cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mediators and Moderators of Alcoholism Inheritance

One of the most consistent observations in the alcohol research field is that alcoholism recurs in families. Indeed, among behavioral disorders, alcoholism is remarkable for the strength of its familial loading. In her classic review of family studies of alcoholism, Cotton (1979) reported that alcoholics were approximately 6 times more likely than nonalcoholics to come from families with other alcoholic members. Although the extent to which the familial aggregation of alcoholism is influenced by genetic or environmental factors has long been a source of controversy in the alcohol research field (for reviews, see Murray, Clifford, & Gurling, 1983; Peele, 1986; Searles, 1988), and quantitative estimates are still imprecise and variable (Heath, Slutske, & Madden, 1994), empirical evidence now convincingly converges on the conclusion that genetic factors exert some influence on alcoholism etiology (McGue, 1994).
Unanticipated harm to patients: deciding when to disclose outcomes.

Article-at-a-Glance Background Patient safety standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations require that "patients and, when appropriate, their families are informed about the outcomes of care, including unanticipated outcomes." What Outcomes Should Trigger Disclosure Given that all medical treatments have an array of possible outcomes, how do we confidently say that an outcome is unanticipated? It is proposed that an adverse outcome meet one of two criteria to be considered unanticipated: (1) It would not be included in a reasonable informed consent process for treatment of the patient's condition(s) and/or would not be expected during the usual course of treatment; and (2) it may have been caused by human or systemic error—that is, it is not immediately possible to clearly and decisively rule out error. This definition requires less judgment because it represents an extension of the existing norms of communication that are expressed through the process of informed consent. The norms of the informed consent process require that the patient be given all pertinent information needed to participate in future treatment decision making. Conclusions and Recommendations for Organizational Policies Institutional policies and procedures should provide a clear approach to the identification, reporting, and discussion of unanticipated adverse outcomes, whether or not they are associated with error, as well as guidance and an educational program to help physicians, staff, and students disclose unanticipated adverse events and error in the most appropriate manner.
Demo abstract: WNOS: Software-defined generation of distributed optimal control programs for wireless networks

We demonstrate Wireless Network Operating System (WNOS), a radically different approach to software-defined networking (SDN) for infrastructure-less wireless networks. Departing from well-understood approaches inspired by OpenFlow, WNOS provides the network designer with an abstraction hiding (i) the lower-level details of the wireless protocol stack and (ii) the distributed nature of the network operations. Based on this abstract representation, the WNOS takes network control programs written on a centralized, high-level view of the network and automatically generates distributed cross-layer control programs based on distributed optimization theory that are executed by each individual node on an abstract representation of the radio hardware. We prototype WNOS on software-defined radio devices and test its effectiveness by considering specific cross-layer control problems. We demonstrate how the global network behavior can be controlled by modifying a few lines of code on a centralized abstraction.
Organic Pollutant Transport in Groundwater Using Particle Filter

In this study, the Particle Filter approach was introduced for the estimation of BOD concentration and its first-order decay constant. A two-dimensional subsurface transport model with decay factor was developed. Random Gaussian errors were added to the numerical method result to simulate the observation data. Then, the Particle Filter recursive process was applied for the data assimilation. The performance consistency of the Particle Filter approach was evaluated by the root mean squared error (RMSE) for 20 runs. Furthermore, two sensitivity analyses were done to show the effects of observation error and the true value of k on the estimation. The results show that the Particle Filter approach can give accurate estimations of the BOD concentration and the first-order decay constant and that its performance is consistent for 20 runs.
Dynamics and Molecular Mechanisms of Ventricular Fibrillation in Normal Hearts

Humans have known for thousands of years that cardiac fibrillation may lead to death. However, seminal contributions to the elucidation of the mechanisms of fibrillation both in the atria and ventricles began less than 200 years ago with the discovery of bioelectricity. Throughout the 20th century, many investigators contributed to our current, yet incomplete, understanding of the mechanisms of such complex arrhythmias at the organ and cellular levels. At the dawn of the 21st century, the advent of molecular biology approaches in the study of the structure, function, and regulation of membrane ion channels, together with our ability to visualize the dynamics of cardiac wave propagation in two and three dimensions, has opened a new window of opportunity for the discovery of the precise manner in which the molecular structure of the cardiac muscle allows the conditions for initiation and maintenance of fibrillation in both atria and ventricles. In this chapter, I focus on the mechanisms of maintenance of ventricular fibrillation (VF). Specifically, I review some potentially exciting results on the possible role played by inward rectifier channels in the mechanism of VF. As I see it, this new knowledge may be an initial step toward a detailed understanding of the molecular basis of VF and hopefully to the development of new approaches aimed to prevent VF in patients at risk.
Understanding the Health Impacts and Risks of Exposure to Radiation

In this chapter, the biological effects of exposure to radiation are summarized and explained from the perspective of the Fukushima Daiichi accident. First, a series of fundamental concepts in radiation biology are addressed to define the different types and sources of ionizing radiation, and resulting paths of human exposure. The health effects prompted by exposure to radiation are then broadly categorized and correlated with the nature of exposure and its extent. Finally, those concepts are revisited to assess the potential health impacts and risks endured by the workers and general population affected by the uncontrolled release of radiation around the Fukushima area. In the wake of the 2011 accident, a surge of public concern over the safety of nuclear energy and potential health risks from radiation exposure has re-surfaced. To evaluate, understand, and mitigate those health risks, it is essential that scientific data be meticulously gathered, rigorously analyzed, and accurately communicated. Taking a systematic knowledge-based approach to accurately capture the risks of exposure to radiation will not only alleviate mass confusion, but also help public health officials and emergency responders better prepare and implement logistics, should another such unfortunate event take place. The topics discussed in this chapter are intended to provide basic tools for understanding how health effects and risks related to radiation exposure are evaluated.
Changes in Lean Muscle Mass Associated with Neoadjuvant Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in Patients with Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Background Baseline sarcopenia or severe lean muscle deficiency is independently associated with increased mortality after cystectomy for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (MIUC). The impact of chemotherapy on muscle mass in MIUC patients remains undefined. Objectives To describe preoperative changes in body composition in MIUC patients receiving platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC). Methods Patients with cT2-4 N0-1 M0 UC of the bladder who received NC were identified. Lumbar skeletal muscle index (SMI, cm2/m2), visceral adipose index (VAI, cm2/m2), and the subcutaneous and intramuscular adipose index (SAI, cm2/m2) were calculated using validated methodology (cross sectional area of skeletal muscle/height2 at L3) from measurement of soft tissue areas on pre- (pre-NC) and post-NC (post-NC) computed tomography. Patients were classified as sarcopenic according to consensus definitions: Male: SMI <55 cm2/m2, Female: SMI <38.5 cm2/m2. Pre-NC and post-NC median body mass index (BMI kg/m2), SMI, and adipose indices were compared. Results The study cohort consisted of 26 patients, with a median age 70 years, including 7 females (27%). Chemotherapy regimens included dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin (31%), gemcitabine/cisplatin (62%) and gemcitabine/carboplatin (3.8%) with a median of 3.5 (range 2-6) cycles. Median pre- and post-NC BMI were 27.1 kg/m2 and 27.2 kg/m2 (p = 0.36). Median pre- and post-NC SMI were 49.1 cm2/m2 and 44.5 (p < 0.001) respectively. Median percent change in SMI was -6.4% (range -30% to 10%). Pre-NC, 18 (69%) patients were sarcopenic vs. 21 (81%, p = 0.002) post-NC. Median time between initiation of chemotherapy and cystectomy was 110 days. Conclusions We observed a significant decrease in lean muscle mass among MIUC patients treated with platinum-based NC prior to cystectomy, with an associated increase in the prevalence of sarcopenia. Patients undergoing NC may benefit from pre-habilitative interventions to mitigate lean muscle loss prior to cystectomy.
Leveraging Knowledge for Path Exposure

We study how knowledge of a moving object's path can be used to select sensors in a network that maximize the coverage of its path. We propose a mobility model that combines the shortest path between two points with random movement. Given the mobility model, we have different knowledge levels in terms of knowing nothing, the start, destination, movement model, and the whole path. We present a framework to assign weights to points on the movement grid based on the knowledge level and to greedily select sensors to maximize weighted coverage of the grid. We show in simulations of random movement that knowing more information generally has better performance, but for certain levels of knowledge, this decreases as the randomness increases. We also find that it is possible to obtain the maximum coverage by assuming the target follows the shortest path when the randomness is below a certain threshold. We verified these results on real human mobility traces.
Use of a Transparent Cap Increases the Diagnostic Yield in Antegrade Single-Balloon Enteroscopy for Obscure GI Bleed.

Single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) is utilized in the evaluation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, but 40–50% of these patients experience continued GI blood loss, in part due to missed lesions. The utilization of a transparent cap attached to the end of the endoscope can improve mucosal visualization in other endoscopic applications, but has not yet been evaluated in SBE. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a cap on the diagnostic yield of SBE. Consecutive adult patients scheduled for anterograde SBE for the evaluation of obscure GI bleeding were screened for inclusion from 2014 to 2017. Patients were randomized to SBE with or without a transparent cap. The primary outcome was the proportion of enteroscopies in which a P2 lesion (high potential for bleeding) was identified. A total of 90 patients (65.7 ± 12.7 years old, 47.7% female) were analyzed. There were significantly more P2 arteriovenous malformations identified in the cap group (14.8% vs. 0%, p = 0.02). Additionally, the use of a cap was associated with a significantly greater depth of small bowel insertion (191.9 cm vs. 156.2 cm, p = 0.01). There was one perforation in the group without a cap, successfully treated with clip placement, and no adverse events in the cap group. The use of a transparent cap during SBE performed for the evaluation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding may be an important, safe augmentation to standard SBE techniques.
A comparative analysis of the safety profile of direct oral anticoagulants using the FDA adverse event reporting system

Introduction Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are being increasingly used. However, unlike warfarin, less is known regarding their long-term side effects. To better evaluate the rates of DOAC-related adverse events (AEs) on a population level, we examined AEs reported to the FDA for three commonly used DOACs and warfarin. Methods We evaluated the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database, which compiles reported drug-related AEs from 1969 onwards. The safety profiles of the included drugs were assessed by comparing AEs per outpatient prescription and with proportional reporting ratios (PRR). Results Rivaroxaban had the highest proportion of reported AEs. Most notably the rate for breakthrough venous thromboembolism (VTE) was higher than other DOACs. Dabigatran had the highest reported rates of ischemic stroke. When the DOAC data were analyzed using PRR, reported rates of VTE were again higher with rivaroxaban while dabigatran again showed slightly higher than expected rates of ischemic stroke. Apixaban did not show higher than expected rates in any category. Conclusion Our analysis found rates of reported breakthrough VTE were significantly higher with rivaroxaban, while apixaban had no higher than expected rates of any studied AEs.
Seasonality and interannual variability of the Sri Lanka dome

Abstract Located in the southwest Bay of Bengal, the Sri Lanka Dome (SLD) is an upwelling tropical thermal dome that forms in a region of positive wind stress curl within the Southwest Monsoon Current (SMC) system. Here, we quantify variability in the SLD's sea surface slope, area, amplitude, and position using a 22-year record of absolute dynamic topography. We observe a seasonal cycle in the evolution of the SLD and its relationship to wind stress curl. The SLD typically forms in early June in a region of positive wind stress curl associated with the wind jet off Sri Lanka. For the first two months after formation, the magnitude of the SLD's sea surface slope strongly correlates with the strength of the wind stress curl. Later in the southwest monsoon, the SLD's position shifts northward moving out of the region of strong wind stress curl, before dissipating in typically September. The amplitude and area of the SLD vary together, and both are linked to the strength of the SMC on weekly timescales. Decadal variability in both the SLD and wind stress curl is reflected in the Dipole Mode Index, which reflects an integrated measure of regional forcing. These results suggest alignment between the SMC and the region of wind stress curl may play a pivotal role in controlling the strength of the SLD on seasonal and interannual timescales.
The Natural History of the Anteriorly Dislocated Total Hip Arthroplasty

Dislocation with instability is one of the most frequent causes of early failure and subsequent revision following primary total hip arthroplasty. However, anterior hip dislocation has been shown to be a relatively infrequent event and there are little data on outcomes of patients with these types of dislocation. The purpose of the current study was to assess the functional outcomes and survival of the prosthetic hip in patients who have sustained an anterior dislocation and to compare these results with a similar cohort of patients who have sustained a posterior dislocation. The charts and radiographs of patients sustaining an anterior dislocation following primary total hip arthroplasty were reviewed at an average of 7 years after the index procedure. Redislocation rate, revision status, and function as assessed by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index of Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) were examined. These were compared with an age- and gender-matched cohort of patients who had sustained a posterior dislocation. Patients sustaining an anterior dislocation were found to have a mean acetabular anteversion of 36 degrees, compared with 25.6 degrees in patients who had sustained a posterior dislocation. However, this did not result in any difference in revision rate or WOMAC score at the time of follow-up. The current evidence shows us that a single-posterior dislocation does not preclude a satisfactory long-term outcome. Based on their data, the authors feel it would be appropriate to counsel patients that a single-anterior dislocation also does not preclude a satisfactory outcome.
Cognitive Architecture, Holistic Inference and Bayesian Networks

Two long-standing arguments in cognitive science invoke the assumption that holistic inference is computationally infeasible. The first is Fodor’s skeptical argument toward computational modeling of ordinary inductive reasoning. The second advocates modular computational mechanisms of the kind posited by Cosmides, Tooby and Sperber. Based on advances in machine learning related to Bayes nets, as well as investigations into the structure of scientific and ordinary information, I maintain neither argument establishes its architectural conclusion. Similar considerations also undermine Fodor’s decades-long diagnosis of artificial intelligence research as confounded by an inability to circumscribe the amount of information relevant to inferential processes. This diagnosis is particularly inapposite with respect to Bayes nets, since one of their strengths as machine learning systems has been their capacity to reason probabilistically about large data sets whose size overwhelms the capacities of individual human reasoners. A general moral follows from these criticisms: Insights into artificial and human cognitive systems are likely to be cultivated by focusing greater attention on the structure and density of connections among items of information that are available to them.
The Standard Model and the Higgs Boson at the LHC

Particle physics is the branch of physics that studies the different fundamental particles in nature and how one type interacts with another. There are two classes of these particles based on their spin: fermions and bosons. Fermions have an odd-integer multiple of \(\frac {1}{2}\) spin and obey Fermi–Dirac statistics, and by the Fermi exclusion principle, two different fermions cannot occupy the same quantum state. Almost all of the ordinary objects with which humans interact are composed of fermions. Ignoring finer distinctions for the moment, only 12 elementary fermions are known, 6 leptons and 6 quarks, each of which can be subdivided into three generations with similar properties. Bosons, on the other hand, have an even-integer spin and obey Bose–Einstein statistics. Elementary bosons act as mediators between fermions and are the main carries of force in interaction, which could be either strong, weak, electromagnetic, or gravitational.
Haloperidol-induced hypokinesia in rats is differentially affected by the light/dark phase, age, and melatonin.

Abstract It has been well established that the striatal dopaminergic system is compromised with aging, namely D2 receptor function. Also well documented is the age related decline of the neurohormone, melatonin, in both humans and nonhuman animals. What has not been well studied is the possible interaction between the D2 receptor system and the age related decline in melatonin with its unmistakable pattern of synthesis and release exclusively during the dark phase. We tested the effect of the D2 antagonist, haloperidol (1.0 mg/kg ip), in adolescent (2 mo old) and adult rats (10 mo old) in the light (ZT3) and dark phases (ZT 15) in rats kept in a 12 L/12D cycle and the effect of exogenous melatonin (15 mg/kg ip/day x 4 days for a total of 60 mg/kg) on D2 antagonism. Using the bar test, measuring the extrapyramidal side-effect of hypokinesia, we report haloperidol to work differentially depending on both age and phase. Adult rats experienced the effect of the D2 antagonist in both the light and dark phases, while younger rats did not show hypokinetic affects in the dark. By manipulated lighting, we were able to restore the effect of haloperidol in younger rats in the dark phase. We also found ameliorating effects of melatonin lessening time on the bar after treatment with haloperidol, however, this effect was only found in older rats. These data demonstrate the importance of the light/dark cycle and age in the susceptibility of extrapyramidal effects with use of drugs that target D2 receptor function.
k-Maximum Subarrays for Small k: Divide-and-Conquer Made Simpler

Given an array A of n real numbers, the maximum subarray problem is to find a contiguous subarray which has the largest sum. The k-maximum subarrays problem is to find k such subarrays with the largest sums. For the 1−maximum subarray the well known divide-and-conquer algorithm, presented in most textbooks, although suboptimal, is easy to implement and can be made optimal with a simple change that speeds up the combine phase. On the other hand, the only known divide-and-conquer algorithm for \(k > 1\), that is efficient for small values of k, is difficult to implement, due to the intricacies of the combine phase. In this paper, we show how to simplify the combine phase considerably while preserving the overall running time.
Establishment of Effective Project Scoping Process for Highway and Bridge Construction Projects

AbstractThe execution of highway and bridge projects commonly subjects state transportation agencies (STAs) to challenges that cause schedule delays and cost overruns. Changes made to the project's...
Tsismis and the Filipino: How the Gossip of Dogeaters Informs Our Understanding of the Politics of Representation

Within Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters, gossip represents the Filipino, as a subject entirely variable and without solid foundation, but still incredibly powerful and perceived as real and firm. Gossip has the ability to shape and/or disrupt ‘official discourse’, and in doing so, acts as the Filipino, molding truth and performance into a powerful force that both shapes and disrupts stereotypes and political culture. However, both the Filipino and gossip also have the power to disrupt those structures and ‘official discourse’ by presenting an alternate discourse or representation. Hagedorn challenges her readers to recognize that no one discourse is the truth, and that even ‘official discourse’ and the ideal Filipino do not represent all discourse and all Filipinos.
Bound for Home: Books and Community in a Bihari Qasba

At the turn of the twentieth century, a group of young men in Desna, a qasba (small town) in Bihar, founded an organisation called the Anjuman Al-Islah. There they shared their books in the name of...
Latent Variable Modeling and Adaptive Testing for Experimental Cognitive Psychopathology Research.

The adaptation of experimental cognitive tasks into measures that can be used to quantify neurocognitive outcomes in translational studies and clinical trials has become a key component of the stra...
Phase transition behaviour in yeast and bacterial populations under stress

Non-equilibrium phase transitions from survival to extinction have recently been observed in computational models of evolutionary dynamics. Dynamical signatures predictive of population collapse ha...
Optimized guidance for building fires considering occupants’ route choices

Abstract Occupants in building fires usually have difficulties to evacuate safely, and providing guidance may help them select proper routes. However, groups of occupants may not follow guidance because they make their own decisions and are affected by psychological factors. Their reactions to guidance should therefore be considered by an emergency guidance system. Most existing studies assumed that occupants would follow guidance, and congestions might occur if suggested routes were not used. To consider occupants’ route choices, the random utility theory is employed to characterize their reactions to guidance, and the guidance is optimized in a leader–follower​ (Stackelberg) game framework in this paper. To partially validate the effect of guidance and determine related parameters of psychological factors, data from virtual reality (VR) experiments are analyzed, where human participants were recruited and their probabilistic route choices were analyzed. Using parameters derived from VR experiments, numerical and simulation results demonstrate that optimized guidance is effective in terms of the overall risk and evacuation times because related congestions are alleviated. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to assess the impacts of different psychological factors on optimized guidance and evacuations.
Passive Blotting from Tissue Slices

Slice blotting is a procedure for detecting the release of substances that react with antigens (immunoreactive) from thin slivers or slices of living tissue. This interesting method, developed and described by Graeme Lowe, is useful to record the three-dimensional distribution of extracellular signaling molecules (hormones, cytokines, growth factors, and neurotransmitters that can communicate precise information to target cells) released from thin slices of living tissue. Slices are placed on the membrane. Substances diffusing from the slivers of tissue will be trapped on the membrane. The pattern of antigens bound to the membrane is then detected by immunoblotting.
Role of nonperturbative input in QCD resummed heavy boson $Q_T$ distribution

We show that role of nonperturbative input in the $b$-space QCD resummation formalism for heavy boson transverse momentum ($Q_T$) distribution strongly depends on collision energy $\sqrt{S}$. At collider energies, the larger $\sqrt{S}$ is, the weaker role nonperturbative input plays, and better predictive power the $b$-space resummation formalism has.
Nonlinear Adaptive Filtering with MEE, MCC, and Applications

Our emphasis on the linear model in Chapter 4 was only motivated by simplicity and pedagogy. As we have demonstrated in the simple case studies, under the linearity and Gaussianity conditions, the final solution of the MEE algorithms was basically equivalent to the solution obtained with the LMS. Because the LMS algorithm is computationally simpler and better understood, there is really no advantage to use MEE in such cases.
Fruit quantity of invasive shrubs predicts the abundance of common native avian frugivores in central Pennsylvania

Aim Biological invasions pose one of the most severe threats to global biodiversity. Still, invasions can create positive ecological relationships and services, which can sometimes result in challenges for conservation efforts. A case in point is the invasion of alien plants that form mutualisms with native frugivorous birds. Here, we examined the correlation between honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.) and the bird communities in a landscape of central Pennsylvania during the fall months. Location State College area in central Pennsylvania, USA. Methods We conducted point counts to quantify the abundance of birds and fleshy-fruited plant species within a 187.5 km2 landscape that included forested, urban and agricultural lands. We also compared fruit-removal rates for a native fruiting plant under low and high Lonicera densities. Results The abundance of birds showed a strong positive association with Lonicera fruits, with the abundance of Turdus migratorius and Dumetella carolinensis showing the strongest correlations. We also found that fruit-removal rates were 30% larger for a native plant species in areas of high Lonicera density compared to a site with low density of Lonicera. Main conclusions Our results suggest that Lonicera may currently serve as a main axis for the organization of bird communities and the networks of frugivore–plant interactions in central Pennsylvania. Since populations of key bird frugivores may be currently depending on Lonicera resources, we argue that control measures should account for the negative effects that the loss of this fruit resource could have on populations of native consumers in highly invaded regions.
Korn's inequalities for piecewise $H^1$ vector fields

Korn's inequalities for piecewise H 1 vector fields are established. They can be applied to classical nonconforming finite element methods, mortar methods and discontinuous Galerkin methods.
Anthropometric and physiologic correlates of mitral valve prolapse in a biethnic cohort of young adults: The CARDIA study☆☆☆★★★

Abstract Objective To describe the epidemiology of echocardiographic mitral valve prolapse (MVP) and its anthropometric, physiologic, and psychobehavioral correlates with a cross-sectional analysis at 4 urban clinical centers. Patients A biethnic, community-based sample of 4136 young (aged 23 to 35 years) adult participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study who had echocardiograms during their third examination between 1990 and 1991. Measurements Echocardiographic mitral valve prolapse, Doppler mitral regurgitation, blood pressure, anthropometry, and 4 psychobehavioral scales. Results Definite echocardiographic MVP prevalence was 0.6% overall and was similar across the 4 ethnicity/sex groups. Most participants (21 of 26, 80%) with definite echocardiographic MVP were unaware of their condition. Relative to persons with normal echocardiograms, those with echocardiographic MVP were taller (174.6 cm vs 171.0 cm, P P 2 vs 26.2 kg/m 2 , P P P Conclusions These data document a low prevalence of definite echocardiographic MVP and suggest a constellation of anthropometric, physiologic, and psychobehavioral characteristics in young adults with echocardiographic MVP. Most definite echocardiographic MVP diagnoses were discordant with self-reported MVP status, and false-positive diagnoses of echocardiographic MVP were made more often in women and whites. (Am Heart J 1999;138:486-92.)
A Phase II trial of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, vincristine, and reduced-dose dexamethasone combination therapy in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients

BACKGROUND Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) have increased bone marrow angiogenesis, a low plasma cell labeling index, and multidrug resistance (the primary cause of chemotherapy failure). MM patients receiving the vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (VAD) regimen develop resistance and cardiac and steroid toxicity. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil®/CAELYX™) could potentially extend the duration of malignant plasma cell exposure to therapeutic levels of doxorubicin. This Phase II study evaluates combination pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, vincristine, and reduced-dose dexamethasone in MM patients. METHODS Thirty-three newly diagnosed patients with MM received intravenous pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (40 mg/m2), vincristine (2.0 mg, Day 1), and oral or intravenous dexamethasone (40 mg per day for 4 days) every 4 weeks for six or more cycles and/or for two cycles after the best response. RESULTS The overall response rate was 88%: 4 (12%) patients achieved a complete response, 18 (55%) a major response, and 7 (21%) a minor response. Three patients (9%) had stable and one (3%) had progressive disease. The median time to progression was 23.1 months, with 2-year and 3-year progression-free survival rates of 42% and 23%, respectively. The patient survival rate at 3 years was 67%. No patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events. Myelosuppression was manageable. The most common toxicities were Grade 3 palmar–plantar erythrodysesthesia, mucositis, and neutropenia. Only one patient experienced cardiotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS Substituting pegylated liposomal doxorubicin for doxorubicin in the VAD regimen and reducing the dose of dexamethasone in patients with MM improve the safety profile and convenience of the treatment regimen without compromising efficacy. Cancer 2002;95:2160–8. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10946
Raster graphics for interactive programming environments

Raster-scan display terminals can significantly improve the quality of interaction with conventional computer systems. The design of a graphics package to provide a “window” into the extensive programming environment of interlisp is presented. Two aspects of the package are described: first, the functional view of display output and interactive input facilities as seen by the programmer, and second, the methods used to link the display terminal to the main computer via a packet-switched computer network. Recommendations are presented for designing operating systems and programming languages so as to simplify attaching display terminals.
Characterization of the DNA binding properties of the bHLH domain of Deadpan to single and tandem sites.

The basic helix−loop−helix domain of the Drosophila transcription factor Deadpan (Dpn) was prepared by total chemical protein synthesis in order to characterize its DNA binding properties. Circular dichroism spectroscopy was used to correlate structural changes in Dpn with physiologically relevant monovalent (KCl) and divalent (MgCl2) cation concentrations. In addition, we have used electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and fluorescence anisotropy methods to determine equilibrium dissociation constants for the interaction of Dpn with two biologically relevant promoters involved in neural development and sex determination pathways. In this study, we have optimized DNA binding conditions for Dpn, and we have found a markedly higher DNA binding affinity for Dpn than reported for other bHLH domain transcription factors. Dpn binds as a homodimer (Kd = 2.6 nM) to double-stranded oligonucleotides containing the binding site CACGCG. In addition, we found that Dpn bound with the same affinity to a single or ...
Long-term survival and functional status of patients with low-grade astrocytoma of spinal cord.

Purpose: To determine survival and changes in neurologic function and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) in a series of patients treated for low-grade astrocytoma of the spinal cord during the past two decades. Methods: This study consisted of 14 patients with pathologically confirmed low-grade astrocytoma of the spinal cord who were treated between 1980 and 2003. All patients underwent decompressive laminectomy followed by biopsy ( n = 7), subtotal resection ( n = 6), or gross total resection ( n = 1). Ten patients underwent postoperative radiotherapy (median total dose 50 Gy in 28 fractions). The overall survival, progression-free survival, and changes in neurologic function and KPS were measured. Results: The overall survival rate at 5, 10, and 20 years was 100%, 75%, and 60%, respectively. The progression-free survival rate at 5, 10, and 20 years was 93%, 80%, and 60%, respectively. Neither overall survival nor progression-free survival was clearly correlated with any patient, tumor, or treatment factors. Neurologic function and KPS worsened after surgery in 8 (57%) of 14 and 9 (69%) of 13 patients, respectively. At a mean follow-up of 10.2 years, neurologic function had stabilized or improved in 8 (73%) of 11 remaining patients, but the KPS had worsened in 5 (50%) of 10. Most patients who were employed before surgery were working at last follow-up. Conclusion: Patients who undergo gross total resection of their tumor may be followed closely. Patients who undergo limited resection should continue to receive postoperative RT (50.4 Gy in 1.8-Gy fractions). The functional measures should be routinely evaluated to appreciate the treatment outcomes.
Evaluating student mastery of design of experiment

Although ABET Outcome 3b explicitly requires engineering graduates to demonstrate "an ability to design experiments," engineering curricula rely heavily on cookbook experiments, in which students simply follow a sequence of steps in the form of a recipe and arrive at a predetermined result. Cookbook experiments do not require design by the students and therefore do not draw upon the critical thinking skills that lead to deeper learning. Using a fairly general process to guide students in the design of experiments, the authors have developed an instructional rubric to both assess student mastery of the design steps and help students understand the goals and expectations of the process. Laboratory experiences in aerospace, civil, and chemical engineering have been redesigned to allow more student-directed and student- designed inquiries, and are being used to pilot the application of the rubric.
Terahertz Impulse Imaging With Sparse Arrays and Adaptive Reconstruction

Terahertz (THz) impulse imaging has many applications in security and nondestructive testing. Sparse THz arrays can dramatically reduce array complexity for imaging applications requiring a large field of view. Sparse arrays employing narrowband waves suffer from grating lobe artifacts that severely degrade image quality. However, the short coherence length of single-cycle THz pulses provides an opportunity to overcome this limitation. Grating lobe artifacts can be suppressed with an adaptive weighting factor based on the temporal coherence of signals from neighboring array elements. The spatial coherence of signals across the entire array can further improve image quality in an adaptive manner. We experimentally demonstrate a 56 × 56 element 2-D sparse THz array that adaptively suppresses grating lobe artifacts by 30 dB. The success of this adaptive processing relies on the single-cycle nature of the pulses employed in THz impulse imaging.
2 1/4Cr-1Mo steels for coal conversion pressure vessels

Pressure vessels for coal conversion processes are likely to be made of a 2 1/4 Cr-1 Mo steel, covered by ASTM specification A387, class 2, grade 22. Under the projected operating conditions, degradation of the mechanical properties of the steel by temper embrittlement and hydrogen embrittlement is a major concern. The significance of these degradation mechanisms is reviewed here in the light of experimental results recently generated by EPRI projects and other results published in the literature. 39 refs.
Librarian/Faculty Interaction at Nine New England Colleges

Faculty members play a central role on college and university campuses, and their perceptions of library service may be a key factor in the way the campus library is used and supported. In an attempt to meet their needs, many librarians are expanding the level of contact they have with their campus constituency. This article presents the results of a study of librarian/faculty interaction at nine small (1,000-4,000 students) college libraries. The study explored several of the activities that librarians employed to build bridges to classroom faculty members, and it also surveyed faculty members' perceptions of library efforts to provide service.
Creation and destruction of Weddell Sea floor in the Jurassic

New paleomagnetic data invite reassessment of the breakup history of parts of the Pacific margin of Gondwana due to the Mesozoic opening of the southern ocean basins. These data indicate clockwise rotation of the Antarctic Peninsula relative to East Antarctica between ∼175 and ∼155 Ma that would have created as much as 1000 km of pre-anomaly M25 ocean floor in the Weddell Sea basin. The paleomagnetic data also suggest that between ∼155 and ∼130 Ma, the Antarctic Peninsula rotated counterclockwise relative to East Antarctica, rotation that, along with the southward motion of East Antarctica, would have caused subduction of the newly created Weddell Sea ocean floor beneath the southern Antarctic Peninsula. East-vergent folding and thrusting of Jurassic back-arc basin rocks along the southeastern Antarctic Peninsula, known as the Palmer Land event, probably resulted from deformation along this newly created convergent margin. The presence of Jurassic Weddell Sea floor would have isolated eastern Gondwana (East Antarctica, Australia, and India) from the Antarctic Peninsula and western Gondwana (Africa and South America), encouraging increased marine faunal connections between the Pacific and Weddell Sea- Mozambique-Somali ocean basins during the ∼175 to ∼130 Ma interval. After ∼130 Ma, the Antarctic Peninsula would have been connected to East Antarctica via the other West Antarctic terranes, thereby facilitating land migrations between eastern and western Gondwana.
Percolation theory of two-phase relative permeability

Fluid distributions and flow through the pore space of reservoir rock depend not only on pore sizes and shapes but also on local pore connectivity, i.e. topology. This topology can be described in terms of the network concept of coordination, which is central in most of the development to date of the percolation theory of transport in chaotic media, a theory advanced by Larson et al. for multiphase flow in porous media. The transport-path accessibility function from percolation theory summarizes the topological aspects of porespace important to describing the capillarity-controlled spatial distributions of two fluids; the transport-path conductivity function summarizes the topological aspects of porespace important to describing the creeping flow of two fluids, each continuously connected in a distinct set of channels. From these functions, and statistical distributions of pore configurations, the authors derive general formulas for the drainage and imbibition relative permeabilities of two phases, one of which is completely wetting. Inputs required for calculations are a network analog of pore connectivity, or the coordination number of its Cayley or Bethe tree approximation (for which the accessibility and conductivity functions can be evaluated in closed form); and distributions of flowcontrolling and inventory-controlling pore dimensions. Results for Bethe treemore » approximations to pore topology, and for several simple statistical distributions of pore dimensions, agree well with all the features of oil and water relative permeabilities reported for Berea sandstones. The theory is so founded that it can be extended in consistent ways to two-phase relative permeability when neither phase is completely wetting, and to the phase relative permeabilities.« less
An overview of mobile device network traffic and network interface usage patterns

In this paper, we present and evaluate the outcomes of a measurement study amongst Android mobile device users, who volunteered their device-level network activity data through a newly developed mobile application in January 2013. We evaluate the submitted data in two hour time intervals with respect to device-level network traffic amounts, application network activity times, and data distribution (as measure of connectivity) between mobile (cellular) and wireless LAN networks. We find fairly homogeneous values with low levels of autocorrelation or long range dependence for the device-level amounts of data, but an indication for self-similarity for the summed application network usage times, which are positively correlated. In addition, we observe that the average distribution for cellular interface usage exhibits clear patterns for the day of the week as well as the time of the day. The combination of these findings can find direct utilization in future mobile device utilization modeling efforts.
Use of diphenylamine as a colorimetric reagent for ribonucleic acid.

Abstract RNA has been demonstrated to react with diphenylamine when acid hydrolysis is performed for 1 hour or more at 100°C. This reaction can be used for quantitative analysis of RNA, since there is a linear relationship between RNA concentration and absorbance. The reaction of RNA with diphenylamine can be quanlitatively distinguished from the reaction of DNA: the absorption spectrum of the RNA-diphenylamine reaction product has a maximum at 650 mμ, and a second, smaller peak at 490 mμ, while the DNA-diphenylamine reaction product has a single maximum at 605 mμ. It was found that, when mixtures of DNA and RNA are reacted with diphenylamine, the spectra reflect both the DNA:RNA ratios and the total amounts of nucleic acids. When the two-wavelength method of spectrum analysis was applied to such spectra, good agreement was found between actual and calculated values of nucleic acid concentrations. In this way, diphenylamine can be used for the simultaneous determination of the concentrations of DNA and RNA in mixtures. As is the case for the reaction of DNA with diphenylamine, it was found that the reaction of RNA is not altered by the presence of protein and that it involves primarily the purine nucleotides. The reaction of RNA with diphenylamine is discussed in relation to its possible analytical applications.
Measuring the ABCs of Leisure Experience: Awareness, Boredom, Challenge, Distress

The psychometric properties of four aspects of leisure experience (Awareness, Boredom, Challenge, Distress), originally identified and tested with adolescents, were investigated with college students. Findings indicated that the original subscales were internally consistent and could be applied, with minor modification, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, college major, or employment. Interrelationships among the four leisure constructs of Awareness, Boredom, Challenge, and Distress were found to vary as a function of both gender and ethnicity, yielding different profiles of African-American, Asian-American, European-American, and Hispanic-American male and female students.
Displacement configuration of semicircular canal cupulae

Abstract Cupula displacement had traditionally been portrayed as a wiper motion of the cupula hinged at its base. In this study, semicircular canals of the bullfrog, which had been carefully dissected, were analyzed for cupula motion during compression of the canal wall. Cupulae marked with darkened oil droplets or alcian blue and displaced by endolymph exhibited a characteristic central bulging while the perimeter remained fixed to the ampullary wall. Small compressions resulted in displacements which were prominent near the receptor base while the center of the cupula mass had little movement. Large endolymph displacements produced a nearly symmetrical arching of the marker line that extended from the crista to the opposite wall. When endolymph was excessively displaced, the cupula became dislodged at its apical end and moved through the traditional wiper arc without the characteristic bulging. It is concluded that the cupula was dislodged in earlier studies by other investigators while, in the intact canal, the cupula has the properties of a modified elastic diaphragm. On the basis of these results, we suggest that the base of the cupula shears with the crista across the subcupular space.
How can “cheap talk” yield coordination, given a conflict?

ChickenHawk is a social-dilemma game that distinguishes uncoordinated from coordinated cooperation. In tests with players belonging to a culturally homogeneous population, natural-language “cheap talk” led to efficient coordination, while nonlinguistic signaling yielded uncoordinated altruism. In a subsequent test with players from a moderately more heterogeneous population nearby, the “cheap talk” condition still produced better coordination than other signaling conditions, but at a lower level and with fewer acts of altruism overall. Implications are: (1) without language, even willing cooperators coordinate poorly; (2) given a sufficiently homogeneous social group, language can coordinate cooperation in the face of opportunities for anonymous defection; (3) coordination therefore depends not on merely a general propensity to cooperate but on the overlap of social identities, which are always costly to acquire and maintain. So far as linguistic variation establishes how much social identities overlap, natural-language “cheap talk” is self-insuring, suggesting that linguistic variation is itself adaptive.