cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Americans are not meeting current calcium recommendations

Background: Recent research has raised doubts about the efficacy of calcium supplementation in preventing fractures; however, adequate calcium intake remains important. Objective: Using data from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we assessed dietary and supplemental calcium consumption among US men and women according to risk of osteoporosis and stratified by sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Design: We categorized risk of osteoporosis as high (having an osteoporosis diagnosis or treatment), moderate (aged >50 y), or low (aged 19 -50 y). Main study outcomes included milligrams of dietary and supplemental calcium intake, likelihood of meeting national calcium adequate intake (AI) levels, and likelihood of taking supplemental calcium. Results: Mean (95% CI) total calcium consumption was 944 (846, 1043) mg in the high-risk group, 821 (788, 854) mg in the moderate-risk group, and 846 (812, 871) mg in the low-risk group. Overall, 40% of the sample met the calcium AI amount and 48% reported taking supplemental calcium. After adjustment for daily caloric intake, the greater likelihood of meeting calcium AI levels was associated with [odds ratio (95% CI)] low [versus moderate, 1.5 (1.2, 1.7)] and high [versus moderate, 1.9 (1.3, 2.6)] osteoporosis risk, female sex [1.6 (1.3, 1.8)], non-Hispanic white ethnicity [versus nonwhite, 1.9 (1.7, 2.3)], and education beyond high school [versus less than high school, 1.5 (1.2, 1.9)]. These same factors were also associated with an increased likelihood of taking supplemental calcium, except for a consistent increase with higher osteoporosis risk. Conclusion: Many Americans-particularly men, ethnic minorities, and the socially disadvantaged-are not meeting the current recommendations for adequate calcium intake through diet alone or with supplements.
Collision in space

On June 25, 1997, the Russian supply spacecraft Progress 234 collided with the Mir space station, rupturing Mir's pressure hull, throwing it into an uncontrolled attitude drift, and nearly forcing evacuation of the station. Like many high-profile accidents, this collision was the consequence of a chain of events leading to the final piloting errors that were its immediate cause. The discussion in this article does not resolve the relative contributions of the actions and decisions in this chain. Neither does it suggest corrective measures, many of which are straightforward and have already been implemented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Russian Space Agency. Rather, its purpose is to identify the human factors that played a pervasive role in the incident. Workplace stress, fatigue, and sleep deprivation were identified by NASA as contributory factors in the Mir-Progress collision (Culbertson, 1997; NASA, forthcoming), but other contributing factors, such as requiring crew to perform difficult tasks for which their training is not current, could potentially become important factors in future situations.
Design of viral marketing strategies for product cross-sell through social networks

In this paper, we introduce a novel and generalized version of the influence maximization problem in social networks, which we call as Budgeted Influence Maximization with Cross-sell of Products (B-IMCP), and it considers simultaneously the following three practical aspects: (i) Often cross-sell among products is possible, (ii) Product-specific costs (and benefits) for promoting the products have to be considered, and (iii) Since a company often has budget constraints, the initial seeds have to be chosen within a given budget. In particular, we consider that the cross-sell relationships among the products of a single company are given by an arbitrary bipartite graph. We explore two variants of cross-sell, one weak and one strong, and also assume product-specific costs and benefits. This leads to two different versions of the B-IMCP problem. Given a fixed budget, one of the key issues associated with each version of the B-IMCP problem is to choose the initial seeds within this budget not only for the individual products, but also for promoting cross-sell phenomenon among these products. The following are the specific contributions of this paper: (i) We propose a novel influence propagation model to capture both the cross-sell phenomenon and the costs---benefits for the products; (ii) For each version of the B-IMCP problem, we note that the problem turns out to be NP-hard, and then, we present a simple greedy approximation algorithm for the same. We derive the approximation ratio of this greedy algorithm by drawing upon certain key results from the theory of matroids; (iii) We then outline three heuristics based on well-known concepts from the sociology literature; and (iv) Finally, we experimentally compare and contrast the proposed algorithms and heuristics using certain well-known social network data sets such as WikiVote trust network, Epinions, and Telco call detail records data. Based on the experiments, we consistently found that the stronger the cross-sell relationship between the products, the larger the overlap between the seeds of these products and lesser the distances among the corresponding non-overlapping seeds.
Fulminant cerebral infarctions with membranous nephropathy.

Arterial thromboses, including cerebral infarction, are a rare complication of the nephrotic syndrome.A 37-year-old woman presented with right upper extremity ischemia, left middle cerebral artery thrombosis, and right cerebellar infarction. She quickly herniated, and postmortem evaluation revealed membranous nephropathy. Increased fibrinogen and decreased free protein S levels were noted.Membranous nephropathy can lead to rapidly progressive cerebral infarctions, with possible fatality. There is not a unifying hematologic explanation for the strokes seen with nephrotic syndrome.
MR and CT imaging of perirenal amyloidosis

The radiographic findings of perirenal amyloidosis have not previously been described. A patient with multiple myeloma and primary amyloidosis (AL) with secondary hydronephrosis as examined on plain film, retrograde ureteropyelography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging is presented. This case illustrates perirenal amyloidosis and demonstrates the utility of CT and MRI in patient management and surgical treatment.
A regret theory approach to decision curve analysis: A novel method for eliciting decision makers' preferences and decision-making

Decision curve analysis (DCA) has been proposed as an alternative method for evaluation of diagnostic tests, prediction models, and molecular markers. However, DCA is based on expected utility theory, which has been routinely violated by decision makers. Decision-making is governed by intuition (system 1), and analytical, deliberative process (system 2), thus, rational decision-making should reflect both formal principles of rationality and intuition about good decisions. We use the cognitive emotion of regret to serve as a link between systems 1 and 2 and to reformulate DCA. First, we analysed a classic decision tree describing three decision alternatives: treat, do not treat, and treat or no treat based on a predictive model. We then computed the expected regret for each of these alternatives as the difference between the utility of the action taken and the utility of the action that, in retrospect, should have been taken. For any pair of strategies, we measure the difference in net expected regret. Finally, we employ the concept of acceptable regret to identify the circumstances under which a potentially wrong strategy is tolerable to a decision-maker. We developed a novel dual visual analog scale to describe the relationship between regret associated with "omissions" (e.g. failure to treat) vs. "commissions" (e.g. treating unnecessary) and decision maker's preferences as expressed in terms of threshold probability. We then proved that the Net Expected Regret Difference, first presented in this paper, is equivalent to net benefits as described in the original DCA. Based on the concept of acceptable regret we identified the circumstances under which a decision maker tolerates a potentially wrong decision and expressed it in terms of probability of disease. We present a novel method for eliciting decision maker's preferences and an alternative derivation of DCA based on regret theory. Our approach may be intuitively more appealing to a decision-maker, particularly in those clinical situations when the best management option is the one associated with the least amount of regret (e.g. diagnosis and treatment of advanced cancer, etc).
Single-shot ultrabroadband two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy of the light-harvesting complex LH2

Here we present two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectra of the light-harvesting complex LH2 from purple bacteria using coherent pulses with bandwidth of over 100 nm FWHM. This broadband excitation and detection has allowed the simultaneous capture of both the B800 and B850 bands using a single light source. We demonstrate that one laser pulse is sufficient to capture the entire 2D electronic spectrum with a high signal-to-noise ratio. At a waiting time of 800 fs, we observe population transfer from the B800 to B850 band as manifested by a prominent cross peak. These results will enable observation of the dynamics of biological systems across both ultrafast ( 1 ms) timescales simultaneously.
Fluorinated aminooxazolines. Synthesis and properties

4-Amino-2,2,5,5-tetrakis(trifluoromethyl)-3-oxazoline (3a) was prepared from the reaction of sodium cyanide with hexafluoroacetone and hexafluoroacetone imine, and from the reaction of hexafluoroacetone cyanohydrin with the imine. Several other oxazolines were also prepared by related reactions of other fluoroketones and imines. The proton nmr spectrum of an 15N-labeled sample of 3a shows that it exists in solution primarily as the amino tautomer and not as the imino tautomer 3b. Comparison of 3a with the closely related, pharmacologically active 4-amino-2,2,5,5-tetrakis(trifluoromethyl)-3-imidazoline (2) has shown large differences in ΔH of complex formation and reactivity with electrophilic reagents.
Effect of spin-flip scattering on exchange enhanced susceptibilities

Abstract We indicate that rapid spin-flip scattering can tend to reduce exchange enhancements of the Pauli susceptibility in metals and Curie-Weiss θ's in magnetic materials. This effect plays a role when the spin-flip rate τ -1 becomes comparable to a relevant exchange frequency. Some estimates are made.
Presurgical localization of parathyroid adenomas with magnetic resonance imaging at 3.0 T: an adjunct method to supplement traditional imaging.

Purpose To investigate the use of a chemical shift-based water–fat separation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method, and time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRI at 3 T for improved presurgical localization of parathyroid adenomas.
Toward a mathematical theory of inductive inference

Intelligence tests occasionally require the extrapolation of an effective sequence (e.g. 1661, 2552, 3663, …) that is produced by some easily discernible algorithm. In this paper, we investigate the theoretical capabilities and limitations of a computer to infer such sequences. We design Turing machines that in principle are extremely powerful for this purpose and place upper bounds on the capabilities of machines that would do better.
Reducing false contours in quantized color images

Abstract The ultimate goal of color image quantization is to minimize visible distortion. We present a feedback-based quantization strategy along with its latest implernentation. The system examines and compares the original and the quantized image to detect visible distortions in order to guide the redistribution of resources, i.e. quantized colors, during re-quantization of the original. Resources are reallocated to areas where the most offensive detected distortions occur. Our current focus is to control the false contouring effect—a common eye-catching artifact that often appears after quantization when the original is a computer-synthesized or high-quality photographic image with gradually-shaded areas. The key difference between our new system and our previous implementation is a quantitative feedback-control mechanism that takes into account the magnitude of a false contour as well as the size and color deviation of the image areas alongside the false contour. The effectiveness of our system is demonstrated using raytraced and photo CD images.
Imaging of Myocardial Perfusion and Late Enhancement

While coronary computed tomography angiography offers a noninvasive method to identify the presence or absence of coronary artery disease, the functional significance of anatomical lesions identified by this technique is often unknown. As a result, some patients may require further testing to assess for ischemia in order to help guide the need for further interventions. Recently, it has been recognized that cardiac CT is able to visualize rest and stress myocardial perfusion, thus enabling the possibility of evaluating the anatomical burden and physiological significance of coronary artery disease in a single exam. This article will provide an overview of CT perfusion and review the most recent developments relating to this new technique. The potential use of late enhancement imaging will also be discussed. Finally, an overview of the key research questions in this field will be presented followed by a discussion regarding the future direction of CT perfusion imaging.
A new trajectory-based path planning approach for differential drive vehicles

A new robot local path planning algorithm is proposed that attempts to improve drive path contouring when in autonomous mode, by integrating a vehicle dynamics model into decision making. The technique is formulated in a space made up of path trajectories, where each trajectory corresponds to selected values for four parameters - initial and final forward and turn velocities for the robot. A criterion function that balances speed vs. safety is formulated to pick the best target forward and turn velocities for any given robot state. An advantage of the method is that driving decision commands are directly compatible with typical differential-drive motor controller inputs. The method is implemented on a differential drive robot with torque-limited motors, that is driven in a roadway type environment with occasional partial obstruction. Experimental results are presented.
A killer choice for cancer immunotherapy

The promise of cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer offers the potential of therapeutic synergy with chemo- and radiotherapies that may overcome current limitations leading to durable responses and prevention of recurrence. There is a wide array of cell-based immunotherapies that are either poised to enter cancer clinical trials or are in clinical trials, and many are showing some success. Yet within this field, there are clear obstacles that need to be overcome, including limited access across tissue barriers, development of antigen tolerance, and the immunosuppressive microenvironment of tumors. Through an understanding of immune cell signaling and trafficking, immune cell populations can be selected for adoptive transfer, and delivery strategies can be developed that circumvent these obstacles to effectively direct populations of cells with robust anti-tumor efficacy to the target. Within the realm of immune cell therapies, cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells have demonstrated promising trafficking patterns, effective delivery of synergistic therapeutics, and stand-alone efficacy. Here, we discuss the next generation of CIK therapies and their application for the effective treatment of a wide variety of cancers.
Differentiating type I and type II alveolar cells in rat lung by OsO4-NaI staining.

The fixing-staining mixture consisted of 1 part of 2% aqueous OsO4 and 3 parts of 3% Nal in distilled water. Fresh lungs were cut into 2 mm slices and immersed in this solution for 24 hr at room temperature. Controls were fixed in buffered OsO4 alone. Selective staining of type II alveolar cells was shown by the OsOt-NaI mixture but was absent in the controls. No additional staining of the sections was required, and the selectivity was readily observable in either paraffin or Araldite sections by light microscopy and in Araldite sections by electron microscopy
Plodia interpunctella and Cadra cautella: resistance in strains to malathion and synergized pyrethrins.

Strains of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hubner), and the almond moth, Cadra cautella (Walker), Collected in 1971 and 1972 from peanut- and grain-storage Facilities, had a range of resistance to malathion and Synergized pyrethrins. Resistance to malathion in 6 strains of C. cautella ranged from 1.2 to 7.2; that in 7 strains of P. interpunctella ranged from 177 to at least 206. Two strains each of P. interpunctella and C. cautella showed low levels of resistance to synergized pyrethrins.
Resistance of Cucumber Varieties to Tetranychus urticae: Genetic and Environmental Determinants

The “nonbitter” cucumber variety ‘Marketmore 72’ and the “bitter” varieties ‘Marketmore 70’, ‘Tablegreen 65’, ‘Hawaiian’, and ‘Marketeer’ were tested for resistance to the twospotted spider mite. When bitter varieties were gorwn in the same flats, Hawaiian exhibited the most pronounced resistance. Water stress caused a significant increase in the resistance of bitter varieties but did not affect resistance of the nonbitter variety. Resistance was not attributable to behavioral avoidance of bitter leaves.
Neurology of the Geriatric Patient

Owing to improvements in health care, more animals are living to advanced ages. Many abnormal neurologic conditions can affect these patients, but those most commonly associated with advancing years include degenerative, neoplastic, and idiopathic processes. An understanding of the "normal" age-related changes seen on a neurologic examination must be kept in mind when evaluating geriatric patients. Special care and consideration of the patient and client are often required in managing these cases, especially because treatment protocols are often unsuccessful or do not exist, resulting in a prognosis that is often poor at best.
Enhanced Field of View Fiber Coupled Image Sensing

Fiber-coupled focal planes allow detection of spherical image surfaces. We investigate the field of view possible with a single straight fiber bundle, demonstrating how the field can be extended by annular microprisms near the image surface.
Increased Expression in Erythrocytic Ii Antigens in Sickle Cell Disease and Sickle Cell Trait

. The reactivity of human erythrocytes with anti-I and anti-i sera was estimated in 36 normal adults, 18 individuals with sickle cell anemia and 27 individuals with sickle cell trait, by quantitative hemagglutination with a sensitive autoanalyzer system. SS erythrocytes showed significantly increased I and i reactivity when compared to normal erythrocytes. AS erythrocytes also demonstrated some increase in Ii reactivity. No correlation was found between erythrocytic HbF content and i reactivity.
Electronic properties of (100) surfaces of GaSb and InAs and their alloys with GaAs

Smooth, monocrystalline (100) surfaces of the alloys In1-xGaxAs and GaSb1-yAsy were prepared by molecular beam epitaxy. Both As-stabilized c(2 × 8) and metal-stabilized c(8 × 2) surface reconstructions were observed for In1-xGax,As over the entire alloy range. GaS1-yAsy exhibited a c(2 × 6) or (2 × 3) structure for y ≤ 0.2, and, after a transition region, the anion-stabilized c(2 × 8) or the Ga-stabilized c(8 × 2) structures for y ≥ 0.5. Electron energy loss spectroscopy revealed the simultaneous presence of two empty, dangling-bond-derived surface states in both alloy systems. For In1-xGaxAs the In-derived empty surface state lies ≅0.4 - 0.5 eV below that of Ga and moves from above the conduction band edge into the band gap for x ≥ 0.6. The overlap between the Ga- and In-derived empty surface states causes the quenching of the Ga(3d) surface exciton. For GaSb1-yAsy the Sb dangling bonds generate an empty, localized surface state which lies 0.2 - 0.3 eV above the empty, Ga-derived surface state. Both levels lie above the conduction band edge throughout the alloy range.
Bounds on the oscillation of spin system

Abstract A birth and death process is used to compare the dynamics of two finite Markov spin systems with different initial configurations. This procedure results in bounds on the oscillation of functionals of the finite spin system as a function of the initial configuration. Such bounds are used, in the one- and two-dimensional cases, to prove the existence of infinite Feller spin systems which do not satisfy T. Liggett's “bounded variation” condition on the interaction functions.
Schistosoma mansoni: identification and characterization of schistosomula polypeptides.

Abstract Schistosomula proteins separated by a two-dimensional (NEPHGE) gel system identify 94 major silver-stained polypeptides. When compared to polypeptides similarly separated from cercariae and adult worms; cercariae share the same polypeptides as schistosomula, adult worms share ca. 60% of the polypeptides. A group of five schistosomula polypeptides 15–31 kDa (apparent p I 8.2–8.9) was not found in adult worm extracts. To identify which polypeptides were immunogens, Western blots of the NEPHGE gels were probed with sera either from humans with chronic schistosomiasis or from mice vaccinated with irradiated cercariae. For characterization studies, polyclonal antibodies were made against the five schistosomula-specific and selected immunogenic polypeptides by immunizing mice with silver-stained spots removed from NEPHGE gels. We show that the polyclonal serum against a polypeptide of 12.5 kDa and an apparent p I of 6.70 mediated complement and eosinophil-dependent killing of schistosomula in an in vitro assay. Epitopes recognized by antibody against the 12.5-kDa polypeptide show a diffuse distribution and are found on flame cells of the excretory system of the schistosomula.
Combination of pessary and periurethral collagen injections for nonsurgical treatment of uterovaginal prolapse and genuine stress urinary incontinence.

Background The combination of severe uterovaginal prolapse and stress urinary incontinence in medically compromised patients in whom surgery is contraindicated is a difficult treatment dilemma. Case A 75-year-old woman with severe cardiac compromise and a history of pulmonary embolus presented with severe uterovaginal prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. The combination of a vaginal pessary and three periurethral collagen injections resulted in successful management of her prolapse and resolution of her stress urinary incontinence. Conclusion Although pessaries are frequently a satisfactory treatment option for women with severe uterovaginal prolapse, the appearance or worsening of urinary incontinence may make the option of pessary use less attractive. The addition of periurethral collagen injections will improve or cure urinary incontinence symptoms.
Effect of Therapeutic Immunization with HIV Type 1 Recombinant Glycoprotein 160 ImmunoAG Vaccine in HIV-Infected Individuals with CD4+ T Cell Counts of ≥500 and 200-400/mm3 (AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study 246/946)

AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) 246/946 was a double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial of HIV-1 MN rgp160 ImmunoAG vaccine in HIV-infected patients with CD4+ T cell counts ≥500 and 200-400/mm3. The main objectives were to study the safety and immunogenicity of this vaccine and to study the persistence of the immune responses after vaccination over a longer period of time. Fifteen patients with CD4+ T cell counts of ≥500/mm3 were enrolled in the ACTG 246 study. ACTG 246 patients received a monthly injection of vaccine or control for 6 months and then injections every 2 months. After completion of this study, seven new patients with CD4+ T cell counts of 200-400/mm3 entered into the ACTG 946 study. These study patients received highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) (ritonavir, didanosine, and stavudine) for 9 weeks to stabilize their viral load and then each patient received a monthly injection of vaccine or control substance for 6 months with HAART. The study of these two relatively small popu...
Matching the power of high throughput screening to the chemical diversity of natural products

Covering: up to 2013Application of high throughput screening technologies to natural product samples demands alterations in assay design as well as sample preparation in order to yield meaningful hit structures at the end of the campaign.
Best constants of harmonic approximation on classes associated with the Laplace operator

We compute the best constants of approximation by entire functions of spherical type and by trigonometric polynomials of spherical degree on classes of functions f satisfying the condition @[email protected]^[email protected]?"L"""p=<1, where p=1 or 2 and @D is the Laplace operator.
Controllability and observability of vibration control systems with viscoelastic damping layers

In this paper a set of controllability and observability conditions are proposed for vibration control systems with viscoelastic damping. Both conditions are stated in terms of the eigenstructures (eigenvalues and eigenvectors) of the control systems under consideration. They are similar to the well known eigenvector tests, except that to determine controllability, the knowledge of the stress-strain relations of the viscoelastic damping material is needed in addition to the modal information.
THE PERFORMANCE OF BANK‐MANAGED MUTUAL FUNDS

The ability of banks to offer proprietary mutual funds has expanded over recent years, and the mutual fund industry has been a significant growth area for banks. I examine the growth and performance of bank proprietary bond mutual funds. The empirical results show no evidence that bank-managed mutual funds underperform nonbank funds. I find some evidence that bank managers are more conservative than nonbank managers in terms of investment strategy and that banks appear more likely to target individual rather than institutional investors. Also, I find that abnormal fund performance does not appear to be a significant determinant of the net asset flows into and out of bank-managed mutual funds. Rather, the results suggest bank investors rely mainly on past marketing information and the general reputation of the bank. JEL classification: G11, G21
Efficient support for strong semantics in transactional and non-transactional programs

Transactional programs, using transactional memory (TM) and non-transactional programs (non-TM) (e.g., using locks) provide weak semantics under commonly used memory models. Strong memory models incur high implementation overhead and yet prove to be insufficient. TM programs and non-TM programs have different semantics based on the memory model. Adding new atomic blocks to lock-based code is difficult without adding high overhead or introducing weak semantics. A system where users can add atomic blocks or lock-based critical sections seamlessly to existing TM programs or lock-based code facilitates incremental deployment. A unified and strong memory model enforced efficiently by a single runtime for both kinds of programs is therefore desirable.
Paradoxes in nonparametric tests

This paper is a continuation of one (1992) in which the author studied the paradoxes that can arise when a nonparametric statistical test is used to give an ordering of k samples and the subsets of those samples. This article characterizes the projection paradoxes that can occur when using contingency tables, complete block designs, and tests of dichotomous behaviour of several samples. This is done by examining the “dictionaries” of possible orderings of each of these procedures. Specifically, it is shown that contingency tables and complete block designs, like the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test on k samples, minimize the number and kinds of projection paradoxes that can occur; however, using a test of dichotomous behaviour of several samples does not. An analysis is given of two procedures used to determine the ordering of a pair of samples from a set of k samples. It is shown that these two procedures may not have anything in common.
Sex of Respondent and Credit Attitudes as Predictors of Credit Card Use and Debt Payment

Researchers have suggested there may be sex differences in attitudes towards credit card possession and use. Undergraduates, 41 men and 41 women, completed a survey regarding their attitudes towards credit, credit card use, and repayment. Analysis indicated sex played a significant moderating role between number of credit cards used and the importance of paying off monthly balances. Women possessed more credit cards than men and engaged in more frequent shopping. Number of credit cards increased with paying off of monthly balances. Data are discussed in terms of the importance of managing credit card debt in an increasingly cashless society.
Beam geometry selection using sequential beam addition.

Purpose: The selection of optimal beam geometry has been of interest since the inception of conformal radiotherapy. The authors report on sequential beam addition, a simple beam geometry selection method, for intensity modulated radiation therapy. Methods: The sequential beam addition algorithm (SBA) requires definition of an objective function (score) and a set of candidate beam geometries (pool). In the first iteration, the optimal score is determined for each beam in the pool and the beam with the best score selected. In the next iteration, the optimal score is calculated for each beam remaining in the pool combined with the beam selected in the first iteration, and the best scoring beam is selected. The process is repeated until the desired number of beams is reached. The authors selected three treatment sites, breast, lung, and brain, and determined beam arrangements for up to 11 beams from a pool comprised of 25 equiangular transverse beams. For the brain, arrangements were additionally selected from a pool of 22 noncoplanar beams. Scores were determined for geometries comprised equiangular transverse beams (EQA), as well as two tangential beams for the breast case. Results: In all cases, SBA resulted in scores superior to EQA. The breast case had the strongest dependence on beam geometry, for which only the 7-beam EQA geometry had a score better than the two tangential beams, whereas all SBA geometries with more than two beams were superior. In the lung case, EQA and SBA scores monotonically improved with increasing number of beams; however, SBA required fewer beams to achieve scores equivalent to EQA. For the brain case, SBA with a coplanar pool was equivalent to EQA, while the noncoplanar pool resulted in slightly better scores; however, the dose-volume histograms demonstrated that the differences were not clinically significant. Conclusions: For situations in which beam geometry has a significant effect on the objective function, SBA can identify arrangements equivalent to equiangular geometries but using fewer beams. Furthermore, SBA provides the value of the objective function as the number of beams is increased, allowing the planner to select the minimal beam number that achieves the clinical goals. The method is simple to implement and could readily be incorporated into an existing optimization system.
Proton radiosurgery in neurosurgery

Radiosurgery has emerged as an indispensable component of the multidisciplinary approach to neoplastic, functional, and vascular diseases of the central nervous system. In recent years, a number of newly developed integrated systems have been introduced for radiosurgery and fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy treatments. These modern systems extend the flexibility of radiosurgical treatment in allowing the use of frameless image-guided radiation delivery as well as high-precision fractionated treatments. The Novalis linear accelerator system demonstrates adequate precision and reliability for cranial and extracranial radiosurgery, including functional treatments utilizing either frame-based or frameless image-guided methods.
Perspectives in vascular ultrasound imaging: tissue characterization, 3D reconstruction and vascular mechanics

Atherosclerosis is a variable morphologic process resulting in heterogeneous plaque components and nonuniform extent and degree of plaque deposition. We and others have developed techniques of arterial imaging, segmental reconstruction and motion analysis to determine regional vascular reactivity in arterial segments having varying and expanding degrees of atherosclerosis. We have developed and validated position registration devices (PRD) for geometric three dimensional reconstruction of coronary and peripheral arteries using intravascular ultrasound. Elaborating upon an algorithm (McKay et al.), we have developed a technique using biplane cine fluoroscopy to identify intravascular ultrasound image catheter coordinates. Initial data demonstrates clinical feasibility for accurate intracoronary three-dimensional ultrasound reconstruction. For intravascular imaging across occlusions, a prototype 20 MHz forward viewing intravascular ultrasound catheter (Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Sunnyvale, CA) which provides a two dimensional setting distal to the catheter tip, has been developed. Transcutaneous ultrasound has been used for many years to follow atheroma progression. The use of new position registration devices allows for proper orientation such that accurate three dimensional reconstruction of the carotid bifurcation and the ilio-femoral arteries can be performed. Transesophageal echocardiography is used to evaluate different arterial beds and we have shown in familial hyperlipidemic patients undergoing LDL-apheresis, plaque progression, as determined with transesophageal echocardiography, is delayed. The accurate identification of plaque components would allow for better prediction of the effects of lipid modification regimens on plaque progression. We utilized a modified intravascular frequency device for such plaque characterization. Similarly, we are performing Doppler waveform frequency, finite element stress and finite analytic flow analysis. Data obtained from the femoral arteries to determine alterations in shear stress with expanding and eccentric atheroma. Taken together, these techniques should allow for quantitative evaluation of structural and functional characteristics of the arterial wall in different vascular beds.
An Investigation for the Nonlinear Effects of Squeeze Film Damping and Electrostatic Forces on the Shock Spectrum of a Capacitive Accelerometer

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental investigation on the effects of squeeze film damping and electrostatic forces on the shock spectrum of a capacitive accelerometer. For the theoretical part, a single-degree-of-freedom system is used to model the device. Simulation results are demonstrated in a series of shock spectra that help indicate the nonlinear effects on the motion of a MEMS device. When squeeze-film effects are absent, the electrostatic forces soften the microstructure and increase its deflection significantly. A range of shock durations was found in which the microstructure experiences pull-in (pull-in zone). Larger pull-in zones are obtained as we raise the electrostatic force. On the other hand, the presence of squeeze film highly suppresses the deflection of the microstructure in the dynamic range and has minor effects in the quasi-static range. It is found in the other case that the microstructure experiences pull-in in the quasi-static range. Simulation results are compared to experimental data, showing excellent agreement.© 2008 ASME
Antitumor drug toxicity in tumor-free and tumor-bearing mice.

This report summarizes studies of the toxicology of two antitumor drugs, l-phenylalanine mustard (l-PAM) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), administered singly and in combination to tumor-free and tumor-bearing mice. The purpose was to obtain data that might reveal the effect of disease on standard endpoints of drug toxicity. Young adult female B6C3F1 mice free of tumor or bearing murine mammary adenocarcinoma 16/C were treated with various dosages or combinations of l-PAM and 5-FU. All experiments included diluent control groups, and treatments were all administered IP daily for 5 days. Tumor size, body weight, hematology, clinical chemistry, and histopathology data were obtained on days 19, 21, 24, 28, 32, and 39 (day of tumor implantation = day 1; treatment on days 14–18), or on the corresponding post-treatment days in tumor-free mice. Tumor-bearing mice exhibited notable abnormalities in peripheral hematologic values and in concentrations of plasma urea nitrogen. If no drug treatment was administered, persistent reticulocytosis, granulocytosis, and uremia occurred in these mice. These abnormalities seemed to be related to tumor growth; drug treatment that produced partial regressions temporarily moderated cell counts and urea nitrogen concentrations. In general, these effects were observed in tumor-bearing mice receiving the highest doses in each experiment, suggesting that tumor-bearing mice are less sensitive than tumor-free mice to the effects of drugs on vital normal cells. Our data suggest that in the case of the particular tumor, host strain, and drugs studied here, distinct qualitative and quantitative differences in toxicity are obserbed when responses of tumor-free and tumor-bearing mice are compared.
Structure, agency, and sexual development of Latino gay men.

There is a high prevalence of childhood sexual abuse and HIV among Latino gay men, with limited proven HIV prevention interventions. This study used qualitative methods to explicate earlier finding...
Inverter Hardness Predictions and Correlation with LSI Device Failure Doses

Inverter test devices derived from lots of CMOS/SOS/LSI microprocessors, arithmetic logic units, and memories both hardened and unhardened types were irradiated with Cobalt 60 radiation together with LSI samples from the same lots. Failure doses for the LSI devices were compared to predicted failure doses based on the inverter data and a failure criterion that the threshold voltage, VTN must not penetrate the depletion region. The results showed that correlation of LSI device failure doses with predicted values was within factors of 1 to 10 for hardened and 2 for unhardened devices. The factor for hardened devices could be reduced to 3 by relaxing the criterion to allow a one volt penetration of the depletion region.
Optimal capacity planning in stochastic loss networks

A large number of application areas involve resource allocation problems in which resources of different capabilities are used to provide service to various classes of customers at their arrival instants, otherwise the opportunity to serve the customer is lost. Stochastic loss networks are often used to capture the dynamics and uncertainty of this class of resource allocation problems. A wide variety of examples include applications in telephony and data networks, distributed computing and data centers, inventory control and manufacturing systems, and call and contact centers. Another emerging application area is workforce management where, e.g., an IT services company offers a collection of service products, each requiring a set of resources with certain capabilities. The customer demands for such IT service products are stochastic and the IT services company seeks to determine its per-class resource capacity levels in order to maximize its profits over the long run.
Reconstruction at the Ga2Se3/GaAs epitaxial interface

A highly developed two dimensional superstructure was found at the Ga2Se3/GaAs epitaxial interface by transmission electron microscope observations. The atomic arrangement of the superstructure was determined by the analysis of electron diffraction patterns and high resolution transmission electron microscope images. The structure is described as a c(2×2) ordered arrangement of vacancies on the interfacial Ga plane. A possible role of the mismatch of electronic configurations at the Ga2Se3/GaAs interface in the formation of the vacancy ordering is discussed.
Iron control of the Vibrio fischeri luminescence system in Escherichia coli.

Iron influences liminescence in Vibrio fischeri; cultures iron-restricted for growth rate induce luminescence at a lower optical density (OD) than faster growing, iron-replete cultures. An iron restriction effect analogous to that in V. fischeri (slower growth, induction of luminescence at a lower OD) was established using Escherichia coli tonB and tonB+ strains transformed with recombinant plasmids containing the V. fischeri lux genes (luxR luxICD ABEG) and grown in the presence and absence of the iron chelator ethylenediamine-di (o-hydroxylphenyl acetic acid) (EDDHA). This permitted the mechanism of iron control of luminescence to be examined. A fur mutant and its parent strain containing the intact lux genes exhibited no difference in the OD at induction of luminescence. Therefore, an iron-binding repressor protein apparently is not involved in iron control of luminescence. Furthermore, in the tonB and in tonB+ strains containing lux plasmids with Mu dI(lacZ) fusions in luxR, levels of β-galactosidase activity (expression from the luxR promoter) and luciferase activity (expression from the luxICDABEG promoter) both increased by a similar amount (8–9 fold each for tonB, 2–3 fold each for tonB+) in the presence of EDDHA. Similar results were obtained with the luxR gene present on a complementing plasmid. The previously identified regulatory factors that control the lux system (autoinducer-LuxR protein, cyclic AMP-cAMP receptor protein) differentially control expression from the luxR and luxICDABEG promoters, increasing expression from one while decreasing expression from the other. Consequently, these results suggest that the effect of iron on the V. fischeri luminescence system is indirect.
Isolated total anomalous connection of the hepatic veins to the left atrium.

A 63-year-old woman was admitted for management of trial flutter or fibrillation with rapid ventricular response nd hypoxia. For 15 years, she had been treated for preumed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with home oxygen and ad known pulmonary hypertension. On admission, oxygen aturation was 82% on supplemental oxygen at 5 L by nasal annula. The prior diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrois was questioned in the absence of definitive imaging ndings. Other diagnostic options to explain her hypoxia nd pulmonary hypertension were entertained, such as the resence of an intracardiac shunt. A transthoracic echocariogram showed mild left atrial enlargement and pulmonary ypertension, but no evidence of an atrial-level shunt. Atempted transesophageal echocardiogram was unsuccessful ecause of significant oxygen desaturation with minimal edation. An electrocardiographic-gated contrast-enhanced omputed tomography (CT) scan of the chest and upper bdomen was then performed on a 64-row multidetector CT canner (Siemens Sensation 64; Siemens Medical Solutions,
H-Type 1 carbohydrate antigen expression by ovine endometrial cells.

Abstract Our objective was to determine whether H-Type 1 carbohydrate antigen is expressed by ovine endometrial epithelial cells. Endometrium was obtained from sheep on days (D) 1, 5, 11, 13, and 15 of the estrous cycle or pregnancy and D17 and D19 of pregnancy. Immunofluorescence microscopy of frozen tissue sections revealed intense staining on the apical surface of glandular uterine epithelial (GE) cells from D11 to D17 of pregnancy. Light punctate staining of luminal uterine epithelial (LE) cells was present from D15 to D19 of pregnancy, with isolated areas of intense staining observed only on D15 of pregnancy. There were no noticeable differences in staining patterns on equivalent d of the estrous cycle. Immortalized sheep LE and GE cells were used to determine whether estradiol (E), progesterone (P), or E + P, with or without interferon tau (IFNτ), regulates H-Type 1 antigen expression in vitro. Intermittent punctate surface staining was observed on both cell lines independent of steroid treatment. T...
Does coronary CT angiography improve risk stratification over coronary artery calcium scoring in symptomatic patients with a low pre-test probability of coronary artery disease and a CAC of zero? Reply.

We thank Dr Torres for his interest in our paper.1 We agree that patients with zero coronary calcium score (CCS) have a low prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) as well as a very low event rate, as has been shown before by our group and others.2,3 We …
Duikers: Native food composition, micronutrient assessment, and implications for improving captive diets

This review summarizes and contrasts published information on the proximate chemical composition of native fruits and leaves eaten by duikers, and adds new data concerning the soluble carbohydrate, mineral, and tannin content of duiker foods. Information on circulating plasma concentrations of minerals and the fat-soluble vitamins A and E is also summarized in relation to free-ranging vs. zoo-held duikers and differences in the nutrient content of their respective diets. In nature, duikers consume diets containing low starch (in general <0.1% of dry matter (DM)) and moderate-to-high fiber (averaging 32% DM) and protein (fruits <10%, leaves <20% DM) levels, and do not avoid foodstuffs containing tannins. Native food samples were considered low to marginal in calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) content compared with domestic ruminant dietary requirements, but Ca levels were generally two- to threefold higher than P concentrations. Diets fed to duikers in captivity are often low in fiber and tannin content, and high in starch and protein, as well as low in Ca relative to P (compared with native plants), which may lead to nutrient imbalances and health problems. Plasma alpha-tocopherol values measured in zoo duikers ranged from 0.4 to 8.3 μg/ml, and were less variable in free-ranging animals (1.7–7.0 μg/ml). Retinol values did not differ among duiker species or between sample populations, and were within normal ranges (0.2–0.7 μg/ml) expected for herbivores. Domestic hoofstock appear to be suitable physiological models for evaluating fat-soluble vitamin status, but mineral homeostasis appears to differ in duikers. Free-ranging duikers have somewhat higher Ca, and lower P concentrations compared with captive-held individuals, and inverse Ca:P ratios and copper (Cu) deficiency have been reported in captive duikers—both conditions in which captive diet may play a key role. A frugivorous browser pellet/diet that incorporates the findings summarized here, and better duplicates the chemical complement described for native foods eaten by duikers, may provide health benefits to these small concentrate selectors. Zoo Biol 21:185–196, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.