cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Graft-vs.-host reaction in tissue culture.

The primary purpose of this study has been to validate the in vitro graft-vs.-host reaction as an experimental system. Time-dose studies have been presented for cells obtained from spleen, thymus, cortisone-treated thymus, inguinal lymph node, mesenteric lymph node, thoracic duct, and bone marrow cells. Both the degree of splenomegaly and the onset of spleen enlargement were found to be dependent on the number and source of cells tested. The effect of several immunosuppressive agents was examined. Amantadine was found to suppress completely the graft-vs.-host reaction in vitro when present at a concentration of 75 µg/ml. Pretreatment of effector cells with mitomycin C prevented their subsequent ability to cause a graft-vs.-host reaction. The effect of X irradiation on immunocompetence of spleen cells in vitro paralleled the known effect of irradiation on in vivo immunocompetence. Preimmunization did not increase the number or effectiveness of immunocompetent cells when measured under standard in vitro conditions. Preimmunization did, however, permit persistence of immunocompetence after immunosuppressive doses of X irradiation. Studies using congenic lines, moreover, indicated that the preimmunization effect could be demonstrated in strain combinations differing only in factors determined by the H-2 complex of genes. A weak graft-vs.-host reaction could be detected in strain combinations not involving differences at the H-2 locus. The potential of the in vitro graft-vs.-host reaction as a highly reproducible, quantifiable, internally controlled, and experimentally accessible system for study of such critical problems as cell differentiation and cell interactions is discussed.
Introduction to Genetic Linkage Analysis

Advances in molecular methodology have resulted in the successful genetic mapping and isolation of the genes responsible for numerous simple Mendelian disorders such as cystic fibrosis, neurofibromatosis, and Huntington disease. Recently, researchers have begun to successfully study diseases with more complex inheritance, such as breast cancer. This paper will provide a basic introduction to the strategies and methods commonly used in the localization of genes resulting in disease.
Democracy-Enhancing Multilateralism

International organizations are widely believed to undermine domestic democracy+ Our analysis challenges this conventional wisdom, arguing that multilat- eral institutions can enhance the quality of national democratic processes, even in well- functioning democracies, in a number of important ways: by restricting the power of special interest factions, protecting individual rights, and improving the quality of dem- ocratic deliberation, while also increasing capacities to achieve important public pur- poses+ The article discusses conflicts and complementarities between multilateralism and democracy, outlines a working conception of constitutional democracy, elabo- rates theoretically the ways in which multilateral institutions can enhance constitu- tional democracy, and discusses the empirical conditions under which multilateralism is most likely to have net democratic benefits, using contemporary examples to illus- trate the analysis+ The overall aim is to articulate a set of critical democratic standards appropriate for evaluating and helping to guide the reform of international institutions+ Many scholars and popular commentators assert that international organizations undermine democracy+ Global governance, they argue, is distant, elitist, and tech- nocratic+ Debates over multilateralism are increasingly waged between critics, who point to the ways in which international institutions undermine domestic demo- cratic processes, and defenders, who stress pragmatic benefits+ In this article we challenge this conventional framing of the issue+ We do so by arguing that participation in multilateral institutions—defined broadly to include international organizations, regimes, and networks governed
Anti-Inflammatory Therapy for Asthma

Asthma is now recognized to be a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, involving mast cells, eosinophils, and T lymphocytes. Treatment of asthma should therefore be based on anti-inflammatory agents rather than bronchodilators. Choices include inhaled corticosteroids, which are highly effective in all patients, and cromolyn sodium and nedocromil sodium, which are effective in patients with mild asthma. It is likely that the earlier and more widespread use of anti-inflammatory drugs will reduce the unacceptably high morbidity and mortality of asthma and prevent irreversible chronic airflow obstruction in patients with severe disease.
Exploring the Dynamic Relationship in the Shadow Banking System

In this paper, we study the dynamic relationship in the shadow banking system by examining the short-run and the long-run relationship among the financial assets of the money market fund, the commercial paper, and the repurchase agreement market. The evidence suggests that there exists a common long-term cointegrating trend among these three components of the shadow banking system for 1985-2013 sample period. Any disequilibrium in this long-run relationship among these variables is corrected by movement in the financial assets of the money market funds. The trend-cycle decomposition from the estimated cointegrating relationship shows that the cyclical component in the money market funds is large and captures the huge swings in these markets during the financial crisis. Our results are also robust to the exclusion of the financial crisis, and it reveals the changing role of the commercial paper and the repurchase agreement market in the shadow banking system.
Boole's Algebra Isn't Boolean Algebra (Article Review)

Reviewed Title: Boole's Algebra Isn't Boolean Algebra by Theodore Hailperin. Mathematics Magazine, v. 54:4, pp. 172-184. ISSN: 0025-570X
Application of curve fitting filtering at data processing of unmanned air vehicle

To study the problem of the real-time data processing in unmanned air vehicle's (UAV) navigation, a data filtering method with curve fitting extrapolation is presented. Based on the continuity of the information changing, the approximation of the real value is attained by curve fitting extrapolation. The measured information is classified by the difference between the value and the approximation and filtered by the presented structure model of the data processing. The method has no need for the transcendental information of measured data and has good real-time characteristic, stability and robustness. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method and model.
Cystometry in Children

AbstractA method is described whereby cystometry performed in children under nitrous oxide anesthesia has been shown to reliably identify uninhibited detrusor contractions.
Mycophenolate mofetil in renal transplantation: results from the U.S. randomized trials.

Following promising preclinical and Phase I clinical trials of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in solid organ transplantation a series of pivotal randomized trials were commenced to determine the place of this new immunosuppressant in clinical kidney transplantation. The trials in the USA used MMF in combination with prednisone and cyclosporine for rejection prevention, for the treatment of a first acute rejection, and for the treatment of refractory rejection. Results of the primary end-point of the rejection prevention study and from the 12 months follow-up of the refractory rejection study are now available for analysis. In the rejection prevention study, which was double-blinded and placebo-controlled, the addition of either 2 g or 3 g of MMF daily to a standard regimen of cyclosporine and prednisone reduced the incidence of a first acute rejection by approximately 50% during the first six months post-transplant. There were also impressive reductions in the use of steroids and anti-lymphocytic agents. The 2 g daily dose was best tolerated and demonstrated a safety profile similar to that of azathioprine. The addition of 3 g MMF daily was effective treatment for refractory acute rejection and, compared to treatment with intravenous corticosteroids, significantly reduced the subsequent use of anti-lymphocytic agents. These studies establish MMF as an effective and safe immunosuppressant. Its final place in clinical transplantation will be determined by further analysis of these and future studies, and by broadening experience with this important addition to the immunosuppressive armamentarium.
Contingent Workers and Alternative Work Arrangements, 1995-2001

Data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that, between 1995 and 2001, the number of contingent workers, and the proportion of the workforce they comprise, decreased. This decrease coincided with the decline in national unemployment (and the increase in employment) during this period. During the same time period, the number of workers in alternative work arrangements fluctuated, driven mainly by changes in the number of independent contractors. This article presents the BLS data on the characteristics of contingent workers and workers in alternative work arrangements, including data on employee benefits for these types of workers.
Impact of Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations at Screening Mammography: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Our results show that the Medicare Shared Savings Program, the largest value-based population reimbursement program in U.S. history, has produced small but significant improvements in mammography use in the first 3 years of the program, in contrast to reports on traditional fee-for-service populations in which screening mammography use was unchanged or declined over the same time.
An Alternative and Validated Injection Method for Accessing the Subretinal Space via a Transcleral Posterior Approach

Subretinal injections have been successfully used in both humans and rodents to deliver therapeutic interventions of proteins, viral agents, and cells to the interphotoreceptor/subretinal compartment that has direct exposure to photoreceptors and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Subretinal injections of plasminogen as well as recent preclinical and clinical trials have demonstrated safety and/or efficacy of delivering viral vectors and stem cells to individuals with advanced retinal disease. Mouse models of retinal disease, particularly hereditary retinal dystrophies, are essential for testing these therapies. The most common injection procedure in rodents is to use small transcorneal or transcleral incisions with an anterior approach to the retina. With this approach, the injection needle penetrates the neurosensory retina disrupting the underlying RPE and on insertion can easily nick the lens, causing lens opacification and impairment of noninvasive imaging. Accessing the subretinal space via a transcleral, posterior approach avoids these problems: the needle crosses the sclera approximately 0.5 mm from the optic nerve, without retinal penetration and avoids disrupting the vitreous. Collateral damage is limited to that associated with the focal sclerotomy and the effects of a transient, serous retinal detachment. The simplicity of the method minimizes ocular injury, ensures rapid retinal reattachment and recovery, and has a low failure rate. The minimal damage to the retina and RPE allows for clear assessment of the efficacy and direct effects of the therapeutic agents themselves. This manuscript describes a novel subretinal injection technique that can be used to target viral vectors, pharmacological agents, stem cells or induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to the subretinal space in mice with high efficacy, minimal damage, and fast recovery.
Carrots versus Sticks: Assessing Intervention Effectiveness and Implementation Challenges for Active Transport:

Strategies to manage transportation demand are colloquially labeled carrots or sticks: carrots (or enablers) to entice desired travel behaviors and sticks (or deterrents) that discourage undesirabl...
Assessing and quantifying changes in precipitation patterns using event-driven analysis

Abstract Study region The Little Washita River Experimental Watershed (LWREW) is located between Chickasha and Lawton in southwestern Oklahoma, US. Study focus In this study, frequency analyses were conducted on sub-hourly precipitation event descriptors to quantify the changes in precipitation patterns commonly masked in annual analysis. Precipitation events were derived from 5-min data collected by USDA-ARS from 1961 to 2015. New hydrological insights for the region During the 1962–2015 period, this region experienced successive regional long-term wet (1962–1995) and dry (1996–2015) dominated periods of more than 20 years each. During the wet period, precipitation intensity ranging from 1 to 12 mm were 20% less likely to occur while event daily average precipitation and number of events increased by 10% and 11%, respectively. Also, the average daily precipitation occurred more often at lower intensities. In contrast, during the dry period, instantaneous intensity ranging from 1 to 12 mm became more likely to occur (64% increase; 1996–2015) while event daily average precipitation and number of events decreased by 16% and 18%, respectively. Overall, comparisons with the baseline data (1962–2015) indicated that in the last 20 years, sub-hourly precipitation intensities have increased while daily event duration and extreme 5-min precipitation intensities larger than 24 mm (precipitation intensification below extremes) have remained unchanged.
Analysis of the state and methods for increasing the efficiency of operation of district heating system in the Chisinau municipality

A centralized system for thermal energy supply in Chisinau (CSTES) comprises thermal energy sources, namely two Combined Heat and Power stations (CHP) — Source1 and Source2 and two Heating Plants (HP West and HP South). Thermal energy transport and distribution from the above mentioned sources is provided through the appropriate loops by means of thermal thoroughfare network, distribution and in-house. In CSTES they continue to use the adjustment of the temperature of thermal agent related to the load graph maintaining a constant flow rate. Such a regime is called quality regime of adjustment of the thermal load. The main task is in the transfer to the method of quality-and-quantity adjusting of thermal agent supply related to the outdoor temperature and to the thermal load. At the same time, the operation of all the sources to one common loop has been proposed. This will identify a main objectives in the successful choosing of the sources, network as well as the computation of optimal regimes of operation.
MRI-Ultrasound Fusion Targeted Biopsy of Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System Version 2 Category 5 Lesions Found False-Positive at Multiparametric Prostate MRI.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine imaging and clinical features associated with Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) category 5 lesions identified prospectively ...
Performance and retention of basic life support skills improve with a peer-led training program.

Abstract Background and purpose Pharmacy students’ performance and retention of Basic Life Support (BLS) skills were evaluated 120 days after completion of a peer-led BLS training program. Educational activity and setting This was a single-center, parallel group, observational study. Doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students in their third professional year completed a peer-led BLS training program (n = 148) and participated in a high-fidelity mannequin simulation activity 120 days later. Students were randomly assigned to rapid response teams (n = 24) of five to six members and the American Heart Association's standardized form for BLS assessment was used to assess BLS skills performance. The performance of skills was compared to that of students two years prior to the implementation of the peer-led BLS program. Findings and discussion Students who received peer-led BLS training demonstrated retention of BLS skills 120 days after the BLS training program. The teams also displayed significant improvement of the skills evaluated when compared to student teams prior to implementation of the peer-led training (n = 22). Improvement was demonstrated for assessment of responsiveness (96% vs. 41%, p Summary Students who received peer-led BLS training demonstrated significant improvement in BLS skills performance and retention 120 days after the training program. Data suggests that peer-led BLS training can improve student BLS skills performance and retention.
Importance of First and Second Authorship in Assessing Citation-Based Scholarly Activity of US Radiation Oncology Residents and Subsequent Choice of Academic Versus Private Practice Career

PURPOSE The Hirsch index (h-index) has been shown to correlate with radiation oncology residents' having a first job in academics versus private practice, but it is limited by its inability to distinguish between the differing significance of coauthor roles in articles. METHODS A list of 2016 radiation oncology resident graduates and their postresidency career choices was compiled. The Scopus bibliometric citation database was then searched to collect h-index data for articles limited to first author only (hf) and first or second-author only (hs) for each resident. RESULTS Mean hf was 2.06 for all resident graduates, and mean hs was 2.77. Residents with PhDs had significantly higher hf (3.11 versus 1.76, P < .01) and hs (4.50 versus 2.28, P < .01). There was no statistically significant difference between male and female residents for hf (2.19 versus 1.61, P = .11) or hs (2.91 versus 2.25, P = .15). Residents choosing academia had higher hf (2.72 versus 1.44, P < .01) and hs (3.57 versus 2.01, P < 0.01) than those in private practice. Fewer than 20% of graduates with hf = 0 and only 10% of graduates with hs = 0 secured academic jobs. CONCLUSION The average radiation oncology resident graduate has published a minimum of two first- and/or second-author articles cited at least twice. Graduates with PhDs and/or choosing academic careers were more likely to have higher hf and hs scores; there was no significant score difference by gender. Only 10% of graduates without any first- and/or second-author articles cited at least once secured academic jobs. These findings indicate that stratifying publications by first or second authorship when developing benchmarks for evaluating resident productivity and postresidency career type may be useful.
Alias control for deterministic parallelism

A parallel program is deterministic if it produces the same output on every execution with a given input, regardless of the parallel schedule chosen. Determinism makes parallel programs much easier to write, understand, debug, and maintain. Further, many parallel programs are intended to be deterministic. Therefore a deterministic programming model (i.e., one in which all programs that pass compile-time checking are guaranteed to run deterministically) is attractive. However, aliasing poses difficulties for such a model, because hidden read-write conflicts through shared memory can cause unwanted nondeterminism and even data races. This article surveys the state of the art in program annotations for controlling aliasing in a way that can support a deterministic parallel programming model. It discusses the following techniques: the Deterministic Parallel Java effect system; other effect systems, including systems based on object ownership; permission-based type systems; and annotations based on program logic.
Biological Studies of Schizophrenia with Childhood Onset

The literature concerning the biology of schizophrenia pertains almost exclusively to schizophrenia with adolescent or adult onset. Several recent publications on the biology, psychophysiology, and psychoneuroimmunology of schizophrenia in older adolescents and adults are available.1-4 The relative paucity of biological data on children appears to result from both the rarity of schizophrenia with childhood onset and the increased difficulties in undertaking research with children.
Slipping Pages through Razor Wire: Literacy Action Projects in Jail

This essay explores the intersection between writing studies and civic engagement through the action projects developed in E465: Prison Literature and Writing. Such literacy activism creates immediate opportunities for advanced undergraduates to more fully understand the work of literacy in contested spaces like jail and extends a call to action for writing teachers to acknowledge the possibility of community-based writing collaborations.
Long-Term Challenges for Future Electricity Markets with Distributed Energy Resources

Recently, the academic and industrial literature has arrived at a consensus in which the electric grid evolves to a more intelligent, responsive, dynamic, flexible, and adaptive system. This evolution is caused by several drivers including decarbonization, electrified transportation, deregulation, growing electricity demand, and active consumer participation. Many of these changes will occur at the periphery of the grid, in the radial distribution system and its potentially billions of demand-side resources. Such spatially distributed energy resources naturally require equally distributed control and electricity market design approaches to enable an increasingly active “smart grid.” In that regard, this chapter serves to highlight lessons recently learned from the literature and point to three open long-term challenges facing future design of electricity markets. They are (1) simultaneously manage the technical and economic performance of the electricity grid; (2) span multiple operations timescales, and (3) enable active demand-side resources. For each challenge, some recent contributions are highlighted and promising directions for future work are identified.
The Changing Privacy Legal Landscape

This chapter centers on informational privacy and the rules that give people control over their personal data—defined as any information that can be used by itself or in combination with other information to identify someone. The European Union (EU), Canada, and Japan each protect informational privacy using a single, comprehensive privacy law. But the United States takes a different approach and uses a hodgepodge of federal and state laws to protect informational privacy. Some regulate specific categories of information (financial, health care, medical), while others apply to usage activities (e.g., telephone marketing, text messaging, emailing). Hundreds of additional data protection laws exist at state levels, California alone has more than 25 unique privacy and data security laws on its books.
Automatic Detection of Beaked Whales from Acoustic Seagliders & Passive Autonomous Acoustic Monitoring of Marine Mammals with Seagliders

Abstract : The U.S. Navy's use of tactical mid-frequency active sonar has been linked to marine mammal strandings and fatalities (NMFS 2001). These events have generated legal challenges to the Navy's peacetime use of mid-frequency sonar, and have limited the Navy's at-sea anti-submarine warfare training time. Beaked whales may be particularly sensitive to mid-frequency sonar. A mobile, persistent surveillance system that could detect, classify and localize beaked whales will help resolve the conflict between the Navy's need for realistic training of mid-frequency sonar operators and the Navy s desire to protect marine mammal populations worldwide. Underwater gliders equipped with appropriate acoustic sensors, processing, and detection systems passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) gliders may offer a partial solution to the problem. The acoustically-equipped Seaglider from the Applied Physics Laboratory of the University of Washington (APL-UW) is one such platform. A Seaglider can travel about 20 km/day through the water for a period of weeks to months, dive from the surface to 1000 m and back in a few hours, and use two-way satellite (Iridium) telemetry for data and command transfer. This makes it potentially highly useful for the long-term goal of this project, mitigating impacts of Navy operations on marine mammals.
Bleeding and Thrombosis in Cancer Patients

This chapter focuses on bleeding and thrombotic issues in patients with cancer. Different bleeding disorders associated with cancer are discussed as well as treatment. Risk factors for cancer-related thrombosis and treatments are discussed as well.
Analysis of long-term optical performance of phosphorescent oxygen sensing polymeric nanofibers

Abstract Photostability assessments of polymeric optical oxygen sensors are typically of limited duration (orders of magnitude lower than real application durations), involve irreproducible setups, ignore sensitivity changes and evaluate a limited number of samples. Using custom LED aging bays, continuous photobleaching (>1 month) was used to assess oxygen-sensitive polysulfone-polycaprolactone core-shell electrospun nanofibers with incorporated platinum (II)- or palladium (II)-based porphyrins. Increased [porphyrin] corresponded to greater initial brightness and more rapid photobleaching. Nevertheless, the rapid solvent evaporation characteristic of electrospinning allowed for linear Stern-Volmer plots for solids loading as high as 10 wt%. UV excitation resulted in a greater initial photobleaching rate for both brightness and sensitivity, but these decreases ended after ~1 week; green-aged samples continued to photobleach out to 1000 h. Via straightforward monitoring of brightness, oxygen sensitivity and Stern-Volmer linearity, this long-term photobleaching assessment protocol can be used to screen dozens of polymer sensors for real-life applications.
THE LONG TERM PROGNOSTIC ROLE OF MYOCARDIAL WALL STRESS IN SURVIVORS FROM ACUTE ST ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION AFTER PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION

Despite early attempts to salvage the myocardium at risk with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), changes in myocardial wall stress lead to ventricular remodeling after an acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We studied the association between myocardial wall stress and major
The tree search game for two players

We consider a two-player search game on a tree $T$. One vertex (unknown to the players) is randomly selected as the target. The players alternately guess vertices. If a guess $v$ is not the target, then both players are informed in which subtree of $T \smallsetminus v$ the target lies. The winner is the player who guesses the target. When both players play optimally, we show that each wins with probability approximately $1/2$. When one player plays optimally and the other plays randomly, we show that the optimal player wins with probability between $9/16$ and $2/3$ (asymptotically). When both players play randomly, we show that each wins with probability between $13/30$ and $17/30$ (asymptotically).
Ultrasensitive Quantification of Drug-metabolizing Enzymes and Transporters in Small Sample Volume by Microflow LC-MS/MS.

Abstract Protein abundance data of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters (DMETs) are broadly applicable to the characterization of in vitro and in vivo models, in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE), and interindividual variability prediction. However, the emerging need of DMET quantification in small sample volumes such as organ-on a chip effluent, organoids, and biopsies requires ultrasensitive protein quantification methods. We present an ultrasensitive method that relies on an optimized sample preparation approach involving acetone precipitation coupled with a microflow-based liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (µLC-MS/MS) for the DMET quantification using limited sample volume or protein concentration, i.e., liver tissues (1-100 mg), hepatocyte counts (~4000 to 1 million cells), and microsomal protein concentration (0.01-1 mg/ml). The method was applied to quantify DMETs in differential tissue S9 fractions (liver, intestine, kidney, lung, and heart) and cryopreserved human intestinal mucosa (i.e., CHIM). The method successfully quantified >75% of the target DMETs in the trypsin digests of 1 mg tissue homogenate, 15,000 hepatocytes, and 0.06 mg/ml microsomal protein concentration. The precision of DMET quantification measured as the coefficient of variation across different tissue weights, cell counts, or microsomal protein concentration was within 30%. The method confirmed significant extrahepatic abundance of non-cytochrome P450 enzymes such as dihydropyridine dehydrogenase (DPYD), epoxide hydrolases (EPXs), arylacetamide deacetylase (AADAC), paraoxonases (PONs), and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). The ultrasensitive method developed here is applicable to characterize emerging miniaturized in vitro models and small volume biopsies. In addition, the differential tissue abundance data of the understudied DMETs will be important for physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling of drugs.
Thermal–Mechanical Modeling of a Rock/Proppant System to Investigate the Role of Shale Creep on Proppant Embedment and Fracture Conductivity

Under high temperature and stress reservoir conditions, proppant embedment induced by the time-dependent creep behavior of shale rocks has posed great challenges to the long-term maintenance of fracture conductivity in unconventional reservoirs. In this study, a numerical workflow combining a 3D continuum–discrete mechanical coupling approach with the lattice Boltzmann (LB) method is developed to simulate the coupled thermal–mechanical process in a rock/proppant system and to investigate the role of the time-dependent deformation of shale rocks on proppant embedment and fracture conductivity loss under varying temperature and stress conditions. The numerical workflow is first compared with an experiment under varying temperature and stress conditions to calibrate the elastic, plastic, viscoelastic, and thermal properties of the shale rock, as well as the proppant properties. Then, the effect of fracture axial and confining stress, numbers of proppant layers, proppant size, proppant spatial distribution, and proppant crushing is systematically investigated. The simulation results indicate that when the rock creep is significant, large size and a multilayer of proppant structure are suggested to maintain the fracture conductivity. The small percentage of particle breakage in a proppant assembly plays a less important role in the long-term maintenance of fracture conductivity. The findings of this study will shed light on the creep-induced proppant embedment mechanisms at reservoir conditions as well as their influence on the sustainability of fracture conductivity over long periods of time.
SU-E-J-176: Characterization of Inter-Fraction Breast Variability and the Implications On Delivered Dose

Purpose: To systematically characterize inter-fraction breast variability and determine implications on delivered dose. Methods: Weekly port films were used to characterize breast setup variability. Five evenly spaced representative positions across the contour of each breast were chosen on the electronic port film in reference to graticule, and window and level was set such that the skin surface of the breast was visible. Measurements from the skin surface to treatment field edge were taken on each port film at each position and compared to the planning DRR, quantifying the variability. The systematic measurement technique was repeated for all port films for 20 recently treated breast cancer patients. Measured setup variability for each patient was modeled as a normal distribution. The distribution was randomly sampled from the model and applied as isocentric shifts in the treatment planning computer, representing setup variability for each fraction. Dose was calculated for each shifted fraction and summed to obtain DVHs and BEDs that modeled the dose with daily setup variability. Patients were categorized in to relevant groupings that were chosen to investigate the rigorousness of immobilization types, treatment techniques, and inherent anatomical difficulties. Mean position differences and dosimetric differences were evaluated between planned and delivered doses.more » Results: The setup variability was found to follow a normal distribution with mean position differences between the DRR and port film between − 8.6–3.5 mm with sigma range of 5.3–9.8 mm. Setup position was not found to be significantly different than zero. The mean seroma or whole breast PTV dosimetric difference, calculated as BED, ranged from a −0.23 to +1.13Gy. Conclusion: A systematic technique to quantify and model setup variability was used to calculate the dose in 20 breast cancer patients including variable setup. No statistically significant PTV or OAR BED differences were found between immobilization, treatment or anatomical differences investigated.« less
The French Context of Hume's Philosophical Theology

As a student of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries in France, I am struck by the change of landscape as one moves from commentary upon Cartesians, Malebranchists, Aristotelians, and Thomists to commentary upon Hume. The most striking topographical difference occurs in the adjectives that dominate the scholarly terrain. We say "systematic"; you say "modified." We say "unyielding"; you say "attenuated." We say "absolute"; you say "partial." We say "representative"; you say "a kind of." The adverbs also differ. Above all, we say "obviously"; you say "perhaps." What creatures of our subjects we are! In The Orthodox Sources of Disbelief, volume one of my Atheism in France, 1650-1729, Hume receives, in all senses, slight attention. The index refers the reader merely to two pages. Desiring glib rhetorical reinforcement of my main thesisÂ—that the debates of orthodox Catholic French learned culture, in the two generations following Descartes's death, had generated the arguments and motifs of disbelief well before the EnlightenmentÂ—I twice made ignoble use of the singular Hume. Thus, concluding a chapter on Cartesian and Malebranchist assaults upon proofs of God from the order, law and purposes of the world, I opined as follows about proof from the sensible world: "It was a powerful current of Christian philosophical theology, however, that, long before Hume, sought to vitiate the use of such 'A©vidence' as a proof of God."1 This was wholly gratuitous, but it was a positively substantive intellectual reflection upon Hume compared to my second and final reference.
Long-Term Follow-up of Children With Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome

The long-term clinical course of six patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome is described. During the neonatal period, the patients had prolonged apneas and hypoventilation, in the absence of cardiac, pulmonary, or neuromuscular disease. After an initial period of respirator dependency, they became able to sustain normal gas exchange while awake. During sleep, however, profound hypoventilation developed, and tracheostomy and mechanical ventilation were required. Ventilatory responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia were depressed or absent and did not improve with time. One patient was able, at 2 years of age, to breathe spontaneously during sleep with only moderate hypoventilation. The others, now 4 to 14 years of age, still need ventilatory support during sleep. Complications, such as cardiac failure and hypoxic seizures, mostly occurred early in the course and resolved with correction of insufficient mechanical ventilation. Speech acquisition was possible with the use of a special stoma plug. All patients were managed at home, and with appropriate support, the parents were able to provide safe ventilatory care with low morbidity and no mortality.
Conformational analysis of mesocyclic polythioethers : Crystal and molecular structures of 1,4-dithiacycloheptane, 1,5-dithiacyclononane and 1,6-dithiacyclodecane

Abstract The crystal and molecular structures of 1,4-dithiacycloheptane (1,4-DTCH), 1,5-dithiacyclononane (1,5-DTCN), and 1,6-dithiacyclodecane (1,6-DTCD) have been determined by single crystal X-ray studies. These compounds crystallize in the space groups P212121 (No. 19), P21/c (No. 14), and P21/n, respectively with a = 5.409(1), b = 10.883(2), c = 11.390(2) A, Z = 4; a = 9.600(4), b = 12.378(8), c = 7.904(3) A, /gb = 113.31(3)°, Z = 4; and a = 5.290(1), b = 12.853(3), c = 6.850(2) A, β = 93.39(2)°, Z = 2, respectively. The nonhydrogen atoms were located using direct methods and the hydrogen atoms were found by Fourier difference maps. Full-matrix least-squares refinement led to conventional R factors of 0.0459, 0.0558 and 0.0314, respectively. The conformations adopted by 1,4-DTCH, 1,5-DTCN and 1,6-DTCD, in the crystalline slate, are twist chair (C2 symmetry), twist boat chair (C2 symmetry), and boat chair boat (C2k symmetry), respectively. The transannular S-S distances are 3.583, 4.108 and 4.864 A, respectively.
Kinetic prefactors for concerted-mode diffusion : a realistic calculation-Au/Au(110)

Activation energies and prefactors governing various self-diffusion processes on the Au(110) surface are calculated using the embedded atom method approximation for the surface energetics. A detailed investigation, which includes the contribution of friction, establishes that the prefactors for concerted- or exchange-type diffusion perpendicular to the close-packed rows are comparable to those governing direct, single-atom hops along the rows.
Design and Application of Imaging Plasma Instruments

Imaging particle detectors based on the cylindrically symmetric top hat analyzer optics are used in plasma instruments for many of the current generation of spacecraft, including Wind, Cluster, Fast, Mars Observer, Mars Global Surveyor, Lunar Prospector, and numerous sounding rockets. These instruments are designed to provide rapid measurements of particle distribution functions with good phase space resolution. Design details can be optimized for measuring specific plasma populations, such a cold beams, hot distributions, or loss cone features. The top hat geometry is a simple extension of traditional spherical section electrostatic analyzer optics, but there are several interacting design parameters that are not uniquely determined. For specified values of geometric factor, energy resolution and angular acceptance, analytic expressions can be used to specify preliminary mechanical dimensions. This initial design is then optimized by a computer trajectory-tracing program that accounts for additional design details such as input aperture collimation and particle detector location, or other optical elements such as input deflectors or time-of-flight detectors. Once the optical design is specified, additional design considerations are addressed, such as the particle detection method, suppression of UV and electron scattering, contamination control, electrical interfacing, and general mechanical packaging. Examples of several current flight instruments are described.
A Mixed Methods Analysis of Social Capital of Liberian Refugee Women in Ghana

This article reports on a mixed methods study of Liberian refugee women at the Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana. The study examined the role and impact of social capital on the women's well-being. Three types of social capital - bonding, bridging, and linking - were examined. The study's findings revealed that although the women had some bonding social capital, they possessed very little bridging social capital, and linking social capital was non-existent. These findings suggest that the refugee women may benefit from national and international policies and programs that seek to both strengthen existing and create new sources of social capital for refugee women.
Differentiation of Staphylococcal and Micrococcal Proteinases by Electrophoresis

The electrophoretic separation of the proteinases produced by staphylococci and micrococci was studied in four buffers. The duration of electrophoresis was based on the migration of a marker dye for a predetermined distance. The migration distances of the enzymes and dye were measured, and enzyme-dye values were calculated. A comparison of enzyme-dye values showed that complete separation of eight serologically different proteinases did not occur in any one buffer; however, in most instances, their relative order of migration was the same in all buffers. Certain strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis produced two proteinases that were different serologically as well as electrophoretically. Staphylococcus aureus strains, on the other hand, produced up to four proteinases that were serologically the same. The proteinases of staphylococci and micrococci can be best characterized by both electrophoretic and serological methods.
Comparison of dynamic flow models for the Central Aleutian and Tonga-Kermadec subduction zones

Using three-dimensional (3-D) instantaneous dynamic models of the Central Aleutian subduction zone, we show that a low viscosity, low density (deltarho = 10 kg/m3) region in the wedge is needed to match observations of topography, the geoid and the stress-state in the slab and overriding plate. Previous models of the Tonga-Kermadec subduction zone also require a low viscosity, low density (deltarho = 20 kg/m3) region in the wedge. A low viscosity region in the wedge decouples the overriding plate from the downward flow in the wedge caused by the sinking slab, reducing the magnitude of negative dynamic topography on the overriding plate and changing the state of stress in the slab from down-dip tension to down-dip compression. If the low viscosity region is large, as in the Tonga-Kermadec models, then the decoupling may also cause the overriding plate to go into extension. These are the first dynamic models to simultaneously match the state of stress in the slab and overriding plate and suggest that the combination of stress state within the slab and overriding plate may provide an additional constraint on the viscosity structure within subduction zones.
Personality Disorder Symptoms Are Differentially Related to Divorce Frequency

Divorce is associated with a multitude of outcomes related to health and well-being. Data from a representative community sample (N = 1,241) of St. Louis residents (ages 55-64) were used to examine associations between personality pathology and divorce in late midlife. Symptoms of the 10 DSM-IV personality disorders were assessed with the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality and the Multisource Assessment of Personality Pathology (both self and informant versions). Multiple regression analyses showed Paranoid and Histrionic personality disorder symptoms to be consistently and positively associated with number of divorces across all three sources of personality assessment. Conversely, Avoidant personality disorder symptoms were negatively associated with number of divorces. The present paper provides new information about the relationship between divorce and personality pathology at a developmental stage that is understudied in both domains.
Deflationism and the Autonomy of Truth

In Thought and World, Chris Hill offers us the most sophisticated version of minimalism to date. Hill's starting point is Horwich's minimal theory of truth (MT), according to which propositions - or thoughts in Hill's preferred terminology - are the truth-bearers, and the axioms of the theory are the thoughts expressed by sentences like "The thought that aardvarks amble is true if and only if aardvarks amble". But Hill's theory is superior to Horwich's in a number of crucial respects. For example, while Horwich gives up on a finite formulation of MT, taking it that an infinity of axioms is needed, Hill's basic theory (simple substitutionalism or SS) is composed of just one axiom. And unlike MT, SS can accommodate certain generalizations about truth (for example, the generalization that only thoughts are true, and general propositions about the truth-conditional properties of logical connectives.) Moreover, Hill provides a detailed deflationary theory not only of truth, but also of related semantic notions such as reference and concept-denotation, notions that have received relatively little attention in the literature on deflationism; he takes correspondence intuitions much more seriously than most deflationists, and is at pains to show how those intuitions may be accommodated within his framework; he provides the most developed deflationary account available of indexical concepts and indexical thoughts; and unlike many deflationists, he is not content to merely set aside problems concerning bi valence and the Liar paradox. Those of us interested in the proper treatment of our semantic concepts, whether we are deflationists or not, are in Hill's debt.
Single Molecule Visualizations of Polymer Partitioning within Model Pore Geometries

Probing the thermodynamics of polymer confinement in small pores, single DNA molecules were imaged by fluorescence microscopy as they partitioned within a pair of adjacent interconnected spherical cavities prepared by the colloidal templating method. This method produces pores of precisely known geometry and controlled level of confinement. As expected, a polymer weakly or moderately confined by cavities of unequal diameter was observed to maximize its configurational entropy by partitioning toward the larger cavity. The polymer's cavity-to-cavity partition coefficient could be derived from the visualized bias in cavity occupation, and segmental excluded volume notably influences how this coefficient depends on chain length and two cavity sizes. A DNA molecule strongly confined within a pair of equal-sized cavities predominately adopts “bridging” configurations, splitting its segments between the two cavities. Segmental excluded-volume stabilizes such configurations; the stability reveals that a chain mus...
Is the risk of serious infections increased in patients with RA who receive treatment with antirheumatic drugs

Is the risk of serious infections increased in patients with RA who receive treatment with antirheumatic drugs?
The Balance of Payments: A Tool of Economic Analysis

THE BALANCE OF PAYMENTS, in its modern sense, may be defined as a system of accounts in which the accounting entity is a country or region and the entries refer to all economic transactions between residents of the country or region and residents of the rest of the world. The term "economic transactions" is used here in a broad sense to include transfers of goods, the rendering of services, and transfers of capital items, whether or not a quid pro quo is given. The quid pro quo may take the form either of payment in money or another capital item (including a promise to pay) or of payment in kind, that is in the form of goods and services. Transactions in which there is a quid pro quo may be described as two-way transactions, and those in which there is not, as one-way transactions. Two-way transactions are recorded by means of equal credit and debit entries to indicate the two sides of the transaction. For one-way transactions, the one side is recorded in the usual way and the double-entry system is preserved by offsetting this entry by a contra-entry under a heading described as "donations" or "unilateral transfers." The balance of payments is customarily divided into two major sections: a current account and a capital account. The standard
Anisotropy in the thermal shrinkage of polyimide film

Anisotropy in a polyimide film was investigated in a quantitative manner by a nonlinear regression of the thermal shrinkage data obtained from thermomechanical analysis. The thermally induced shrinkage of this pyromellitic dianhydride–oxydianiline polyimide film at 573 K was directionally anisotropic in the film plane by as much as about 0.4%. The direction of maximum thermal shrinkage was inclined by about π/6 rad from the machine direction of the film. The thermal shrinkage behavior of the polyimide films in the vicinity of the glass-transition temperature (Tg) showed an unusual anisotropic response. On the basis of a correlation between the anisotropy in the thermal shrinkage of the films and the molecular orientation of the polyimide, this characteristic thermal shrinkage behavior around Tg is suggested to be due to a recovery of the free volume lost by a physical aging process. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 3222–3229, 2000