cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacodynamic Endpoint Bioequivalence Studies

Pharmacodynamic (PD) studies can be used to establish bioequivalence of drug products when pharmacokinetic (PK) and in vitro studies are not applicable. Compared with clinical endpoint bioequivalence studies, PD studies are more cost-effective, timesaving, sensitive, less risky, and less complicated. In this chapter, we will discuss PD endpoint-based bioequivalence studies, the general considerations for PD study design and validation, and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations for bioequivalence studies of specific drug products. Finally, the other potential PD endpoints reported in literatures for bioequivalence studies will be briefly discussed.
Performance of processes of care and outcomes in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia

BACKGROUND Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized adults. OBJECTIVE We aimed to identify current practice patterns in the management of SAB, and to evaluate their association with clinical outcomes. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING A 1558-bed tertiary care teaching hospital. PATIENTS Adult patients hospitalized between January 1, 2012 through April 30, 2013, who had at least 1 positive blood culture with S aureus. INTERVENTION None MEASUREMENTS Electronic medical records were reviewed and the processes of care in the management of SAB were identified. The main outcome was clinical failure, defined as a composite endpoint of in-hospital mortality and persistent bacteremia. RESULTS Two hundred fifty episodes of SAB occurred in 241 patients, and 78 (32.4%) had clinical failure. Processes of care that impacted the risk of clinical failure included: timing of follow-up blood cultures (delays of >4 days had a relative risk [RR] of 6.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.1–20.5; P = 0.001), consultation with infectious diseases specialist within 6 days from diagnosis of SAB (RR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1−0.9; P = 0.03), and use of β-lactams in patients with methicillin-susceptible S aureus bacteremia (RR: 0.1; 95% CI: 0.04−0.5; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS The processes of care identified in our study could serve as quality and patient safety indicators for the management of SAB. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2015. © 2015 Society of Hospital Medicine
SU‐E‐T‐146: Uncertainty of Stopping Powers of Tissue Equivalent Materials in Uniformly Scanned Proton Beam

Purpose: To quantify uncertainties associated with the extraction of CT HU to stopping power conversion curve for tissue equivalent materials in uniformly scanned (US)proton beams. Methods and Materials: The Philips Gemini TF Big Bore PET/CT scanner at the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute (HUPTI), was used to extract the HU numbers for several tissue equivalent materials in the CIRS M062 phantom. Protonstopping power for each material was extracted by measuring the range change with and without the material, in a USproton beam pristine Bragg peak, and comparing to its physical thickness. The in‐beam measurements were performed using a Multilayer Ionization Chamber device (IBA Dosimetry, Zebra). Data were analyzed using both IBA OmniPro Incline and an in‐house software analysis package. Several proton beam energies were used: 143 MeV, 175 MeV, and 210 MeV. For each material and energy the difference between measured and predicted value of the stopping power was quantified. Results: The difference between measured and calculated stopping power with proton energy was found to be within 1–2.5 percent. The upper value of this variation was added to the machine specific systematic error of the CT HU number and quantified as the uncertainty of the CT HU to protonstopping power conversion curve. It was added to the total uncertainties (proton range and lateral profile), when PTV margins were implemented in the TPS. Conclusions: The relative linear stopping powers of 9 different tissue equivalent materials were measured using a range of uniformly scanned proton beam energies. These values were compared with predicted stopping powers calculated using current prescriptions and quantified as uncertainties of the CT HU to protonstopping power calibration curve. This work supports the accuracy of the protonstopping power implementation in the TPS and implicit the accuracy of patient treatment at HUPTI.
Sensing muscle ischemia: coincident detection of acid and ATP via interplay of two ion channels.

Summary Ischemic pain—examples include the chest pain of a heart attack and the leg pain of a 30 s sprint—occurs when muscle gets too little oxygen for its metabolic need. Lactic acid cannot act alone to trigger ischemic pain because the pH change is so small. Here, we show that another compound released from ischemic muscle, adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP), works together with acid by increasing the pH sensitivity of acid-sensing ion channel number 3 (ASIC3), the molecule used by sensory neurons to detect lactic acidosis. Our data argue that ATP acts by binding to P2X receptors that form a molecular complex with ASICs; the receptor on sensory neurons appears to be P2X5, an electrically quiet ion channel. Coincident detection of acid and ATP should confer sensory selectivity for ischemia over other conditions of acidosis.
Conservative, unconditionally stable discretization methods for Hamiltonian equations, applied to wave motion in lattice equations modeling protein molecules

Abstract A new approach is described for generating exactly energy–momentum conserving time discretizations for a wide class of Hamiltonian systems of DEs with quadratic momenta, including mechanical systems with central forces; it is well-suited in particular to the large systems that arise in both spatial discretizations of nonlinear wave equations and lattice equations such as the Davydov System modeling energetic pulse propagation in protein molecules. The method is unconditionally stable, making it well-suited to equations of broadly “Discrete NLS form”, including many arising in nonlinear optics. Key features of the resulting discretizations are exact conservation of both the Hamiltonian and quadratic conserved quantities related to continuous linear symmetries, preservation of time reversal symmetry, unconditional stability, and respecting the linearity of certain terms. The last feature allows a simple, efficient iterative solution of the resulting nonlinear algebraic systems that retain unconditional stability, avoiding the need for full Newton-type solvers. One distinction from earlier work on conservative discretizations is a new and more straightforward nearly canonical procedure for constructing the discretizations, based on a “discrete gradient calculus with product rule” that mimics the essential properties of partial derivatives. This numerical method is then used to study the Davydov system, revealing that previously conjectured continuum limit approximations by NLS do not hold, but that sech-like pulses related to NLS solitons can nevertheless sometimes arise.
Uptake of stable N isotopes by Myriophyllum spicatum is not selective

Abstract Preference for 14 N over 15 N was assessed for Myriophyllum spicatum L. by exposing shoots to the same initial concentration of N, but different isotopic compositions (100% 14 N, 50% 14 N and 50% 15 N, and 100% 15 N) for 6 weeks. Regardless of treatment, all available inorganic N was taken up by M. spicatum at similar rates. Significant differences in tissue isotopic composition were evident across treatments in 2 weeks, and persisted for the remainder of the experiment. At 6 weeks, atom (at) % 15 N was twice as high in the 100% 15 N treatment as in the 50% 15 N treatment, and the at% of the 14 N treatment (0% 15 N) remained unchanged. This observed absence of preference for 14 N in M. spicatum suggests that this species can be useful in determining N sources to freshwater systems, which often differ in 15 N/ 14 N ratio.
Morphological correlates of fractionated radiation of the mouse lung: early and late effects

Abstract Purpose : The definition and quantitation of radiation-induced morphologic alterations in murine lungs is presented. Methods and Materials : The extent of injury to the lung, which is the dose-limiting organ in the thorax, may be reduced by fractionating the total radiation exposure to permit partial repair of radiation-induced damage between fraction administration and also to permit a larger total exposure to be administered. We previously reported that, following fractionated radiation exposures, as the dose/fraction decreases, the total dose to reach an isoeffect increases, with an α/β ratio of 3.2 and 3.0 for breathing rates and lethality, respectively. In the present report, we provide comparative morphologic evaluation of the effects of weekly fractionated (three doses at one dose/week), daily fractionated (15 doses at 1/diem), and hyperfractionated (30 doses at 2/diem) radiation exposures. The doses administered within each group were uniform. To determine morphologic alterations, LAF1 mice were irradiated with 3, 15, and 30 fractions delivered in 19 days overall treatment time. In the hyperfractionation schedule, the two fractions per day were separated by a 6-h time interval. Total doses were as follows: 15–21 Gy for weekly fractionation, 30–41.5 Gy for daily fractionation, and 30–49.5 Gy for hyperfractionated schedules. Lung tissue, recovered either 24 or 72 weeks following the final exposure, was evaluated by transmission and scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Results : Using a series of morphologic parameters, a total dose of 15 Gy in the weekly treatment schedule was found to be equivalent to a total dose of 30 Gy in the daily fractionation schedule and 37 Gy in the hyperfractionated treatment regimen at 24 weeks postirradiation. Measured at 72 weeks postirradiation, total exposures of 15 Gy on the weekly fractionation regimen corresponded to total exposures of ∼30 Gy in both the daily fractionated and hyperfractionated regimens. Morphological damage was not uniform throughout the exposed lung and tended to be concentrated in lobes or portions of lobes. Conclusions : In the three fractionation regimens studied, there is progressive sparing of the lung with increased fractionation (i.e., weekly
Coordinated supply chain management

Abstract Historically, the three fundamental stages of the supply chain, procurement, production and distribution, have been managed independently, buffered by large inventories. Increasing competitive pressures, and market globalization are forcing firms to develop supply chains that can quickly respond to customer needs. To remain competitive, these firms must reduce operating costs while continuously improving customer service. With recent advances in communications and information technology, as well as a rapidly growing array of logistics options, firms have an opportunity to reduce operating costs by coordinating the planning of these stages. In this paper, we review the literature addressing coordinated planning between two or more stages of the supply chain, placing particular emphasis on models that would lend themselves to a total supply chain model. Finally, we suggest directions for future research.
Noggin antagonism of BMP4 signaling controls development of the axial skeleton in the mouse

The interaction between bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and their antagonist, Noggin, is critical for normal development. Noggin null mice die at birth with a severely malformed skeleton that is postulated to reflect the activity of unopposed BMP signaling. However, the widespread expression and redundancy of different BMPs have made it difficult to identify a specific role for individual BMPs during mammalian skeletal morphogenesis. Here, we report the effects of modifying Bmp4 dosage on the skeletal development of Noggin mutant mice. The reduction of Bmp4 dosage results in an extensive rescue of the axial skeleton of Noggin mutant embryos. In contrast, the appendicular skeletal phenotype of Noggin mutants was unchanged. Analysis of molecular markers of somite formation and somite patterning suggests that the loss of Noggin results in the formation of small mispatterned somites. Mis-specification and growth retardation rather than cell death most likely account for the subsequent reduction or loss of axial skeletal structures. The severe Noggin phenotype correlates with Bmp4-dependent ectopic expression of Bmp4 in the paraxial mesoderm consistent with Noggin antagonizing an auto-inductive feed-forward mechanism. Thus, specific interactions between Bmp4 and Noggin in the early embryo are critical for establishment and patterning of the somite and subsequent axial skeletal morphogenesis.
Sum rule for the linear density response of a driven electronic system

Abstract Using the covariance of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation under transformation to an accelerated frame of reference, it is shown that the linear density-density response function χ( r, r′ ; ω) of an electronic system driven by a time-dependent potential at a frequency ω in the presence of a static potential V 0 ( r ) satisfies the sum rule ∫ X ( r , r ′; ω )[∇ V 0 ( r ′)− mω 2 r ′]d r ′ = ∇ n 0 ( r ), where n 0 ( r ) is the equilibrium density. The implications of this identity for approximate time-dependent mean field theories are presented.
Existential Authenticity: Place Matters

AbstractWhile there are multiple theoretical approaches to the concept of authenticity in tourism studies, existential authenticity, an activity-based approach, has witnessed the greatest proliferation in the literature in recent years. Existential authenticity refers to a state of Being, rather than an essentialist, objective quality. As a result, research that has engaged this concept has focused on emotions, sensations, relationships, and a sense of self. However, these same studies also suggest the significance of the performance of place for tourists’ experiences. So while geographic perspectives have long shed light on the connections between place and experience, place has received little attention in studies of authenticity. Thus, it is argued that place matters in existential authenticity, which consequently points to the importance of geographic perspectives in further development of this concept for tourism studies.
Cure-induced and thermal stresses in a constrained epoxy resin

We report results from a study of isotropic residual stress development for thermosetting resins during cure and subsequent thermal cycling. We use a recently developed thick-walled tube method to impose three-dimensional isotropic constraints on the resin. The strains at the outer surface of the thick-walled tube are monitored by strain gauges. Experiments are performed for a closed tube where the resin is cured in the compressive state and in an open tube where tensile stresses build up at gelation. The cure-induced tensile stresses are much lower than expected from cure shrinkage due to the inability of the curing resin to sustain large tensile stresses in the gel-state.
Alcohol abuse in social phobia

Abstract Ninety-eight outpatients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for social phobia were evaluated for past history of RDC alcoholism using the SADS-LA structured interview. The resulting 16 subjects with a history of alcoholism were then compared to the 82 nonalcoholic social phobics. The alcoholic social phobics had more severe social phobia and tended to be less likely to be married. Both groups were similar in other measures of demographics. The mean age of onset of social phobia was significantly earlier than the mean age of onset of alcoholism, and social phobia preceded alcoholism in 15 of the 16 dual diagnosis subjects. Most of the dual diagnosis subjects reported using alcohol to self-medicate social phobic symptoms. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that social phobia can be an important factor in the development of alcoholism.
Contingent capture and inhibition of return: a comparison of mechanisms

We investigated the cause(s) of two effects associated with involuntary attention in the spatial cueing task: contingent capture and inhibition of return (IOR). Previously, we found that there were two mechanisms of involuntary attention in this task: (1) a (serial) search mechanism that predicts a larger cueing effect in reaction time with more display locations and (2) a decision (threshold) mechanism that predicts a smaller cueing effect with more display locations (Prinzmetal et al. 2010). In the present study, contingent capture and IOR had completely different patterns of results when we manipulated the number of display locations and the presence of distractors. Contingent capture was best described by a search model, whereas the inhibition of return was best described by a decision model. Furthermore, we fit a linear ballistic accumulator model to the results and IOR was accounted for by a change of threshold, whereas the results from contingent capture experiments could not be fit with a change of threshold and were better fit by a search model.
Ion channel and toxin measurement using a high throughput lipid membrane platform

Measurements of ion channels are important for scientific, sensing and pharmaceutical applications. Reconstitution of ion channels into lipid vesicles and planar lipid bilayers for measurement at the single molecule level is a laborious and slow process incompatible with the high throughput methods and equipment used for sensing and drug discovery. A recently published method of lipid bilayer formation mechanically combines lipid monolayers self-assembled at the interfaces of aqueous and apolar phases. We have expanded on this method by vertically orienting these phases and using gravity as the driving force to combine the monolayers. As this method only requires fluid dispensation, it is trivially integrated with high throughput automated liquid-handling robotics. In a proof-of-concept demonstration, we created over 2200 lipid bilayers in 3h. We show single molecule measurements of technologically and physiologically relevant ion channels incorporated into lipid bilayers formed with this method.
Photocurrent Transient Spectroscopy: Measurement of the Density of Localized States in a -As 2 Se 3

Measurements of transient photoinduced optical absorption in $a$-${\mathrm{As}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ show that carriers thermalize within a distribution of localized states in the band gap. Photocurrent as well as photoinduced optical absorption transients are explained in a unified way with the multiple-trapping mechanism. Under such circumstances, transient photoconductivity provides a spectroscopy of the density of localized states.
Extended formulations for stochastic lot-sizing problems

Abstract In this paper, extended formulations for stochastic uncapacitated lot-sizing problems with and without backlogging are developed in higher dimensional spaces that provide integral solutions. Moreover, physical meanings of the decision variables in the extended formulations are explored and special cases with more efficient formulations are studied.
Final-focus system and collision schemes for a 5-TeV W-band linear collider

A 3-km long high-gradient W-band switched matrix linac may, in parallel channels, accelerate multiple electron and positron bunches to an energy of 2.5 TeV, with a tight control on the intra-bunch energy spread. In this report, we describe a final-focus system for such an accelerator, whose length is restrained by eliminating chromatic correction. The interaction point (IP) spot size is limited by synchrotron radiation in the last quadrupole (Oide effect). The energy loss due to beamstrahlung is optionally suppressed by combining bunches of opposite charge and colliding the neutral beams. We present two different high-luminosity multiple-collision schemes, which can provide a luminosity of up to 1035cm-2s-1, with only about 1 MW average beam power. In the first scheme, batches of equally-charged bunches are combined into superbunches which, possibly after charge compensation, are collided head-on with the opposing beam. In the second scheme, 25 charge-neutral electron-positron bunch pairs of one beam are each collided with 25 neutral bunch pairs of the other beam. These multiplexed collisions are facilitated by a crossing angle and by crab cavities upstream of the electron-positron combiner; however they also require focusing channels (e.g., a crystal) preserving IP beam size between the collision points, a difficult if not impossible construct. We describe the challenges posed by each approach.
The specific heat of an anisotropic surface

Abstract A Green's function method is used to find the low temperature change in the specific heat due to a (110) surface on a simple cubic monatomic lattice. Two separate first neighbor force constant models are used for the calculation: the first assumes that the atomic motion normal to the surface is uncoupled from motion parallel to the surface; the second is the familiar two force constant model popularized by Montroll and Potts. Both models are anistotropic in the surface and neither satisfies the condition of rotational invariance. Analytic expressions are found for the surface mode dispersion relations and for the low temperature specific heat. It is found that for small deviations from isotropy, the change in the specific heat is independent of the model and is the same for the (110) and (100) surfaces.
A Spectralon BRF data base for MISR calibration applications

The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) is an Earth-observing sensor, which provides global retrievals of aerosols, clouds, and land surface parameters. Instrument specifications require an accurate absolute calibration, as well as accurate camera-to-camera, band-to-band and pixel-to-pixel relative response determinations. In order to achieve these requirements, MISR makes use of an on-board calibrator (OBC), as well as vicarious calibration (VC) experiments. The OBC makes use of two Spectralon diffuse panels in order to provide a flatfield illumination. Bi-monthly deployments of these panels into the camera fields-of-view will be made. At these times, solar-reflected radiance values are measured by photodiode detector standards. Accurate relative bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF) data are required to transfer these photodiode-measured radiances into camera-incident values. An independent calibration pathway, known as VC, will also be implemented in order to reduce systematic errors and to provide a crosscheck on the OBC findings. Here, the top-of-atmosphere radiances are computed from in situ observations of surface reflectance and atmospheric transmittances. Key to these measurements is knowledge of the hemispheric/directional reflectance factor (HDRF) of the field reflectance standards. This report describes the BRF measurements of the MISR flight panels, and provides an estimation as to the differences between HDRF and BRF for the MISR view angles. This BRF data base is available from the MISR web site, http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov.
Epigenetic suppression of GAD65 expression mediates persistent pain

Chronic pain is a common neurological disease involving lasting, multifaceted maladaptations ranging from gene modulation to synaptic dysfunction and emotional disorders. Sustained pathological stimuli in many diseases alter the output activities of certain genes through epigenetic modifications, but it is unclear how epigenetic mechanisms operate in the development of chronic pain. We show here that in the rat brainstem nucleus raphe magnus, which is important for central mechanisms of chronic pain, persistent inflammatory and neuropathic pain epigenetically suppresses Gad2 (encoding glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65)) transcription through histone deacetylase (HDAC)-mediated histone hypoacetylation, resulting in impaired γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synaptic inhibition. Gad2 knockout mice showed sensitized pain behavior and impaired GABA synaptic function in their brainstem neurons. In wild-type but not Gad2 knockout mice, HDAC inhibitors strongly increased GAD65 activity, restored GABA synaptic function and relieved sensitized pain behavior. These findings suggest GAD65 and HDACs as potential therapeutic targets in an epigenetic approach to the treatment of chronic pain.
Kidney Deformation and Intraprocedural Registration: A Study of Elements of Image-Guided Kidney Surgery

Abstract Introduction: Central to any image-guided surgical procedure is the alignment of image and physical coordinate spaces, or registration. We explored the task of registration in the kidney through in vivo and ex vivo porcine animal models and a human study of minimally invasive kidney surgery. Methods: A set of (n = 6) ex vivo porcine kidney models was utilized to study the effect of perfusion and loss of turgor caused by incision. Computed tomography (CT) and laser range scanner localizations of the porcine kidneys were performed before and after renal vessel clamping and after capsular incision. The da Vinci™ robotic surgery system was used for kidney surface acquisition and registration during robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. The surgeon acquired the physical surface data points with a tracked robotic instrument. These data points were aligned to preoperative CT for surface-based registrations. In addition, two biomechanical elastic computer models (isotropic and anisotropic) wer...
Prediction and observation of II–VI/CuInSe2 heterojunction band offsets

Abstract First-principles band structure calculations show that II–VI/CuInSe 2 heterojunctions have significant band offsets which challenge the traditional explanation of device operation. In the case of ZnSe, these large valence band offsets demonstrate the failure of the “common anion rule”. This is traced to a stronger Cu,d-Se,p level repulsion in CuInSe 2 than the Zn,d-Se,p repulsion in ZnSe. Formation of the ZnSe/CuInSe 2 and CdS/CuInSe 2 heterojunctions were studied by synchrotron radiation soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The II–VI overlayers were sequentially grown in steps on both CuInSe 2 (112) single-crystals and polycrystalline thin-films. In-situ photoemission measurements were acquired after each growth in order to observe changes in the valence band electronic structure as well as changes in the appropriate core lines. Results of these measurements reveal that the offsets are in good agreement with the first-principles predictions and that the traditional device model with ΔE c
Analysis of noise in phase contrast MR imaging.

In this work we analyze the effects of inherent random noise on the detectability of low‐contrast vessel structures that possess slow flow. When flow is encoded in more than one direction, the number of independent noise contributions increases in addition to the scan time. In a fast‐flow scenario, only the noise contribution from sampling along the direction of flow is of any significance. At slow flow rates, however, it becomes necessary to account for the noise in each encoded Cartesian direction. The degree to which noise affects low‐contrast detectability also depends on the method of phase contrastimage processing employed. A theoreticalanalysis of the statistical properties of signal and noise in processed phase contrast magnitude images is presented and verified from experimental MR image data. Results show a progressively increased bias in the processed phase contrastimage magnitude at slow flow rates due to contributions from inherent random noise. The amount of this bias increases with the number of physical directions in which flow is encoded and is larger for complex difference processed images than for phase difference processing. Correspondingly, the output signal‐to‐noise ratio associated with flow is compromised.
Non-catastrophic failure of the laser transducer system in a universal measuring machine

Abstract An unanticipated failure of the laser displacement transducer system used for the read-out of position in a universal coordinate measuring machine is reported. The failure was detected by the Primary Standards Laboratory (PSL) at Sandia National Laboratories and was verified by measuring a mechanical standard previously calibrated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The method involved a series of measurements using wavelength compensation numbers which varied from the nominal setting calculated using Edlen's formula by as much as ±5 ppm . The measurement values of the artefact obtained using a new circuit board in the system were compared to those obtained using the malfunctioning board. The failure was confined to a single circuit board in the laser system. A description of the faiure is given and the potential effects upon measurements using the universal measurement machine are assessed.
Quality control in the neutron activation analysis of biological markers for selenium in epidemiological investigations

Instrumental neutron activation analysis is routinely used at the MURR to quantify selenium in prospectively-collected biologic markers including blood serum and toenails. These specimens are typically collected from well-defined cohort populations participating in investigations assessing selenium intake and incidence of chronic disease endpoints. These epidemiological investigations, whether observational (case-control) or clinical (intervention), typically generate thousands of samples. The purpose of this paper is to assess, through evaluation of quality control results, if the achievable accuracy and precision in the measurement of selenium using NAA is adequate to determine a relative risk of 1.2 at high confidence in epidemiological studies.
Social validation and interpersonal evaluations

Abstract In three-person groups subjects took turns evaluating one anothers' responses on a social-sensitivity inventory. They received controlled feedback, with one peer generally agreeing with them (Positive Evaluator) and the other disagreeing (Negative Evaluator). Half of the subjects were told that the inventory was an objective test of skill with right and wrong answers and that their responses would be scored (Low Social-Validation condition), and half that it was a subjective task with no correct or incorrect responses (High Social-Validation condition). Subjects evaluated the Positive Evaluator more favorably than the Negative Evaluator and, as predicted from extensions of social-comparison theory, there was greater differential attraction toward the Positive Evaluator in the High Social-Validation condition. Individual differences in need for approval also affected differential evaluations of the Positive and Negative Evaluators.
Issues Concerning Capital Assistance to Less-Developed Countries

I begin this brief report with a judgment based on close observation of various facets of the U.S. Foreign Aid program over the past thirteen years. This judgment is that the amount of progress that can be generated by a dollar of foreign aid has been greatly exaggerated by the proponents of aid. Perhaps the exaggeration was due to the phenomenal apparent success of the Marshall Plan, under which massive grants from the United States provided the capital equipment and other resources to stimulate the rapid economic recovery of a Western Europe already possessed of an advanced economic organization, high levels of professionalism and management, skilled cadres of labor, and relatively efficient, honest, and experienced governmental bureaucracies. In the Marshall Plan case the problem was one of restoring or replacing physical plant and equipment which, to the extent not actually destroyed during the war, was badly in need of renovation, repair, or replacement. We cannot know exactly how much of Europe’s early postwar progress was directly attributable to the Marshall Plan, but there is no doubt that that share was substantial.
States and democracy

The state, rule of law, and democratic accountability are the three basic components of a modern political order. The state concentrates and uses power, while law and democracy constrain the exercise of power, indicating that there is an inherent tension between them. This article looks at ways in which the state and liberal democracy interact in three areas: citizen security, patronage and clientelism, and the formation of national identity. In all three areas, state and democracy act at cross purposes in some domains, and are mutually supportive in others. The reason for this complex relationship is that both state and democracy are themselves complex collections of institutions which interact on a multiplicity of levels. Understanding the relationship between state and democracy is important in policy terms because many recent initiatives to improve the quality of governance assume that state quality and democracy are mutually supportive, something that is not fully supported by the empirical evidence.
Pyridinolcarbamate and experimental atherosclerosis correlation of hypocholesterolemic and antiatherogenic effects

Rabbits were maintained for 12 weeks on either a control or hypercholesteremic dietary regime, or on comparable diets supplemented with pyridinolcarbamate (PDC) at a level of 30 mg/kg body weight/day. Blood was obtained from all rabbits prior to study and at two-week intervals for analysis of serum cholesterol, phospholipid phosphorus and triglycerides. Animals from each group were sacrificed at 4-week intervals for quantitative assessment of the degree of atherosclerotic involvement of the aorta. All animals in the four groups consumed their entire daily allowance (100 g) of their respective diets, and weight gains throughout the feeding period were comparable in the 4 groups. PDC given with the control chow diet had no effect on serum cholesterol levels but did result in persistent decrease in serum triglycerides and a variable decrease in serum phospholipids during the 12-week feeding period. None of the rabbits on the chow diet, with or without PDC, had any evidence of aortic lesions during the experimental period. Rabbits fed 1% cholesterol administered with chow exhibited markedly elevated levels of serum cholesterol and phospholipids, while serum triglycerides were not significantly different than in the control group. In these animals there was a rapid and progressive increase in aortic atherosclerosis throughout the study, and at 12 weeks plaque involvement was 74 +/- 8% of the aortic surface. Addition of PDC to the 1% cholesterol--chow diet resulted in significantly lowered levels of serum cholesterol and phospholipids, but these remained elevated compared to the control levels. There was also a dramatic reduction in the rate and extent of aortic plaque formation. Thus, after 12 weeks on diet, only 27 +/- 6% of the aortic surface showed evidence of atheroma. The data suggest that PDC significantly decreases the hypercholesteremia resulting from feeding 1% cholesterol to rabbits, and that this may be largely responsible for the antiatherogenic effect of this drug.
Morphological differences among immature stages of three genera of exotic larval parasitoids attacking the cereal leaf beetle in the United States.

Morphological differences among the immature larval parasitoids of Oulema melanopus (L.) are identified and compared. Diaparsis spp. usually bear a knob-like protrusion. Early larval instars of Diaparsis spp. have 2 pairs of abdominal pseudopods, whereas Lemophagus curtits Townes have 2 pairs of ventral cone-shaped protrusions on the head capsule. Late instars of these ichneumonidae are separated on the basis of cephalic structural differences. Tetrastichus julis (Walker), Eulophidae, are gregarious and transform into naked pupae. The ichneumons are solitary and spin a cocoon.
A co-evolutionary hybrid algorithm for multi-objective optimization of gene regulatory network models

In this paper, the parameters of a genetic network for rice flowering time control have been estimated using a multi-objective genetic algorithm approach. We have modified the recently introduced concept of fuzzy dominance to hybridize the well-known Nelder Mead Simplex algorithm for better exploitation with a multi-objective genetic algorithm. A co-evolutionary approach is proposed to adapt the fuzzy dominance parameters. Additional changes to the previous approach have also been incorporated here for faster convergence, including elitism. Our results suggest that this hybrid algorithm performs significantly better than NSGA-II, a standard algorithm for multi-objective optimization.
Ethnic Partisanship in Ethiopia

Ethnic identity is often cited as an important variable explaining voter choices in Africa. Ethiopia, since 1994, has adopted an ethnically-based federal system, which makes it an interesting test case of the importance of ethnicity in shaping voter preferences. Indeed, one might expect higher levels of ethnification of voter preferences in Ethiopia when compared to other African countries. Using cross-national data from the World Values Survey and Afrobarometer, it is found that Ethiopian voters have relatively higher levels of concentrated partisan support than do other African countries. However, when examining the propensity of individual voters to express partisan preferences that “defect” from their ethnic position, I find that the evaluations of government performance explain defections better than does the intensity of ethnic identity or expectations for patronage.
A New Angel/Angle in Architectural Research: The Ideas of Demonstration

Based on a research agenda monopolized by a theory of concept embodied in normative prescriptions, present “official” researches in architecture are an outcome of the search for an anthological knowledge, a gathering of data that contributes to make buildings safe and durable but lacking the human quality of imagination. Seeing the imaginal dimension as the core of the profession, I present an alternative research in architecture based on a theory of image in this paper. This theory, which stresses the role of demonstration in architectural production, is based on the merging of symbolic and instrumental images. The aim suggested for future architectural research is to produce information, new “angelic standards,” regarding the nature of architectural demonstrations. The images necessary for these demonstrations are in an amazing thesaurus, a meandered storehouse of monstrous, non-normative technological images that are played in architectural projects, but not properly declared.
Introduction to the Problem of Heroin Addiction in America

(1971). Introduction to the Problem of Heroin Addiction in America. Journal of Psychedelic Drugs: Vol. 4, The Contemporary Heroin Scene, Part I: The Problem, pp. 15-22.
A nonabnormal subgroup contained only in self-normalizing subgroups in a finite group

If U is abnormal in G, then NG (V) = V for every V≥U. The converse is known to be true for solvable groups, but in Finite Soluble Groups, Doerk and Hawkes indicate that its truth is not known for G finite and nonsolvable. In this note, we provide a counterexample. We prove:¶¶Theorem.In the unitary group G = U3 (3) there exists a nonabnormal subgroup U isomorphic to S4such that U ≤ V implies NG (V) =V.
Morphology of Vapor Evaporated Mo Thin Films

Studies were made of the dependence of the morphology of Mo films, prepared by ebeam evaporation in an UHV system, on the substrate temperature and deposition angle. The main characterization techniques used were large angle x-ray scattering and cross-sectional high resolution electron microscopy.
Mitochondrial alterations associated with avian reticuloendotheliosis virus (strain T) pathogenicity.

Abstract This report indicates that reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) induces morphological, physical and enzymatic alterations in chick target organ mitochondria. Succinoxidase activity of infected mitochondria is decreased at 5 days post-REV-infection, but ADP:O ratios are unchanged. Calcium accumulation is decreased from 100 nMoles/mg of protein in controls to 50 nMoles/mg of protein in infected mitochondria. Mitochondria from infected tissue exhibit a buoyant density of 1.193 gm/cc, significantly greater than the buoyant density of 1.167 gm/cc for control mitochondria. Mitochondria isolated from REV-infected livers were effective in transmitting reticuloendotheliosis when inoculated intraperitoneally into day old chicks. Electron microscopy of tissue sections indicates that infected cell mitochondria are enlarged with a less dense matrix relative to controls. Purified mitochondria from infected livers contained up to 16 particles having the size and shape of unenveloped(naked) C-type RNA tumor virus.
Scaling of blood parameters in mammals

Abstract 1. 1. Values for blood plasma and red cell volumes, as well as hematocrit and half-saturation (T 50 ) values in male and female mammals, both aquatic and terrestrial, are submitted to linear (log-log) regression analysis. 2. 2. The slope of the regression lines for blood and plasma volumes is identically one. The slope (0.97) of the red cell regression is probably not significantly different from one ( df = 71, t = 2, P 3. 3. The slope (− 0.01) of the hematocrit regression line is, statistically speaking, different from zero ( df = 87, t = 4.7, P 4. 4. The slope (− 0.03) of the half-saturations ( T 50 ) values is also, statistically, different from zero ( df = 89, t = 4.1, P 5. 5. No statistically significant differences were found in any of the above blood parameters as between either male and female animals or aquatic and terrestrial mammals.
Extracting motion parameters from the left ventricle angiography data

This paper presents a new approach for extracting surface motion parameters from the left ventricle (LV) data. The data are obtained using biplane (stereo) cineangiography and provided by Dr. David Smith [23]. The data set consists of 3-D coordinates of 30 bifurcation points on the surface of LV through several time frames. If an object undergoes rigid motion, the standard motion parameters are the translation vector and rotation matrix. The above parameters are not sufficient to describe the nonrigid motion, of which the LV motion is an example. Hence, we define the local surface stretching as an additional (with global rotation and translation) motion parameter. The process of recovering the stretching factor from the angiography data consists of three steps. At the first step, the surface of LV is reconstructed at each time instant. The reconstruction procedure involves converting data into polar coordinate system. Then the surface is reconstructed by applying the relaxation (iterative averaging) algorithm in polar coordinates. During the second step we calculate Gaussian curvature at each bifurcation point at each time instant. This achieved by least-squares surface fitting in the window around each point of interest. The third step is actual stretching factor recovery, which is based on comparison of Gaussian curvatures before and after the motion. This formula was first suggested in [11]. The final results of the algorithm are the reconstructed LV surface at each time instant together with cumulative stretching curves for each given bifurcation point.
Inhaled benzene fetotoxicity in rats

Abstract Groups of pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 100, 300, and 2200 ppm of benzene vapor in air for 6 hr daily on Days 6 to 15 of gestation. The mean maternal body weight gain of the 2200-ppm group was significantly depressed. However, the incidence of resorption was not affected. The mean fetal body weight and crown-rump length were significantly lower than the corresponding control groups only at the highest exposure level. Soft tissue examination revealed no significant increase in the incidence of anomalies among the exposed animals. Skeletal examinations showed a significant increase in the number of fetuses with delayed ossofication of sternebrae in the 300- and 2200-ppm groups. The female offspring appeared to be affected to a greater extent than male fetuses with respect to the incidence of delayed ossification of sternebrae. The litter incidence of missing sternebrae was significantly increased in the 100- and 2200-ppm exposure groups. The incidence of missing sternebrae was significantly increased in female but not in male offspring at 2200 ppm of benzene.
On the transition from confinement to screening in QCD1+1 coupled to adjoint fermions at finite N

Abstract We consider SU( N ) QCD 1+1 coupled to massless adjoint Majorana fermions, where N is finite but arbitrary. We examine the spectrum for various values of N , paying particular attention to the formation of multi-particle states, which were recently identified by Gross, Hashimoto and Klebanov in the N =∞ limit of the theory. It is believed that in the limit of vanishing fermion mass, there is a transition from confinement to screening in which string-like states made out of adjoint fermion bits dissociate into stable constituent “single particles”. In this work, we provide numerical evidence that such a transition into stable constituent particles occurs not only at large N , but for any finite value of N . In addition, we discuss certain issues concerning the “topological” properties exhibited by the DLCQ spectrum.
The Relationship Between the WAIS-III Digit Symbol Coding and Executive Functioning

The current study examined the performance of college students (N = 63) on the Coding subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition and examined whether differences in performance could in part be explained by performance on the Delis-Kaplan Executive Functions System Trail-Making Test. The results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that performance on Coding was correlated most with Letter-Number Sequencing and to a lesser extent with Visual Scanning and with Number Sequencing approaching significance. There was no significant relationship with Letter Sequencing or Motor Speed. The three significant predictor variables were then entered into a stepwise hierarchical regression analysis. Subsequent models using Visual Scanning and Number Sequencing did not improve the predictive value of the model. These results are consistent with other recent reports suggesting that performance on Coding taps cognitive skills and abilities beyond that of simple motor speed or paired-associative learning. The findings also suggest a limited improvement in understanding test performance using a process analysis approach.
Toward a surrogate model for hepatitis C virus: An infectious molecular clone of the GB virus-B hepatitis agent.

Abstract GB virus-B (GBV-B) is a member of the Flaviviridae family of viruses. This RNA virus infects tamarins, but its natural host is not known. GBV-B has special interest because it is the virus that is most closely related to hepatitis C virus (HCV), an important human pathogen. In the present study, we identified a previously unrecognized sequence at the 3′ end of the GBV-B genome. This new 3′ terminal sequence can form several predicted stem-loop structures as is typical for other members of the Flaviviridae family. We constructed molecular clones and showed that the new 3′ UTR sequence was critical for in vivo infectivity. After intrahepatic transfection of two tamarins with RNA transcripts of the full-length GBV-B clone, we detected high viral titers from Week 1 postinoculation with peak titers of ∼108 genome equivalents/ml. The viremic pattern of GBV-B infection in the transfected animals was the same as in animals inoculated intravenously with the virus pool used as the cloning source. The sequence of the recombinant virus was recovered from one of the tamarins and shown to be identical to that of the infectious clone. The development of severe hepatitis in both tamarins infected with the recombinant GBV-B virus provides formal proof that GBV-B is a true hepatitis virus.