cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase II study of tivantinib (ARQ 197) in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer

Background MET expression and activation appear to be important for initiation and progression of triple-negative breast cancer. Tivantinib (ARQ 197) is an orally administered agent that targets MET, although recent preclinical data suggests the agent may have mechanisms of action that are independent of MET signaling. We conducted a phase 2 study of tivantinib monotherapy in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Methods Patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who had received 1 to 3 prior lines of chemotherapy in the metastatic setting were enrolled into this two-stage, single arm phase 2 study. Treatment consisted of twice daily oral dosing of tivantinib (360 mg po bid) during a 21-day cycle. Patients underwent restaging scans at 6 weeks, and then every 9 weeks. Tumor biomarkers that might predict response to tivantinib were explored. Results 22 patients were enrolled. The overall response rate was 5 % (95 % CI 0–25 %) and the 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) was 5 % (95 % CI 0–25 %), with one patient achieving a partial response (PR). Toxicity was minimal with only 5 grade ≥3 adverse events (one grade 3 anemia, one grade 3 fatigue, and 3 patients with grade 3/4 neutropenia). Conclusion This study represents the first evaluation of tivantinib for the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. These results suggest that single agent tivantinib is well tolerated, but did not meet prespecified statistical targets for efficacy.
Voters, bureaucrats and legislators: A rational choice perspective on the growth of bureaucracy

The claim that government is excessively bureaucratic can be interpreted as an assertion about inefficient factor proportions in the production of public goods. The rational choice theory of electoral competition is extended in this paper to include the election of representatives from separate districts, ombudsman activities by legislators, self-interested bureaucrats and production functions for public activities that have bureaucratic and nonbureaucratic arguments. If the demand for public goods grows exogenously through time, the model predicts increasingly inefficient factor proportions yet a growing advantage for incumbent legislators when they seek reelection.
DRUG–NUTRIENT INTERACTIONS

A drug’s effect on the body can be increased or reduced by an interaction between food, nutrients, and herbs. The majority of drug–nutrient interactions are due to changes in the bioavailability of a drug by nutrient-induced changes. Most drugs’ clinical effects are directly correlated to bioavailability – an important pharmacokinetic property. These interactions can be affected by numerous mechanisms, which involve the drug, its metabolism, and nutritional and nonnutritional constituents of the human diet. The most important interactions are those which involve possible decreased efficacy of the therapeutic agent or toxicity from use of that drug. Drug–nutrient interactions can be broadly classified into two categories: Direct physicochemical interaction and physiological or functional interaction. They can also be divided into pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions. Pharmacokinetic interactions are where food affects absorption, distribution, metabolism, or elimination of a drug; this is the most common interaction. Interactions where food affects the drug action at a receptor level are less common but would be classified as a pharmacodynamic interaction.
Effect of orally administered sodium bicarbonate on caecal pH

Summary Reasons for performing study Caecal acidosis is a central event in the metabolic cascade that occurs following grain overload. Buffering the caecal acidosis by enterally administered sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) may be beneficial to affected horses. Objectives To determine the effect and duration of enterally administered NaHCO3 on caecal pH in healthy horses. Study design Experimental study using horses with caecal cannulas. Methods Nine horses had been previously fitted with a caecal cannula. Six horses received 1.0 g/kg bwt NaHCO3 and 3 control horses were given 3 l of water via nasogastric tube. Clinical parameters, water consumption, venous blood gases, caecal pH, faecal pH and faecal water content were measured at 6 h intervals over a 36 h study period. Results Horses that received enterally administered NaHCO3 had significantly increased caecal pH that lasted the duration of the study. Treated horses increased their water intake, and developed metabolic alkalaemia, significantly increased plasma sodium concentrations and significantly decreased plasma potassium concentrations. Conclusions Enterally administered NaHCO3 may be beneficial in buffering caecal acidosis.
Democratic principles and mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food

Despite the fact that public opinion overwhelmingly supports mandatory labeling for genetically engineered foods, the FDA recently reaffirmed its original 1992 decision not to require labels, claiming that there is no scientific basis for concluding that GE food are less healthful than others foods. In this paper, we give two arguments about how this conflict between public opinion and the FDA ought to be resolved. The first is the Consumer Autonomy Argument, which applies to the FDA and appeals to moral principles about how public agencies within a democracy should exercise their discretion. We argue that the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) gives the FDA the discretion to require labels, and that the FDA has a moral and democratic obligation to exercise that discretion so as to require labeling. The second is the Democratic Equality Argument, which applies to Congress and concerns its democratic responsibility to defer to public opinion on certain kinds of issues. We conclude that if the FDA fails to require labeling, Congress should.
Tapping ZettaRAM/spl trade/ for low-power memory systems

ZettaRAM/spl trade/ is a new memory technology under development by ZettaCore/spl trade/ as a potential replacement for conventional DRAM. The key innovation is replacing the conventional capacitor in each DRAM cell with "charge-storage" molecules - a molecular capacitor. We look beyond ZettaRAM's manufacturing benefits, and approach it from an architectural viewpoint to discover benefits within the domain of architectural metrics. The molecular capacitor is unusual because the amount of charge deposited (critical for reliable sensing) is independent of write voltage, i.e., there is a discrete threshold voltage above/below which the device is fully charged/discharged. Decoupling charge from voltage enables manipulation via arbitrarily small bitline swings, saving energy. However, while charge is voltage-independent, speed is voltage-dependent. Operating too close to the threshold causes molecules to overtake peripheral circuitry as the overall performance limiter. Nonetheless, ZettaRAM offers a speed/energy trade-off whereas DRAM is inflexible, introducing new dimensions for architectural management of memory. We apply architectural insights to tap the full extent of ZettaRAM's power savings without compromising performance. Several factors converge nicely to direct focus on L2 writebacks: (i) they account for 80% of row buffer misses in the main memory, thus most of the energy savings potential, and (ii) they do not directly stall the processor and thereby offer scheduling flexibility for tolerating extended molecule latency. Accordingly, slow writes (low energy) are applied to non-critical writebacks and fast writes (high energy) to critical fetches. The hybrid write policy is combined with two options for tolerating delayed writebacks: large buffers with access reordering or L2-cache eager writebacks. Eager writebacks are remarkably synergistic with ZettaRAM: initiating writebacks early in the L2 cache compensates for delaying them at the memory controller. Dual-speed writes coupled with eager writebacks yields energy savings of 34% (out of 41% with uniformly slow writes), with less than 1% performance degradation.
Utrophin regulates modal gating of mechanosensitive ion channels in dystrophic skeletal muscle

Key points Loss of the cytoskeletal protein dystrophin leads to muscle degeneration in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The mdx mouse lacks dystrophin but muscle disease is mild, in part because upregulation of utrophin compensates for dystrophin. Evidence suggests that Ca2+ entry through mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels contributes to disease pathogenesis, but the role of utrophin in regulating Ca2+ entry has not been studied. Depletion of utrophin in mdx mice produces a gene dose-dependent increase in MS channel open probability, single-channel conductance in some patches, and an increase in the pressure required to MS channels. The overall effect of loss of utrophin is increased Ca2+ entry. The results suggest utrophin organizes local membrane microdomains containing MS channels. Disruption of these domains causes changes in membrane composition, which favour channel open states and subunit aggregation. Utrophin-replacement therapies may act by correcting MS channel gating, and specific MS channel inhibitors have the potential to prevent disease progression. Abstract Dystrophin is a large, submembrane cytoskeletal protein, absence of which causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Utrophin is a dystrophin homologue found in both muscle and brain whose physiological function is unknown. Recordings of single-channel activity were made from membrane patches on skeletal muscle from mdx, mdx/utrn+/– heterozygotes and mdx/utrn–/– double knockout mice to investigate the role of these cytoskeletal proteins in mechanosensitive (MS) channel gating. We find complex, gene dose-dependent effects of utrophin depletion in dystrophin-deficient mdx muscle: (1) increased MS channel open probability, (2) a shift of MS channel gating to larger pressures, (3) appearance of modal gating of MS channels and small conductance channels and (4) expression of large conductance MS channels. We suggest a physical model in which utrophin acts as a scaffolding protein that stabilizes lipid microdomains and clusters MS channel subunits. Depletion of utrophin disrupts domain composition in a manner that favours open channel area expansion, as well as allowing diffusion and aggregation of additional MS channel subunits.
Use and performance of premounted stents compared to nonpremounted stents in pediatric and adult congenital cardiac catheterization.

Objectives We sought to characterize the use, efficacy, and performance characteristics of premounted stents relative to nonpremounted stents when used during congenital cardiac catheterization. Background Endovascular stent implantation is an effective means of relieving vascular obstruction in patients with congenital heart disease. However, stent implantation is technically challenging and important complications occur. Premounted stents appear to offer many advantages relative to their nonpremounted counterparts, and it has been suggested that the use of premounted stents is associated with fewer complications. However, translation of these potential benefits into procedural or clinical success has been poorly examined and the data are conflicting. Methods All stent placements performed between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2009 were reviewed. Analysis of technical success, hemodynamic success and complications was performed. Results 416 stents were placed over the 10 year period. 158 (38%) were premounted. There was no apparent trend in the frequency of use of premounted stents over the study period. Implanted premounted stents were smaller in diameter than nonpremounted stents 4.9 mm +/− 1.8 versus 13.9 mm +/− 3.7, and the site of stent placement differed significantly. Unadjusted and adjusted analysis of technical success with respect to the precision of stent placement, hemodynamic success, and complications showed no difference between premounted and non-premounted stents. Conclusions We found no difference between premounted and nonpremounted stents with respect to procedural and hemodynamic success or complications. Nevertheless, there remain practical advantages to the use of premounted stents that may justify their expanding role in congenital cardiac catheterization. (J Interven Cardiol 2013;26:58–61)
64Cu-Labeled Folate-Conjugated Shell Cross-Linked Nanoparticles for Tumor Imaging and Radiotherapy: Synthesis, Radiolabeling, and Biologic Evaluation

Long-circulating nanoparticles functionalized with ligands for receptors overexpressed by tumor cells have promising applications for active and passive tumor targeting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate 64Cu-radiolabeled folate-conjugated shell cross-linked nanoparticles (SCKs) as candidate agents to shuttle radionuclides and drugs into tumors overexpressing the folate receptor (FR). Methods: SCKs were obtained by cross-linking the shell of micelles obtained from amphiphilic diblock copolymers. SCKs were then functionalized with folate, fluorescein thiosemicarbazide (FTSC), and 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-N,N′,N″,N‴-tetraacetic acid (TETA). The specific interaction of SCK-folate with the FR was investigated on KB cells. The biodistributions of 64Cu-TETA-SCK and 64Cu-TETA-SCK-folate were evaluated in athymic mice bearing small-size KB cell xenografts (10–100 mg), whereas the intratumor distributions were investigated by autoradiography in 0.3- to 0.6-g KB cell xenografts. Results: A global solution-state functionalization strategy has been introduced for attaching optimum numbers of targeting and imaging agents onto the SCKs for increasing the efficiency of interaction with cell-surface receptors. Epifluorescence microscopy confirmed the specific interaction of FTSC-SCK-folate with the FR in vitro. 64Cu labeling of TETA-SCKs led to the radiolabeled compounds with 15%–20% yield and >95% radiochemical purity. The biodistribution results demonstrated high accumulation of 64Cu-labeled SCKs in organs of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) (56.0 ± 7.1 %ID/g and 45.7 ± 3.5 %ID/g [percentage injected dose per gram] in liver at 10 min after injection for folated and nonfolated SCKs, respectively) and a prolonged blood circulation. No increase of SCK tumor uptake deriving from folate conjugation was observed (5.9 ± 2.8 %ID/g and 6.0 ± 1.9 %ID/g at 4 h after injection for folated and nonfolated SCKs, respectively). However, tumor accumulation was higher in small-size tumors, where competitive block of SCK-folate uptake with excess folate was observed. Autoradiography results confirmed the extravasation of radiolabeled SCKs in vascularized areas of the tumor, whereas no diffusion was observed in necrotic regions. Conclusion: Despite high RES uptake, the evaluated 64Cu-labeled SCKs exhibited long circulation in blood and were able to passively accumulate in tumors. Furthermore, SCK-folate uptake was competitively blocked by excess folate in small-size solid tumors, suggesting interaction with the FR. For these reasons, functionalized SCKs are promising drug-delivery agents for imaging and therapy of early-stage solid tumors.
Respiration and ROS production in brain and spinal cord mitochondria of transgenic rats with mutant G93a Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase gene.

Abstract Mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of motor neuron degeneration in the G93A mutant transgenic (tgmSOD1) animal model of ALS. However, it is unknown whether mitochondriopathy is a primary or secondary event. We isolated brain (BM) and spinal cord (SCM) mitochondria from 2 month old presymptomatic tgmSOD1 rats and studied respiration and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using a new metabolic paradigm (Panov et al., Am. J. Physiol., Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol., 2011). The yields of BM and SCM from tgmSOD1 rats were 27% and 58% lower than normal rats (WT). The rates of the State 3 and State 3U respiration of tgBM and tgSCM were normal with glutamate + pyruvate + malate as substrates but were inhibited with pyruvate + malate in tgBM and glutamate + malate in tgSCM. In tgSCM the State 4 respiration with all substrates was significantly (1.5–2 fold) increased as compared with WT-SCM. Western blot analysis showed that tgSCM had lower contents of complexes III (− 60%) and IV (− 35%), and the presence of mutated SOD1 protein in both tgBM and tgSCM. With glutamate + pyruvate + malate or succinate + glutamate + pyruvate + malate as substrates, tgBM and tgSCM generated 5–7 fold more ROS than normal mitochondria, and tgSCM generated two times more ROS than tgBM. We show that the major damaging ROS species in tgmSOD1 animals is H2O2. It is known that mutated SOD1, damaged by H2O2, associates with mitochondria, and we suggest that this further increases production of H2O2. We also show that the total tissue calcium content remained normal in the brain but was diminished by 26% in the spinal cord of presymptomatic tgmSOD1 rats. Conclusion: In tgSCM abnormally high rates of ROS generation, associated with reverse electron transport, result in accelerated mitochondriopathy, and the Ca2+-dependent excitotoxic death of motor neurons. Thus mitochondrial dysfunction is a key early element in pathogenesis of motor neuron degeneration in tgmSOD1 rats.
Transgenerational genetic effects of the paternal Y chromosome on daughters' phenotypes

Aims: Recent evidence suggests that transgenerational genetic effects contribute to phenotypic variation in complex traits. To test for the general occurrence of these effects and to estimate their...
Plasma Somatotropin and Prolactin Concentrations in Young Dairy Sires Before and After a 24-Hour Fast

Abstract To examine the efficacy of plasma concentrations of bST or prolactin as predictors of expected daughter performance, blood samples were collected from young Holstein sires. Blood samples were collected at 15-min intervals via jugular cannulas from 1000 until 1600 h (d 1), beginning 4 h after morning hay feeding. Bulls were not fed again until after collection of blood samples on d 2. Samples were collected at 15-min intervals from 1000 until 1300 h on d 2. Peak values and frequency of hormonal secretory patterns of each bull were characterized by an iterative process in which values>2 SD from the mean were flagged as peaks and excluded from the subsequent calculation of SD and mean. The process continued until an iteration in which no new peaks were flagged. Imposition of a 24-h fast did not alter mean basal bST or prolactin concentrations, but reduced mean peak and overall concentrations of both hormones. The number of bST peaks on d 1 was inversely related to both USDA and Northeast Artificial Insemination Sire Comparison Pedigree Index for milk yield and both USDA and Northeast Artificial Insemination Sire Comparison sire PD for milk yield, but was positively correlated on d 2 with USDA Pedigree Index for milk yield. Mean peak bST on d 2 was correlated with Northeast Artificial Insemination Sire Comparison Estimated Breeding Value for fat yield and sire USDA PD for fat yield. Prolactin peak frequency on d 1 was negatively related to Northeast Artificial Insemination Sire Comparison Pedigree Index for milk yield and sire PD for fat yield. Difference between mean prolactin on d 1 and 2 was negatively related to Northeast Artificial Insemination Sire Comparison Pedigree Index for milk yield and Estimated Breeding Value for fat yield. Endocrine parameters in young sires may be related to genetic merit for production parameters.
Applying Information Science Lens for Advancing Critical Research on IT Adoption: Insights from Continued Usage of Mobile Phones by Poor Women in Rural India

Critical research on IT adoption dominated by cognitive models grounded in psychology and communication is always in search of new theoretical perspectives to understand, explain, and interpret social issues. Since information plays an important role in IT adoption, this study applies an information science lens to investigate the factors affecting the continued usage of mobile phones in rural India. Analysis of interviews with 22 women earning less than a dollar day reveals the influence of social, economic, cognitive, technological, and information-related factors on their continued usage of mobiles. Micro-and meso-level socioeconomic motives and active information-seeking behavior emerge as the most significant factors encouraging respondents to continue using mobiles against several technical and human barriers. The application of information science lens yields three constructs and ten micro-, meso-, and macro-level variables, advancing critical research on IT adoption with the help of a theoretical lens outside of psychology and communication literature.
Reconsidering both Diversity and Segregation: A Reply to Poulsen, Johnston and Forrest, and to Peach

The recent debate in JEMS between Ceri Peach on the one hand, and Mike Poulsen, Ron Johnston and James Forrest (henceforth PJF) on the other, has two main foci, one narrow and the other broad. The ...
Minority mating advantage of certain eye color mutants ofDrosophila melanogaster. I. Multiple-choice and single-female tests

Alleles at the brown locus ofDrosophila melanogaster combined with homozygous scarlet provide a useful model to demonstrate minority advantage of males in mating. Heterozygotes with orange (O) eyes equal in numbers to homozygotes with red (R) eyes (10∶10 in both sexes) displayed no bias favoring either eye color, but each eye color was favored when males occurred in a minority ratio (2∶18). In direct observation of single females with equal numbers of males (3∶3) as controls,O males courted less and more slowly thanR males, but females mated with either type without bias. When unequal (4∶1), the minority males were successful at more than twice the frequency expected. Whether successful or not, the minority males did not change their level of courtship, and thus cannot be said to compensate for their frequency in any way. The time between first courtship and mating was less for the minority males than for the majority males. We discard the hypothesis that the minority male will be accepted immediately or ahead of a majority male, because the opposite tended to occur: that if a minority male courted first he was less likely to be successful than if he waited until the majority courted. Our results then are in conformity with the hypothesis that a female samples males and their courtship cues, thus becoming habituated to the majority of the first courting male, but she accepts a male with a cue different from that which she originally detected but avoided. That male is most often the minority.
Bending and shear tests on lake ice

This paper reports the results of bending and shear tests made on ice from Lake Michigan and on artificial ice so frozen as to have the same crystal orientation. The bend specimens normally failed in tension with an indicated tensile strength of about 200 psi. A marked increase of tensile strength with decreasing temperature was indicated. The shear strength was found to be about 100 psi. No temperature coefficient for shear strength could be detected. Specimens of the ice were studied in polarized light. It was observed that the optic axes of the ice crystals were usually normal to the surface of refrigeration. The crystal diameters were usually less than one inch.
A Micromechanical Theory of High Temperature Creep

Based on the mechanism of dislocation climb-plus-glide, a micromechanical theory is developed for the high-temperature creep of polycrystals. This model assumes that dislocation climb is responsible for the release of dislocations and whose subsequent glide provides the only significant contribution to the overall creep strain. Taking into consideration the forces acting on both dislocation climb and dislocation glide, a microconstitutive equation is introduced to describe the transient and steady-state creep of slip systems. Together with the self-consistent relation, the creep property of a polycrystal is determined by an averaging process over the behavior of its constituent grains. The developed micromechanical theory is then applied to model the creep behavior of lead at 0.56 Tm , under both tension and shear. Based on these micromechanical analyses, a macroscopic multiaxial theory—involving an effective normal stress to reflect the climb force on the microscale as well as the usual effective shear stress—is also developed. It is found that the effective normal stress, which is independent of the hydrostatic pressure, depends primarily on the second invariant of the deviatoric stress, and only weakly so on the third invariant. Thus despite the distinct presence of two types of microstress, the constitutive equations on the macroscale can still be reasonably described by the second invariant alone even at high temperature.
The Perceived Support Network Inventory.

The development and psychometric investigation of the Perceived Support Network Inventory (PSNI), a measure of perceived social support, is described. A group of 146 introductory psychology students participated in a test-retest study design that collected reliability, internal consistency, and construct, convergent, and discriminant validity data on the scale. In addition, a contrast group of 28 Counseling Center clients was administered the PSNI. Test-retest reliability of the PSNI total score and subscale scores ranged from .72 to .88. Internal consistency for the PSNI was .77. Construct validity estimates ranged from .21 to .57. Convergent validity estimates varied from -.25 to .20. Discriminant validity estimates varied from -.11 to .19. Sample differences between introductory psychology student mean PSNI total and subscale scores and Counseling Center client mean PSNI total and subscale scores proved significant. Recommendations for subsequent research and future application are offered.
Surface morphology evolution during sputter deposition of thin films – lattice Monte Carlo simulations

Abstract The growth of uniform thin films on foreign substrates is impeded by several morphological instabilities. Hill-and-valley structures are formed and enhanced during sputter deposition where surface height perturbations have an opportunity to grow to large amplitudes. We show via kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations that while surface roughness can be partially controlled by changing growth conditions, such as substrate temperature, the diffusion of particles over step edges plays a very important role in determining both surface roughness and the density of the films. Our kMC simulations provide a way to evaluate the strength of surface instabilities during sputter deposition of thin films.
Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation studies in situ

We have studied the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of nuclear proteins in situ by examining the incorporation of [3H]NAD-derived ADP-ribose into polymers. We have devised a way to deliver [3H]NAD to cells growing in vitro, and we have determined the kinetics of uptake and incorporation into nuclear proteins using this delivery system. Incorporation into the histone fraction, known acceptors of poly(ADP-ribose), was examined and shown to be sensitive to the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor 3-aminobenzamide. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of 3H-labeled proteins revealed radioactivity associated with known poly(ADP-ribose)-accepting proteins such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and histones. These results were confirmed when we immunoreacted gel-separated proteins with anti-(ADP-ribose) generated in our laboratory.
In-situ processing of Al alloy composites

In-situ processing of discontinuously reinforced Al alloy composites (DRACs) by gas-bubbling method was investigated in this paper. Fine SiC and AIN particles were synthesized by bubbling C-bearing and N-bearing gases respectively. These results show that processing of DRACs through in-situ gas-bubbling route is technically feasible. Compared with conventional processing techniques, this method has the potential to produce DRACs with better microstructure and properties while with lower cost.
Terminal Guidance for Continuous Powered Space Vehicles

Error correcting problem in space trajectory of continuous powered space vehicle, discussing optimal terminal guidance
Baking at the Front Line, Sleeping with the Enemy: Reflections on Gender and Women's Peace Activism in Israel

One day in the summer of 2004, a shift of activists from Checkpoint Watch (CPW) brought to the checkpoint some cookies that one of them had baked earlier that morning. Checkpoint Watch is an all-women Israeli organization that opposes the Israeli checkpoints in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Israeli 1967 occupation more broadly. Its members conduct routine tours to monitor changes in the deployment of checkpoints and stand in regular shifts at the larger, manned checkpoints in the West Bank. As they spend several hours weekly at specific checkpoints, some activists develop acquaintances with both the soldiers who operate them and the Palestinians who regularly pass through them. Many also stop for coffee at the local Palestinian “shacks,” conduct weekly political debates with soldiers, and try to pass the time in conversation. Therefore, it may have seemed trivial, for the activists, to share homemade cookies with the people they encounter weekly. This is precisely what happened on that morning in 2004: a trivial event that probably happened many times before and many times afterwards.
Prediction of energetic particle behavior at high solar latitudes

Emphasis is placed on predictions of the galactic cosmic-ray flux at high heliographic latitudes. Recent work on gradient and curvature drifts in the large-scale heliospheric magnetic field wave modified the traditional argument that the cosmic rays should be essentially unmodulated over the solar poles. In fact, drift effects during the next solar cycle, when the International Solar Polar Mission is to fly, are predicted to cause considerable modulation in the polar regions. However, it is pointed out that the use of conventional drift formulae in the solar wind, which contains magnetic-field fluctuations with large amplitudes and perhaps systematic properties, is highly suspect. Prediction of cosmic-ray behavior over the solar poles is thus currently uncertain. Also considered is the behavior of the anomalous cosmic-ray component at high heliographic latitudes.
High levels of mitochondrial DNA deletions in skeletal muscle of old rhesus monkeys

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions increase in abundance with age in many tissues, however, their calculated low levels (usually < 0.1%) in samples from tissue homogenates containing thousands of cells argue against physiologic significance. Through the analysis of defined numbers of cells (skeletal muscle fibers) from rhesus monkeys, we report that the calculated abundance of specific mtDNA deletions is dependent upon the number of fibers analyzed: as the number of fibers decreases, the calculated deletion abundance increases. Also, most mtDNA deletions appear to occur in a mosaic pattern, varying from cell to cell in size, number and abundance. These data support the hypothesis that mtDNA deletions can focally accumulate to high levels contributing to declines in mass and function of aging skeletal muscle.
SU‐GG‐T‐608: Modeling Scatter‐To‐Primary Dose Ratio for Megavoltage Photons

Purpose: In radiation oncology,measured x‐ray dose (TPR or PDD) at central axis are usually tabulated and used for clinical dose calculation. An efficient technique to examine these datasets whether contain systematic or random errors can be useful to maintain the accuracy of the data and improve patient treatment. An optimization routine employing a newly developed scatter‐to‐primarydose ratio (SPR) can be used to examine the accuracy of clinical beam data. The SPR formula proposed in this study is more accurate than that published previously, especially for low energy beams, because the effect of backscatteredphoton is taken into account. Method and Materials: A formula, involving three fitting parameters, is formulated to express the SPR. Because of absence of measurement error and the ability separating scattering and primary dose component, Monte Carlo (MC) data is used to extract these parameters. Based on the results of fitting MC data, we are able to obtain a set of empirical expression for the fitting parameters as a function of photon beam attenuation coefficients. These empirical expressions are implemented into our optimization routine, used to match measured beam data. Results: In terms of fitting accuracy for MC, the new SPR formula outperforms the previously published form. For clinical data study, our optimization routine successfully fits the measuredphoton beam data with depth and field size up to 40 cm for a large variety of linear accelerators (6 to 25 MV) and Co60 machine from different manufactures. The maximum error among these fits is 2.8 % for Co60 and better than 2 % for all other energies. Conclusion: Because of the high fitting accuracy, our optimization routine, incorporating the new SPR form, can serve as a tool performing quality control of x‐ray beam data in a fast‐pace clinical environment.
Flow development downstream of a standard tube bundle and three different porous plate flow conditioners

Abstract The development of the mean velocity and turbulence intensity downstream of a standard tube bundle and three different slotted plates has been measured in a four inch pipe using a 1-D laser Doppler anemometer system. The results show how far the standard tube bundle must be placed upstream of the orifice plate to obtain fully developed mean velocity and turbulence. Numerical analyses of how shaping the velocity profile exiting a flow conditioner effects the development of both the turbulence and mean velocity have been performed. These analyses indicate that a power law profile (1/7th) with a 9% turbulence intensity produces a fully developed flow in the shortest pipe length, 20 D. A parabolic profile requires a slightly longer development length. A uniform flow required the longest length of pipe. The effect of the turbulence intensity produced by the flow conditioner was also investigated. Three different slotted plates were manufactured to produce a 1/7th power law, parabolic, and uniform velocity profile downstream of the plate. The development of the mean velocity and turbulence have been measured. These data were compared to the predictions with very favorable results. The simulations accurately represented the flow field and turbulence intensity distributions.
Improving communication with all patients.

Reflection is part of the art of medicine. However, like the visual and performing arts, reflectiondemands the development of specific skills, involves the brain and the mind, requires attention to high-quality feedback and is subject to scientific investigation and understanding. The three studies in this issue of Medical Education help to illuminate the processes that underlie reflection. The goals of reflection – insight, wisdom and informed flexibility – though, like beauty, harmony and health, are much harder to define and measure.
Variation in the Competence of Tobacco Pith Cells for Cytokinin-Habituation in Culture

Pith parenchyma tissues of tobacco sometimes lose their exogenous requirement for a cell division factor such as the cytokinin, kinetin. This process, known as cytokinin habituation, appears to involve epigenetic changes since it is a heritable change in cell phenotype which is directed, regularly reversible, and leaves the cell totipotent. In this report, we show that pith cells in culture consist of at least two types of cytokinin-requiring cells. The first type habituates rapidly under inductive conditions. The second type continues to express the cytokinin-requiring phenotype for many cell generations in culture but retains the capacity for habituation. These findings suggest that pith cells differ in their competence to habituate and that different states of competence are inherited by individual cells.
Luanda Onde Está? Contemporary African Art and the Rentier State

Once called the “Paris of Africa,” on account of its flourishing harbor trade and splendid architecture, Angola's capital Luanda is today more often likened to Dubai, the quintessential oil-fed meg...
Effects of sex, race, and puberty on cortical bone and the functional muscle bone unit in children, adolescents, and young adults.

Context: Sex and race differences in bone development are associated with differences in growth, maturation, and body composition. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the independent effects of sex, race, and puberty on cortical bone development and muscle-bone relations in children and young adults. Design and Participants: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 665 healthy participants (310 male, 306 black) ages 5–35 yr. Outcomes: Tibia peripheral quantitative computed tomography measures were made of cortical bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), periosteal (Peri) and endosteal circumferences, section modulus (Zp), and muscle area. Regression models were adjusted for tibia length, age, race, sex, and Tanner stage. Results: All cortical measures were greater in blacks than whites (all P ≤ 0.001) in Tanner stages 1–4; however, differences in BMC, Peri, and Zp were negligible in Tanner stage 5 (all interactions, P < 0.01). Cortical BMC, Peri, and Zp were lower in females than males in all Tanner stages (all P < 0.001), and the sex differences in Peri and Zp were greater in Tanner stage 5 (interaction, P < 0.02). Cortical BMD was greater (P < 0.0001) and endosteal circumference was lower (P < 0.01) in Tanner 3–5 females, compared with males. Adjustment for muscle area attenuated but did not eliminate sex and race differences in cortical dimensions. Associations between muscle and bone outcomes did not differ according to sex or race. Conclusion: Sex and race were associated with maturation-specific differences in cortical BMD and dimensions that were not fully explained by differences in bone length or muscle. No race or sex differences in the functional muscle bone unit were identified.
Weakly central-vertex complete graphs with applications to commutative rings

Abstract The zero-divisor graph of a commutative ring R is the graph whose vertices consist of the nonzero zero-divisors of R such that distinct vertices x and y are adjacent if and only if x y = 0 . In this paper, a decomposition theorem is provided to describe weakly central-vertex complete graphs of radius 1 . This characterization is then applied to the class of zero-divisor graphs of commutative rings. For finite commutative rings whose zero-divisor graphs are not isomorphic to that of Z 4 [ X ] / ( X 2 ) , it is shown that weak central-vertex completeness is equivalent to the annihilator condition. Furthermore, a schema for describing zero-divisor graphs of radius 1 is provided.
Attitudes of nursing and rest home administrators toward deinstitutionalized elders with psychiatric disorders.

The administrators of 92 nursing homes and rest homes in western Massachusetts were surveyed on their experiences with elderly residents, with a history of psychiatric hospitalization and their willingness to admit such individuals in the future. A majority of those who had admitted deinstitutionalized elders with chronic psychiatric disorders reported having experienced severe problems with them. Most of the problems involved the resident going into crisis or producing some highly disruptive behavior. Although two-thirds of the facilities had admitted elders who had been deinstitutionalized from a public psychiatric hospital, only one-quarter clearly planned to do so in the future. Three quarters of the administrators reported that they did not have the support services that the deinstitutionalized elders in their facilites needed. A comparison of the services reported to be important and those reported to be available suggest that simply increasing the availability of psychiatric support services would probably not influence administrators to admit elders with chronic mental illness in the future.
Iron-Aluminide Filters for Hot-Gas Cleanup

Iron aluminides have shown good to excellent high-temperature corrosion resistance in sulfur-bearing environments and thus have potential for use as the material of construction for metallic filters used to clean fossil-fuel-derived gases prior to their introduction into gas turbine systems. Consequently, a background for consideration of such alloys for filter applications is given in terms of a brief summary of the physical metallurgy and relevant high-temperature corrosion behavior of iron aluminides. In addition, preliminary characterization results on iron-aluminide filter elements exposed in test beds that simulate environments associated with advanced coal-fired energy production are presented. Although good corrosion resistance was found, there were minor to moderate strength reductions that did not necessarily scale with time. Little degradation in ductility was observed.Copyright © 1999 by ASME
Concurrent and Prospective Analyses of Peer, Television and Social Media Influences on Body Dissatisfaction, Eating Disorder Symptoms and Life Satisfaction in Adolescent Girls

The degree to which media contributes to body dissatisfaction, life satisfaction and eating disorder symptoms in teenage girls continues to be debated. The current study examines television, social media and peer competition influences on body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms and life satisfaction in a sample of 237 mostly Hispanic girls. 101 of these girls were reassessed in a later 6-month follow-up. Neither television exposure to thin ideal media nor social media predicted negative outcomes either concurrently nor prospectively with the exception of a small concurrent correlation between social media use and life satisfaction. Social media use was found to contribute to later peer competition in prospective analysis, however, suggesting potential indirect but not direct effects on body related outcomes. Peer competition proved to be a moderate strong predictor of negative outcomes both concurrently and prospectively. It is concluded that the negative influences of social comparison are focused on peers rather than television or social media exposure.
Lingual sebaceous glands: report of case.

Normal sebaceous glands opened onto the tongue surface in a 28-year-old dentist. A 28-year-old dentist noticed a 9×5-mm yellow submucosal plaque in the midlateral dorsum of his tongue. After a period of observation an excisional biopsy was performed. The histopathologic examination of the specimen revealed normal sebaceous glands opening onto the tongue surface. This occurrence of ectopic sebaceous glands in the tongue is notably rare in contrast with their frequent occurrence in the lips and buccal mucosa.
Influence of the Central Metal Ion on Nonlinear Optical and Two-Photon Absorption Properties of Push−Pull Transition Metal Porphyrins

We present a quantum-chemical analysis of the central metal ion's effect on first hyperpolarizabilities and two-photon absorption (TPA) cross sections at the infrared region of a series of push−pull porphyrins whose synthesis and NLO properties have been reported earlier (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 9710). The molecular geometries are obtained via the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level optimization including SCRF/PCM approach, and the NLO and TPA properties are calculated with the ZINDO/CV method including solvent effects. It is found that the CT transition between the metal ion's d orbital and the macrocycle π orbitals plays an important role on NLO and TPA properties of metal porphyrins. Our data suggest a new approach to enhance TPA properties of porphyrin materials. We also present a quantum-chemical analysis on porphyrin dimers and trimers to understand the relationship between structural and collective NLO properties. It has been observed that β values can be improved about an order of magnitude and TPA proper...
Extracting Information from Ultrasound Images: Elasticity

Speckle provides a signature related to the distribution of acoustic scatterers. As tissue deforms, speckle is preserved, making it ideal for tracking. A multi-dimensional speckle tracking algorithm is presented to monitor soft tissue elasticity.
Increase of ferromagnetic ordering temperature by the minority-band double-exchange interaction in SrRu 1 − x Cr x O 3

Structural, magnetic, and resistive properties of the chromium substituted SrRu{sub 1-x}Cr{sub x}O{sub 3} perovskites with increased ferromagnetic transition temperature from 163 to 188 K were studied for polycrystalline samples synthesized in air and at high pressure. The Cr solubility limit found at x=0.15 in air is controlled by geometrical constraints of the tolerance factor and can be extended to higher values through high-pressure synthesis at 3 GPa. A linear decrease of the lattice parameters and bond lengths and an increase of the bond angles with x are consistent with the substitution of smaller Cr{sup 4+/5+}. Similar decreases of the magnetic susceptibility X{sub m} in the paramagnetic region above T{sub c} and the high-field magnetization at 5 K with increasing x also indicate the presence of the Cr{sup 4+/3+} and Ru{sup 4+/5+} ions. This chemical substitution creates a possible Ru{sup 4+/5+} (d{sup 4/3})-O{sup 2-}-Cr{sup 4+/3+} (d{sup 2/3}) minority band double-exchange interaction which involves the Cr{sup 3+} and Cr{sup 4+} in magnetic ordering that enhances the ordering temperature. A reduced coercive field determined from the magnetization curves and a minimum of the resistivity point to decreased disorder for slightly substituted compositions x {approx} 0.025.
Convergence of an Ishikawa-Type Iteration Scheme for a Generalized Contraction

Abstract We show that the result of Xu [J. Math. Anal. Appl.167 (1992), 582-587], dealing with an Ishikawa-type iteration for a map T satisfying Ciric′s definition [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc.], can be extended to a wider class of maps.
Mutual Aid Groups with Mentally Ill Older Adults

ABSTRACT There is a growing body of literature that describes the theory of and practice with mutual aid groups. Much of the literature is generic in nature in that it describes mutual aid groups in general terms. However, groups of persons experiencing one vulnerable life condition or circumstance will bring different issues and behaviors to mutual aid groups than groups experiencing other conditions or circumstances. Hence, the knowledge base supporting practice with mutual aid groups must be particularized to the different vulnerable populations. This paper attempts to particularize mutual aid theory to group practice with mentally ill older adults. Mutual aid themes that are unique to older persons with a mental illness are explored.
Role of genetic factors in susceptibility to experimental hypertension due to chronic excess salt ingestion.

THERE is considerable evidence indicating a familial trend in human essential hypertension1. A familial disease could be due exclusively to common environmental factors, exclusively to common genetic factors, or to an interaction of the two.