cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subgroup causal effect identification and estimation via matching tree

Abstract Inferring causal effect from observational studies is a central topic in many scientific fields, including social science, health and medicine. The statistical methodology for estimating population average causal effect has been well established. However, the methods for identifying and estimating subpopulation causal effects are relatively less developed. Part of the challenge is that the subgroup structure is usually unknown, therefore, methods working well for population level effect need to be modified to address this. A tree method based on a matched design is proposed to identify subgroups with differential treatment effects. To remove observed confounding, propensity-score-matched pairs are first created. Then the classification and regression tree is applied to the within-pair outcome differences to identify the subgroup structure. This nonparametric approach is robust to model misspecification, which is important because it becomes much harder to specify a parametric outcome model in the presence of subgroup effects. In addition to describing assumptions under which our matching estimator is unbiased, algorithms for identifying subgroup structures are provided. Simulation results indicate that the proposed approach compares favorably, in terms of the percentage of correctly identifying true tree structure, with other competing tree-based methods, including causal trees, causal inference trees and the virtual twins approach. Finally the proposed method is implemented to examine the potential subgroup effect of the timing of Tobramycin use on chronic infection among pediatric Cystic Fibrosis patients.
Synthesis and Reactivity of (N2P2)Ni Complexes Stabilized by a Diphosphonite Pyridinophane Ligand

A series of (N2P2)NiII complexes (N2P2 = P,P′-ditertbutyl-2,11-diphosphonito[3.3](2,6)pyridinophane) stabilized by a modified tetradentate pyridinophane ligand containing two phosphonite groups wer...
Off the Rails: The Real Effects of Railroad Bond Defaults following the Panic of 1873

Although corporate default crises are often quite severe, previous work has found little impact on real macroeconomic variables. This article investigates the relationship between railroad defaults and the balance sheets of local banks following the Panic of 1873. Receivers appointed to run railroads in default lacked the legal tools necessary to fully maintain railroad operations. The results indicate that railroad bond defaults negatively impacted the lending activity of local banks. Affected banks experienced declines in loans and deposits along with increases in excess reserves. These findings point to a disruption of the transportation network attributable to the railroad bond default crisis.
Precision doping to heal traps.

Passivation of traps via site-specific surface doping allows access to the intrinsic properties of organic semiconductors and leads to the observation of electron atmospheres in organic crystals.
Why Elections Fail

Too often, elections around the globe are, unfortunately, deeply flawed or even fail. What triggers these problems? In this second volume of her trilogy on electoral integrity, Pippa Norris compares structural, international, and institutional accounts as alternative perspectives to explain why elections fail to meet international standards. The book argues that rules preventing political actors from manipulating electoral governance are needed to secure integrity, although at the same time officials also need sufficient resources and capacities to manage elections effectively. Drawing on new evidence, the study determines the most effective types of strategies for strengthening the quality of electoral governance around the world. With a global perspective, this book provides fresh insights into these major issues at the heart of the study of elections and voting behavior, comparative politics, democracy and democratization, political culture, democratic governance, public policymaking, development, international relations and conflict studies, and processes of regime change.
Synthesizing Efficient Agents from Partial Programs

Partial programs are useful for incremental specifications of an agent's behavior in dynamic environments. Unfortunately, executing arbitrary partial programs involves theorem proving, which can be computationally intractable. This paper presents an algorithm for generating efficient implementations of agent behavior from a subclass of partial programs. The algorithm employs a completion strategy that systematically reduces the number of previous percepts being considered. As a result, the compiled structure corresponds to a finite agent with minimal perceptual histories so that its actions can be decided within a bounded time during execution.
Integrated land use, transportation, and environmental simulation: UrbanSim project highlights

The process of planning and constructing a new light rail system or freeway, setting an urban growth boundary, changing tax policy, or modifying zoning and land use plans is often politically charged. Our goal in the UrbanSim project is to provide tools for planners and stakeholders to be able to consider different scenarios --- packages of possible policies and investments --- and then, based on these alternatives, model the resulting patterns of urban growth and redevelopment, of transportation usage, and of resource consumption and other environmental impacts, over periods of twenty or more years. UrbanSim [1, 3, 4] performs simulations of urban development, including transportation, land use, environmental impacts, and their interactions. It consists of a set of interacting component models that simulate different actors or processes within the urban environment. The system is written in Java, and is distributed as Open Source software. (Source code, as well as papers and reports, are available from www.urbansim.org.)
Life Without Photosynthesis

Recent planetary exploration has provided evidence for large subsurface oceans on several jovian moons. In their Perspective, Chyba and Hand assess the chances for life in these oceans, which are deprived of sunlight. Photosynthesis is therefore ruled out, but other sources may provide molecular oxygen in sufficiently high concentration to serve as an energy source for life.
The NSF CSEMS grant program: our experience with the proposal process and program execution

In 2001, the CIS Department at Saint Vincent College, a small liberal arts college in southwestern Pennsylvania, applied for and received a CSEMS (Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics Scholarships) grant from the NSF. The CSEMS grants aim to support students majoring in the areas of Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics with the ultimate goal of strengthening the future of the high technology workforce. This article relates our experience with the proposal process, what we believe strengthened our proposal, issues we have had to deal with in terms of program execution and what we have learned along the way.
Micromobility Strategies for IP Based Cellular Networks

With the increasing popularity of IP based services on mobile devices, future cellular networks will be IP based and designed more as an extension to the Internet rather than the telephone network. Managing mobile hosts within a IP based network is a challenge especially when fast handoff are required. We propose a micromobility scheme that achieves very fast handoffs with no wireless overhead. We compare our protocol with other proposed schemes.
Gene Expression and Replication of Picornaviruses

Picornaviruses are the agents responsible for numerous diseases of varying severities that affect the population of the world whose susceptible hosts include humans and other vertebrates. These viruses are presently classified into seven major genera and are responsible for diseases like paralytic poliomyelitis (poliovirus), myocarditis (coxsackievirus), the common cold (rhinovirus), hepatitis (hepatitis A virus), and foot-and-mouth disease (foot-and-mouth disease virus). Despite the ability of these viruses to cause a wide array of maladies, they all share common features among their replication and gene expression strategies, often allowing insights from studies on one virus to be applied to another. With the advent of powerful molecular biology techniques, picornaviruses have provided a wealth of information surrounding protein–protein and protein–RNA interactions that are critical for the process of viral replication and subversion of the host cell. Importantly, this has also furthered our understanding of eukaryotic gene expression and the regulation of other host cell processes. Keywords: Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES); Noncoding Region (NCR); RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase; Proteinase; Cap-independent Translation; Polyprotein
X—Ray Spectral Images of Clusters

We briefly review the scientific requirements for spatially resolved X—ray spectroscopy in order to determine the mass of the cluster, its metallicity, its state of evolution and the detailed physics of cooling flows. We discuss the available pre-Rosat and BBXRT observations of Perseus, Coma and Virgo and conclude that there is no simple obvious pattern to the temperature or elemental abundance distribution. We discuss the capability of Rosat for spatially resolved spectroscopy and present preliminary BBXRT results on several clusters. The BBXRT results are in good agreement with simple cooling flow theory, in 3 cases confirm the existence of cold material in the cluster, find only shallow abundance gradients and constrain the mass profile in the central regions of the cluster.
Caches as filters: a new approach to cache analysis

As the processor-memory performance gap continues to grow, so does the need for effective tools and metrics to guide the design of efficient memory hierarchies to bridge that gap. Aggregate statistics of cache performance can be useful for comparison, but they give us little insight into how to improve the design of a particular component. We propose a different approach to cache analysis-viewing caches as filters-and present two new metrics for analyzing cache behavior: instantaneous hit rate and instantaneous locality. We demonstrate how these measures can give us insight into the reference pattern of an executing program, and show an application of these measures in analyzing the effectiveness of the second level cache of a particular memory hierarchy.
Identification and mechanism of delayed esophageal acid clearance in subjects with hiatus hernia

Abstract To determine if hiatus hernia (HH) contributes to the delayed clearance of acid from the esophagus in patients with gastroesophageal reflux (GER), we performed simultaneous esophageal pH recordings and radionuclide studies in three study populations: 12 GER patients with HH, 5 GER patients with no HH, and 8 subjects with HH but no GER symptoms. Acid clearance was measured at 5 cm above the manometrically located lower esophageal sphincter (LES) after injecting a 15-ml bolus of 0.1 N HCl at 15 cm above the LES. The acid was labeled with 200 μCi of 99m Tc-sulfur colloid. Acid clearance was also measured at 10 cm above the LES after injection of a 15-ml bolus of 0.1 N HCl at 20 cm above the LES. Acid clearance at 5 cm above the LES was faster in GER patients with no HH compared to GER patients with HH and asymptomatic HH subjects. Acid clearance was faster at 10 cm than 5 cm above the LES in all HH and non-HH subjects studied. In non-HH subjects, each swallow resulted in an increase in pH (a monophasic pH response) at 5 and 10 cm above the LES. In symptomatic as well as asymptomatic HH subjects, swallows resulted in an initial fall followed by a rise in pH at 5 cm above the LES (a biphasic pH response). Radionuclide studies showed reflux of the isotope-labeled acid into the esophagus followed by clearance (a biphasic response) accompanying swallows in 15 of the 20 HH subjects. Swallow-induced reflux was not detected by radionuclide scanning in non-HH subjects. Based on these observations, we conclude that (a) during acid clearance a small amount of acid is trapped in the HH sac and refluxes into the esophagus during subsequent swallows when there is relaxation of the LES, and (b) these repeated episodes of acid reflux from the HH account for the delayed acid clearance observed in GER patients with HH.
On a more precise statement of Hamilton's principle

It has been recognized in the literature of the calculus of variations that the classical statement of the principle of least action (Hamilton's principle for conservative systems) is not strictly correct. Recently, mathematical proofs have been offered for what is claimed to be a more precise statement of Hamilton's principle for conservative systems. According to a widely publicized version of this more precise statement, the action integral for conservative systems is a minimum for discrete systems for small time intervals only and is never minimum for continuous systems. In this paper, two contradictions to this “more precise” statement are demonstrated, one for a discrete system and one for a continuous system.
Defects in oscillatory media: Toward a classification

We investigate, in a systematic fashion, coherent structures, or defects, which serve as interfaces between wave trains with possibly different wavenumbers in reaction-diffusion systems. We propose a classification of defects into four different defect classes which have all been observed experimentally. The characteristic distinguishing these classes is the sign of the group velocities of the wave trains to either side of the defect, measured relative to the speed of the defect. Using a spatial-dynamics description in which defects correspond to homoclinic and heteroclinic connections of an ill-posed pseudoelliptic equation, we then relate robustness properties of defects to their spectral stability properties. Last, we illustrate that all four types of defects occur in the one-dimensional cubicquintic Ginzburg–Landau equation as a perturbation of the phase-slip vortex.
Identification of Cutter Axis Tilt in End Milling

The scope of the paper is to discuss the identification of cutter axis tilt in end milling process via cutting force analysis. Cutter axis tilt redistributes the chip load among flutes thereby generating minor frequency components of cutting forces. These minor components can be utilized to infer the tilt geometry during the cutting action. This study involved the mathematical representation of chip thickness variation due to tilt, the modeling of local forces in relation to instantaneous chip thickness, the formulation of total cutting forces through convolution integration in the angle domain, the derivation of dynamic force components in the frequency domain, and the solution for tilt geometry from the dynamic cutting forces. Results show that the tilt magnitude and orientation can be estimated given the dynamic cutting force components along with the tool/work geometry, cutting parameters, and machining configuration. Numerical simulation results confirmed the validity of the angle domain convolution approach, and the end milling experimental data agreed with the analytical model.
Augmented growth hormone (GH) secretory burst frequency and amplitude mediate enhanced GH secretion during a two-day fast in normal men.

Serum GH concentrations are increased in fasted or malnourished human subjects. We investigated the dynamic mechanisms underlying this phenomenon in nine normal men by analyzing serum GH concentrations measured in blood obtained at 5-min intervals over 24 h on a control (fed) day and on the second day of a fast with a multiple-parameter deconvolution method to simultaneously resolve endogenous GH secretory and clearance rates. Two days of fasting induced a 5fold increase in the 24-h endogenous GH production rate [78 + 12 us. 371 + 57 uelL, (L,. liter of distribution volume) or 0.24 f
P‐109: A High Contrast and Low Voltage PSCT Reflective Display

The electro-optic properties of a reverse-mode polymer stabilized cholesteric texture (PSCT) using a high birefringence (Δn∼0.4) liquid crystal were investigated. The device shows 80:1 contrast ratio at 7Vrm and 12 ms for switching-on and 19 ms for switching-off speed for reflective displays. A black and white reflective display using segmented numeric alphabet is demonstrated.
The One-Point Method as Clinical Tool to Calculate and/or Adjust Dosage Regimen

AbstractThe one-point method is presented as clinical tool to calculate the dosage regimen for patients where differences in steady state blood levels are expected due to change in volume of distribution (edema, obesity, myocardial or coronary infarction, hypoalbuminemia, displacement from protein binding, etc). The one-point method is based on the cmin'. - and superposition methods using a single blood sample upon administration of a test dose during the first dosing interval.This method is indicated when assessment of the dosage regimen is complicated by a change in either the volume of distribution, Vd, or the elimination rate constant, k,el or when the distribution coefficient. δ, is not known. There are various clinical situations in which Vd, is altered, such as in patients with edema, obesity, recent coronary or myocardial infarction, hepatic failure, hypoalbuminemia, displacement from protein binding due to other concomitantly given drugs, etc.
Technology development for the ExaVolt Antenna (EVA) suborbital ultra-high energy particle observatory

We describe technology development for the ExaVolt Antenna (EVA) mission, a planned ultra-high energy (UHE) particle observatory under development for NASA's suborbital super-pressure balloon program in Antarctica. The design is based on a novel application of toroidal reflector optics which utilizes a super-pressure balloon surface, along with a feed-array mounted on an inner membrane, to create an ultra-large radio antenna system with a synoptic view of the Antarctic ice sheet below it.
Thermal expansion of LaRu2, CeRu2 and PrRu2 from 20° to 900°C☆

The lattice parameters of LaRu2, CeRu2 and PrRu2 have been measured from approximately 20° to 800°, 900° and 650°C, respectively. The lattice parameters expand smoothly and continuously as the temperature is increased. CeRu2, however, expands at a much greater rate than either LaRu2 or PrRu2. This greater rate is thought to be due to the transfer of 0.07 electron from the valence band to a oneelectron 4ƒ and by thermal excitation.
Observations on parental care in the glass frog Hyalinobatrachium orientale (Anura: Centrolenidae) from Tobago, with comments on its natural history

While relatively few anurans are known to have parental care, the behavioral diversity involved is impressive (reviewed in McDiarmid 1978, Crump 1995, 1996, Lehtinen and Nussbaum 2003). The most common form of anuran parental care is egg attendance (Lehtinen and Nussbaum 2003), in which a parent remains with an egg mass at a fixed location (Crump 1995). Several species of glass frogs (Centro‑lenidae) attend their eggs. For example, Jacobson (1985) found male
Immunoglobulin (Fc) receptors on murine T- and B-lymphocytes: Investigations using tumor models☆

Lymphoid tumors are productive experimental models for the study of lymphocyte immunoglobulin receptors. Investigations with Fc receptor expressing lymphoid tumor cells have generated much useful information about: (a) the developmental expression of the different classes of Fc receptors on lymphoid cells of the T- and B-lineages; (b) the biochemical steps involved in the regulation of Fc receptor expression on lymphoid cells; (c) the structures of lymphoid cell Fc receptors and their genes; (d) the signals that induce alterations in the expression of Fc receptors on lymphoid cells; and (e) the molecular specificity of the binding of immunoglobulin to lymphoid cells Fc receptors. In addition, tumors that secrete immunoglobulins are providing useful models for analysis of the mechanisms by which B-cells influence Fc receptor expression and function on T-cells. An interesting, bi-directional immunoregulatory circuit involving Fc epsilon R+ host T-cells and IgE-secreting hybridoma cells has been identified that could prove useful in the analysis of the regulation of epsilon heavy chain expression. The studies discussed in this article and elsewhere in this volume serve to emphasize that, in addition to being clonal sources of key molecules such as Fc receptors and their messenger RNAs, lymphoid tumor cells that express Fc receptors are powerful and unique experimental models for investigating the developmental biology, regulation and function of lymphocyte Fc receptors.
Physical health correlates of type A behavior in children and adolescents.

A physical examination including resting blood pressure, heart rate, Tanner scales, height, and weight was administered to 184 students in the fifth, seventh, and ninth grades. They completed the Physical Symptoms of Stress Inventory, Health Habits Inventory, and two self-monitoring logs of physical symptoms. School absenteeism, medical records, physician ratings, and family health history data were collected. No significant differences between high-and low-Type A behavior pattern (TABP) subjects were found on any of the physical measurements. However, retrospective and prospective reports of physical symptoms revealed a consistent pattern: high TABP subjects reported significantly more physical symptoms than low-TABP subjects. Self-ratings of stress and tension were significantly higher for high-TABP subjects. High-TABP subjects, however, neither missed more school because of illness nor used physician services more often than low subjects. Further, expected relationships between physical symptoms and illness behavior, including school absence, were evident only for low subjects.
The urban health “advantage”

Cities represent the dominant mode of living in the developed world and the pace of urbanization worldwide will continue to accelerate over the coming decades, particularly in the developing world. According to United Nations 2000 forecasts, about half of the world’s population is urban and by the year 2030 nearly two thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas. About 75% of the US population lives in urban areas; according to the Office of Management and Budget, 90% live in more broadly defined metropolitan statistical areas (MSA). The National Center for Health Statistics, using a newer measure of urbanization, based on proximity to urban centers, finds that the proportion of persons living in MSA central city, MSA noncentral city, non-MSA adjacent, and non-MSA nonadjacent are approximately 29.5%, 48.3%, 12.1%, and 10.1% of the US population, respectively. Health and disease in urban populations have been the subject of much popular and scientific literature. The historical perspective of cities is that their size and density, coupled with a pace of growth through immigration and commerce that outstrips resources, all result in exposures that produce excess morbidity and mortality. More recently in the United States, many cities have had a migration of the middle class to suburbs amidst a decaying infrastructure and reduced services in inner cities that results in a worse response to health issues for the remaining population in these areas of concentrated disadvantage. Considering these demographic shifts, the inner cities and, more recently, the suburbs have become the focus of attention for the study of and interventions on health risks. The dominant conception of urban health in the existing literature is concerned primarily with the “urban health penalty.” This approach posits that cities concentrate poor people and expose residents to unhealthy environments leading to a disproportionate burden of poor health, especially in what some have called “inner cities.” In the past 50 years, the departure of the middle class and jobs to the surrounding suburbs in the United States as well as other developed countries has led to intense urban poverty and increased racial segregation leaving cities with diminished capacity to meet the needs of increasingly impoverished populations. By the late 20th century, United States and some European cities had higher rates,
On direction-preserving maps of graphs

Abstract We study direction-preserving maps from the vertices of a directed graph α to the edges of a directed graph α .
Influence of the Sympathetic System on the Pacemaker Suppression Which Follows Overdrive

When ventricular pacemakers are electrically stimulated at a fast rate, the cessation of the drive is followed by a temporary suppression of automaticity ("overdrive suppression"). The role of the sympathetic system in the regulation of this overdrive suppression was studied and the following results obtained: 1) Hypotension induced during overdrive by amyl nitrite inhalation caused a shortening of the pause which follows the drive. 2) Bilateral resection of the stellate ganglia led to the opposite effect. 3) Maximal stellate ganglion stimulation halved the pause duration. 4) Norepinephrine infusion accelerated the idioventricular rate and shortened the pause. 5) Beta adrenergic blockade decreased the idioventricular rate and prolonged the pause. It is concluded that the tonic sympathetic discharge not only controls the basal idioventricular rate but also plays a regulatory role in the suppression of idioventricular automaticity which follows overdrive. This regulatory role can be dissociated from changes in idioventricular rate prior to overdrive.
Family history of breast cancer as a risk factor for ovarian cancer in a prospective study

BACKGROUND. A family history of breast cancer has been associated with increased ovarian cancer risk. However, few studies have assessed risk according to characteristics that suggest an inherited cancer susceptibility disorder, such as earlier-than-usual age at cancer diagnosis, family members with double primary cancers of different types, multiple relatives with cancer, and cancer in both members of paired organs. METHODS. Ovarian cancer risk was assessed according to a detailed breast cancer family history among 49,975 participants in the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project Breast Cancer Defection Demenstration Project (BCDDP) Follow-up Study (1979–1998). In all, 362 incident ovarian cancers were identified during follow-up and rate ratios (RRs) were calculated by Poisson regression. RESULTS. Breast cancer in a first- or second-degree relative was associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer (RR = 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1–1.7). Having 2 or more affected first-degree relatives was associated with increased risk (RR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.1–2.8), especially for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer before age 60 (RR = 4.2; 95% CI = 1.9–9.2) or with a personal history of breast cancer (RR = 3.7; 95% CI 1.8–7.7). Risk was also particularly high for women with 2 or more first-degree relatives with breast cancer and at least 1 affected relative diagnosed before age 50 (RR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.4–4.8) or with bilateral breast cancer (RR = 4.2; 95% CI = 1.7–10). CONCLUSIONS. A detailed breast cancer family history as well as an individual's age and personal history of breast cancer are useful for identifying women at elevated genetic risk of ovarian cancer. Cancer 2006. Published 2006 by the American Cancer Society.
Supervision, staff development, and evaluation connections

(1991). Supervision, staff development, and evaluation connections. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 30, Instructional Leadership: Making Supervision Meaningful, pp. 91-96.
Stereotactic breast biopsy: a surgical series

Abstract Background: Stereotactic core needle biopsy (SCNB) is increasing in popularity and is currently being performed by both radiologists and surgeons. It has been shown to be accurate and cost effective, but the appropriate use of SCNB in the probably benign mammographic lesion has not been determined. Nor has it been determined whether a learning curve affects performance of the procedure. Study Design: The records of all patients undergoing SCNB by the author from August 1993 through May 1996 were reviewed. Two hundred forty-two patients underwent 244 procedures. Indications for biopsy, results, and complications were examined. Results: Probably benign mass was the most common indication for biopsy (45%), and microcalcifications were the indication for biopsy in 24%. A diagnosis of cancer was made in 11.1%. Patients with microcalcifications and probably benign masses were diagnosed with cancer in 18.4 and 1.8%, respectively. Three of eight patients undergoing open biopsy for atypical hyperplasia were diagnosed with cancer. Accuracy rate for the entire series was 97.7%. The effect of operator experience on the indication for SCNB was studied. As experience increased from the first to the last third of the study, microcalcifications as an indication increased from 23.5–37.5%. During this same time period, "probably benign" mass decreased from 53.1–32.5%. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that accuracy of this surgical series is comparable to other published series. Biopsies for more difficult lesions were noted to increase as operator experience increased. It was likely that this "learning curve" was owing to improvements in technique and an increased confidence in the accuracy of the procedure. With an incidence of cancer of less than 2% in patients with a probably benign mass, interval mammography represents for many, a cost-effective alternative.
Statistical design for the location of planes and circles when using a probe

Abstract A statistical approach to the problem of establishing the location of planes and circles by use of a touch-trigger probe mounted on a machining centre is presented. Equations for determining the minimum number of measurements to make and their location in order to locate a part within a specified confidence interval are given. An explicit solution to the parameter estimation problem for the circle is derived, and its properties are compared with solutions from two other methods. It is shown that one of the methods has an estimator whose accuracy does not improve as the number of measurements made is increased because the probe can move only along cartesian axes when it is mounted on a machining centre.
An example of almost universally observable vector fields on P 1 R

Abstract Using methods of dynamical systems, we construct examples of smooth, almost universally observable vector fields on the projective 1-space. These vector fields are non-linear, non-autonomous and their time dependence is almost periodic.
Anonymous oocyte donation performed exclusively with embryos cryopreserved at the pronuclear stage.

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients who participated in an anonymous oocyte donation program that used embryos cryopreserved at the pronuclear stage. Design: Observational study. Setting: A tertiary care reproductive medicine unit. Patient(s): Anonymous oocyte donors and their respective recipients. Intervention(s): Oocyte donors underwent a standard controlled ovarian hyperstimulation protocol and transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval. Oocyte recipients underwent at least one programmed hormone replacement cycle with transcervical ET. Main Outcome Measure(s): Thaw survival, implantation, clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates. Result(s): Thirty-six oocyte retrievals resulted in one ET to date. The mean numbers of oocytes that were retrieved and normally fertilized were 18.2 and 11.6, respectively. Fifty-one embryo thaw-transfer cycles were performed, with an embryo thaw survival rate of 93.5%. The clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates per ET were 52.9% and 51%, respectively. The overall implantation rate was 28.7%. The percentage of oocyte retrievals that resulted in at least one ongoing pregnancy to date was 69.4%. Conclusion(s): Anonymous oocyte donation can be conducted efficiently with the exclusive use of embryos cryopreserved at the pronuclear stage. This approach facilitates synchronization of the donor-recipient pair, eliminates the risk that recipients will begin hormonal therapy without embryo availability, and produces an acceptable ongoing pregnancy rate per oocyte donation.
Perturbation analysis of self-sustained oscillations in a pulse combustion model

Abstract A lumped parameter model of pulse combustion is constructed which incorporates a valve submodel exhibiting continuous mass reactant flow. Unlike earlier models based on the orifice flow equations, the rate of change of the mass reactant flow, while discontinuous as the valve transitions from open to closed, exhibits a finite jump discontinuity. The model equations are analyzed by combining Fourier series expansions with regular perturbation expansions; this yields asymptotic expansions for both the combustion chamber pressure and tailpipe velocity oscillations. A numerical study of the perturbation expansions yields important information concerning the behavior of the pulse combustor as various physical and geometrical parameters are varied.
Postchemotherapy histiocyte-rich pseudotumor involving the spleen

We report 2 cases of splenic postchemotherapy histiocyte-rich pseudotumor. Each patient had a history of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, treated with multiagent chemotherapy. Computed tomography scans performed on both patients showed splenic masses. A positron emission tomography scan performed on 1 patient showed increased metabolic activity. The preoperative diagnosis in both patients was recurrent lymphoma, prompting splenectomy. The splenectomy specimens showed multiple, tan-white, firm nodules, up to 3.5 cm in diameter, that were histologically composed of central necrotic B cells (CD20+/CD3-), consistent with necrotic lymphoma, surrounded by numerous lipid-laden (xanthomatous) histiocytes. Clinical staging studies at the time of splenectomy showed no other sites of disease. We conclude that these histologic and immunophenotypic findings represent chemotherapy-induced tumor necrosis with a florid histiocytic reaction mimicking residual viable lymphoma. Others have used descriptive terminology or the term xanthomatous pseudotumor for these lesions that have been only rarely reported in the spleen previously.
Surface melting in alkane emulsion droplets as affected by surfactant type

The influence of surfactant type (Tween 20, Tween 40, Tween 60, Tween 80, Brij 58, Triton X-100, SDS, STS) on the crystallization and melting characteristics of emulsified (mean droplet diameter 0.52 μm) n-octadecane and n-eicosane were studied using microcalorimetry. The melting point (~37 °C) of the eicosane droplets was higher than the crystallization point (~24 °C) and was not affected by the surfactant selected. There was a similar separation between the crystallization (~14 °C) and melting (~28 °C) point of the emulsified octadecane however the details of the transitions was affected by the surfactant selected. For Tween 40 and Brij 58-stabilized droplets there was a split peak on crystallization which we attribute to a surface heterogeneous nucleation mechanism. Only these surfactant-alkane combinations had a split peak on melting. The size of the lower temperature fraction decreased with droplet size suggesting another surface effect. However, the size of the surface layer was calculated to be many times the length of the surfactant tail suggesting the crystal structure was modified by the nucleation mechanism.
Optical constants of chlorite and serpentine between 2.5 and 50 μm

Abstract The real and imaginary parts of the 2.5- to 50-μm optical constants of chlorite and serpentine minerals have been determined by a combination of infrared transmission and reflectance spectroscopy.
Pointing acquisition and performance for the laser interferometry space antenna mission

The laser interferometer space antenna (LISA) mission, a space-based gravitational wave detector, uses laser metrology to measure distance fluctuations between proof masses aboard three spacecraft. Each spacecraft has two incoming and two outgoing laser beams for a total of six laser links. These links are established sequentially at the start of the mission, and the spacecraft control systems must aim their lasers at each other with pointing motions less than 8 nrad Hz−1/2 in the frequency band 1–100 mHz. The process for acquiring the laser links as well as the simulated performance is described.
Mutations in β-Catenin and APC Genes are Uncommon in Esophageal and Esophagogastric Junction Adenocarcinomas

Beta-catenin plays important roles in both intercellular adhesion and signal transduction. Mutations in the beta-catenin or adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene can alter the degradation of beta-catenin and cause aberrant accumulation of beta-catenin result in increased transcription of target genes. The dysregulated APC/beta-catenin pathway has been recently discovered as an important mechanism of tumorigenesis in various cancers, but its role in esophageal adenocarcinomas is not clear. Therefore, we studied the beta-catenin gene mutation, allelic loss of chromosome 5q, and APC gene mutation in esophageal and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinomas. Two (2%) somatic mutations in exon 3 of the beta-catenin gene, encompassing the region for glycogen synthase kinase-3beta phosphorylation, were detected from 109 adenocarcinomas. Chromosomal allelic loss on 5q was frequent in 45.3% (44/97) of tumors. Only one missense mutation in the mutation cluster region of the APC gene was detected from 38 esophageal and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinomas with the 5q allelic loss. Our results based on partial screening mutational analyses indicate that mutations of APC/beta-catenin pathway, unlike in colorectal carcinoma, involve only a small subset of esophageal and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma.
PREVALENCE OF THE FACTOR V LEIDEN MUTATION IN CHILDREN AND NEONATES WITH THROMBOEMBOLIC DISEASE. ▴ 917

PREVALENCE OF THE FACTOR V LEIDEN MUTATION IN CHILDREN AND NEONATES WITH THROMBOEMBOLIC DISEASE. ▴ 917
NEOS and Condor: solving optimization problems over the Internet

We discuss the use of Condor, a distributed resource management system, as a provider of computational resources for NEOS, an environment for solving optimization problems over the Internet. We also describe how problems are submitted and processed by NEOS, and then scheduled and solved by Condor on available (idle) workstations
The neuroanatomic basis of facial perception and variable facial discrimination ability: implications for orthodontics.

Introduction: Because of familial, ethnic-racial, cultural, and emotional preferences, achieving common facial understanding among orthodontist, patient, parents, and other health care professionals is a daunting communication challenge. Research into the neuroanatomic basis of human facial perception, including the roles of visual short-term memory and long-term memory, might apply to orthodontic facial learning. Methods: In this article, we review findings from functional magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiology studies of the brain during visual perception and mental imaging of faces, and integrate these findings with facial learning needs in orthodontics. Results: Research distinguishes specialized brain areas for whole face and face feature perception, the spatial relationship of face features, and facial memory stores. The right anterior temporal lobe’s fusiform face area helps recognize facial identity, whereas the bilateral superior temporal sulcus assists in perception of facial expression. The amygdala, hippocampus, and bilateral inferior occipital gyrus help process familiar, unfamiliar, and famous faces. Because visual perceptual experience and processing are individually variable, along with visual short-term memory and long-term memory capacities, it is likely that facial discrimination ability is variable. Conclusions: Neuroanatomic research shows that each person’s brain is as unique as his or her face. Due to variable neural hard-wiring, what the clinician sees facially might not be what the patient or parent sees, and vice versa. Enhanced facial learning is related to creation of a distinctive mental context associated with a facial stimulus and rich mixing between memory and visual perception. This context can be formed by information from clinical examinations, patient databases, patient-parent facial preference questionnaires, and functional face viewing. The more extensive the long-term memory facial links, the better the person knows the face. Facial discrimination exercises with electronic and hard-copy tools might improve facial learning and should be based on defined facial learning objectives. Tools should use facial prototypes and facial-feature spatial-relationship information, and emphasize categorization of whole faces and facial components. These are proven methods of expert recognition of objects having prototypical spatial configuration.
Selective Far Infrared Heating System—Spectral Manipulation. II

Abstract Spectral manipulation of infrared radiation for selective heating of food components was done using a far infrared (FIR) heating system. The incident FIR radiation was controlled in the specific spectral regions using three bandpass optical filters in ranges of 2.5–2.96 µm (filter A), 3.15–3.67 µm (filter B), and 5.45–12.23 µm (filter C). Pure soybean protein and starch powder were used to test the validity of the selective IR heating system in the three different bandpass ranges. Based on the heat flux ratio between soy protein and starch, in relation to the applied spectral conditions, a simulation model was developed and validated.
BMP4 loss-of-function mutations in developmental eye disorders including SHORT syndrome

BMP4 loss-of-function mutations and deletions have been shown to be associated with ocular, digital, and brain anomalies, but due to the paucity of these reports, the full phenotypic spectrum of human BMP4 mutations is not clear. We screened 133 patients with a variety of ocular disorders for BMP4 coding region mutations or genomic deletions. BMP4 deletions were detected in two patients: a patient affected with SHORT syndrome and a patient with anterior segment anomalies along with craniofacial dysmorphism and cognitive impairment. In addition to this, three intragenic BMP4 mutations were identified. A patient with anophthalmia, microphthalmia with sclerocornea, right-sided diaphragmatic hernia, and hydrocephalus was found to have a c.592C>T (p.R198X) nonsense mutation in BMP4. A frameshift mutation, c.171dupC (p.E58RfsX17), was identified in two half-siblings with anophthalmia/microphthalmia, discordant developmental delay/postaxial polydactyly, and poor growth as well as their unaffected mother; one affected sibling carried an additional BMP4 mutation in the second allele, c.362A>G (p.H121R). This is the first report indicating a role for BMP4 in SHORT syndrome, Axenfeld–Rieger malformation, growth delay, macrocephaly, and diaphragmatic hernia. These results significantly expand the number of reported loss-of-function mutations, further support the critical role of BMP4 in ocular development, and provide additional evidence of variable expression/non-penetrance of BMP4 mutations.
Phosphorus management of a millet/cowpea intercrop system on sandy dunal soils of western niger

Abstract Intercropping millet with cowpea is a widespread practice throughout the semi‐arid regions of West Africa. Low soil phosphorus (P) is one of the main limiting factors for crop production in this region. The objective of this study was to determine optimum methods and rates of P application to a millet/cowpea intercrop on a sandy, dunal soil of western Niger. Triple super phosphate was applied by three different methods: broadcast, in millet hills, and in cowpea hills. Three rates (0, 22.5, and 45.0 kg P/ha) were applied by each method. Treatments were replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. Cowpea yields were not affected by P applications, but millet yields were maximum with 45.0 kg P/ha applied to the millet hills. The 45.0 kg P/ha broadcast and millet hill applications resulted in significantly higher leaf P levels for millet, but no significant differences were found in cowpea leaf P levels. The 45.0 kg P/ha treatment applied to millet hills also resulted in the maximum P...
PS1-28: Rectal Cancer Survivors with Ostomies and Anastomoses: Effects of Cancer Surgery on Perceived Financial Burden and Employment

Background/Aims Rectal cancer surgery includes a colostomy (or ileostomy) or, more frequently, anastomosis of the rectum. Both surgery types may create long-term after-effects. We examined differences reported between survivors with ostomies versus anastomoses regarding levels of work, volunteering, and financial burdens, and how much they perceived their cancer operations affected these experiences.
From Training Colleges to Colleges of Education: the change in the position of women on their academic staffs

Does it always happen that men take over the senior positions when institutions become co‐educational and large? A study of the academic staffing during the transition of the colleges for the training of teachers, which were small, mainly single‐sex institutions, to the colleges of education which were larger, co‐educational establishments seems to illustrate one occasion when this occured. These changes in the colleges took place between the late 1950s and early 1970s, during a time of constant crisis in teacher supply and while the schools worked to accomodate the large number of children from the post‐1945 increase in the birth rate. Many of the changes in teacher training, including the introduction of the B.Ed. degree, were advocated in the recommendations of the Committee on Higher Education, chaired by Lord Robbins and are discussed later.
Forced Rayleigh scattering

Forced Rayleigh scattering (FRS) is a light scattering technique used to investigate light-induced grating structures that decay in a relaxational or almost relaxational manner. Such gratings cab be created by interference and absorption of two pump beams and probed by a third a beam, usually of different frequency. They may consist of spatially varying excited state populations with picosecond lifetimes or of long-lived variations in temperature, composition, and/or density. Forced Rayleigh scattering provides high sensitivity with respect to the amplitude and dynamics of such gratings and allows investigations not accessible by classical scattering techniques. The principles, techniques, and applications of FRS are reviewed.