cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Benchmark dose estimation based on epidemiologic cohort data

Risk assessments based on epidemiologic studies are becoming increasingly common in evaluating environmental health risks and setting health standards. This article will discuss and compare some of the available methods for exposure–response modeling and risk estimation based on environmental epidemiologic studies with age-specific incidence and mortality data. Recommendations will be made regarding approaches that can be used in practice. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
17.9 A 0.6V 70MHz 4 th -order continuous-time Butterworth filter with 55.8dB SNR, 60dB THD at +2.8dBm output signal power

Technology scaling is leading to supply voltage reduction and shrinking voltage headroom, making it very challenging for analog circuits to achieve high signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratios (SNDRs). For example, at Vdd ≤ 0.6V, the peak signal swing is 30% of Vdd in [1]-[3]. Since timing accuracy is improving in nanoscale CMOS, techniques have been proposed representing analog information in the time or phase domain. However, the linearity of the transformation between time or phase domain and the voltage or current domain remains a bottleneck at low supply voltages. In [2], ring-oscillator based integrators replace conventional OTA-based integrators, but the output signal swing is still limited to 30% of Vdd by the voltage headroom of the charge pump, which performs phase-to-voltage conversion. We propose switched-mode signal processing where analog information is represented in terms of pulse widths at the amplifier output stage, which can be replaced with power-efficient rail-to-rail class-D stages, thus producing switched-mode operational amplifiers (SMOAs). We present a 0.6V 70MHz 4th-order continuous-time Butterworth filter designed with SMOAs that achieves a dynamic range of 58dB, an SNR of 55.8dB and a THD of 60dB at +2.8dBm output signal power, while dissipating 26.2mW.
Review symposium on Jeremy Carrette's Foucault and Religion and Religion and Culture

Jeremy Carrette. Religion and Culture by Michel Foucault (selected and edited by Jeremy Carrette). Manchester University Press. 1999. Jeremy Carrette. Foucault and Religion: Spiritual Corporality and Political Spirituality. London and New York: Routledge. 2000.
The AMS Review

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the AMS Review! As setforth by the Academy of Marketing Science and noted onthe journal’s website (http://amsr.edmgr.com), the aim andscope of the Review is to:…publishthoughtfulcontributionsthatofferinsightsandperspectives extending knowledge and understanding ofmarketing-related phenomena. The Review is receptiveto different philosophical perspectives and levels ofanalysis that range from micro to macro. Especiallywelcome are manuscripts that integrate research andtheory from non-marketing disciplines such as manage-ment, sociology, economics, psychology, geography,anthropology, or other behavioral sciences. Examples ofsuitable manuscripts include those incorporating con-ceptual and organizing frameworks or models; thoseextending, comparing, or critically evaluating existingtheories or models; and those suggesting new orinnovative theories or models. Comprehensive andintegrative quantitative syntheses of research literatures(i.e., meta-analyses) are appropriate.As such, the AMS Review possesses goals similar to TheAcademy of Management Review and Psychological Reviewand, like these scholarly publications, does not publishempirically based research.The genesis of the Review was the recognition by theAcademy of Marketing Science leadership several yearsago that the marketing discipline was being underserved byexisting journals when it came to contributions that focusedon comprehensive and evaluative literature reviews, con-ceptual models, and theory creation and development.Consequently, the Academy created the AMS Review toproactively address this lacuna.The concern over the lack of conceptual and theoreticaladvancements has been corroborated by a recent Journal ofMarketing article by Yadav (2010). In the article, Yadavprovided a detailed examination of publishing trends inmarketing’s major journals. Based on his analysis, therewere only 818 “conceptual” articles—articles not reportingempirical research—out of a total of 5,520 articlespublished in Journal of Marketing, Journal of MarketingResearch, Journal of Consumer Research, MarketingScience, and Journal of the Academy of Marketing Scienceover a 30 year period from 1978 to 2007. Unfortunately,even with this low ratio of conceptual to empirical articles,the data revealed a declining trend in the publication ofconceptual articles beginning in 1993.Interestingly, the lack of conceptual and theoreticaladvancements might lie in part with the training of doctoralstudents in marketing. Yadav offered informal, anecdotalevidence to suggest that doctoral training in marketingincreasingly emphasizes statistical techniques and empiricalresearch to the detriment of conceptual and theoreticalresearch. This evidence led to a review of doctoral programcourse offerings by the co-editors.Doctoral trainingThe American Marketing Association hosts a websitelisting doctoral programs that allow students to specializein marketing. As of the fall of 2010, there were 184 suchdoctoral programs on the list categorized by geographiclocation:
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the atmosphere around the Great Lakes.

The atmospheric concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs were measured in four sites near the shores of the North American Great Lakes. The sites included an urban site (Chicago, Illinois) and three rural/remote sites (Eagle Harbor, Michigan; Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan; and Sturgeon Point, New York). Sampling occurred every 24 days between November 2004 and December 2007. The concentration of PCDD/Fs averaged 2.3 ± 0.2 fg WHO TEQ/m3 at Eagle Harbor, 35 ± 3 fg WHO TEQ/m3 at Chicago, 7.4 ± 1.4 fg WHO TEQ/m3 at Sleeping Bear Dunes, and 13 ± 2 fg WHO TEQ/m3 at Sturgeon Point. The total concentration of the 17 toxic PCDD/F congeners showed a significant seasonal trend at all sites, except Chicago. The date of maximum concentration averaged Dec 6 ± 35 days, which is consistent with residential heating being an important source of PCDD/Fs to the atmosphere. A significant positive relationship between the logarithm of the total concentration of the 17 toxic PCDD/F congeners and the logarithm of the number of people w...
Oscillations in a Plasma with Oriented (D.C.) Magnetic Field

ABSTRACT The behaviour of a low energy plasma in a d.c. electric E and magnetic B field is investigated for any orientation using a phenomenologieal formalism described earlier. In by-passing the Boltzmann Transport procedure, it is established in a straightforward manner that oblique alignment can give rise to double resonances; those represent coupling of ωp the plasma and ωc the cyclotron oscillations. While the transverse E⊥B case is characterized by a single dispersion frequency ω2=ωc 2+ωp 2, the longitudinal case E∥B admits individually the decoupled plasma and cyclotron resonances. The actual manifestation of such oscillations in gas discharges demands fulfillment of certain conditions. The role of collisional damping, plasma thermal energy and current density is indicated.
Insulin Binding in Four Regions of the Developing Rat Brain

Specific insulin binding has been demonstrated in partially purified membranes prepared from four regions of the developing rat brain. Insulin binding to brain membranes demonstrated kinetics and hormonal specificity that were quite similar to those reported for traditional insulin target tissues (e.g., liver and adipose tissue), and binding was significantly correlated with receptor concentration. Binding in the olfactory bulbs, cerebrum, cerebellum, and hypothalamus all reached highest values at 15 days of postnatal life, with the olfactory bulbs generally showing the greatest binding at all ages studied. A temporal relationship was found between insulin binding to brain membranes in the postnatal rat and plasma membrane protein synthesis, especially in the cerebellum and olfactory bulbs.
GIFT4-augmented B cells for melanoma immunotherapy

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer and one of the fastest growing cancers in the USA. Immunotherapy, by enhancing patient's immune system, has become an attractive approach for melanoma treatment due to the rapid drug resistance to chemotherapy. B cells are a heterogeneous cell population in the host immune system functionally as antibody-producers, antigen-presenting cells or regulatory cells. In the tumor microenvironment, B cells are among the heavy tumor-infiltrating immune cells. But B cell's role in anti-tumor immunity remains controversial. Our lab has recently developed a novel GM-CSF and IL-4 fusion cytokine named GIFT4 (GMCSF and IL4 Fusion Transgene). This technology builds upon the successful development of "fusokine" platform [GIFT15] (Nature Medicine, 2009, 15: 1038-45). We discovered GIFT4 possess novel gain-of-function of immune activities, elicits robust B cell response and consequent killer T cell immunity against melanoma. GIFT4 protein has potent immune signaling activities, induces hyper-phosphorylation of STAT1, 3 and 5 in B cells, and reprograms B cells from melanoma patients into CD40+CD80+ CD83+CD86+ antigen-presenting cells profiled by flow cytometry. Luminex assay reveals that GIFT4-B cells secrete substantial amount of IL-2, innate cytokines IL-6 and GM-CSF, chemokines CCL2, CCL3, CCL4 and CCL5, and adhesion molecule ICAM-1, but not IL-10 and IFN- γ. Those GIFT4-B cells robustly promote sustained ex vivo expansion of tumor-killing T cells that are IFN-γ+, NKG2D+ Granzyme B+ and granulysin+, and produce Fas ligand and TRAIL. Moreover, human GIFT4-B cell licensed cytotoxic T cells kill human melanoma cells in in vitro and in NSG immune deficient mice. We expect that GIFT4, as an anti-melanoma agent, will provide a novel strategy and opens a new avenue for human B cell-based immunotherapy against melanoma. We propose that GIFT4-B cells from melanoma patients could serve as a potential immunotherapeutic agent for personalized melanoma cell immunotherapy.
Survey of hospital personnel on the understanding of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

The recent emergence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has generated a significant amount of media coverage. Often referring to the “gay plague” and “new killer disease,” many publications have taken an alarmist rather than an informative tone, thereby creating much concern and confusion among the general population and health care workers alike. Hospital personnel are not immune to this type of sensationalism. Misconceptions about the transmissibility of AIDS and concern over what types of infection control precautions are necessary have been reported in hospitals across the country. There have also been incidents in which employees have quit their jobs rather than work with a person with AIDS, this in spite of information from the Centers for Disease Control that there have been no documented cases of AIDS in health care personnel not already in high-risk groups.’ Very early, working groups from various organizations including the University of California,2 the American Medical Association3 and the American Hospital Association4 agreed that there is no scientific reason for health care workers to be excused from caring for persons with AIDS. Evidence to date tells us that the risk of trans-
Orphanage at the FDA

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, social and political forces gave birth to a new movement to serve the needs of people with rare diseases, a movement that has only accelerated with the penetrance of internet connectivity. The FDA's Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) was established in 1982 to promote the development of products that demonstrate promise for the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of rare diseases or conditions. Additional governmental responses included passage of the 1983 Orphan Drug Act (ODA) as well as subsequent legislation for medical devices. This article describes how OOPD assists in the development of orphan products (drugs, biologics, medical devices, and medical foods) for patients with rare diseases. The 40 clinicians, pharmacists, scientists, engineers, and others who perform OOPD's mission activities are broadly committed to providing useful new therapies to people with rare diseases. However, OOPD does not actually decide what products (drugs, biologics devices, and medical foods) are licensed for marketing and which applications are denied. Rather, OOPD has three key functions: certifying that indeed a product has bona fide promise for use in a rare disease, granting funds for the development of such products and advocating with stakeholders for the creation of new therapies in rare disease therapies.
Response of agranulocytosis to thymectomy in a patient with thymoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

A patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia presented with recurrent episodes of severe neutropenia. This neutropenia was initially responsive to prednisone but even tually became refractory. A spindle-cell thymoma was diagnosed and resected with dramatic improvement in his granulocytopenia. Both autologous and heterologous granulocyte macrophage colony growth were clearly inhibited by the patient's serum. This is the first reported case of severe granulocytopenia associated with a thymoma that seemed to be reversed following thymectomy.
Method of cell handling affects leakiness of cell surface labeling and detection of intracellular keratins

Keratins are a subgroup of cytoskeletal intermediate filament proteins found in most epithelial cells. Some reports have suggested that keratins may be found on the cell surface as well as their well-accepted cytoskeletal location. A major part of the evidence in the interpretation of cell surface expression of keratins is cell surface radioiodination. Here we show that lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination of colonic and breast tissue culture cells results in radiolabeling of the keratins when cells are manipulated. No labeling of keratins is detected when cells are labeled directly on the tissue culture dish. A similar result was obtained when intact cells were biotinylated using water-soluble sulfo-NHS-biotin. Partitioning of the keratins to a soluble and an insoluble pool after "cell surface" 125I-labeling showed that both pools became iodinated. Indirect immunofluorescence showed that binding of a panel of anti-keratin antibodies to intact epithelial cells occurs only on the cells that are more adherent, which are the cells that require longer manipulation to remove from the tissue culture dish. Taken together, our results indicate that the reported expression of cell surface keratins in some cells likely reflects intracellular keratins. In addition, the method of epithelial cell handling can dramatically alter the leakiness of cell surface iodination techniques.
Relative reactivity of vitamin A versus a mixture of β-carotene geometric isomers with electrochemically generated superoxide and hydroperoxyl radicals

Abstract The present study comprises a kinetic comparison of the reactivity of electrochemically generated superoxide, O2 −, and hydroperoxyl, HO2 , radicals toward a mixture of β-carotene geometric isomers versus all-trans-retinol (vitamin A). Rate constants were determined by computer simulation of experimental cyclic voltammetric data. It is reported that all-trans-retinol reacts more readily with both O2 − and HO2 than a mixture of geometric β-carotene isomers. Specifically, the latter is unreactive at ≤25 mM with O2 − within the timescale of cyclic voltammetry, while it reacts with HO2 at least an order of magnitude slower than all-trans-retinol. Our results indicate that all-trans-retinol is a better radical scavenger than a mixture of geometric β-carotene isomers and parallel the results of a recent epidemiological study which has shown that vitamin A may be a better anticarcinogenic agent than β-carotene.
Differences in the locational attainment of immigrant and native-born households with children in New York City.

In this paper we use a data set created especially for New York City to evaluate whether the locational attainment of households with children, as indicated by the context of the neighborhoods in which they live, varies by their immigrant status. In addition, we evaluate whether the relationship between immigrant status and neighborhood conditions varies by the householder’s race/ethnicity. Overall, when compared with native-born households with children, immigrant households with children live in neighborhoods of lower quality, characterized by higher teenage fertility rates and higher percentages of students in local schools scoring below grade level in math and of persons receiving AFDC, but lower rates of juvenile detention. Further analyses, however, revealed that race/ethnicity is far more potent than immigrant status per se in predicting where households with children live.
QUESTIONS OF ABSTRACTION IN STUDIES IN THE NEW URBAN POLITICS

ABSTRACT:Recent work in the politics of urban development is characterized to a significant degree by undertheorization. Concepts tend to be relatively concrete. The more abstract concepts through which they are necessarily interpreted lack the critical attention they should receive. Abstract concepts, therefore, do little for the interpretation of lower level concepts in terms of the higher. These contentions are illustrated by reference to recent arguments and studies in the politics of urban development.
Pharmacokinetics and physiological effects of two intravenous infusion rates of morphine in conscious dogs

This study examined the pharmacokinetics and physiologic effects of two infusions rates of morphine in conscious dogs. Five adult dogs were randomly studied at weekly intervals. An initial dose of either 0.3 or 0.6 mg/kg were each followed by infusions of 0.17 and 0.34 mg/kg/h. Plasma morphine concentrations, physiological parameters, sedation and mechanical antinociception were evaluated during each infusion. Morphine was assayed by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical coulometric detection and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. Data were fitted to a bi-compartment model with a rapid distribution ( 95% and body temperature decreased significantly during both infusions. No vomition or neuroexcitation occurred. Sedation and mechanical antinociception were both mild during the lower infusion rate, and mild to moderate during the higher infusion rate. In conclusion, morphine pharmacokinetics was not altered by increasing infusion rates, producing stable, long-lasting plasma concentrations.
The Effect of Levels of α-Galactosidase Enzyme on Performance of Broilers Fed Diets Based on Corn and Soybean Meal

SUMMARY A study was conducted with male chicks of a commercial broiler strain to evaluate the effects of different dosage levels of a commercial α-galactosidase enzyme. Diets were formulated based on corn and soybean meal to meet the nutrient standards of top poultry companies. The positive control diet was formulated with no adjustment in the ME content of the soybean meal associated with enzyme supplementation. The negative control diet was formulated assuming a 10% improvement in the ME of the soybean meal. The negative control diet was supplemented with 0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, or 6.0 g of enzyme per kilogram of soybean meal to provide for 0, 45, 90, 135, or 180 galactosidase units (GALU)/kg of soybean meal. Each of the test diets was fed in mash form to 8 replicate pens of 30 birds. Body weight, feed efficiency, mortality, and calorie conversion were determined at 14, 35, and 42 d of age. Body weight, feed efficiency, and mortality were not significantly (P < 0.05) affected by dietary treatment. Birds fed the negative control with no enzyme supplement were numerically reduced in body weight or feed efficiency as compared with the control diet; however, addition of the enzyme was without benefit. When unadjusted energy values were analyzed, birds fed the negative control diet were more efficient in calorie conversion, but this finding was unrelated to enzyme addition, suggesting that diet composition was responsible for the differences in calorie utilization. When adjusted energy values were compared, birds fed the negative control tended to have higher (less efficient) calorie conversion than those fed the positive control with little or no indication of improvement from the addition of the α-galactosidase enzyme. Results of this study show no benefit from the addition of the enzyme used in this trial.
Velocity and size dependences of the erosion rate in silicon

Abstract The results obtained in this investigation for the velocity and size dependences of the steady state erosion rate in silicon single crystals are consistent with the predicted power law relation only if certain modifications are made. The velocity exponent n must depend on the particle size in such a way that n decreases as D increases, and allowance should be made for the onset of an apparent size threshold effect at small particle sizes. Further theoretical work is needed to extend the existing models, taking into account a number of new physical features. Possible mechanism changes and thresholds seem most important in this context. Further systematic experiments are also needed to establish the important parameters and to extract reliably their phenomenological relations. It is pointed out that a cursory analysis of erosion rate data according to simple power law velocity and size dependence is likely to be inconsistent and a suitable range of D and υ values must be systematically analyzed.
Laser-fabrication for solid-state electronics

Three fabrication procedures used in laser processing are described, and the characteristics that make ultraviolet laser sources useful in these techniques are examined. The use of UV lasers for VLSI metallization, ultrashallow doping, in-situ processing, and electronic packaging is discussed. Writing with a tightly focused beam is also considered, for both repair and fabrication purposes. >
A HETEROGENEITY OF ROUS SARCOMA VIRUS REVEALED BY SELECTIVELY RESISTANT CHICK EMBRYO CELLS.

Abstract A preparation of the Bryan high-titer strain of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) was found to consist of two antigenically distinct variants, designated as RSV-1 and RSV-2. RSV-2 was immunologically related to, but not identical with avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV). RSV-1 showed no such relationship to AMV. RSV-2 differed further from RSV-1 by its growth properties in cell cultures derived from individual chick embryos. About 40% of the embryos from a commercial line of chickens gave tissue cultures resistant to RSV-2, whereas all embryos tested were sensitive to RSV-1. These differences between RSV-1 and RSV-2 proved to be controlled by two helper viruses, RAV-1 and RAV-2. RAV-1 shared with RSV-1 the antigenic makeup and the ability to grow in all chick embryos tested. RAV-2 was antigenically indistinguishable from RSV-2 and was unable to multiply in the same cells which were selectively resistant to RSV-2. The selective cellular resistance to RSV-2 was probably of genetic origin, since no evidence for the presence of an interfering avian leukosis virus could be found. The same resistance was also effective against the Schmidt-Ruppin strain of RSV and certain preparations of AMV.
Supercritical CO2 Extraction of Carotene and Lutein from Leaf Protein Concentrates

Supercritical fluid carbon dioxide was used to extract carotene and lutein from leaf protein concentrate (LPC). Extractions were performed using pressures of 10-70 MPa at 40°C and CO2 flow rates of 5-6 L/min. Over 90% of the carotene contained in LPC was removed at extraction pressures in excess of 30 MPa. Removal of lutein from LPC required higher extraction pressures (70 MPa) and gas volumes to attain a 70% recovery level. Experimental results were rationalized with the aid of solubility parameter theory. The described process offers the possibility of obtaining a selective extraction of natural colorants, free of solvent residuals, which can be used as food dyes.
Environmental microscopy in stone conservation

The natural weathering of stone is accelerated by the combined effects of acid rain, salt crystallization, and the freeze-thaw cycles of water. Since weathering will take place until the system reaches chemical equilibrium, we can mitigate the loss to historic stone monuments and structures by treatments of the stone that retard hydrolysis and impart mechanical strength. While macroscopic studies of stone weathering have been performed addressing the causes, the reactions, and the kinetics involved, the mechanisms of weathering, and the chemical remediation of stone need to be better understood at a microscopic level. Our approach uses environmental scanning electron microscopy where samples can be imaged in their wet, natural state, thus facilitating the in situ study of the weathering processes. The environment in the microscope is set up to simulate the conditions of degradation by introducing corrosive liquids and gases and varying the temperature, pressure, and water content in the environmental chamber of the microscope. In this study, we observed specimens of limestone, treated calcite, and sandstone. We have characterized the morphology, structure, and chemical constituents of the samples for comparison at a later stage when protective coatings will be applied. In situ leaching tests were performed on limestone samples to study the mechanisms of degradation. Granular disintegration due to leaching of the binding material between the grains was seen. We have also observed, in situ, the changes in the structure of sodium sulfate, used in salt crystallization tests, during hydration and dehydration cycles; it changed from that of dense grains to hydrated mesoporous granules with the generation of new surface area.
Azimuthal Shear in Compressible Finite Elasticity

In an earlier paper, the broadest classes of compressible isotropic strain energies that support irrotational universal deformations were identified and the problems of cylindrical and spherical inflation or compaction were solved in closed form for all of these strain energies. Similar closed form solutions of the problem of azimuthal shear are presented here.
Correction of shadow artifacts for vision-based vehicle guidance

For vision-based detection of lane boundaries, current computer vision algorithms for lane detection do not work well in regions of deep shadow. A pre-processing algorithm for detection and correction of shadow and low-sun angle artifacts was developed and successfully used to estimate lane boundaries on more than 6000 real highway images.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Autocatalytic avalanches of unit inelastic shearing events are the mechanism of plastic deformation in amorphous silicon

Discrete stress relaxations were found to be the source of low-temperature plastic flow in amorphous silicon (a-Si) as modeled by atomistic simulation using the Stillinger-Weber potential. These relaxations are triggered when a local yielding criterion is satisfied in a small cluster of atoms. The atomic rearrangements accompanying discrete stress relaxations are describable as autocatalytic avalanches of unit shearing events. Every such unit event centers on a clearly identifiable change in bond length between the two split peaks of the second nearest-neighbor shell in the radial distribution function of bulk a-Si in steady-state flow.
Analysis of Evaporation in Nuclear Waste Boreholes in Unsaturated Tuff

We present an analysis of evaporation in a nuclear waste borehole in unsaturated tuff. In unsaturated tuff, water in contact with a waste container will evaporate due to the difference in vapor pressure between water in a flat film and water held in rock pores with curved interfaces. Decay heat will also enhance evaporation. It is important to study evaporation in a potential geologic repository of nuclear waste in unsaturated rock because the corrosion of waste containers is increased with liquid water. For radionuclides other than gaseous ones, their release from waste solids requires liquid water.
New York Intellect: A History of Intellectual Life in New York City from 1750 to the Beginnings of Our Own Time

Cover Other Books by This Author Title Page Copyright Dedication Epigraph Acknowledgments Preface Prologue: New York City and the Condition of Intellect Part I: Civic Culture Chapter 1. The Emergence of City Chapter 2. Patricians and Artisans Chapter 3. A University of the City Part II: Literary Culture Chapter 4. Toward a Metropolitan Sensibility Chapter 5. The Metropolitan Gentry: Culture Against Politics Chapter 6. The Modern Literary Intellectual Part III: Academic Culture Chapter 7. A Metropolitan University Chapter 8. Professors as Intellectuals Part IV: An International Capital of Culture Chapter 9. Refiguration Notes
Modeling particulate charging in ESPs. II. Analytic approximations and refinements

For pt.I see IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol.24, no.5, p.922-7 (1988). In part I the problem of calculating particle charging in electrostatic precipitators in a self-consistent manner was addressed. A general solution in the form of a charging diagram was presented, but the details of the calculation process were left for detailed computer models. Two major simplifications are made by the author. One affects the form of the particulate-space-charge calculation, and the other is an analytic approximation of the corona wire V-I curve. With these simplifications and a bounding condition on the local current density, the self-consistent charging becomes much more tractable. Charging calculations with dilute and concentrated particle streams are compared. >
Economic benefit of the PHLAME wellness programme on firefighter injury

BackgroundWork-related injuries and illness are prevalent and costly. Firefighting is especially hazardous and many firefighters sustain work-related injuries. Workplace health promotion programmes have shown positive return on investment (ROI). Little is known about how similar programmes would impact injury and cost among firefighters.AimsTo evaluate the impact of a workplace health promotion intervention on workers' compensation (WC) claims and medical costs among Oregon fire departments participating in the PHLAME (Promoting Healthy Lifestyles: Alternative Models' Effects) health promotion programme compared with Oregon fire departments not participating in PHLAME.MethodsData from firefighters from four large urban fire departments in Oregon were evaluated using a retrospective quasi-experimental study design. Outcomes were (i) total annual firefighter WC claims, (ii) total annual incurred medical costs prior to and after implementation of the PHLAME firefighter worksite health promotion programme (iii) and an ROI analysis.ResultsData were obtained from 1369 firefighters (mean age of 42 years, 91% white, 93% male). WC claims (P Language: en
Flow patterns regulate hyperglycemia-induced subendothelial matrix remodeling during early atherogenesis

Objective: Altered subendothelial matrix composition regulates endothelial dysfunction and early atherosclerotic plaque formation. Hyperglycemia promotes endothelial matrix remodeling associated with multiple microvascular complications of diabetes, but a role for altered matrix composition in diabetic atherogenesis has not been described. Therefore, we sought to characterize the alterations in matrix composition during diabetic atherogenesis using both in vitro and in vivo model systems. Methods and results: Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in atherosclerosis-prone ApoE knockout mice promoted transitional matrix expression (fibronectin, thrombospondin-1) and deposition in intima of the aortic arch as determined by qRT-PCR array and immunohistochemistry. Early plaque formation occurs at discrete vascular sites exposed to disturbed blood flow patterns, whereas regions exposed to laminar flow are protected. Consistent with this pattern, hyperglycemia-induced transitional matrix deposition was restricted to regions of disturbed blood flow. Laminar flow significantly blunted high glucose-induced fibronectin expression (mRNA and protein) and fibronectin fibrillogenesis in endothelial cell culture models, whereas high glucose-induced fibronectin deposition was similar between disturbed flow and static conditions. Conclusions: Taken together, these data demonstrate that flow patterns and hyperglycemia coordinately regulate subendothelial fibronectin deposition during early atherogenesis.
A novel water-soluble selective CRF1 receptor antagonist, NBI 35965, blunts stress-induced visceral hyperalgesia and colonic motor function in rats.

The stress response involves the activation of two corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor subtypes. We investigated the role of CRF1 in stress-related visceral responses. A novel water-soluble tricyclic CRF1 antagonist, NBI 35965 was developed that displayed a high affinity for CRF1 (Ki approximately 4 nM) while having no binding affinity to CRF2. This antagonist also inhibited the stimulation of cAMP induced by sauvagine in CRF1 transfected cells. NBI 35965 administered per orally (p.o.) in rats (1, 3, 10 or 30 mg/kg) inhibited dose-dependently [125I]sauvagine binding selectively at brain sites of CRF1 distribution as shown by ex vivo receptor autoradiography. At the highest doses, NBI 35965 completely prevented [125I]sauvagine labeling in the cortex. NBI 35965 (10 mg/kg) administered p.o. or subcutaneously (s.c.) 1 h before intravenous CRF completely blocked the 81% shortening of distal colonic transit time induced by CRF. NBI 35965 (20 mg/kg s.c.) significantly reduced the defecation in response to water avoidance stress but not that induced by s.c. carbachol. In adult male Long-Evans rats that had undergone maternal separation, acute water avoidance stress significantly increased the visceromotor response to colorectal distention (20-80 mmHg) by 42+/-19% compared with the response before stress. Stress-induced visceral hyperalgesia was abolished by NBI 35965 (20 mg/kg, s.c.). The data show that NBI 35965 is a novel water-soluble selective CRF1 antagonist with bioavailability to the brain upon peripheral administration and that CRF1 receptor signaling pathways are involved in water avoidance stress-induced hyperalgesia to colorectal distention and stimulation of colonic transit.
Accretion Powered Emission in Young Stellar Objects

We discuss evidence supporting the magnetospheric accretion mode of mass transfer onto the star for a much larger range of masses that previously known, ∼ 0.03M⊙ — ∼ 5M⊙, and show corresponding mass accretion rate determination over this mass range. We find that the mass accretion rate M increases with stellar mass M*, roughly asy M ∝ M * 2 . The physical principles behind this correlation are unknown at present; they must involve mechanisms for transporting angular momentum outwards in the disk which must be active for accretion to take place. The recently found correlation between X-ray luminosity and stellar mass may play a role, by influencing the ionization degree in the disk, necessary for the magnetorotational instability, the most accepted mechanism driving accretion, to operate.
Engineering of Nitrosomonas europaea to express Vitreoscilla hemoglobin enhances oxygen uptake and conversion of ammonia to nitrite.

Nitrosomonas europaea was transformed with a recombinant plasmid bearing the gene (vgb) encoding the hemoglobin (VHb) from the bacterium Vitreoscilla under control of the N. europaea amoC P1 promoter. Vgb was maintained stably and appeared to be expressed in the transformants at VHb levels of about 0.75 nmol/g wet weight. Expression of VHb in the N. europaea transformants was correlated with an approximately 2 fold increase in oxygen uptake rate by whole cells at oxygen concentrations in the range of 75–100% saturation, but no change in oxygen uptake rate at oxygen concentrations below 25% saturation. VHb expression was also correlated with an increase of as much as about 30% in conversion of ammonia to nitrite by growing cells. The results suggest that engineering of key aerobic wastewater bacteria to express bacterial hemoglobins may be a useful strategy to produce species with enhanced respiratory abilities.
Incipient Sexual Isolation Among Cosmopolitan Drosophila Melanogaster Populations

Understanding the biological conditions and the genetic basis of early stages of sexual isolation and speciation is an outstanding question in evolutionary biology. It is unclear how much genetic and phenotypic variation for mating preferences and their phenotypic cues is segregating within widespread and human-commensal species in nature. A recent case of incipient sexual isolation between Zimbabwe and cosmopolitan populations of the human-commensal fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster indicates that such species may initiate the process of sexual isolation. However, it is still unknown whether other geographical populations have undergone evolution of mating preferences. In this study we present new data on multiple-choice mating tests revealing partial sexual isolation between the United States and Caribbean populations. We relate our findings to African populations, showing that Caribbean flies are partially sexually isolated from Zimbabwe flies, but mate randomly with West African flies, which also show partial sexual isolation from the United States and Zimbabwe flies. Thus, Caribbean and West African populations seem to exhibit distinct mating preferences relative to populations in the United States and in Zimbabwe. These results suggest that widespread and human-commensal species may harbor different types of mating preferences across their geographical ranges.
Biweekly 72-Hour 9-Aminocamptothecin Infusion As Second-Line Therapy for Ovarian Carcinoma: Phase II Study of the New York Gynecologic Oncology Group and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group

Purpose To determine the antitumor activity of the novel topoisomerase I inhibitor 9-aminocamptothecin (9-AC) given over 72 hours every 2 weeks in patients with ovarian carcinoma previously treated with one platinum-containing regimen. Patients and Methods Patients with ovarian carcinoma who received one prior platinum-containing regimen were eligible. Patients were stratified based on whether their disease was measurable, or nonmeasurable but assessable. 9-AC 35 μg/m2/h was administered by continuous infusion for 72 hours every 2 weeks via ambulatory pump. Results Sixty patients were entered, 32 with measurable and 28 with nonmeasurable but assessable disease. Ten (16.7%) of 60 patients responded (95% CI, 7.2% to 26.1%), with four complete responses and six partial remissions. The response rate for patients with measurable and nonmeasurable but assessable disease was 22% (95% CI, 7.6% to 36.2%) and 10.7% (95% CI, 2.3% to 28.2%), respectively. None of the responders were platinum-resistant. Nineteen patie...
Online Shopping Decision Behavior under Chinese Scene: Retrospect and Review

Online shopping as a new consumption pattern has been widely recognized . Therefore, the research on the decision-making behavior of online shopping provides a certain reference significance for the development of e-commerce and other relevant industries. This study from the research topic, scope and methods were compared with classical theory and previous research results. Aiming to explore the future trends of the research in this field, this study will propose future research prospects of online shopping decision-making behavior.
Delta compression for fast wireless Internet download

Delta compression (or differencing) algorithms take advantage of the statistical correlations between different files or packets so that common sequences between two files can be encoded using a copy reference. Delta compression forms the core of fast and efficient content download. In this paper, we present for the first time, a theoretical framework for delta compression based on information theory and Markov models, including insights into the compression bounds. We also simulated and implemented a generic delta compression scheme and demonstrated its real-time and non real-time performance by applying the scheme on binary data. It will be shown that our delta compression scheme is able to improve the real-time performance of wireless Internet download by up to 4 times
Improving risk assessment of violence among military Veterans: An evidence-based approach for clinical decision-making

Increased media attention to post-deployment violence highlights the need to develop effective models to guide risk assessment among military Veterans. Ideally, a method would help identify which Veterans are most at risk for violence so that it can be determined what could be done to prevent violent behavior. This article suggests how empirical approaches to risk assessment used successfully in civilian populations can be applied to Veterans. A review was conducted of the scientific literature on Veteran populations regarding factors related to interpersonal violence generally and to domestic violence specifically. A checklist was then generated of empirically-supported risk factors for clinicians to consider in practice. To conceptualize how these known risk factors relate to a Veteran's violence potential, risk assessment scholarship was utilized to develop an evidence-based method to guide mental health professionals. The goals of this approach are to integrate science into practice, overcome logistical barriers, and permit more effective assessment, monitoring, and management of violence risk for clinicians working with Veterans, both in Department of Veteran Affairs settings and in the broader community. Research is needed to test the predictive validity of risk assessment models. Ultimately, the use of a systematic, empirical framework could lead to improved clinical decision-making in the area of risk assessment and potentially help prevent violence among Veterans.
Attachment style and two forms of affect coregulation between romantic partners

This study examined 2 forms of affect coregulation in 48 cohabiting heterosexual couples who provided daily ratings of positive and negative affect for 21 days. Coregulation was operationalized as covariation in partners’ daily levels of affect and coupling of the rates of change of partners’ affective cycles. Both forms of coregulation were detected, and both were moderated by attachment style. These results are interpreted with respect to the timescales and time courses of each form of coregulation, suggesting that covariation may be more sensitive to discrete affective episodes unfolding during couples’ shared time together, whereas coupling may be a longer term process in which partners manifest sensitivity to one another’s overall patterns of affective fluctuation.
Color of Cultures of Staphylococcus epidermidis Determined by Spectral Reflectance Colorimetry

Brown, Richard W. (National Animal Disease Laboratory, Ames, Iowa). Color of cultures of Staphylococcus epidermidis determined by spectral reflectance colorimetry. J. Bacteriol. 91:911–918. 1966.—A colorimeter with a reflectance attachment was used to study pigment production by Staphylococcus epidermidis strains grown on a medium containing Trypticase Soy Agar (BBL) and cream. The color of each culture was first characterized by reflectance colorimetry for dominant wavelength, purity, and luminous reflectance (Y) and was then classified visually into 1 of 10 color grades. There was not complete agreement in grading colors by the two methods, inasmuch as cultures that were considered more pigmented in relation to other cultures by the reflectance method were sometimes graded visually as less pigmented, and vice versa. Nevertheless, when the cultures were visually graded as being more pigmented, there was a concomitant increase in the average values of dominant wavelength and purity with a decrease in Y for the cultures in each higher grade. Thus, the nonpigmented cultures had the lowest dominant wavelength and purity values but the highest Y (brightness) values, whereas the most pigmented cultures had the highest dominant wavelength and purity values, but the lowest Y values. These results indicated that the cultures did not produce pigments of different hues (greenish-yellow, yellow, yellowish-orange) each with high, medium, and low degrees of purity and brightness. The value (1 − z), where the chromaticity coordinate z = Z/(X + Y + Z), was found to be proportional to the purity value. An inverse relationship between the tristimulus Z and purity values was also demonstrated. All cultures tested by the reflectance method were also classified according to the type of spectral absorption curve obtained with pigments extracted from the cultures with methanol. A comparison of these methods indicated that determining the type of spectral absorption curve would be better for differentiating strains of S. epidermidis, whereas the use of the reflectance method would be better for determining differences of pigment production within strains.
Ephrin-A Binding and EphA Receptor Expression Delineate the Matrix Compartment of the Striatum

The striatum integrates limbic and neocortical inputs to regulate sensorimotor and psychomotor behaviors. This function is dependent on the segregation of striatal projection neurons into anatomical and functional components, such as the striosome and matrix compartments. In the present study the association of ephrin-A cell surface ligands and EphA receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) with the organization of these compartments was determined in postnatal rats. Ephrin-A1 and ephrin-A4 selectively bind to EphA receptors on neurons restricted to the matrix compartment. Binding is absent from the striosomes, which were identified by mu-opioid receptor immunostaining. In contrast, ephrin-A2, ephrin-A3, and ephrin-A5 exhibit a different mosaic binding pattern that appears to define a subset of matrix neurons. In situ hybridization for EphA RTKs reveals that the two different ligand binding patterns strictly match the mRNA expression patterns of EphA4 and EphA7. Ligand-receptor binding assays indicate that ephrin-A1 and ephrin-A4 selectively bind EphA4 but not EphA7 in the lysates of striatal tissue. Conversely, ephrin-A2, ephrin-A3, and ephrin-A5 bind EphA7 but not EphA4. These observations implicate selective interactions between ephrin-A molecules and EphA RTKs as potential mechanisms for regulating the compartmental organization of the striatum.
The multiple interaction model for nonshallow scatterers buried beneath 2-d random rough surfaces

The multiple interaction model is hybridized with the robust Steepest Descent Fast Multipole Method (SDFMM) to compute the signature of nonshallow penetrable scatterers buried beneath two-dimensional random rough surfaces. The most attractive feature of the multiple interaction model with using the SDFMM is removing the quasi-planar structure constraint for analyzing nonquasi-planar scatterers. The results show that the buried object's signature is largely due to the first interaction mechanism; however, the contribution of each additional interaction is explicitly calculated, though they may become insignificant especially for lossy background soil.
Future of stroke treatment

The greatest impact on the delivery of stroke treatment has been the movement to implement stroke centers and the expansion of acute stroke care through telemedicine. Access to vascular neurologists is likely to increase the rate of thrombolytic treatment for ischemic stroke and lessen the rising economic burden of this disease. The advancements in stroke research of today portend the future of stroke treatment. We anticipate implementation of effective neuroprotective agents, improvements in diagnostic neuroimaging and endovascular techniques, identification of the genomics of stroke-prone individuals and genetic engineering to reduce predetermined risk. We expect advancements in neurorehabilitation that will reduce dependency.