cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
It’s never too late: Smoking cessation after stereotactic body radiation therapy for non-small cell lung carcinoma improves overall survival

Abstract Purpose As stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has emerged as a quick, effective, and well-tolerated treatment for early stage non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), it can be difficult to convince patients to quit smoking in follow-up. We evaluated whether there was a survival benefit to smoking cessation after SBRT. Methods and materials Patients with early-stage NSCLC treated from 2004 to 2013 who were still smoking tobacco at the time of SBRT were identified from a prospective institutional review board–approved registry. Peripheral tumors were treated to 54 Gy in 3 fractions and central tumors to 50 Gy in 5 fractions. Patients were reviewed for overall survival (OS) and disease progression. The log-rank and Cox regression tests were used to identify factors predictive of OS. Results Thirty-two patients (27%) quit smoking after SBRT, and 87 (73%) continued smoking. Median follow-up was 22 months (range, 2–87). On multivariate analysis, smoking status (hazard ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-4.2; P = .045), increasing age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity score and larger tumor size were predictive of worse OS. The prior number of cigarette pack-years was not significant ( P = .62). In a Kaplan-Meier comparison, smoking cessation after SBRT was associated with improved 2-year OS, 78% versus 69% ( P = .014). There was no significant difference in 2-year progression-free survival (75% vs 55%, P = .23) or local control (97% vs 88%, P = .63). Conclusion OS is significantly improved in patients who stop smoking after SBRT for early-stage NSCLC, no matter their previous smoking history. Encouraging smoking cessation should be an important part of every posttreatment visit.
Limitation of optical lithography for various resolution enhancement technologies

In this paper, we will discuss the limitation of optical lithography with various resolution enhancement technologies. Lithography simulation was done by Hynix OPC Simulation Tool (HOST) based on Diffused Aerial Image Model (DAIM). The effects of numerical aperture (NA), wavelength, illumination conditions, mask and diffusion length of acid were simulated in view of resolution improvement. Diffusion length of acid is a dominant factor for resolution improvement for sub-100 nm era. As pattern size decreased, the limitation of optical lithography is more affected by diffusion length of acid. And other factors (NA, wavelength, illumination conditions and mask) will be discussed. Finally, ultimate the limitation of lithography will be discussed analytically.
Profiles in successful group piano for children: a collective case study of children's group-piano lessons

The purpose of this collective case study was to explore the best practices in beginning group-piano instruction. Four beginning and intermediate groups of piano students (N =20) were observed. Data were triangulated through in-class observation of students and teachers, teacher interviews and student questionnaires. The master teachers participating in this research designed curricula that developed comprehensive musicianship, harnessed the power of group dynamics and availed of various group-teaching strategies to foster independent student learning and intrinsic motivation. Students in this case study displayed the ability to analyse new music, persist in learning it and make music with peers. Future studies are needed to discover if these findings can be replicated with a larger, more diverse research sample. Recommendations for future group-piano teachers include apprenticing with a master teacher in an established preparatory programme so that curriculum design, sequencing and presentation of materi...
Development of a eutectic freezing process for brine disposal

Abstract At the eutectic point, both ice and salt crystallize out of salt water and brine volume is minimized. Thus, continuous eutectic freezing has major potentials for brine disposal and concentration of industrial wastes. This paper presents a laboratory study of the principal unit operations: crystallization, separation, and washing. The results prove technical feasibility and underlie a conceptual design of a two-stage eutectic freezing process. Process economics are also discussed.
A comparison of platelet size, latelet count, and platelet 35S incorporation as assays for thrombopoietin.

Average platelet size, platelet count, and 35S-incorporation into platelets were compared as methods for the measurement of thrombopoietin-stimulated thrombopoiesis. In mice injected with rabbit anti-mouse platelet serum (RAMPS) average platelet size was shown to be increased as mice were recovering from thrombocytopenia. Also, 35S-measurements on platelets of these mice showed significant increases in cpm/average platelet 2-4 days after RAMPS treatment. Significant increases in 35S-incorporation into the total circulating mass of platelets were found on days 3-4. In normal mice or mice in rebound-thrombocytosis injected with thrombopoietin, platelet size remained unchanged, whereas the platelet cound and 35S-incorporation into platelets were shown to be significantly increased. Moreover, a dose-response experiment in mice pretreated with RAMPS showed a slight increase in platelet count as the dose of TSF was increased, but platelet sizes were unaltered. The % 35S-incorporation into platelets showed a significant linear dose-response, i.e. as the dose of thrombopoietin was increased, as increase in % 35S-incorporation into platelets was observed. These data indicated that of the three indirect measurements of thrombopoietin, the % 35S-incorporation into mouse platelets was the most sensitive, followed by platelet counting; the least sensitive measurement of thrombopoiesis was change in platelet size.
International expansion of wireless telecommunications service providers: A comparative analysis

Facing increasing levels of competition and regulation in their maturing domestic markets some prominent telecommunications service providers (TSPs) have begun to expand their wireless operations internationally. This paper investigates the geographic expansion strategies of five major TSPs: Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Singapore Telecommunications, Vodafone, and America Movil. All of these companies have invested heavily in operations abroad, in some cases in the same countries. Using a proportionate customer weighting scheme the paper analyzes the impact of the TSPs' expansion strategies on the companies' performance from 2002 to 2005 in terms of the growth, profitability, and risk characteristics of their wireless telecommunications business portfolios.
Origin and function of cartilage stem/progenitor cells in osteoarthritis

Articular cartilage is a physiologically non-self-renewing avascular tissue with a singular cell type, the chondrocyte, which functions as the load-bearing surface of the arthrodial joint. Injury to cartilage often progresses spatiotemporally from the articular surface to the subchondral bone, leading to development of degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). Although lacking intrinsic reparative ability, articular cartilage has been shown to contain a population of stem cells or progenitor cells, similar to those found in many other adult tissues, that are thought to be involved in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. These so-called cartilage-derived stem/progenitor cells (CSPCs) have been observed in human, equine and bovine articular cartilage, and have been identified, isolated and characterized on the basis of expression of stem-cell-related surface markers, clonogenicity and multilineage differentiation ability. However, the origin and functions of CSPCs are incompletely understood. We review here the current status of CSPC research and discuss the possible origin of these cells, what role they might have in cartilage repair, and their therapeutic potential in OA.
Mechanisms and Treatment of Resistant Hypertension

Resistant hypertension is defined as blood pressure (BP) that remains uncontrolled in spite of the use of ≥3 antihypertensive medications. Stricter BP goals, higher obesity rates, older age, and increased use of exogenous BP-elevating substances are related to an increasing prevalence of resistant hypertension. The evaluation of patients with resistant hypertension is focused on identifying contributing and secondary causes of hypertension, including hyperaldosteronism, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic kidney disease, renal artery stenosis, and pheochromocytoma. Hyperaldosteronism is now recognized as the most common cause of resistant hypertension, and all patients with resistant hypertension should be screened with a plasma aldosterone/renin ratio even if the serum potassium level is normal. Treatment includes removal of contributing factors, appropriate management of secondary causes, and use of effective multidrug regimens. Recent studies indicate that the addition of spironolactone to standard treatment induces significant BP reduction in most patients with resistant hypertension.
The effect of collisions on wave-breaking in a cold plasma

The effect of electron collisions on reducing the wave-breaking amplitude of resonantly-driven electrostatic fields in a cold plasma is investigated. By means of a simple theory collisions are shown to compete with wave-breaking in dissipating wave energy.
A laboratory study of the effects of cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus on Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract Larvae of Heliothis virescens reared from eggs contaminated with cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus weighed 50% less than those reared from virus-free eggs. The larval stage in a virus-infected group was 4 days longer than that of a healthy group, and diseased pupae weighed an average of 60 mg less than healthy pupae. Furthermore, adult emergence was reduced 10% in virus-infected pupae, diseased moths lived 9 days less than healthy moths, and production of eggs was reduced 68% in diseased females.
Transneuronal changes in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the squirrel monkey, Saimiri sciureus.

Long-term transneuronal changes have been investigated in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus). Recent reports that the parvocellular portion of that nucleus is laminated in typical primate fashion are verified. Measurements of changes in cell size indicate that, (a) cells in the parvocellular layers show greater shrinkage than do cells in the magnocellular layers and, (b) there is little change in cell size for enucleation terms of one versus two years. Measurements are also presented which suggest that lateral geniculate cells retaining retinal input in the monocular squirrel monkey show an increase in cross-sectional area so that enucleation may lead to both atrophic and hypertrophic changes.
CIB1 prevents nuclear GAPDH accumulation and non-apoptotic tumor cell death via AKT and ERK signaling

CIB1 is a 22-kDa regulatory protein previously implicated in cell survival and proliferation. However, the mechanism by which CIB1 regulates these processes is poorly defined. Here, we report that CIB1 depletion in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells promotes non-apoptotic, caspase-independent cell death that is not initiated by increased outer mitochondrial membrane permeability or translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor to the nucleus. Instead, cell death requires nuclear GAPDH accumulation. Furthermore, CIB1 depletion disrupts two commonly dysregulated, oncogenic pathways-PI3K/AKT and Ras/MEK/ERK, resulting in a synergistic mechanism of cell death, which was mimicked by simultaneous pharmacological inhibition of both pathways, but not either pathway alone. In defining each pathway's contributions, we found that AKT inhibition alone maximally induced GAPDH nuclear accumulation, whereas MEK/ERK inhibition alone had no effect on GAPDH localization. Concurrent GAPDH nuclear accumulation and ERK inhibition were required, however, to induce a significant DNA damage response, which was critical to subsequent cell death. Collectively, our results indicate that CIB1 is uniquely positioned to regulate PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK signaling and that simultaneous disruption of these pathways synergistically induces a nuclear GAPDH-dependent cell death. The mechanistic insights into cell death induced by CIB1 interference suggest novel molecular targets for cancer therapy.
Practice Variation and Resource Use in the Evaluation of Pediatric Vasovagal Syncope: Are Pediatric Cardiologists Over-Testing?

Syncope is a common problem in children and adolescents. Usually vasovagal in etiology, this benign problem often results in considerable testing and expense. We sought to define the current practice, practice variation, and resource utilization as well as evaluate a screening strategy for syncope at an academic tertiary care center. We reviewed the medical records of all patients age 8 to 19 years who presented with syncope between January 1994 and January 2012 and collected data regarding demographics, history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests. Practice variation was evaluated based on provider experience and subspecialty. The sensitivity and specificity of history, physical examination, and electrocardiogram (ECG) to identify a cardiac cause for syncope were calculated. Of the 617 patients studied, a cardiac cause for syncope was found in 15 (2 %). A screening strategy consisting of history, physical examination, and ECG was 100 % sensitive and 55 % specific for diagnosing a cardiac cause for syncope. Despite having a negative screen, 314 (54 %) patients had a total of 334 additional tests at an average charge of $983/patient. Although practice variation existed, it was not explained by provider experience or electrophysiology training. Factors associated with increased testing included greater number of clinic visits and increased frequency of events, whereas those associated with decreased testing included increased number of syncopal episodes and history of psychiatric medication use. A more standardized approach to syncope is needed to decrease resource use and cost while maintaining quality of care.
Sexual Violence Victimization and Associations with Health in a Community Sample of Hispanic Women

This study sought to add to the limited information currently available on circumstances of sexual violence victimization and associated negative health experiences among Hispanic women. Data come from a community sample of mostly Mexican women in an urban southwestern city. Household interviews were completed with a sample of 142 women during 3 months in 2010. Findings indicate that 31.2% of women reported rape victimization and 22.7% reported being sexually coerced in their lifetime. Victims of rape and/or sexual coercion were significantly more likely to report symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during their lifetime. Among victims whose first unwanted sexual experience resulted in rape and/or sexual coercion, perpetrators were almost always someone known to the victims, and were mostly family members or intimate partners, depending on the victim's age. About one-fifth of victims were injured and 17.1% needed medical services. These findings suggest the need for more attention to the physical and mental health needs of sexually victimized Hispanic women.
Interfacial conditions and evaporation rates of a liquid droplet

Abstract The problem of unsteady state evaporation of a liquid droplet suddenly exposed to an unsaturated gaseous medium is solved in terms of integral equations. By taking into account the nonuniform temperature field in the droplet and the nonuniform temperature and concentration fields in the continuum surrounding the droplet the temperature history of the droplet surface is predicted. The effect of the time-varying surface temperature on the evaporation rate is determined, and the time required for the interfacial temperature to reach an asymptotic limit is calculated. The novel feature of this solution is that it rigorously takes into account the temperature distribution inside the drop as well as an enthalpy balance on the drop. By rigorously taking into account the appropriate material and energy balances the physically impossible discontinuities of some previous solutions are avoided.
Inference in successive sampling discovery models

Abstract Successive sampling discovery problem arise in finite population sampling subject to ‘size-biased’ selection mechanisms. Formal statistical analysis of discovery data under such models is technically challenging. Bayesian analyses are developed here in a superpopulation framework. We show how simulation methods provide computation of posterior distributions for superpopulation parameters and, more critically, predictive inferences for unsampled units in the finite population. Model extensions cover problems of uncertainty about finite population sizes, uncertainty about sample selection mechanisms, and other practical issues. Several analyses of published oil reserve data are used for illustration.
Hemolysis Test of a Centrifugal Pump in a Pulsatile Mode: The Effect of Pulse Rate and RPM Variance

: Centrifugal pumps are generally employed as nonpulsatile blood flow pumps; however, these pumps can produce pulsatile flow by periodically alternating the impeller rotation speed. This study investigates blood trauma due to the effect of pulse frequency and various ranges of pump speed. The hemolysis tests were conducted using the Gyro C1E3 pump. The study was divided into the following categories: Group 1 in a nonpulsatile mode; Group 2 operated at 40 bpm with 30% of speed variance; Group 3, 60 bpm with 30% of speed variance; Group 4, 40 bpm with 70% of speed variance; and Group 5, 60 bpm with 70% of speed variance. A flow rate of 3 L/min and a total pressure head of 200 mm Hg were employed in all groups to simulate a percutaneous cardiopulmonary support condition. There were no significant differences in the hemolysis levels among Groups 1, 2, and 3. However, Groups 4 and 5 exhibited a significantly higher hemolysis rate compared to the other groups. These results indicate that a high rate of speed variance increases hemolysis; however, a range of less than 30% does not affect hemolysis. The pulse rate has no significant effect on hemolysis. In conclusion, the higher speed variance increases the hemolysis level when a pulsatile mode is applied with a centrifugal pump at the given test conditions. However, a speed variance of less than 30% or a pulse rate of less than 60 bpm does not affect hemolysis.
Effect of mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion on spinal cord injury following transient aortic occlusion in rabbits.

PURPOSE To investigate in a rabbit model if prolonged periods of mesenteric ischemia followed by reperfusion may affect the rate of neurological complications. METHODS An infrarenal aortic snare, which consisted of a Silastic vessel loop whose ends were passed through plastic tubing, was placed in 50 male New Zealand white rabbits. In 40 of these animals, a similar but smaller device was placed around the superior mesenteric artery (SMA); all devices were exteriorized to allow vessel occlusion in the awake animal. The aorta was occluded for 12 minutes in the 10 control and 40 experimental animals, but the experimental rabbits also had occlusion of the SMA for varying intervals: 10 minutes (group 1), 12 minutes (group 2), and 18 minutes (group 3). To assess the hemodynamic effects of aortic and aortic/SMA occlusion, select control and test animals had blood pressure and heart rate monitoring via indwelling carotid catheters during the occlusion periods. The animals were euthanized, and spinal cords from paralyzed and normal rabbits were examined histologically RESULTS Neurological deficit occurred in 20% of controls and in 70%, 80%, and 100% in the experimental groups, respectively. There were no significant differences in systemic blood pressure at any time point during occlusion and reperfusion in the monitored control or test animals. There was no evidence of thrombosis of spinal arteries on histological analysis, nor was there evidence of bowel infarction at the time of sacrifice in animals undergoing combined aortic/SMA occlusion. CONCLUSIONS Mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion worsens the neurological outcome in animals undergoing transient aortic occlusion. This observation is independent of hemodynamic influences and not the result of spinal artery thrombosis.
Effect of age and aerobic capacity on resting metabolic rate and the thermic effect of food in healthy men

Abstract Our purpose was to examine the interaction of age and aerobic capacity (VO 2 max) on resting metabolic rate (RMR) and the thermic effect of food (TEF) in young (24.5±1.1 yrs, ±SEM) and old (66.8±1.5 yrs) healthy men. Subjects were divided into four groups: Young, high fitness (Y-Hi, n=8), young, low fitness (Y-Lo, n=9), old, high fitness (O-Hi, n=6), and old, low fitness (O-Lo, n=19) according to age and VO 2 max. Following measurement of RMR by indirect calorimetry with open circuit spirometry, TEF was measured every 30 min for 3 hours after ingestion of a liquid meal (Sustacal; 10 kcal/kg body weight). O-Lo were significantly heavier and fatter than all other groups (p 2 max of O-Hi (43.3±2.1 ml/kg/min) was similar to that of Y-Lo (42.2±1.5 ml/kg/min), but there was no overlap of VO 2 max between high and low fitness subjects in their respective age groups (Y-Hi, 68.1±2.0; O-Lo, 26.3±1.2 ml/kg/min). Two by two (age × fitness) factorial analysis of RMR/kg body weight revealed main effects of age and fitness (p=0.001) as well as an interaction (p=0.003). However, when normalized to fat-free mass only the interaction effect remained (p=0.044). The TEF (Y-Hi, 1.06±0.04; Y-Lo, 1.09±0.16; O-Hi, 0.80±0.11; O-Lo, 0.53±0.11 Kcal/kg/3h) showed a significant age effect (p=0.001), and a trend toward a fitness effect (p=0.83). These data support earlier findings that when corrected for differences in fat-free mass age has little effect on RMR. On the other hand, TEF is influenced by age to a greater extent than fitness.
Evaluation and Implementation of Rapid HIV Tests: The Experience in 11 African Countries

Rapid HIV testing enables HIV prevention and care services to expand to settings with limited laboratory infrastructure. The World Health Organization recommends that prior to their implementation, rapid HIV tests first be evaluated at a reference laboratory and then at points-of-service, and that measures to ensure quality of testing be in place. We describe the experience of 11 African countries that implemented rapid HIV testing using this process. A questionnaire regarding rapid test evaluations and quality assurance measures was administered to personnel in ministries of health, reference laboratories, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs in 11 African countries. In reference laboratory evaluations, median sensitivity was above 99% for 10 of 15 rapid tests and median specificity was above 99% for 13 of 15 rapid tests. Similar results were observed in evaluations at point-of-service sites. Rapid testing algorithms have been implemented in over 600 sites in nine of the countries. Con...
Bimodality of the Kuroshio

Abstract A barotropic ocean model is used to study the bimodal behavior of the Kuroshio to the south of Japan. By considering the combined effects of the beta plane, the Kyushu coastal perturbation, the Izu Ridge and the SW-NE tilted coastline, the two frequently observed meander patterns have been numerically verified as the two quasi-steady solutions contained n the model, The small-meander state is identified as an upstream disturbance largely forced by the Izu Ridge; its width decreases as the strength of the current increases. The large meander state is forced by the presence of both the Kyushu wedge and the Izu Ridge topography. For small volume transports the large meander state behaves like the small meander state, in that the meander width decreases as the current speed increases; for large volume transports it behaves like a lee Rossby wave, in that the width of the meander increases as the current speed increases. The birth of the large meander state occurs as a consequence of the ocean spin-do...
The influence of stacking fault energy on ductile fracture micromorphology

The influence of stacking fault energy on microvoid coalescence in “pure” materials has been studied. It was shown that as a material's stacking fault energy (SFE) decreased, the extent of microvoid coalescence that occurred during ductile fracture also decreased. The decrease of microvoid coalescence in low SFE materials was attributed to a hindrance in the development of dislocation cells associated with the restricted motion of dislocations. In “pure” materials, microvoids are believed to initiate and grow along dislocation cell walls formed during deformation. As such, the absence or scarcity of cells in lower SFE materials limits the formation of these voids during ductile fracture.
Effects of Lasalocid on Selected Ruminal and Blood Metabolites in Young Calves

Abstract Twelve Holstein bull calves were ruminally cannulated at 5 d of age and assigned to 0 or 1mg of lasalocid/kg of BW daily, administered postruminally via milk replacer or into the ruminal cannula. Calves were fed milk replacer for 8 wk and calf starter for 12 wk. Lasalocid administration was terminated at weaning in calves fed lasalocid in milk replacer. Ruminal pH tended to be higher in calves fed lasalocid ruminally than in calves on control treatment and averaged 5.9 and 5.6 and 5.4 and 5.1 during wk 1 to 8 and 9 to 12, respectively. Molar proportion of ruminal butyrate tended to be lower when lasalocid was added to the rumen, particularly after weaning. Blood β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate were lower when lasalocid was administered into the rumen after weaning and averaged .897 and .646 and .026 and .015m M in calves on control and ruminal treatments, respectively. No effects of lasalocid administered via the milk replacer were observed, except for plasma NEFA, which were reduced postweaning. These data suggest that lasalocid reduces blood β-hydroxybutyrate by changes in ruminal fermentation and subsequent metabolism of butyrate by ruminal epithelium.
Parsimonious model identification via atomic norm minimization

During the past few years a considerably research effort has been devoted to the problem of identifying parsimonious models from experimental data. Since this problem is generically non-convex, these approaches typically rely on relaxations such as Group Lasso or nuclear norm minimization. However, while these approaches usually work well in practice, there is no guarantee that using these surrogates will lead to the simplest model explaining the experimental data. In addition, incorporating stability constraints into the formalism entails a substantial increase in the computational complexity. Alternatively stability and model order constraints can be handled directly using a moments based approach. However, presently this approach is limited to relatively small sized problems, due to its computational complexity. Motivated by these difficulties, recently a new approach has been proposed based on the idea of representing the response of an LTI system as a linear combination of suitably chosen objects (atoms) and the observation that minimizing the atomic norm leads to sparse representations. In this paper we cover the fundamentals of this new approach and show that it leads to a very efficient algorithm, that avoids the need for using regularization steps and automatically incorporates stability constraints. In addition, this approach can be extended to accommodate non-uniform sampling and (unknown) initial conditions. These results are illustrated with several examples, including identification of a very lightly damped structure from time and frequency domain measurements.
Inhibition of insulin secretion by cerulenin might be due to impaired glucose metabolism.

Background Cerulenin, an inhibitor of protein acylation, has been used as a tool to study the potential role of protein acylation in a variety of activities in different cells, and in stimulus-secretion coupling in pancreatic islets and clonal β-cells. Methods In the present study we investigated its effects on stimulated insulin secretion, glucose metabolism and utilization, oxygen consumption and ATP levels. Results In isolated rat pancreatic islets, cerulenin pre-treatment (100 µM) inhibited insulin secretion in response to glucose, and to the non-hydrolysable analogue of leucine, aminobicyclo-[2,2,1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid (BCH). These data are in accord with the hypothesis that protein acylation could be involved in the stimulation of insulin secretion. However, we also found that cerulenin profoundly decreased glucose oxidation, glucose utilization, oxygen consumption and ATP levels. Consequently, decreased metabolism provides an alternative mechanism to inhibition of protein acylation that could explain the inhibition of insulin secretion by cerulenin. Conclusions Inhibition of insulin secretion by cerulenin can no longer be taken as evidence in favour of a role for protein acylation in the control of insulin release. As protein acylation is known to be involved in the normal functioning of proteins in stimulus-secretion coupling and exocytosis, more direct approaches to understand its role(s) are required. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
BL-S786 (Ceforanide), a New Parenteral Cephalosporin: In Vitro Studies

BL-S786 (ceforanide) is a new cephalosporin which showed broad-spectrum activity in vitro against 453 clinical isolates. At a concentration of 3.12 μg/ml, it inhibited greater than 75% of isolates of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes , and Streptococcus pneumoniae . Essentially no activity was observed against isolates of Serratia marcescens , and only minimal activity was observed against Enterobacter spp. Its activity was directly related to the size of the inoculum. The minimal bactericidal concentrations were similar to the minimal inhibitory concentrations for isolates of all organisms except S. aureus and S. pyogenes . The minimal bactericidal concentrations were considerably higher than the minimal inhibitory concentrations for these organisms.
Measurement of the spatial cross-correlation function of damped Lyα systems and lyman break galaxies

We present the first spectroscopic measurement of the spatial cross-correlation function between damped Lyα systems (DLAs) and Lyman break galaxies (LBGs). Analysis of deep u'BVRI imaging of nine QSO fields with 11 known z ~ 3 DLAs has spectroscopically confirmed 211 z > 2 LBGs to R = 25.5. We find strong evidence for an overdensity of LBGs near DLAs versus random, the results of which are similar to that of LBGs near other LBGs. A maximum likelihood cross-correlation analysis finds the best-fit value for the correlation length to be r0 = 2.9 h-1 Mpc using a fixed value of γ = 1.6. The implications of the DLA-LBG clustering amplitude on the average dark matter halo mass of DLAs are discussed.
Control of corticotrophin release: further studies with in vitro methods.

THE existence of a neuro-humoral mediator of hypothalamic origin, involved in the activation of the anterior lobe of the pituitary for the release of corticotrophin (ACTH) has long been postulated. This has been based on the anatomical study of the vascular and nervous connections between hypothalamus and adenohypophysis (1, 2, 3, 4) and on a highly suggestive series of experiments where pituitary-adrenocortical function was assessed after electric stimulation (5, 6, 7), stereotaxic destruction of various regions of the hypothalamus (5, 6, 7, 8, 9), or after severance of the normal connections between diencephalon and pituitary (3, 5, 10). The recent demonstration of ACTH-releasing activity in blood originating primarily from the hypothalamo-pituitary portal vessels (11) and the results of in vitro techniques using tissue cultures (12), organ cultures (13, 14) or short term incubation (15) of the adenohypophysis with living tissues (12, 13, 15) or homogenates (13) of the hypothalamus have contributed addi...
Great Lakes American Indian Elders and Service Utilization: Does Residence Matter?

Discussions about service usage by older individuals often center around the relative importance of need and knowledge variables. The impact of these variables among minority elderly remains a matter of debate. This article examines service usage among a sample of urban, rural, and reservation-based eastern Great Lakes American Indian elders. Issues of availability, awareness, acceptability, accessibility, and need are examined through both a survey of 309 respondents and a small sample of service providers. Regression results show predictors of use vary by type of service. Reservation residence and need characteristics predict in-home and preventive health service use. Being female, older, having knowledge of services, and problems with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) predicts in-home service use. Service providers'perceptions suggest issues of trust, past experiences, and cultural acceptability need to be explored more intensely in efforts to explain service usage among American Indians a...
Study of the Ru sublattice magnetic structure in the magnetic superconductor RuSr2GdCu2O8

Abstract In order to investigate the Ru sublattice magnetic structure, a study of the field dependence of the 99,101Ru nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been carried out on the magnetic superconductor RuSr2GdCu2O8. It is found that the 99,101Ru NMR signal intensity increases significantly with applied magnetic field up to ≈3 kOe, beyond which, it progressively decreases. In addition, a shift of the NMR peaks to lower frequency is observed to begin at ≈1.3 kOe. These behaviors are shown to be accompanied by a field-induced Ru moment spin-flop in the ab planes, and are understood in terms of a previously proposed type-I antiferromagnetic ordering for the Ru sublattice. Based on this model, the inter-plane antiferromagnetic exchange coupling is determined to be ≈1.8 kOe along with a reversible in-plane spin-flop which is characterized by a field ≈0.6 kOe.
Characterization of Overwintering Sites of the Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in Natural Landscapes Using Human Surveyors and Detector Canines

Halyomorpha halys is an invasive species from Asia causing major economic losses in agricultural production in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Unlike other crop pests, H. halys is also well-known for nuisance problems in urban, suburban, and rural areas, as massive numbers of adults often invade human-made structures to overwinter inside protected environments. Research efforts have focused on populations in human-made structures while overwintering ecology of H. halys in natural landscapes is virtually unknown. We explored forested landscapes in the mid-Atlantic region to locate and characterize natural overwintering structures used by H. halys. We also evaluated the use of detector canines to locate overwintering H. halys to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of surveys. From these studies, we indentified shared characteristics of overwintering sites used by H. halys in natural landscapes. Overwintering H. halys were recovered from dry crevices in dead, standing trees with thick bark, particularly oak (Quercus spp.) and locust (Robinia spp.); these characteristics were shared by 11.8% of all dead trees in surveyed landscapes. For trees with favorable characteristics, we sampled ∼20% of the total above-ground tree area and recovered 5.9 adults per tree from the trees with H. halys present. Two detector canines were successfully trained to recognize and detect the odor of adult H. halys yielding >84% accuracy in laboratory and semi-field trials. Detector canines also found overwintering H. halys under field conditions. In particular, overwintering H. halys were recovered only from dead trees that yielded positive indications from the canines and shared key tree characteristics established by human surveyors. The identified characteristics of natural overwintering sites of H. halys will serve as baseline information to establish crop economic risk levels posed by overwintering populations, and accordingly develop sustainable management programs.
Quantification of system survivability

Survivability is a concept that describes the capability of a system to achieve timely recovery after the occurrence of undesired events. It is more general and detailed than many terms, such as RTO and RPO, that have a similar goal. Survivability is capable of capturing complex system recovery behaviors and tracking a large variety of system performance measures, and it also permits relatively simple quantification procedure as described in this paper.
A Brief Measure for the Assessment of Anger and Aggression

A brief, six-item measure was developed for the rapid screening and identification of anger and aggression levels in violence-prone men. Four studies were conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the measure using a clinical data base of 401 men. Analyses indicated a satisfactory degree of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and a significant relationship between the brief measure and Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory total scores. Significantly higher scores were observed for three types of assault samples, including a group of domestic batterers, a group of generally assaultive men, and a mixed assault group, when compared to nonviolent controls. A cutting score for violent versus nonviolent group classification was determined via discriminant analysis. Significant differences observed at post-test between an anger management treatment group and waiting-list control subjects further illustrated the measure's sensitivity to changes in psychological status and provided additional supp...
The Political Economy of Interwar Egyptian Cotton Policy

Abstract The optimal tariff was a central concern to economists and policymakers in interwar Egypt. The government took the position that Egypt conformed to the small-country assumption in world cotton markets. Using time-series and panel data for the period 1895–1939, this article demonstrates that Egyptian long-staple cotton commanded significant market power in international markets. An optimal export tariff would have encouraged economic diversification and generated huge government revenues, making it possible to finance industrialization plans. However, the burden of taxation would have been shared by Egyptian landlords and British interests. Thus, an optimal export tariff was incompatible with the goals of Egypt's ruling elite, who dictated the orientation of trade policy until the 1950s.
Cimetidine cholestatic jaundice in children

Patients. The children were 14, 3, 2, 1.5, and 1 year old (Table 1). The peptic disease was duodenal ulcer in three patients and prepyloric ulcer in two. Two patients had major duodenal ulcer hemorrhage at the time cimetidine therapy was instituted. The third patient with a duodenal ulcer had a 90% small bowel resection 3 months prior to the diagnosis of his ulcer. One of the children with a prepyloric ulcer had an associated hiatal hernia; the other had gastric outlet obstruction. Patients No. 1 and 3 had preexisting liver disease. The latter had biliary atresia treated by Kasai’s operation [3]; the etiology of the liver disease in patient No. 1 was never precisely diagnosed but could have been a consequence of long-term parenteral alimentation or chronic sepsis. Diagnosis of peptic disease was made by barium study and in two instances confirmed by endoscopy.
The interaction of heparin with thrombin and antithrombin.

Abstract We have monitored the binding of heparin to thrombin as well as antithrombin by fluorescence techniques. The interaction of mucopolysaccharide with thrombin is characterized by a stoichiometry of 2:1 with K DISS H1T = K DISS H2T = 8 × 10 −7 M. The interaction of heparin with antithrombin is typified by a stoichiometry of 1:1 with K DISS H-A = 5.7 × 10 −8 M. A plot of the initial velocity of the thrombin-antithrombin reaction versus mucopolysaccharide concentration exhibits an ascending limb, descending limb and final plateau. The ascending limb of the kinetic profile corresponds to the level of heparin-antithrombin complex. The descending limb of the initial velocity plot coincides with the formation of tertiary complexes between two molecules of heparin and one molecule of thrombin. Thus, our data demonstrates that the generation of heparin-antithrombin complex is responsible for the mucopolysaccharide dependent acceleration of enzyme neutralization. Furthermore, our results also suggest that interactions between heparin bound to inhibitor and free enzyme can account for only a small fraction of the total kinetic effect of the complex carbohydrate. Therefore, we conclude that the direct binding of heparin to antithrombin is probably responsible for the anticoagulant effect of the mucopolysaccharide.
Variant nucleolus organizing regions and the risk of Down syndrome.

Abstract In order to determine whether nucleolus organizing region (NOR) heteromorphisms of the acrocentric chromosomes could identify individuals at risk for having offspring with trisomy 21, a comparison was made between 43 parents of individuals with Down syndrome and 39 controls. NORs, as visualized by silver staining, were analyzed by mean number per cell, average size, total NOR "mass" per cell (designated mean score per cell) and by mean number of acrocentric chromosome satellite associations per cell. No "double NOR" variants (dNOR) were found in either the control or study group in contrast to observations of others (Jackson-Cook et al. 1985). The risk for having a child with trisomy correlated with a higher frequency of associations and number of NORs per cell, but slightly lower average NOR size. Although these group differences were statistically significant, specific types of NOR variants such as enlarged or dNORs were not associated with the risk of having trisomy 21 offspring. The constancy of NOR mass per cell in our control and study groups indicates that NOR activity remains constant, even though distribution of the rRNA genes (variation in number and size of NORs on the 10 acrocentrics) may vary.
Antipsychotic treatment patterns and hospitalizations among adults with schizophrenia.

Objective(s) To characterize the longitudinal patterns of antipsychotic treatment and to investigate the relationship between antipsychotic treatment patterns and acute hospitalizations among adults with schizophrenia. We hypothesized that continuous antipsychotic treatment would be associated with fewer hospitalizations and shorter lengths of stay.
The internal consistency and factor structure of the Choice Assessment Scale

Abstract Development of methods to identify potential reinforcers is an important service need. The Choice Assessment Scale (CAS: [Research in Developmental Disabilities 20 (1999) 379–384]) is a 60-item instrument to identify potential reinforcers for people with severe and profound mental retardation. The CAS had very high internal consistency. A factor analysis of the CAS yielded four factors, which were characterized as edibles, items requiring manipulation associated with tactile stimulation, tangible items associated with construction, and sensory items which were predominantly visual. Future directions in the development of measures of potential reinforcers are discussed.
Classification and biomechanics of pelvic ring injuries

Abstract The classification of pelvic ring injuries is based on stability. In general pelvic injuries are classified as totally stable,partially unstable, or completely unstable based on the integrity of the supporting structures of the pelvic ring. The Comprehensive Classification of Pelvic Ring Injuries is currently the most widely accepted classification for pelvic ring injuries
The econometrics of evolution

Examples abound in nature in which organisms adapt and optimize their fitness in a given environment. A new study demonstrates that a cellular cost-benefit analysis drives growth optimization over the course of evolution by attenuation of protein expression levels.
Data‐driven decision making for the enterprise: an overview of business intelligence applications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to inform the knowledge worker about Business Intelligence (BI) – its origins, value in decision‐making processes, and currently available BI applications.Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses the evolution of decision support systems (DSS) and their close relationship with the business intelligence arena. Open source and commercial BI products are also identified.Findings – The data that are accessed by BI applications must be accurate if managers of knowledge enterprises are to make informed decisions. Effective partnerships for business and information entities should be observed when BI tools are introduced to an enterprise. Buy‐in from top management is absolutely necessary for the successful implementation of BI tools.Originality/value – The use of BI applications aids a knowledge enterprise by promoting efficiency within an organization, particularly by using analytical methods to provide valuable decision‐making knowledge to minimize operating cos...
What Type of Global Community and Citizenship? Tangled Discourses of Neoliberalism and Critical Democracy in Curriculum and Its Reform

Countries around the globe are responding to the pressures of globalisation, standardisation, accountability and market rationality. In curriculum reform, we theorise these pressures as neoliberal cosmopolitanism because they are intended to promote a new type of entrepreneurial citizen that navigates an increasingly interconnected global community. However, there is resistance to these pressures by educators who promote a global community based upon principles of critical democracy and multiculturalism. Because public schools are a powerful regulatory force in society, this curriculum struggle between neoliberal and democratic intents is increasingly significant. It is a struggle that defines the size, scope and qualities of our future global community. We used principles of critical discourse analysis to examine brief examples in two countries, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. Our examination illustrates how, although these countries have very different contexts, curriculum often sends competing ...
Gravity changes accompanying increased heat emission at Mount Baker, Washington

Abstract A sudden increase in fumarolic activity at Sherman Crater near the summit of Mount Baker, Washington, occurred in March, 1975. Various estimates of the increase in heat flow range from 3 to 15 times the previous level over the roughly half a square kilometer area of the crater. Temperatures of many of the old fumaroles have increased, some by more than 40°C and numerous new fumaroles have formed. Gravity stations were established on the crater rim in May, 1975, as well as control stations at the base of the mountain, and have been resurveyed periodically since then. A maximum decrease in gravity of 0.55 mgal has been observed at the crater stations relative to base stations. Applying corrections to the gravity data to adjust for seasonal ice and snow loads results in a curve which appears to be reaching an equilibrium value about 0.33 mgal lower than the first gravity reading. Several models are proposed to explain this change by hydrothermal effects in the rock below Sherman Crater. An elevation increase of a little more than a meter is necessary to explain the gravity on a geodetic mechanism alone. Some constraints on this model are the almost total lack of seismicity during this process and the apparent absence of tilt on the flanks of the volcano as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. A model of mass loss due to fumarole discharge resulting in a local density decrease is also proposed.