cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Medical ethics in cross-cultural and multi-cultural perspectives.

Abstract Recent concern with medical ethics is confined almost entirely to Western nations and Western medical systems, and is inspired primarily by contemporary technological developments. Little attention has been paid in past research to the logical necessity that an effective ethics must assign priorities between coexisting values in situations where difficult choices must be made, nor has empirical research been carried out to determine whether the choices that are made reflect a consistent ordering of values in supposedly homogeneous Western societies. Medical ethics have received little attention in comparative studies of medical systems, or in the cross-cultural transfer of medical knowledge and technology, where they may have major policy implications, as, for example, in family planning programs. Current ethical concerns in the West are dominated by the implications of new medical technology which may have little immediate application to non-Western countries, but such ethical questions as the allocation of scarce medical resources and the conflicts of obligations of healers to patients and other members of society must exist in all societies. The processes by which patients and practitioners are socialized with regard to medical ethics and the formal and informal mechanisms for inducing conformity to ethical standards are poorly described in studies of non-Western medical systems. Other than the question of religious differences, studies of Western medical ethics have not considered cultural differences, and simply ignore the pluralism which exists in healing systems of Western societies. Studies of the ethical implications of medical pluralism in non-Western societies have yet to be made. Aside from their inherent interest and potential importance for cross-cultural medical policy, comparative studies of medical ethics in cross-and multi-cultural context should yield important clues as to the structure of the moral order in complex and changing traditional socieities. Case studies of medical ethical problems, observation of the processes of medical decision-making, descriptive ethnography of formal and informal methods of inducing conformity with medical ethical values, and questionnaires tailored to the particular culture should be particularly helpful in studying these phenomena.
The permanent tax revolt: how the property tax transformed American politics

by Isaac William Martin, Stanford University Press, 2008, 264 pp., $21.95 (paper), ISBN 978‐0804758 On the morning of 20 April 1977, in Redwood City, California, 15 senior citizens who were facing ...
A slide-rule calculator for intravenous fluid requirements

Abstract A slide-rule calculator for intravenous fluid requirements is described. Starting with weight or body surface area, requirements are stated in terms of volume per square meter of body surface area. Average basic maintenance, replacement for dehydration, and initial rapid rehydration are indicated. Rapid and accurate calculations are possible, with elimination of decimal error. As a teaching tool, relationships of weight, surface area, and fluid requirements are demonstrated.
New force or thermal gradient in the Eötvös experiment

Recently, Fischbach et al. suggested that the accelerations of various materials to the Earth may be different depending on their compositions, on the basis of their reanalysis of the results of the experiment of E\"otv\"os, Pek\'ar, and Fekete. We find that systematic effects due to thermal gradients can account for the experimental data.
The role of spicules in hetaing the solar atmosphere Implications of EUV observations

Although spicules hae been obseved for many years, very little is known about their role in the transport of mass and energy between the chromosphere and the higher layers of the atmospere. Athay and Holzer (1982) demonstrated that the rise and fall of spicular material can supply the thermal energy required for heating the upper chromosphere, transition, and possibly corona. The proposed mechanism depends upon assumptions about the fate of spicules after they disappear from view in the visual spectrum where observations are limited to spectral lines formed at chromospheric temperatures. The present investigation is concerned with an analysis of meaurements of the spatial and temporal variations of EUV emission near the solar limb. The obtained results place empirical constraints on the fate of spicules after they disappear from view in the visible spectrum and thereby place constraints on their role in the transport of mass and energy between the chromosphere and corona.
Investigation of Free Singly and Doubly Charged Alkali Metal Sulfate Ion Pairs: M+(SO42-) and [M+(SO42-)]2 (M = Na, K)

The authors present a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of alkali metal sulfate ion pairs and their doubly charged dimers in the gas phase: Na{sup +}SO{sub 4}{sup 2{minus}}, K{sup +}SO{sub 4}{sup 2{minus}}, (NaSO{sub 4}){sub 2}{sup 2{minus}}, (KSO{sub 4}){sub 2}{sup 2{minus}}, and NaK(SO{sub 4}){sub 2}{sup 2{minus}}. They produced these anions using an electrospray technique and measured their photoelectron spectra at three photon energies, 355, 266, and 193 nm. The photoelectron spectra of each anion exhibit two detachment features, which approximately correspond to detachment from the HOMO and HOMO-1 of the SO{sub 4}{sup 2{minus}} group perturbed by the cations. The electron binding energies of the dimer dianions are lower than those of the monomers because of the strong electron-electron repulsion in the dianions. The authors also observed the repulsive Coulomb barriers in the dianions and their effects on the photodetachment spectra. They used density functional theory and ab initio molecular orbital theory to obtain the geometric and electronic structure of the ion pairs. The calculated electron binding energies and orbital energy separations are in reasonable agreement with the experimental values. The authors found that the MSO{sub 4}{sup {minus}} ion pairs have C{sub 3v} symmetry with a C{sub 2v} structure slightly higher inmore » energy. In the dimer dianions the two alkali metal cations bridge the two SO{sub 4}{sup 2{minus}} groups.« less
Identification of the binding site for the Shc protein to the avianerythroblastosis virus (AEV-H) v-erbB Protein

Abstract Activation of tyrosine kinase growth factor receptors leads to autophosphorylation of specific tyrosine residues within the intracellular region of the receptor. The phosphorylated tyrosines serve as binding sites for various cytoplasmic proteins. The Shc protein is one such protein. Upon activation of the chicken c-erbB protein by ligand Shc binds to the c-erbB protein and becomes phosphorylated on tyrosine. Similarly, Shc is found bound to the constitutively phosphorylated v-erbB protein encoded by the avian erythroblastosis virus strain H, AEV-H. Utilizing various mutant forms of the v-erbB protein, the residue equivalent to tyrosine 1154 in the chicken c-erbB protein was shown to serve as a binding site for the Shc protein to the AEV-H v-erbB protein. However, binding to this site was not essential for, transformation since v-erbB oncoproteins which lacked this site still transform both erythroid cells and fibroblasts.
Modification of heterojunction band offsets at III-V/IV/III-V interfaces

We summarize here a systematic investigation of the structural and electronic properties of III- V/IV semiconductor heterojunctions (with IV equals Si, Ge, and III-V equals GaAs, AlAs) as well as III-V/IV/III-V single and multiple quantum well structures. All structures were fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy and characterized in-situ by reflection high energy electron diffraction and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and ex-situ by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. We found that relatively abrupt composition profiles and ideal pseudomorphic growth could be achieved through appropriate deposition conditions. Measurements of the band discontinuities indicated that large deviations from the commutativity and transitivity rules of heterojunction band offsets are observed in most of these interfaces. Such deviations demonstrate the dependence of the band discontinuities on the local interface environment and are related, in general, to the establishment of inequivalent local interface environments.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Transnational Religions: The Roman Catholic Church in Brazil & the Orthodox Church in Russia

This essay examines several current issues facing the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil and the Russian Orthodox Church in the post-Soviet, multi-ethnic republic that is today called the Russian Federation. To the extent possible, I shall treat both the issues and institutions comparatively, even if selectively and almost solely out of a concern for contemporary transnational religions, a subject I have explored since the mid-nineteen eighties and do so again here
Lobe‐specific proteome changes in the dorsal‐lateral and ventral prostate of TRAMP mice versus wild‐type mice

The transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate (TRAMP) is the most widely used transgenic model for prostate cancer chemoprevention studies. Although two lobe-specific lineages of carcinogenesis have been described, the molecular mechanisms are still poorly defined. Here, we concurrently profiled the proteome of dorsal-lateral (DLP) and ventral (VP) prostate lobes of both TRAMP and littermate WT C57BL/6 mice of 18 wk by 2-D LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF with iTRAQ labeling. A total of 483 and 748 proteins were identified at critical false discovery rates of 1 and 5%. In WT mice, 84 proteins were found to have different expression levels between DLP and VP. In TRAMP mice, 118 proteins significantly changed in DLP and/or VP during TRAMP carcinogenesis. Among them, 55 and 36 proteins were uniquely changed in DLP or VP lobe, respectively, and 27 proteins in both DLP and LP lobe. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was able to segregate proteins changed in two lobes into different pathway networks. In addition to serving as reference for prostate proteomic profiles, our data suggest that different sets of proteins are involved in the carcinogenesis in DLP versus VP in the TRAMP model.
MYELIN FORMATION FOLLOWING TRANSPLANTATION OF NORMAL FETAL GLIA INTO MYELIN-DEFICIENT RAT SPINAL CORD

Structurally normal myelin sheaths develop in the spinal cord of juvenile myelin-deficient rats (mdr) 11 days after transplantation of normal fetal spinal cord fragments or cultured cells that do not yet express galactocerebroside. Cultures result in more extensive myelin formation, and in both cases the myelin that forms is located primarily at or near the site of transplantation. Myelin formation also occurs after transplantation of postnatal donor tissue, but the extent diminishes with donor age, and none was seen after transplantation of adult donor tissue over the two-week period studied. Injection of killed tissue, tissue derived from mouse donors or an extract of myelin also did not lead to myelin formation. The results imply that myelin formed in the host following transplantation was generated by oligodendrocytes newly differentiated from donor precursor cells rather than by donor oligodendrocytes that were already mature at the time of transplantation or by host oligodendrocytes that took up components of the injected material. We conclude that exogenous fetal glial cell precursors are able to survive, differentiate and form myelin in the environment of the juvenile mdr spinal cord.
Sum Capacity (Sub)Optimality of Orthogonal Transmissions in Vector Gaussian Multiple Access Channels

We study in this paper the sum capacity achievability of orthogonal transmissions in vector Gaussian multiple access channels (MAC). Specifically, we derive the sufficient and necessary conditions, in terms of channel matrices and transmitter power constraints, for orthogonal transmission to achieve the sum capacity of a vector Gaussian MAC. The obtained conditions provide a unified framework in explaining many of the results that are intuitively true. They also enable us to explore cases that have not been addressed to determine the (sub)optimality of orthogonal transmissions compared with the overlay transmission.
Spalling failure of α-alumina films grown by oxidation: I. Dependence on cooling rate and metal thickness

Abstract The residual compressive stress in α-Al 2 O 3 oxide films formed on the surface of FeCrAl Kanthal A-1 heat-resisting alloy at 1200°C is measured as a function of the cooling rate from the oxidation temperature and the oxidemetal thickness ratio. Except for the high cooling rates of about 500–1000°C min −1 , relaxation in both the oxide and the metal significantly reduces the residual stress. The oxide exhibits failure after cooling at intermediate rates (5–200°C min −1 ) but remains intact after cooling at either higher or lower rates. The failure occurs by spontaneous buckling and spalling at room temperature under a constant residual stress in the film. The extent of buckling and spalling does not decrease by reducing the residual stress in the film. Surprisingly, at a given cooling rate, spalling is more pronounced on thinner metal plates when the oxide stress is smaller. Moreover, it appears that the best spalling resistance usually corresponds to the highest compressive stress in the oxide.
Structural and melting studies of crosslinked linear polyethylenes

Abstract The level of extractables, crystallinity, unit-cell parameters and X-ray line-broadening information have been obtained for linear polyethylene crosslinked using VulCup R® in weight fractions ranging from 0.1 to 3.1%. Melting and crystallization studies have been carried out on the sol and gel fractions, as well as the unextracted crosslinked polymer. Melting and crystallization behaviour is dependent upon the level of extractables, crystallization temperature and crosslink density. The sol fraction is shown to influence the fraction of high-temperature-melting crystals, as well as their melting temperatures.
Efficient dispatching rules on double tracks with heterogeneous train traffic

Abstract The most natural and popular dispatching rule for double-track segments is to dedicate one track for trains traveling in one direction. However, sometimes passenger trains have to share some portions of the railway with freight trains and passenger trains are traveling faster and faster nowadays. The major drawback of this dedicated rule is that a fast train can be caught behind a slow train and experience significant knock-on delay. In this paper, we propose a switchable dispatching policy for a double-track segment. The new dispatching rule enables the fast train to pass the slow train by using the track traveled by trains in the opposite direction if the track is empty. We use queueing theory techniques to derive the delay functions of this policy. The numerical experiments show that a switchable policy can reduce the fast train knock-on delay by as high as 30% compared to a dedicated policy. When there are crossovers at the middle of the double-track segment, our proposed switchable policy can reduce the delay of the fast trains by as high as 65%.
Research with stored ions produced using synchrotron radiation

Abstract A distribution of argon ion charge states has been produced by inner shell photoionization of argon atoms using X-ray synchrotron radiation. These ions were stored in a Penning ion trap at moderate to very low well depths, and analog-detected yielding narrow charge-to-mass spectrum linewidths. Estimates of ion densities indicated that ion-ion collisional energy transfer should be rapid, leading to thermalization. Measurements using variants of this novel stored, multicharged ion gas are considered.
Norm-Coarsened Ordering for Parallel Incomplete Cholesky Preconditioning

The ordering of a matrix vastly impact the convergence rate of precondition conjugate gradient method. Past ordering methods focus solely on a graph representation of the sparse matrix and do not give an inside into the convergence rate that is linked to the preconditioned eigenspectrum. This work attempt to investigate how numerical based ordering may produce a better preconditioned system in terms of faster convergence.
Probabilistic modelling of the bond deterioration of fully-grouted rock bolts subject to spatiotemporally stochastic corrosion

Developing predictive models for quantitative assessment of the deterioration of rock bolts exposed to corrosive environments is essential for rational planning of maintenance activities for anchorage structures. This article presents a probability-based computational model for predicting the time-dependent deterioration of bond capacity of corroding rock bolts due to the attack of chlorides. The inherent stochastic nature involved in the corrosion and degradation process is identified and simulated. A method is developed based on fundamental Mohr–Coulomb theory to evaluate the effect of corrosion on the bond strength due to a failure mode involving splitting of grout cover. Parameters affecting both strength and stress state at the bolt–grout interface are quantitatively related to the degree of corrosion. Integrating the realised corrosion stochastic process and the developed bond loss evaluation method, a computational algorithm based on Monte Carlo simulation is presented for evaluating the bond deter...
Thermal Degradation of Unvulcanized and Vulcanized Rubber in a Vacuum

Abstract The history of distillation of rubber under various conditions of temperature, pressure, and atmosphere goes back more than a century. As far back as 1860, Williams distilled rubber in an iron retort at relatively low temperatures and obtained some 5 per cent of crude isoprene. In 1922, Staudinger and Fritschi distilled rubber at 275° to 320° C at 0.1- to 0.3-mm. pressure and obtained 3.1 per cent of isoprene. In 1926 Staudinger and Geiger distilled rubber below 300° C at ordinary pressure in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide and obtained 4.3 per cent of crude isoprene. Distillation of rubber at higher temperatures and under atmospheric pressure yielded as much as 58 per cent of isoprene. In addition to isoprene, dipentene and higher terpene compounds were also identified in the distillation products of natural rubber. More recently, distillations of pure synthetic polyisoprene (a mixture of cis- and trans-polyisoprene), purified natural rubber (cis-polyisoprene), and purified gutta hydrocarbon (tr...
Brain-stem encephalitis caused by Epstein-Barr virus.

A case of brain-stem encephalitis with strong serologic evidence of acute Epstein-Barr virus infection is described. Recovery was rapid without treatment, but mild neurologic sequelae were seen at 6-month follow-up. Epstein-Barr virus infection in childhood may be asymptomatic and heterophil antibody negative. Encephalitis is an unusual but well-recognized complication of Epstein-Barr virus infection, but localized brain-stem involvement, to our knowledge, has not been previously described. (J Child Neurol 1993;8:40-42).
Postmortem Interval Influences α-Synuclein Expression in Parkinson Disease Brain.

Duplications and triplications of the α-synuclein (SNCA) gene increase risk for PD, suggesting increased expression levels of the gene to be associated with increased PD risk. However, past SNCA expression studies in brain tissue report inconsistent results. We examined expression of the full-length SNCA transcript (140 amino acid protein isoform), as well as total SNCA mRNA levels in 165 frontal cortex samples (101 PD, 64 control) using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, we evaluated the relationship of eight SNPs in both 5′ and 3′ regions of SNCA with the gene expression levels. The association between postmortem interval (PMI) and SNCA expression was different for PD and control samples: SNCA expression decreased with increasing PMI in cases, while staying relatively constant in controls. For short PMI, SNCA expression was increased in PD relative to control samples, whereas for long PMI, SNCA expression in PD was decreased relative to control samples.
Novel approach to multichannel SPR sensing

A novel approach to multichannel SPR sensing based on encoding information from separate sensing channels into a single optical spectrum is presented. A dual channel SPR sensor using this approach is demonstrated. Attention is given to exploitation of the dual-channel SPR sensor for compensation for background interference and non-specific adsorption of the biomolecules to the surface of the SPR biosensor. Experimental results indicate that background refractive index changes were compensated with accuracy better than 8 X 10-5 RIU (refractive index unit); the effect of a temperature change of 3.6 K was reduced by a factor of 13 by the dual-channel sensor. SPR biosensor-based detection of monoclonal anti-dinitrophenyl antibody (a-DNP) with compensation for non-specific adsorption is demonstrated.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Campaign Effects on the Accessibility of Party Identification

This study uses response latency, the time required for a survey respondent to formulate an answer upon hearing a question, to examine the accessibility of partisan self identifications over the course of a political campaign season. Although the aggregate distribution of partisanship remains fairly stable during the campaign, party identifications become more accessible to individuals with weaker party identifications as the election approaches. Consistent with theoretical expectations, the authors find that partisan orientations are more useful in forming political judgments when those orientations are more accessible to the voter. The effect of partisanship on vote choice is a third greater for voters with highly accessible party identifications than for those with less accessible party identifications.
Some critical observations of the test information function as a measure of local accuracy in ability estimation

The test information function serves important roles in latent trait models and in their applications. Among others, it has been used as the measure of accuracy in ability estimation. A question arises, however, if the test information function is accurate enough for all meaningful levels of ability relative to the test, especially when the number of test items is relatively small (e.g., less than 50). In the present paper, using the constant information model and constant amounts of test information for a finite interval of ability, simulated data were produced for eight different levels of ability and for twenty different numbers of test items ranging between 10 and 200. Analyses of these data suggest that it is desirable to consider some modification of the test information function when it is used as the measure of accuracy in ability estimation.
High‐density perfusion culture of insect cells with a BioSep ultrasonic filter

The baculovirus/insect cell expression system has provided a vital tool to produce a high level of active proteins for many applications. We have developed a very high-density insect cell perfusion process with an ultrasonic filter as a cell retention device. The separation efficiency of the filter was studied under various operating conditions. A cell density of over 30 million cells/mL was achieved in a controlled perfusion bioreactor and cell viability remained greater than 90%. Sf9 cells from a high-density culture and a spinner culture were infected with two recombinant baculoviruses expressing genes for the production of human chitinase and monocyte-colony inhibition factor. The protein yield on a cell basis from infecting high-density Sf9 cells was the same as or higher than that from the spinner Sf9 culture. Virus production from the high-density culture was similar to that from the spinner culture. The results show that the ultrasonic filter did not affect insect cells' ability to support protein expression and virus production following infection with baculovirus. The potential applications of the high-density perfusion culture for large-scale protein expression from Sf9 cells are also highlighted.
Adsorption of hydrogen and carbon monoxide on platinum

Abstract TDS spectra and ESD ion energy distributions have been measured for coadsorption of H 2 and CO on recrystallized platinum. Sample exposure to a 90% H 2 −10% CO gas mixture results in appearance of structurein both TDS spectra of H 2 and CO. Coadsorption also results in an O + ion energy distribution which is much narrower compared to the distribution resulting from pure CO adsorption. These results are interpreted as evidence for the formation of an H-CO surface complex.
Side-population cells in luminal-type breast cancer have tumour-initiating cell properties, and are regulated by HER2 expression and signalling

The expression of side-population (SP) cells and their relation to tumour-initiating cells (T-ICs) have been insufficiently studied in breast cancer (BC). We therefore evaluated primary cell cultures derived from patients and a panel of human BC cell lines with luminal- or basal-molecular signatures for the presence of SP and BC stem cell markers. The SPs from luminal-type BC were analysed for BC T-IC characteristics, including human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), ERα, IGFBP7 expression and their ability to initiate tumours in non-obese diabetic severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice. Pharmacological modulators were used to assess the effects of HER2 signalling and breast cancer-resistance protein (BCRP) expression on SPs. The SP was more prevalent in the luminal subtype of BC compared with the basal subtype. HER2 expression was significantly correlated with the occurrence of an SP (r2=0.75, P=0.0003). Disappearance of SP in the presence of Ko143, a specific inhibitor of the ATP-binding cassette transporter BCRP, suggests that BCRP is the predominant transporter expressed in this population. The SP also decreased in the presence of HER2 signalling inhibitors AG825 or trastuzumab, strengthening the notion that HER2 contributed to the SP phenotype, likely through downstream AKT signalling. The SP cells from luminal-type MCF-7 cells with enforced expression of HER2, and primary cells with luminal-like properties from a BC patient, displayed enrichment in cells capable of repopulating tumours in NOD/SCID mice. Engraftment of SP cells was inhibited by pretreatment with AG825 or by in vivo treatment with trastuzumab. Our findings indicate an important role of HER2 in regulating SP and hence T-ICs in BC, which may account for the poor responsiveness of HER2-positive BCs to chemotherapy, as well as their aggressiveness.
Atypical Symptoms of Depression in a Sample of Depressed Child and Adolescent Outpatients

ABSTRACT Objective To examine the presence of symptoms of atypical depression among children and adolescents with a major depressive disorder (MDD). Method One thousand forty-six youths (aged 6-19 years) meeting DSM-III-R criteria for MDD were included in the study. All subjects had presented at an outpatient clinic seeking treatment and were identified as having MDD via clinical interviews using the semistructured Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present Episode (K-SADS-P) with the youngster themselves and a parent/guardian. A diagnosis of atypical depression was derived from the symptoms of depression assessed in the K-SADS-P and required the presence of mood reactivity and at least one the following symptoms: hypersomnia, increased appetite, weight gain, or psychomotor retardation (substituted for leaden paralysis). Results One hundred sixty-two (15.5%) of the depressed youths met criteria for atypical depression. The symptoms of atypical depression were found to correlate marginally, and the diagnosis of atypical depression had marginal construct validity for both children and adolescents. Conclusions The findings from this large sample of depressed children and adolescents suggest that atypical features of depression occur in this age group. However, the diagnosis of atypical depression appears to have only marginal construct validity for both children and adolescents.
Interventional immunotherapy in breast cancer

257 ISSN 1758-1923 10.2217/BMT.12.44 © 2012 Future Medicine Ltd Breast Cancer Manage. (2012) 1(4), 257–260 Breast cancer remains a global public health burden with more than 1 million new cases diagnosed worldwide each year [101]. Furthermore, despite notable diagnostic and therapeutic innovations over the last several decades, approximately a third of women with early-stage breast cancer ultimately develop distant metastases and die of related complications [101,102]. Until all women are cured of this disease, additional therapeutic strategies are needed. However, because each individual patient is unique and their tumors are similarly heterogeneous, it is likely that successful future treatment innovations will harness and, perhaps, exploit these unique features if truly personalized medicine is to be delivered. One such promising strategy combines tumor ablation with immune stimulation. The overarching hypothesis behind this strategy is that ablation of a tumor mass generates tumor fragments that are potentially readily digested by the immune system. If the immune system is further potentiated, a robust response to an individual’s tumor may be achieved. It is hoped that by exploiting the biology of an individual’s tumor and harnessing an individual’s immune system, life-long immunity to one’s tumor and, thus, cure may be achieved. Some of the most notable recent therapeutic innovations in breast cancer reflect improvements in the ability to recognize biologically distinct breast cancer subtypes and, ultimately, to tailor treatment recommendations to these features. Currently, outside of clinical trials, biologic subsets are primarily defined by two biologic features: hormone receptor and HER2 status. In fact, the recognition of HER2 status and the subsequent successful development of HER2-targeted therapies represents one of the most notable innovations in breast cancer therapy within the last several decades and has translated into dramatic clinical improvements for women with HER2-positive disease [1,2]. However, breast cancer subtyping not only confers advances (better targeted therapies and improved patient selection) but also presents significant clinical challenges (ever
Pediatric environmental health: perceptions from a survey questionnaire.

AbstractTo expand the base of knowledge regarding perceptions about potential environmental threats to children's health, a survey was conducted in the Northwest United States. Samples of Head Start parents, PTA presidents, public health officials, school nurses, naturopathic physicians, family practitioners, and pediatricians were mailed a questionnaire inquiring into the nature and degree of concerns about pediatric environmental health. The response rate was 24%. Trends in the data showed disparities in perceptions regarding levels of concern and exposure concerns between respondent categories. Disparities also existed regarding information resources used for children's environmental health. Recognizing differences in perceptions of children's environmental health, as demonstrated in these results, may be useful for risk communication and resource allocation, especially in the context of the wide variety of health belief models. Such knowledge may help clarify situations with environmental health risk ...
The wealth effects of shareholder-sponsored proposals

Abstract Shareholder-sponsored proposals represent direct attempts to improve the operating and governance performance of publicly held corporations. This study examines the different types of shareholder proposals to determine their impact on value. While some recent studies show positive wealth effects for small or specific samples associated with shareholder proposal announcements or no wealth effects at all, this study documents significant negative abnormal returns for a large sample of firms. The results of previous studies suggest that shareholder proposals are beneficial to shareholders, and this study shows that to be true for only a fraction of them. Although management opposes the overwhelming majority of shareholder proposals, there are rare instances in which they either support the proposal and negotiate a settlement or in which the proposal receives enough support at the annual meeting to pass. This study documents positive abnormal returns for these cases.
Improved algorithms for link-based non-tree clock networks for skew variability reduction

In the nanometer VLSI technology, the variation effects like manufacturing variation, power supply noise, temperature etc. become very significant. As one of the most vital nets in any synchronous VLSI chip, the Clock Distribution Network (CDN) is especially sensitive to these variations. Recently proposed link-based non-tree [1] addresses this problem by constructing a non-tree that is significantly more tolerant to variations when compared to a clock tree. Although the two algorithms proposed in [1] are effective in reducing the skew variability, they have a few drawbacks including high complexity, lengthy links and uneven link distribution across the clock network. In this paper, we propose two new algorithms that can overcome these disadvantages. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithms has been validated using HSPICE based Monte Carlo simulations. Experimental results show that the new algorithms are able to achieve the same or better skew reduction with an average of 5% wire length increase when compared to the 15% wire length increase of the existing algorithms in [1]. Moreover, the new algorithms scale extremely well to big clock networks, i.e., the bigger the clock network, the less overall link cost (less than 2% for the biggest benchmark we have).
Nanolithography using high transmission nanoscale ridge aperture probe

Nanoscale ridge apertures provide a highly confined radiation spot with a high transmission efficiency when used in the near field approach. The radiation confinement and enhancement is due to the electric–magnetic field concentrated in the gap between the ridges. This paper reports the experimental demonstration of radiation enhancement using such antenna apertures and lithography of nanometer size structures. The process utilizes a NSOM (near field scanning optical microscopy) probe with a ridge aperture at the tip, and it combines the nonlinear two photon effect from femtosecond laser irradiation to achieve sub-diffraction limit lithography resolution.
Photoelectron holography: Prospects and limitations of direct methods

Abstract Images of near-surface atoms can be obtained from photoelectron diffraction data by various imaging algorithms, the basic method being: (a) a Fourier transform over k-space involving a path-length difference phase factor. We will also discuss two recently proposed direct methods that compensate for the non-optical atomic scattering of photoelectrons: (b) a Fourier transform of small k-space cones centered on the approximately optical scattering regions of a photoelectron diffraction data set; and (c), a truly quantum mechanical Fourier transform that accounts for the non-optical propagation and atomic scattering of the photoelectrons in the first Born approximation. Atomic images produced by these three methods are compared for photoelectron diffraction patterns calculated from a single scattering Ni trimer, and a large multiple scattering Ni bulk cluster. All three methods are found to comparably resolve backscattering atomic images, while poorly resolving forward and side scattering atomic images.
Stress testing and electron beam computed tomography for evaluation of patients with suspected coronary artery disease

I read with interest the study by Shavelle et al. [(1)][1]on the value of exercise testing and electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) in the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD). The investigators report that when applied to a population referred for angiography, EBCT has a sensitivity of
Gastric Emptying of Solid Meal in Male Chronic Alcoholics

Nausea and vomiting are common complaints in chronic alcoholics. Autonomic neuropathy and esophageal motor abnormalities are frequently observed in chronic alcoholics, but gastric emptying has not been studied in these patients. Gastric emptying of a solid meal was measured, using 99mTc-sulfur colloid cooked in a scrambled egg, in 10 male chronic alcoholics with upper gastrointestinal complaints of nausea and vomiting. All patients were adequately nourished, recently drinking, but just over withdrawal and free of clinical peripheral neuropathy. Gastric emptying in 10 alcoholics was similar to 5 normal controls (t 1/2 115 +/- 12 versus 107 +/- 8 min). These data suggest that upper gastrointestinal symptoms in chronic alcoholics are not related to gastric motor dysfunction.
Machine learning despite unknown classes

This paper revisits supervised machine learning for multiclass problems with the assumption that all classes cannot be represented in a training set. This is common in many applications in which there are numerous classes or in which some classes are exceedingly rare. In this paper we propose the use of a decision function to serve in place of the decision boundaries which are used in many machine learning techniques. We demonstrate this technique using Fisher's iris data and an application to language recognition.
The Actual and Self-Perceived Knowledge of Diabetes Among Staff Nurses:

The actual and self-perceived knowledge of diabetes among staff nurses was evaluated utilizing previously validated and standardized instruments. One hundred twenty-seven staff nurses employed at t...
Mitochondrial Crisis in Cerebrovascular Endothelial Cells Opens the Blood–Brain Barrier

Background and Purpose—The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a selectively permeable cerebrovascular endothelial barrier that maintains homeostasis between the periphery and the central nervous system. BBB disruption is a consequence of ischemic stroke and BBB permeability can be altered by infection/inflammation, but the complex cellular and molecular changes that result in this BBB alteration need to be elucidated to determine mechanisms. Methods—Infection mimic (lipopolysaccharide) challenge on infarct volume, BBB permeability, infiltrated neutrophils, and functional outcomes after murine transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in vivo; mitochondrial evaluation of cerebrovascular endothelial cells challenged by lipopolysaccharide in vitro; pharmacological inhibition of mitochondria on BBB permeability in vitro and in vivo; the effects of mitochondrial inhibitor on BBB permeability, infarct volume, and functional outcomes after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Results—We report here that lipopo...
Evidence finding using a collection of books

This paper introduces the task of Evidence Finding, a novel information retrieval task that uses books - a traditionally more trust-worthy source of information - to help provide evidence to support a statement. What makes this evidence-finding task different from other tasks, such as the related INEX Prove It task, is that both the statement for which evidence is sought and its context are given to the search system. A practical application of this system is to provide supporting or refuting evidence from books for a statement made within a Wikipedia article, using the entire article as contextual support for query generation. We provide details of this task as well as an analysis of a number of retrieval methods that address this task.
Cooperative Medical Decision Support

Traditional medical decision support systems have not met with widespread use in clinical practice. Issues that have prevented clinical adoption include narrow domain focus, models which are not sufficiently deep, and lack of trust in the system's reliability. While the methodologies may be sound, the acquisition of sufficient medical domain knowledge is often the drawback. In this work, basic methodologies that have been applied in independent decision support systems are modified to function in a new domain in which computer-assisted decision making is focused on analysis of the electronic patient record with the goal of notifying the physician if significant changes have occurred in the state of the patient. The objective is not simply to report individual values that have fallen outside of normal ranges, but to examine the patient record using in-depth diagnostic models and provide three levels of alerts when significant changes occur.
Closed-form analytical thermal model for accurate temperature estimation of multilevel ULSI interconnects

Accurate integrity assessment of on-chip interconnect temperature rise is essential for high performance chip design. This paper presents a compact analytical model for estimating the temperature rise of multilevel ULSI interconnects incorporating via effect. The predicted temperature distributions are shown to be in excellent agreement with the 3-D finite element thermal simulation (ANSYS) results. Additionally, this model provides an efficient approach to analyze realistic chip level interconnect temperature which is extremely difficult to do with ANSYS. Significant difference in temperature distribution and maximum temperature rise is observed between the realistic situation of heat dissipation with vias and the overly simplified case that ignores via effect. The closed-form expression is further applied to evaluate the impact of the interconnect heating on the various design rule parameters and scaling of deep sub-micron Cu/low-k interconnects.
All Parents Are to Blame (Except This One): Global Versus Specific Attitudes Related to Parental Responsibility Laws

Increasing state legislation and media interest give the appearance of public support for parental responsibility laws; however, some national polls suggest otherwise. Based on disparate global and specific attitudes in other areas of the criminal justice literature, it was hypothesized that relatively weak global support for parental responsibility would be diminished even more if a specific juvenile was described. The current studies confirmed that participants were even less supportive of parental responsibility laws when a specific juvenile and his parents were described than they were when they answered questions about parents in general.
Management of Brain Abscess

Despite recent advances in neuroimaging techniques, brain abscesses can be difficult to diagnose and may often require surgical intervention. The primary sources of infection are often difficult to locate; hence, even if an abscess is suspected, the organisms may remain unknown. In other patients, the location of the lesion may be in a site of the brain where surgical intervention may not be possible. The types of brain abscesses, their pathophysiology including predisposing conditions, and their characteristic radiologic features are discussed in this review, with particular emphasis on the indications and modes of medical management of brain abscesses. It discusses the use of antimicrobial agents that have the best central nervous system penetration and outlines a strategy for treatment of organisms likely to infect the brain with the different types of predisposing conditions. Also discussed are the indications for empirical therapy, and antimicrobial regimens for this purpose are suggested.
Acoustic radiation from sources convected at transonic speeds

Each supersonic jet contains a long segment of transonic flow, and it is known through acoustic experiments that the strongest noise production region is embedded in this segment. The linearized convected wave equation breaks down in the transonic regime and a nonlinear equation must be used. Amplitude, directivity, and the transonic similarity rule for noise radiation can be established through proper matching of the displacement amplitude between the source and the wave field. This paper is a first step towards establishing a general theory of transonic aeroacoustics.
Mechanical Stress, Local Renin-Angiotensin System and Cardiac Hypertrophy: An Overview

Hypertrophy is a fundamental adaptive process employed by postmitotic cardiac and skeletal muscles in response to mechanical load. External load also plays a critical role in determining muscle mass and its phenotype in cardiac myocytes. Interestingly, cardiac myocytes have the intrinsic ability to sense mechanical stretch and convert it into intracellular growth signals, which finally culminate in hypertrophic growth. Mechanical stretch of cardiac myocytes in vitro causes activation of multiple messenger systems, upregulation of many immediate early genes (e.g., c-fos, c-myc, c-jun, etc.), and re-expression of fetal-type genes (e.g., atrial natriuretic factor, skeletal a-actin, β-myosin heavy chain), reminiscent of cardiac hypertrophy in vivo. Stretch of neonatal rat cardiac myocytes stimulates a rapid secretion of angiotensin (Ang) II and an upregulation of all major components of cardiac renin-angiotensin system (RAS) genes. Ang II, along with other (secreted) growth factors, mediates many, if not all, stretch-induced hypertrophic responses. In this review, the relationship between mechanical loading, cardiac RAS, and cardiac hypertrophy is discussed. In addition, various cell signaling mechanisms initiated by mechanical stress on cardiac myocytes are briefly summarized.
STAT3 Signaling Is Required for Optimal Regression of Large Established Tumors in Mice Treated with Anti-OX40 and TGFβ Receptor Blockade

In preclinical tumor models, αOX40 therapy is often successful at treating small tumors, but is less effective once the tumors become large. For a tumor immunotherapy to be successful to cure large tumors, it will most likely require not only an agonist to boost effector T-cell function but also inhibitors of T-cell suppression. In this study, we show that combining αOX40 antibodies with an inhibitor of the TGFβ receptor (SM16) synergizes to elicit complete regression of large established MCA205 and CT26 tumors. Evaluation of tumor-infiltrating T cells showed that SM16/αOX40 dual therapy resulted in an increase in proliferating granzyme B(+) CD8 T cells, which produced higher levels of IFNγ, compared with treatment with either agent alone. We also found that the dual treatment increased pSTAT3 expression in both CD4 and CD8 T cells isolated from tumors. Because others have published that STAT3 signaling is detrimental to T-cell function within the tumor microenvironment, we explored whether deletion of STAT3 in OX40-expressing cells would affect this potent combination therapy. Surprisingly, we found that deletion of STAT3 in OX40-expressing cells decreased the efficacy of this combination therapy, showing that the full therapeutic potential of this treatment depends on STAT3 signaling, most likely in the T cells of tumor-bearing mice.
Abstract No. 94: Bone marrow derived cells do not contribute to venous neointimal hyperplasia (VNH) in a murine model of arteriovenous fistula with chronic kidney disease

Index. All patients were followed forward in time from time of AVF creation to the first of AVF primary patency failure, death or loss to follow-up; AVF maturation data were also collected. The cumulative incidence of AVF maturation and of primary patency failure was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, and the effect of uremia on time-toAVF maturation and primary patency failure was tested with the log-rank test. Results: The mean SD age for HD and LDL patients were 58.3 10.4 years and 59.3 13.4 years, respectively, and 2 (25%) patients in each group were women. The mean SD LDL level for HD and LDL patients was 81 20 and 300 85 mg/dL, respectively, and mean SD serum creatinine was 6.4 1.2 and 1.32 0.44 mg/dL. The mean SD follow-up duration was 161.8 125 and 282.3 137 months, respectively, for HD and LDL patients. There were no deaths in the LDL apheresis group while three patients died in the HD group. There was no significant difference in time-to-AVF maturation and primary patency failure between both groups. Conclusion: In human subjects, uremia is not a predictor of time-to-AVF maturation or primary patency failure.