cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bi-directional mixed signal connection modules for automatic insertion

Efficient simulation of mixed signal designs requires the ability to quickly exchange analog and digital representations of a cell during the design and verification process. For the interconnection between analog nets and digital signals, connect modules are used. Mostly these connections elements are limited to being uni-directional when inserted automatically. The paper describes how true bi-directional connect modules can be realized in VERILOG-AMS by using special language features.
Early findings from a project aimed at implementing mobile health technology for addiction in primary care

Background More than two-thirds of individuals with a substance use problem have seen a primary care provider in the previous 6 months. However, these substance use disorders often go unrecognized or without treatment due to a lack of optimized assessment and intervention models with which primary care providers are comfortable. As national guidelines call for improved integration of addiction treatment into primary care settings, mobile technology may provide an invaluable tool to primary care providers in assisting their patients in recovery and in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of office visits for these patients. This paper will describe preliminary qualitative data and the early experience with integrating Seva, a suite of mobile technological applications to support recovery, at two Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with FQHC patients with substance use disorders at two study sites (Madison, WI: n = 12; Missoula, MT: n = 5) to identify potential strengths and concerns of Seva in addressing substance use problems in primary care. Focus groups were conducted with clinic staff (Madison, WI: n = 20; Missoula, MT: n = 8) to identify strengths and concerns from their perspectives. Notes taken during development meetings between clinic and research teams also provided qualitative data. Results
Methods for speeding up radiated and conducted immunity tests

Different methods for reducing test time in immunity tests similar to IEC 61000-4-6 or IEC 61000-4-3 are compared. One option is to apply multiple signals at the same time. Hardware and software methods to create those signals are explained, limits and possible amplitude errors are discussed. Mode stirred chambers and methods which aim at substituting sinusoidal excitation by strong pulsed signals are not within the scope of this paper.
Outcome measure for the treatment of cone photoreceptor diseases: orientation to a scene with cone-only contrast

Inherited retinal degenerations (IRDs) preferentially affecting cone photoreceptor function are being considered for treatment trials aiming to improve day vision. The purpose of the current work was to develop cone-specific visual orientation outcomes that can differentiate day vision improvement in the presence of retained night vision. A lighted wall (1.4 m wide, 2 m high) resembling a beaded curtain was formed with 900 individually addressable red, blue and green LED triplets placed in 15 vertical strips hanging 0.1 m apart. Under computer control, different combination of colors and intensities were used to produce the appearance of a door on the wall. Scotopically-matched trials were designed to be perceptible to the cone-, but not rod-, photoreceptor based visual systems. Unmatched control trials were interleaved at each luminance level to determine the existence of any vision available for orientation. Testing started with dark-adapted eyes and a scene luminance attenuated 8 log units from the maximum attainable, and continued with progressively increasing levels of luminance. Testing was performed with a three-alternative forced choice method in healthy subjects and patients with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) caused by mutations in GUCY2D, the gene that encodes retinal guanylate cyclase-1. Normal subjects could perform the orientation task using cone vision at 5 log attenuation and brighter luminance levels. Most GUCY2D-LCA patients failed to perform the orientation task with scotopically-matched test trials at any luminance level even though they were able to perform correctly with unmatched control trials. These results were consistent with a lack of cone system vision and use of the rod system under ambient conditions normally associated with cone system activity. Two GUCY2D-LCA patients demonstrated remnant cone vision but at a luminance level 2 log brighter than normal. The newly developed device can probe the existence or emergence of cone-based vision in patients for an orientation task involving the identification of a door on the wall under free-viewing conditions. This key advance represents progress toward developing an appropriate outcome measure for a clinical trial to treat currently incurable eye diseases severely affecting cone vision despite retained rod vision.
Depth of Issue Coverage in Television News: Campaign ‘84

A study of issue coverage in the evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and PBS during the final two weeks of the 1984 Presidential campaign revealed that the four commercial networks tended to frame their issue coverage in a confrontational style, presenting the image of a conflict about the issues by the candidates. However, these stories often failed to identify the positions of the candidates or to give reasons why the candidates supported a particular position. PBS tended to frame its coverage in a confrontational format, but identified and explained candidate issue positions.
Pasión de hospitalidad, pasión hospitalaria: relación encubierta

Mi comentario al ensayo de Davide Tarizzo publicado en este volumen busca leerlo contra el trasfondo de la posibilidad de una suspension infinita de la soberania. Tarizzo no llega a considerar esto ultimo en su propuesta, sino que prefiere suspender la suspension misma por mor de lo que llama realismo politico. Aunque todo realismo politico es apreciable, siempre queda expuesto a la posibilidad de ocultamiento teorico. Mi argumento es que el ensayo de Tarizzo esconde una radicalidad denegada que cancela la posibilidad teleologica historico-politica a favor de una conflagracion democratica posthegemonica. Presento la propuesta de Tarizzo como una inversion aparente de los pensamientos de Heidegger en la posguerra mundial sobre el habitamiento europeo.
Reducing Overshoot in Human-Operated Flexible Systems

Input shaping accomplishes vibration reduction by slightly increasing the acceleration and deceleration periods of the command. The increase in the deceleration period can lead to system overshoot. This paper presents a new class of reduced-overtravel input shapers that are designed to reduce shaper-induced overtravel from human-operator commands. During the development of these new shapers, an expression for shaper-induced overtravel is introduced. This expression is used as an additional constraint in the input-shaper design process to generate the reduced-overtravel shapers. Experiments from a portable bridge crane verify the theoretical predictions of improved performance. Results from a study of eight industrial bridge crane operators indicate that utilizing the new reduced-overtravel input shapers dramatically reduces task completion time, while also improving positioning accuracy.
A flexible approach for electronic medical records exchange

Many methodologies have been proposed in the last decade for integration and exchange of medical data. However, little progress has occurred due to the following reasons. First, patients are reluctant to give full access to their historical medical data. Second, institutions are reluctant to open their systems to mediators or any type of external access, due to security, privacy (HIPAA, unique patient id) and competitive advantage-related reasons.
MR appearance of gallstones in vitro at 1.5 T: correlation with chemical composition.

Gallstones from 63 patients were evaluated by in vitro 1.5-T MR imaging, with T1- and T2-weighted images, and in 14 cases, a fat-suppression sequence (short-T1 inversion recovery imaging). Subsequent chemical analysis was performed on 43 gallstones. In vitro proton MR spectroscopy was performed on 14 stones. On T1-weighted MR images, foci of increased signal were seen in 46 of 63 stones (faint in 17, moderate in nine, and bright in 20). T2-weighted images showed areas of increased signal in 18 of 63 stones (faint in 15, moderate in three). T1-weighted MR imaging patterns were homogeneously dark (17), homogeneously bright (two), homogeneously faint (three), rimmed (dark rim and bright center, 32), and laminated (nine). Short-T1 inversion recovery imaging suppressed the foci of increased signal in 13 of 14 cases. Despite imaging characteristics suggestive of high lipid content, spectroscopy revealed only a single peak corresponding to a large water-proton signal. The T1 relaxation times of the water were sh...
Reaction mechanism for chlorination of urea.

Experiments were conducted to elucidate the mechanism of the reaction between free chlorine and urea. In combination with findings of previous investigations, the results of these experiments indicate a process by which urea undergoes multiple N-chlorination steps. The first of these steps results in the formation of N-chlorourea; this step appears to require Cl2 to proceed and is the overall rate-limiting step in the reaction for conditions that correspond to most swimming pools. N-Chlorourea then appears to undergo further chlorine substitution; the fully N-chlorinated urea molecule is hypothesized to undergo hydrolysis and additional chlorination to yield NCl3 as an intermediate. NCl3 is hydrolyzed to yield NH2Cl and NHCl2, with subsequent decay to stable end products, including N2 and NO3−. Conversion of urea-N to nitrate is pH-dependent. The pattern of nitrate yield is believed to be attributable to the fact that when urea serves as the source of reduced-N, entry into the reactions that describe chlo...
A simple route for synthesis of 4-phospho-d-erythronate

Abstract 4-Phospho- d -erythronate is an intermediate in the synthesis of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate in some bacteria and an inhibitor of ribose 5-phosphate isomerase. Previous synthetic schemes for the preparation of 4-phospho- d -erythronate required expensive precursors and typically gave low yields. We report a straightforward synthesis of 4-phospho- d -erythronate from the inexpensive precursor d -erythronolactone in five steps with a preparatively useful yield of 22%.
Surfactant function in respiratory distress syndrome.

Airway samples from infants with respiratory distress syndrome were recovered by suction immediately after tracheal intubation for respiratory failure. The minimum surface tension of these airway samples was 27.3±3.0 dynes/cm. Surfactant with low surface tension (1.4±1.0 dynes/cm) was recovered from these samples by centrifugation; the supernatant fractions from the samples had high minimum surface tensions. The supernatant fractions contained soluble proteins that inhibited the surface tension-lowering properties of natural sheep surfactant. Similar supernatant fractions collected from infants intubated for reasons other than respiratory distress syndrome were much less inhibitory to sheep surfactant. The minimum surface tension of sequential daily airway samples from infants with respiratory distress syndrome fell progressively to 5.7±2.4 dynes/cm on the day of extubation. These results document the presence of proteins in the airways of infants with respiratory distress syndrome that inhibit the surface tension-lowering properties of surfactant.
Multicenter trial of the PowerLink bifurcated system for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the results of abdominal aortic aneurysm repair with the PowerLink bifurcated endovascular graft (Endologix, Inc, Irvine, Calif). Method: Twelve centers used the PowerLink bifurcated system for elective endovascular aneurysm repair in 118 patients recruited during a 16-month interval and followed for a 25-month interval (mean follow-up, 16 months) as part of a pivotal US Food and Drug Administration trial. Stent grafts were oversized by 10% to 20% relative to computed tomographic scan-based diameter measurements. All repairs were performed in the operating room through one surgically exposed femoral artery and a contralateral 9F sheath percutaneously placed. Results were assessed with contrast-enhanced computed tomography and plain abdominal radiography at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Results: Three failed insertions and one late conversion for endoleak remediation occurred, resulting in four conversions (3.3%) to open surgery. Of the failed insertions, two were from a faulty delivery system design, which was corrected. No failures occurred after the modification. One perioperative death (0.8%) occurred that was not device related. Eight late deaths were from unrelated causes, and one was from complications after reoperation for treatment of an endoleak. Endoleaks were noted in 19 patients (16%) at the time of the endograft procedure: 12 resolved spontaneously, four resolved with secondary interventions (three type I, one type II), and three underwent observation, yielding a 30-day endoleak rate of 5.9%. Two graft limb thromboses (0.8%) were seen. One graft migration (0.8%) was of no clinical significance. No ruptures or wire fractures were found. The mean aneurysm diameter was reduced from 51 mm (preoperative) to 45 mm (12 months; P Conclusion: The PowerLink system appears to be safe and effectively protects patients from abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture over the short to medium term. The low endoleak rate is superior to that reported for other devices. The graft and stent materials have thus far been free from failure and fatigue. The sutureless stent and endoskeleton design confer a number of unique advantages and challenges. Careful follow-up over the longer term is necessary to assure the durability of these results. (J Vasc Surg 2002;36:1129-37.)
Tissue reaction in surgical defects of the palate in Macaca rhesus

Abstract The present study is based on the gross and microscopic examination of the palates of two growing monkeys in which a unilateral cleft was produced surgically. There is marked proliferative activity at the edges of the surgical cleft, leading in some areas to a functional closure.
Strength of instigation as a determinant of the aggression?Attraction relationship

Somewhat surprisingly, previous research has failed to demonstrate what was thought to be an intuitively obvious negative relationship between aggression and attraction toward the victim of aggression. It was proposed that powerful instigation procedures in past research had served to obscure the effects of attraction on aggression. It was therefore hypothesized that aggression toward a stranger occurs as an inverse function of attitudinally induced attraction toward that stranger only when instigation strength is low. Male subjects (N=60) responding on the Buss aggression apparatus were exposed to a similar or dissimilar victim and to one of three levels of instigation: no instigation, a moderately aggressive model, or insulting evaluations. The hypothesized interaction between similarity and strength of instigation was confirmed for shock intensity (p<.02). For shock duration, main effects were found for both similarity (p<.02) and strength of instigation (p<.02). It was concluded that relatively negative feelings about another individual increase the probability of aggressing against him, but that such feelings do not constitute a necessary or sufficient condition for that aggression.
What Future for Social Science

Each of the authors discussed in this review essay deplores the attempts of scholars in the human sciences to ape their colleagues in the natural sciences and economics. Their criticisms are not dissimilar, nor are they without merit, but it is important to ask the following questions: What would they offer in its place? What kind of warrantability do the alternatives promise? Can researchers avoid the dominant paradigms and still have something valuable to say to policymakers? The bulk of the review focuses on Bent Flyvbjerg's Making Social Science Matter, the best-reasoned critique, and the one that offers the clearest alternative to the status quo.
DNA Polymerase β Catalysis: Are Different Mechanisms Possible?

DNA polymerases are crucial constituents of the complex cellular machinery for replicating and repairing DNA. Discerning mechanistic pathways of DNA polymerase on the atomic level is important for revealing the origin of fidelity discrimination. Mammalian DNA polymerase beta (pol beta), a small (39 kDa) member of the X-family, represents an excellent model system to investigate polymerase mechanisms. Here, we explore several feasible low-energy pathways of the nucleotide transfer reaction of pol beta for correct (according to Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding) G:C basepairing versus the incorrect G:G case within a consistent theoretical framework. We use mixed quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) techniques in a constrained energy minimization protocol to effectively model not only the reactive core but also the influence of the rest of the enzymatic environment and explicit solvent on the reaction. The postulated pathways involve initial proton abstraction from the terminal DNA primer O3'H group, nucleophilic attack that extends the DNA primer chain, and elimination of pyrophosphate. In particular, we analyze several possible routes for the initial deprotonation step: (i) direct transfer to a phosphate oxygen O(Palpha) of the incoming nucleotide, (ii) direct transfer to an active site Asp group, and (iii) transfer to explicit water molecules. We find that the most probable initial step corresponds to step (iii), involving initial deprotonation to water, which is followed by proton migration to active site Asp residues, and finally to the leaving pyrophosphate group, with an activation energy of about 15 kcal/mol. We argue that initial deprotonation steps (i) and (ii) are less likely as they are at least 7 and 11 kcal/mol, respectively, higher in energy. Overall, the rate-determining step for both the correct and the incorrect nucleotide cases is the initial deprotonation in concert with nucleophilic attack at the phosphate center; however, the activation energy we obtain for the mismatched G:G case is 5 kcal/mol higher than that of the matched G:C complex, due to active site structural distortions. Taken together, our results support other reported mechanisms and help define a framework for interpreting nucleotide specificity differences across polymerase families, in terms of the concept of active site preorganization or the so-called "pre-chemistry avenue".
Towards the design and development of a new architecture for Geographic Information Systems

Existing Geographic Information Systems lack many important features such as the ability to model the real world more adequately and facilities for logical deduction and geometric computation. In this paper, we study the structure and behavior of existing Geographic Information Systems, isolate their drawbacks and explore the applicability of object oriented design, logical deduction and hypermedia to developing better and more efficient geographic information systems. In particular, we focus on the concept, design and development of an architecture for the next generation geographic information systems, which will be able to access, synthesize and reason about large volumes of geographic information more efficiently and effectively, without sacrificing functionality, extensibility and consistency. Of significance is the integration of many diverse forms of technological advancements, including object oriented design, expert systems and multi-media systems.
Ethanol fermentation of hexose and pentose wood sugars produced by hydrogen-fluoride solvolysis of aspen chips

Hexose and pentose sugars, produced by hydrogen-fluoride solvolysis of aspen wood chips, were totally consumed in a coculture fermentation by Zymomonas mobilis and a mutant of Clostridium saccharolyticum. Z. mobilis converted the glucose to ethanol, while the mutant, which was improved in both ethanol production and tolerance, converted the xylose component to ethanol. A high conversion efficiency of wood sugars to ethanol was obtained, and the cells after the fermentation were successfully used for cell recycle.
Survival After Induction Chemotherapy and Surgical Resection for High-Grade Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Is Radiation Necessary?

Background: Induction chemotherapy can produce dramatic necrosis in sarcomas—raising the question of whether or not radiation is necessary. This study reviews the clinical outcome of a subset of patients with high-grade extremity soft tissue sarcomas (STS) who were treated with induction chemotherapy and surgical resection but without radiation.
Pythagorean membership grades in multicriteria decision making

We first look at some nonstandard fuzzy sets, intuitionistic, and interval-valued fuzzy sets. We note both these allow a degree of commitment of less then one in assigning membership. We look at the formulation of the negation for these sets and show its expression in terms of the standard complement with respect to the degree of commitment. We then consider the complement operation. We describe its properties and look at alternative definitions of complement operations. We then focus on the Pythagorean complement. Using this complement, we introduce a class of nonstandard Pythagorean fuzzy subsets whose membership grades are pairs, (a, b) satisfying the requirement a 2 + b 2 ≤ 1. We introduce a variety of aggregation operations for these Pythagorean fuzzy subsets. We then look at multicriteria decision making in the case where the criteria satisfaction are expressed using Pythagorean membership grades. The issue of having to choose a best alternative in multicriteria decision making leads us to consider the problem of comparing Pythagorean membership grades.
Potential Feed Conversion of Redear Sunfish Fed Nutritionally Complete Formulated Diets

Abstract Intensive culture of redear sunfish Lepomis microlophus has been difficult because these fish do not readily accept formulated diets. Many fish culturists have continued to raise redear sunfish in ponds on formulated diets, but it is uncertain whether the fish are effectively using the provided feed or the feed is simply adding nutrients to the pond. We examined the feed conversion, relative condition, and body composition of redear sunfish fingerlings fed three nutritionally complete commercial formulated diets in recirculating-water, biofiltered aquaculture systems. Redear sunfish accepted all three diets after an initial training period of 3 weeks. Increases in total length and weight were noted for all three diets; however, condition factors only increased for fish fed two of the diets. Proximate body composition appeared to be related to composition and particle size of the diets. Feed conversion ratios for fish fed one of the diets were similar to those reported for hybrid sunfish (bluegill...
Up-regulation of MHC class I expression accompanies but is not required for spontaneous myopathy in dysferlin-deficient SJL/J mice.

We found that up-regulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I expression accompanies, but is not required for, appearance of spontaneous myopathy in SJL/J mice. In some neuromuscular diseases, MHC class I expression is markedly up-regulated in muscles, though the consequences of this up-regulation for pathology are not clear. To study MHC class I in myopathy, we compared muscles of SJL/J mice to muscles of SJL/J mice that were also MHC class I-deficient due to targeted mutation in the β-2-microglobulin gene (SJL/J B2m (−/−) mice). SJL/J mice show spontaneous myopathy and have a mutation in the dysferlin gene, a gene which is also mutated in human limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B (LGMD2B). Muscles of eight-month-old SJL/J mice had higher levels of MHC class I expression than muscles of either C57BL/6J (wild-type) or SJL/J B2m (−/−) mice. In contrast, the percentage of abnormal muscle fibers was similar in SJL/J and SJL/J B2m (−/−) muscles. Invading Mac-1 + cells were most abundant in SJL/J B2m (−/−) muscles, moderately abundant in SJL/J muscles, and rare in C57BL/6J muscles. Thus, MHC class I was markedly up-regulated in SJL/J muscles, but this high level of MHC class I was not necessary for the appearance of myopathy.
Abadie's Constraint Qualification, Hoffman's Error Bounds, and Hausdorff Strong Unicity

The main goal of this paper is to show the connection between optimization and best approximation when studying vector-valued functions defined on a finite set. For example, Hausdorff strong unicity for best approximation is shown to be equivalent to Abadie's constraint qualification for the associated convex quadratic feasibility problem.
A generalized heat conduction solution for ultrafast laser heating in metallic films

Abstract A generalized analytical solution for the electron and lattice temperature profiles in a metallic film exposed to an ultrafast laser source is obtained using the superposition and Fourier methods in conjunction with solution structure theorems. The generalized temperature profile in algebraic form is applicable for the solution of three thermal models, namely, phonon–electron two-temperature interaction model, electron kinetic theory model, and the improved electron kinetic theory model. By selecting the appropriate coefficients as appear in the original governing partial differential equation of a particular model, temperature profiles for both the electron and lattice can readily be obtained. A comparison of the aforementioned models in graphical form is made. Results from the phonon–electron two-temperature interaction model agree well with the improved electron kinetic theory model for electron and lattice temperatures. However, due to the omission of the time rate change of heat diffusion and laser source, temperature predictions from the electron kinetic theory model are slightly higher than temperatures from the other two models; particularly, the effect is more profound at the location of the energy incident surface. Otherwise all three models compare extremely well for the lattice site temperatures.
Enhanced production of recombinant proteins from plant cells by the application of osmotic stress and protein stabilization.

Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was produced from transgenic Nicotiana tabacum cells. The application of osmotic stress through the addition of 90 g/l mannitol to the plant cell medium enhanced the maximum extracellular GM-CSF concentration from 76 μg/l to 130 μg/l (1.7-fold increase). The addition of bovine serum albumin (BSA), along with mannitol, further increased the maximum extracellular GM-CSF concentration by as much as 2.5-fold over the control. GM-CSF degradation studies in conditioned medium demonstrated that mannitol and BSA both stabilize the GM-CSF protein. The addition of gelatin together with mannitol to the plant cell medium also enhanced the maximum extracellular GM-CSF concentration and stability over time.
Counter-propagating optical trapping system for size and refractive index measurement of microparticles

Abstract : We propose and demonstrate a novel approach to measure the size and refractive index of microparticles based on two beam optical trapping, where forward scattered light is detected to give information about the particle. The counter-propagating optical trap measurement (COTM) system exploits the capability of optical traps to measure pico-Newton forces for microparticles refractive index and size characterization. Different from the current best technique for microparticles refractive index measurement, refractometry, a bulk technique requiring changing the fluid composition of the sample, our optical trap technique works with any transparent fluid and enables single particle analysis without the use of biological markers. A ray-optics model is used to explore the physical operation of the COTM system, predict system performance and aid system design. Experiments demonstrate the accuracy of refractive index measurement of triangel n = 0.013 and size measurement of 3% of diameter with 2% standard deviation. Present performance is instrumentation limited, and a potential improvement by more than two orders of magnitude can be expected in the future. With further development in parallelism and miniaturization, the system offers advantages for cell manipulation and bioanalysis compatible with lab-on-a-chip systems.
Discharge Against Medical Advice From Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment: A Literature Review

Objective: A comprehensive review of the literature examined discharge from inpatient psychiatric settings against medical advice (excluding elopements) over the past 50 years. Specifically, definitions, prevalence, predictors, temporal patterns, consequences, and interventions pertaining to such discharge were explored. Methods: The authors searched the PubMed and PsycINFO databases and selected articles for review if studies had been conducted in an inpatient setting or included discharge against medical advice as one of the aims or results and if findings were based on formal statistical analyses. Results: Sixty-one articles met the selection criteria. Prevalence of discharge against medical advice ranged from 3 to 51 percent and increased over time. Discharge against medical advice was most commonly predicted by patient factors, such as young age; single marital status; male gender; comorbid diagnosis of personality or substance use disorders; pessimistic attitudes toward treatment; antisocial, aggressive, or disruptive behavior; and history of numerous hospitalizations ending in discharges against medical advice. It was also predicted by provider variables, such as failure to orient patients to hospitalization and failure to establish a supportive provider-patient relationship, and by temporal variables, such as evening and night shifts. Outcomes of patients discharged against medical advice were characterized by poor outcomes in several domains of functioning and more frequent rehospitalizations. Conclusions: Prediction of patients at risk of discharge against medical advice is possible with several defined variables. Awareness of the factors involved in discharge against medical advice should facilitate clinical decision making and the development of successful interventions for high-risk patients. (Psychiatric Services 57: 1192–1198, 2006)
Pilot study of sequential vinorelbine and cisplatin followed by docetaxel for selected IIIB and stage IV non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Vinorelbine, cisplatin and docetaxel are known to be efficacious in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This limited institution pilot study evaluated the novel strategy of sequencing active first line agents prior to progression. The primary objective of this study was to assess the toxicity profile in anticipation of a larger cooperative group standard phase II study. Patients with selected stage IIIB and IV NSCLC, Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) performance status (PS) of 1 or less and measurable or evaluable disease were eligible. Treatment was cisplatin 100 mg/m2 day 1 and 29, vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 weekly for 8 weeks, followed by docetaxel 100 mg/m2 every 21 days for four cycles if no progression. If grade IV neutropenia developed, G-CSF 5 mcg/kg/day was used in subsequent cycles. Of 18 eligible patients, 17 patients had stage IV disease with a median age of 66 years (range 48–80). Eight patients had a SWOG PS of 1, 10 had a PS of zero. Six of eighteen patients received all 8 weeks of vinorelbine/cisplatin and six of eight patients who went on to receive docetaxel received all four planned cycles; only two patients overall received all planned therapy. One grade III/IV event each of cardiotoxicity (myocardial infarction), renal toxicity (acute renal failure), anemia and thrombocytopenia occurred with vinorelbine and cisplatin, and 2 Grade IV hypersensitivity reactions, manifested by severe back pain with docetaxel occurred. Three deaths occurred during the study, all during treatment with vinorelbine and cisplatin: one due to neutropenic sepsis; one from a pulmonary embolism; and one secondary to severe hypoglycemia in a diabetic patient. Of the 16 patients evaluable for response after vinorelbine/cisplatin, there were two complete responses (12.5%) and three partial responses (19%) for an overall response rate of 31% (95% CI 8–58). One additional patient who received docetaxel experienced a partial response. Two patients remain alive (21+ and 18+ months, respectively). The 1-year survival was 44%. Conclusion: This sequence, as defined, was tolerated marginally well in patients with advanced NSCLC. Granulocytopenia was the major toxicity requiring dose adjustments throughout the sequence. Based on response rates and tolerability that were somewhat comparable to other regimens in this disease setting, a modified version of this program, adjusted to decrease the incidence of grade III and IV toxicity, was selected as one arm of a recent randomized phase II trial in the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), S9806, evaluating sequential therapy in advanced NSCLC.
Israel's Baby: The Horror of Childbirth in the Biblical Prophets

Using verbal threats and graphic images of destruction, the biblical prophets employed a rhetoric of horror to terrify their audience. Modern theories about the genre of horror provide insight into the prophets' rhetoric. They elucidate the nature of biblical horror and the objects that provoke horror, as well as the ways texts work to elicit horror from their audience. This paper examines the image of the laboring woman within the context of the prophets' horror rhetoric. This image captures the physical and emotional experience of Israel awaiting Babylonian conquest and conveys the irony and futility of Israel's situation. The image also serves as a strategy of cross-gender identification, common in the horror genre, which asks a predominantly male audience to identify with a female character. This strategy reveals the essential elements of biblical horror—fear and shame—and uses these elements to motivate wayward Israel to repent. By identifying with the birthing woman, Israel will come to recognize its physical and emotional vulnerability, the futility and disgrace of its situation, and strive to reform.
Inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase in human fibroblast cells by type I and type II interferons.

Abstract Dilution of human fibroblast GM2767 cell cultures into fresh serum-containing growth medium induces ornithine decarboxylase activity 45-fold over a six-hour interval. When the fibroblast cultures are supplemented with human fibroblast α-, β-, or γ-interferon at the time of dilution into fresh growth medium, the induction of ornithine decarboxylase is inhibited 61%, 90%, and 65%, respectively. β-Interferon is the most effective type of interferon to inhibit induction of ornithine decarboxylase.
Benefits of Physical Activity for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comprehensive Review

Research demonstrates substantial health benefits of physical activity (PA), especially moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Several studies suggest that MVPA may be especially beneficial to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) including improved physiological, cognitive, psychological, and behavioral functioning. However, few PA-based interventions have targeted adolescents with ASD, when PA rates are shown to decline significantly, primarily focusing instead on children with ASD. Furthermore, these studies have varied significantly in methodological rigor, making it difficult to disentangle consistent findings of effective intervention. Given that a majority of adolescents with ASD fail to meet national recommendations for daily PA and demonstrate lower rates of PA relative to their nondisabled peers, identifying effective interventions for this population is needed. The purpose of this systematic review was to collect and synthesize evidence from the studies of PA-based interventions for adolescents with ASD (N = 19) to identify benefits of PA and effective strategies for increasing PA in adolescents with ASD. The strongest empirical support for the benefits of PA was identified for self-regulation, health, and motor skills, while evidence remains limited or absent for benefits related to improvements to cognitive, language, and sensorimotor functioning. Highly effective intervention mechanisms identified included prompting, modeling, praise, and structured teaching.
Glycophorin as a Receptor for Sendai Virus

Glycophorin A was reconstituted into large unilamellar vesicles of egg phosphatidylcholine by detergent dialysis. The observed overall rate of Sendai virus fusion increased approximately 4-fold between 0 and 0.006 mol % glycophorin, roughly proportional to the glycophorin content. However, no further increase in rate was observed at 0.02 mol % glycophorin. Treatment of reassembled glycophorin-liposomes with neuraminidase resulted in a significant decrease in the percent of viral fusion, confirming that the presence of sialic acid residues on glycophorin is essential for its role as a receptor. The sialic acid-containing glycolipid, the ganglioside GD1a, was also incorporated into phosphatidylcholine liposomes, either in addition to or in place of glycophorin A. Comparing, on the basis of sialic acid content, liposomes containing either glycophorin or GD1a, comparable rates and extents of fusion were found. However, on a molar basis glycophorin is much more effective. It was found that the addition of GD1a to glycophorin-containing liposomes only slightly increased the rate of fusion. This was largely due to an increase in the percent of virions capable of fusing.
Genetic control of basal level of alkaline phosphatase in Escherichia coli.

The basis for a difference in basal levels of alkaline phosphatase in two strains of E. coli has been examined. It was found that the enzyme level characteristic of a highlevel strain was not conferred upon a low level strain merely by the transfer of the pho +, phoR+ or phoS + allele from the high-level strain to the low level strain. Such strains may have slightly altered basal levels of enzyme, but these changes are not quantitatively sufficient to account for the strain differences. Approximately 20% of the recombinants which receive the phoS + gene show a level of phosphatase intermediate between the high and low-level strains. The effect is specific for the basal level of phosphatase, since it does not affect the levels of three other enzymes, or the derepressed level of alkaline phosphatase itself. This latter fact is consistent with the view that the intermediate level strains have an intermediate level of repressor of alkaline phosphatase under repressed conditions. It is suggested that the basal level of enzyme is affected by several genes in addition to those previously described, and that the intermediate level strains have received the allele of one or more of these loci from the high level strain.
Phorbol myristate acetate stimulates RNA and casein synthesis in cultured mouse mammary gland tissues.

Prolactin and phorbol myristate acetate (TPA) stimulate the rate of (/sup 3/H)uridine incorporation in cultured mouse mammary gland explants in a similar fashion. Both the time-courses and magnitude of responses were the same; in addition, maximum stimulatory concentrations of TPA and prolactin elicited a nonadditive response when tested together. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), a lipoxygenase inhibitor, abolished both the TPA and prolactin effects on (/sup 3/H)uridine incorporation. TPA also effected an enhanced rate of (/sup 3/H)leucine incorporation into a casein-rich phosphoprotein fraction, but only if the explants were also cultured with spermidine.
Field damage assessments as a design tool for information and communications technology systems that are resilient to natural disasters

This paper discusses how to perform field damage assessments after natural disasters as a systematic design tool to achieve information and communications technology (ICT) systems that are more resilient to natural disasters. Hence, damage assessments are analogous to performing forensic analysis, such as autopsies, in biological sciences. Yet, for ICT system designs, practical studies based on damage assessments have been used with a limited scope, and mostly oriented towards earthquakes only. The ultimate goal of the damage assessments is, hence, to build a permanent record of data and information that allows answering the two basic questions that are the focus of such forensic analysis: what failed and what did not fail, and how was service restored in the cases when ICT systems failed. Other alternative approaches more commonly used to attempt to answer these questions, such as inquiries, computer based modeling and simulation, or pure theoretical analysis, has been shown to yield limited and sometimes erroneous outcomes. This paper shows that damage assessments can provide valuable insights not generally gained through these other approaches. In doing so, this paper discusses planning and procedures involved in performing an effective damage assessment. Some of the discussed factors that influence damage assessment planning include geographic layout, meteorological or geophysical conditions of the disasters under study and ICT networks characteristics, both technically (hardware and software) and in terms of management (logistics, operations, maintenance, etc.). Since failures in ICT facilities may be originated in supplying infrastructures, evaluation and description of both types of interdependencies, physical and functional, are also explained. A practical example based on the March 2011 Japan's earthquake and tsunami is provided.
Multivariate modeling for a multi-stage green building framework

Green building is a sustainable concept to reduce enviromental impact. Decision-making for green building is a complex task. We present a multi-stage green building framework that will guide future development of a comprehensive multiple stage, multiple objective (MSMO) decision-making framework. Various software tools can assist in studying components of our multi-stage framework. We seek to simultaneously explore building options via a Design and Analysis of Computer Experiments (DACE) approach that uses experimental design and statistical analysis to uncover multivariate patterns that will provide guidance for green building decisions. DACE is a useful method for studying complex engineering systems, and DACE models will be incorporated into our MSMO framework.
Effect of Several Dermatitis Preventing Agents on Foot Pad Dermatitis in Dwarf and Normal Sized Single Comb White Leghorn Layers

Abstract Studies were conducted to determine the effects of increased dietary levels of vitamin and trace mineral mixtures, methionine, meat and bone meal, fish meal, and safflower oil on foot pad dermatitis in dwarf and normal size Single Comb White Leghorn layers. All layers were maintained in individual wire cages throughout a 40-week experiment period. Individual birds were scored for the incidence of foot pad dermatitis and production parameters were recorded. No significant decrease in the incidence of dermatitis was observed from the following dietary supplements: a 50% increase in a vitamin or a complete trace mineral mixture; a 50% increase in an iron, copper, iodine, and cobalt or a manganese and zinc mixture; .05% methionine; 5% meat and bone meal; 3% herring fish meal; or 2% safflower oil. It was concluded that these mixtures or supplements containing such dermatitis preventative agents as pantothenic acid, zinc, and linoleic acid appeared without effect in minimizing expression of the condition in dwarfs.
Indeterminacy: A challenge to logic‐based models of legal reasoning

(1987). Indeterminacy: A challenge to logic‐based models of legal reasoning. International Review of Law, Computers & Technology: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 1-35.
Deviance information criterion (DIC) in Bayesian multiple QTL mapping

Mapping multiple quantitative trait loci (QTL) is commonly viewed as a problem of model selection. Various model selection criteria have been proposed, primarily in the non-Bayesian framework. The deviance information criterion (DIC) is the most popular criterion for Bayesian model selection and model comparison but has not been applied to Bayesian multiple QTL mapping. A derivation of the DIC is presented for multiple interacting QTL models and calculation of the DIC is demonstrated using posterior samples generated by Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. The DIC measures posterior predictive error by penalizing the fit of a model (deviance) by its complexity, determined by the effective number of parameters. The effective number of parameters simultaneously accounts for the sample size, the cross design, the number and lengths of chromosomes, covariates, the number of QTL, the type of QTL effects, and QTL effect sizes. The DIC provides a computationally efficient way to perform sensitivity analysis and can be used to quantitatively evaluate if including environmental effects, gene-gene interactions, and/or gene-environment interactions in the prior specification is worth the extra parameterization. The DIC has been implemented in the freely available package R/qtlbim, which greatly facilitates the general usage of Bayesian methodology for genome-wide interacting QTL analysis.
Predictors of Obesity in Michigan Operating Engineers

Blue collar workers are at risk for obesity. Little is known about obesity in Operating Engineers, a group of blue collar workers, who operate heavy earth-moving equipment in road building and construction. Therefore, 498 Operating Engineers in Michigan were recruited to participate in a cross-sectional survey to determine variables related to obesity in this group. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine personal, psychological, and behavioral factors predicting obesity. Approximately 45% of the Operating Engineers screened positive for obesity, and another 40% were overweight. Multivariate analysis revealed that younger age, male sex, higher numbers of self-reported co-morbidities, not smoking, and low physical activity levels were significantly associated with obesity among Operating Engineers. Operating Engineers are significantly at risk for obesity, and workplace interventions are needed to address this problem.
Occult hepatitis B virus infection: A hidden menace?

SEE ARTICLE ON PAGE 194 Recovery from an acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with loss of HBV DNA from serum, hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroconversion, and normalization of serum aminotransferases. These changes generally imply clearance of virus, but clinical observations have shown that reactivation of HBV infection can occur either spontaneously or after immunosuppression. 1-3 Recent studies showed that immune response to HBV remains vigorous long after an acute infection. In addition, HBV DNA can be detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays in serum, liver, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells more than a decade after an apparent recovery from HBV infection.4-6 These findings suggest that recovery from acute hepatitis B may not result in complete virus elimination, but rather the immune system keeps the virus at very low levels. There is, however, no clear evidence that patients who have persistently low levels of HBV after recovery from acute hepatitis B develop progressive liver disease. The availability of PCR assays for HBV DNA allows the detection of 10 2 copies/mL compared with 10 6 copies/mL using hybridization assays. Using PCR assays, HBV DNA has been detected in some subjects who are HBsAg negative including those with no serologic markers of HBV infection. In