR2) better than 0.99, peak-signal-to-noise-ratio (PSNR) better than 70 dB, and structural-similarity-index (SSIM) better than 0.98, for a majority of test cases.
Kinetics of a hollow fiber dehydrogenase reactor

A hollow fiber module was used as a reactor for conversion of ethanol to acetaldehyde in the presence of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase as catalyst. Mass transport rates for NAD+, the overall acetaldehyde generation rate, catalyst effectiveness factors, and the overall order of the reaction with respect to NAD+ concentration were measured. A coupled-substrate reactor with continuous in situ regeneration of cofactor was also examined. Two substrates of opposite redox state were added simultaneously to the feed stream. NADH and acetaldehyde concentrations were monitored in the effluent stream. The cofactor recycle number, or ratio of moles of product to moles of NADH produced, exceeded 10,000 under certain conditions. While decreasing the NAD+ concentration in the feed stream decreased reactor productivity somewhat, it greatly enhanced the ratio of product formed per mole of NAD+ fed to the reactor. It is suggested that high cofactor costs in dehydrogenase reactors may be overcome with efficient in situ regeneration and secondary recovery and recycling of cofactor from the process stream.
Women Working in the Management of Professional Baseball: Getting to First Base?

Women are slowly beginning to make in-roads into many professions. Estimates indicate women will constitute 47% of the workforce by the year 2000 (Sullivan, 1992). Labor Department statistics from 1990 stated women held about 40% of all managerial positions (Marlow, Marlow, & Arnold, 1995). Women now hold approximately 10% of positions on Fortune 500 companies’ boards of directors (Townsend, 1996). Women are starting to become a presence in many non-traditional male-dominated professions as well. Non-traditional occupations have been defined as those having less than 30–34% women in their ranks (Hayes, 1985). Women have made gains in areas such as insurance (Wojick, 1997), photojournalism (Riccihardi, 1998), logistics (Lynagh, Murphy & Poist, 1996), banking, finance, and health care, and other male-dominated areas as well (Gallman, 1997). Although the picture in some industries may be getting slightly brighter, in some traditionally male dominated professions, such as electronics (Elliott,
Expanding the reach of youth mentoring: Partnering with youth for personal growth and social change

The goals of youth mentoring have broadened from redressing youth problems to promoting positive youth development. Yet, many of the principles associated with contemporary conceptualizations of development found in the positive youth development (PYD) and community psychology (CP) literature have yet to be fully integrated into mentoring research and practice. These approaches place greater emphasis on youth as assets to their communities and the promotion of positive development through the cultivation of these assets, often by fostering collaborative partnerships between youth and adults to effect social change. In this paper, we examine how bringing these systemic, asset-oriented approaches more fully to bear on the youth mentoring process creates opportunities that may both extend the reach and deepen the impact of youth mentoring through the promotion of community, social, and individual change.
Proximity of Jupiter-Like Planets to Low-Mass Stars

The sensitivities of astrometric and radial velocity searches for extrasolar planets are strongly dependent on planetary masses and orbits. Because most nearby stars are less massive than the sun, the first detection is likely to be of a Jupiter-mass planet orbiting a low-mass star, with a possible theoretical expectation being that Jupiter-like planets will be found much closer [inside the Earth-sun separation of 1 astronomical unit (AU)] to these low-luminosity stars than Jupiter is to the sun (5.2 AU). However, radiative hydrodynamic models of protoplanetary disks around low-mass stars (of 0.1 to 1 solar mass) show that Jupiter-like planets should form at distances (approximately 4 to 5 AU) that are only weakly dependent on the stellar mass.
International terrorism, human rights, and World order

Abstract This article attempts to summarize the efforts that have been made during the 1970s in the search for an appropriate definition of international terrorism, its causes, and the measures to combat it. It evaluates these efforts in the context of the simultaneous interests in human rights. It advances some propositions as to how international terrorism could be seen from the perspectives of both social‐psychological theories of violence and Western legal practices. In conclusion, the relationship between the individual and the state is evaluated in the context of the present world order and its operative political and legal principles. Although this approach may not solve the problem of international terrorism by advancing any neat scheme of control which can be readily applied by anxious governmental law enforcement agencies, nor succeed in articulating a strategy for the respect of human rights by governments and individuals, it will hopefully generate some ideas about how justice can be rediscove...
Chemical reactions of steroids which imitate the selectivity of enzymatic transformations

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the chemical reactions of steroids that imitate the selectivity of enzymatic transformations. It presents a report of a study in whcih certain photochemical reactions of benzophenone derivatives could be directed with an increase in selectivity if the benzophenone were attached to the substrate molecule, as an ester, before the photolysis was performed. In the study, the substrates examined were flexible long chain alcohols. Attachment of a rigid reagent to the substrate did specify some of the geometry of the reaction, but the fact that the substrate had many conformations available to it led to much randomness in the products. In a real enzyme, this would have been solved by subsidiary binding sites that immobilize the substrate into a particular conformation. Steroids are relatively rigid molecules, with well-defined geometries, in which a wide range of interesting enzymatic transformations are of real synthetic interest. Thus, to imitate enzymatic selectivity and achieve useful transformations, it seemed likely that the steroid molecule would be an excellent place to start. Winnik's benzophenone photochemistry can be applied to 3-alpha-cholestanol. When so applied, it produced a rather selective set of transformations in which the steroid was functionalized in positions far removed from its only functional group as a result of the geometry of the transition state, and the reactive part of the reagent was held at a well-defined distance from the functional group.
Phencyclidine raises kindled seizure thresholds

Phencyclidine (PCP) has been reported to have both anesthetic and seizure-inducing properties. In the present experiment the effect of PCP on previously established seizures, kindled in the amygdala, was examined, using rats as subjects. In a repeated measures design three doses of PCP (1, 2 and 5 mg/kg) were compared with a saline control condition. The high dose of PCP was found to significantly increase seizural afterdischarge thresholds, while not affecting seizure durations.
Social Issues Related to Pediatric Home Enteral Nutrition

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To recognize that social problems encountered by caregivers of children on home enteral nutrition are prevalent and require the attention of dietitians. Home enteral nutrition (HEN) provides long-term nutritional support to patients who have difficulty consuming appropriate kilocalories, but otherwise do not require hospital care. The majority of HEN research does not address the social problems that the HEN patient or caregiver experiences. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and difficulty of medical and social problems encountered by caregivers of pediatric HEN patients. Caregivers were asked to rate, on a seven point Likert scale, twenty problems (ten medical and ten social) associated with HEN according to frequency of occurrence and difficulty in management. One hundred fifty caregivers were mailed a survey that was validated and had reliability coefficients of α= .84 for frequency and α = .87 for difficulty responses. Thirty-seven (25%) caregivers responded to the survey. Problems were ranked from one to twenty according to the mean cross product scores (frequency x difficulty). The mean frequencies and difficulties for the social and medical problems were analyzed by a Paired t-Test. To determine the overall burden of medical and social management, the mean Medical Total Composite Score (MTCS) and the mean Social Total Composite Score (STCS) were also analyzed by the Paired t-Test. Of the top-ten problems reported, seven were classified as social while three were medical. Caregivers reported social problems were more frequent (p
Evaluation of Procedures for Adjusting Problem-Discovery Rates Estimated From Small Samples

There are 2 excellent reasons to compute usability problem-discovery rates. First, an estimate of the problem-discovery rate is a key component for projecting the required sample size for a usability study. Second, practitioners can use this estimate to calculate the proportion of discovered problems for a given sample size. Unfortunately, small-sample estimates of the problem-discovery rate suffer from a serious overestimation bias. This bias can lead to serious underestimation of required sample sizes and serious overestimation of the proportion of discovered problems. This article contains descriptions and evaluations of a number of methods for adjusting small-sample estimates of the problem-discovery rate to compensate for this bias. A series of Monte Carlo simulations provided evidence that the average of a normalization procedure and Good-Turing (Jelinek, 1997; Manning & Schutze, 1999) discounting produces highly accurate estimates of usability problem-discovery rates from small sample sizes.
Nanocomposites prepared by in situ enzymatic polymerization of phenol with TEMPO-oxidized nanocellulose

The objective of this study was to prepare nanocomposites based on polyphenols and nanocellulose fibers using relatively benign processing. To accomplish this, phenol was polymerized using horseradish peroxidase in the presence of TEMPO-oxidized nanocellulose. The polyphenol-nanocellulose composite was insoluble in organic solvents but the individual components were soluble. SEM imaging of fracture surfaces of polyphenol, nanocellulose, and composite indicated brittle failure in polyphenol and nanocellulose but ductile failure in the composite pointing to a potential synergistic effect from the addition of the components. Polyphenol existed as spherical or near-spherical “clusters” that were ca. 10 μm in the absence of nanocellulose and ca. 0.1 μm in the presence of nanocellulose. The observed change in structure corresponded to changes in the thermal stability because the composite was more thermally stable than the components. FT-IR analysis of polyphenol-nanocellulose composites showed physical and chemical interactions between the fiber and matrix. This study is a significant improvement in forming nanocomposites without the intensive processing usually required for dispersion.