cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Photodynamic Therapy for Patients with Advanced Non–Small-Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

Patients with advanced non–small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) have poor prognoses and experience negative sequelae of disease. Patients often suffer from dyspnea and/or hemoptysis, with overall pulmonary compromise. Patients with advanced, inoperable disease have limited options for treatment. This study summarizes our early experience and findings using photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an effective modality in the palliation of hemoptysis, dyspnea, and physical airway obstruction in cases of inoperable lung cancer. A retrospective review was conducted for the first 10 patients diagnosed with stage III/IV obstructive NSCLC who underwent PDT at our institution. Endobronchial lesions were identified by bronchoscopy. Treatments were initiated 48 hours after intravenous injection of 2 mg/kg of the photosensitizing agent porfimer sodium (Photofrin, QLT PhotoTherapeutics, Vancouver, BC). The porfimer sodium was then activated by illumination with a 630 nm wavelength light using a Coherent argon ion laser through a flexible bronchoscope. Repeated bronchoscopies were performed 1-3 days following initial PDT for evaluation and airway debridement. In 8 cases, a second treatment of PDT was administered within 72 hours of the first injection. One patient received a third treatment several months later. Three patients also received endobronchial stents after PDT. Overall, all 10 patients responded to PDT. Physical airway obstruction was reduced in all patients, with a noted improvement in bronchoscopic luminal diameter. Acute hemoptysis resolved in all 7 symptomatic patients. Median survival was 5.5 months post-PDT, while median survival postdiagnosis was 10.5 months. Three patients are alive at the time of this review at 5-21 months following therapy. Patients with unresectable late-stage NSCLC have few options for treatment. Our early experience with PDT indicates effective relief of hemoptysis, dyspnea, and airway obstruction and improves their quality of life.
Bilateral segmental neurofibromatosis: a case report and review

A 65-year-old white woman presented with complaints of moles on the left side of her trunk present for an undetermined period of time. She denied associated pain and pruritus. Her past medical history was significant for hypothyroidism and depression, for which she was taking levothyroxine and venlafaxine, respectively. In addition, she was on hormone replacement therapy. Reportedly, no other family members were affected by similar skin lesions. Physical examination revealed soft, dome-shaped, skin-colored papules grouped in a T11-12 dermatomal distribution on her trunk bilaterally. The lesions were more numerous and densely grouped on the right side of her trunk (Figs 1 and 2). No axillary freckling or cafe-au-lait macules were noted. No Lisch nodules were observed upon ophthalmologic examination. Histologic examination of skin biopsies taken from lesions on both sides of her abdomen in the affected area revealed a proliferation of fusiform cells in a loose fibrous stroma, consistent with neurofibroma.
Immunochemical studies on mouse myeloma proteins with specificity for dextran or for levan.

Abstract Two mouse myeloma proteins have been studied immunochemically. One has specificity for α(1 → 3) linked dextrans and inhibition studies with α (1 → 3) glucosyloligosaccharides (nigerodextrins) indicate that the size of the combining site is that of a pentasaccharide. The other protein reacts with levan and to a lesser extent with inulin. The best inhibitor was a terminal non-reducing chain of two β (2 → 1) linked fructofuranosyl residues plus an additional β linkage either to carbon 6 of glucose or to carbon 1 of fructose.
On Modeling and Marketing the Demand Flexibility of Deferrable Loads at the Wholesale Level

In this paper, we present a methodology to incorporate the service offered by an aggregator of longer duration deferrable loads in the Unit Commitment (UC) optimization. The description of the deferrable demand we propose is accurate, yet not computationally intensive, and can be added to any type of UC optimization so that the ISO can use time-shiftable loads as an additional dispatchable resource to minimize costs, shave demand peaks, and control the wholesale prices of electricity. Simulation results illustrate the benefits of this model compared to the so called “tank” and “detailed” models.
Co-Branding Strategy in the Restaurant Industry

Abstract Co-branding in the restaurant industry refers to the marketing strategy that involves the pairing of two or more brands under one roof (Khan, 1991). This strategy has become especially popular in quick service restaurants. The purpose of this study is to examine the trends in co-branding, especially when one brand is linked with another brand through a marketing strategy. Of primary interest is whether co-branding and multi-concept strategies are significant issues in the restaurant industry.
Infant rats: sensorimotor ontogeny and effects of substantia nigra destruction.

Abstract The ontogeny of sensorimotor behaviors of albino rats was evaluated from birth through adulthood (Experiment 1). Sensorimotor behaviors (e.g., visual and tactile orientation, forelimb and hindlimb hopping, righting reflexes) achieved mature (adultlike) characteristics at various ages during ontogeny and a rostral-caudal developmental pattern was revealed. In Experiment 2, the substantia nigra was bilaterally or unilaterally destroyed in rats at 10 or 25 days of age and the ontogeny of sensorimotor and regulatory (feeding, drinking, body weight regulation) behaviors were evaluated. Bilateral destruction of the substantia nigra, zona compacta, at 10 and 25 days of age resulted in transient cessation of suckling and/or feeding and drinking followed by recovery. Male brain-damaged rats had reduced body weight through 150–170 days of age. Specific feeding and drinking tests revealed the presence of residual regulatory deficits which seemed permanent. Sensorimotor testing revealed transient dysfunction for a variety of sensorimotor behaviors, with eventual recovery of normal sensorimotor capacity. The results are related to sensorimotor ontogeny and recovery from infant brain damage.
Pyrrolidonecarboxylyl peptidase: studies on the specificity of the enzyme.

Abstract A variety of Pyrrolidonecarboxylyl dipeptides have been synthesized in order to study the specificity of Pyrrolidonecarboxylyl peptidase, a hydrolytic enzyme isolated from a strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens . The influence of the penultimate amino acid (nearest neighbor to the Pyrrolidonecarboxylyl residue) on the rate of hydrolysis of l -pyrrolidonecarboxylyl- l -amino acid dipeptides was found to be quite large. The order of relative hydrolysis rates varied in the following sequence: Pyr-Ala > Pyr-Ilu > Pyr-Val > Pyr-Leu > Pyr-Phe > Pyr-Tyr. l -Pyrrolidonecarboxylyl- l -proline was not detectably hydrolyzed. The enzyme is apparently specific for the l -pyrrolidonecarboxylyl- l -amino acid optical isomers.
Three‐point magnetic field observations of substorms in the inner magnetotail

After intercomparing GOES and CCE data at 6.6 R{sub E} on the dayside to reduce uncertainties in the spin axis magnetic field component at GOES, the data sets were studied in the nightside hemisphere. Comparing GOES data with CCE data as the latter spacecraft were passing through the synchronous orbit distance near midnight revealed north-south (latitudinal) field gradients of the order 40-50 nT/R{sub E} in the range 0.5 to 1.3 R{sub E} north of the equatorial plane. Coherent variations at the various spacecraft predominate in the north-south and radial components of the field and these variations are readily explained as the well-known plasma sheet reconfigurations associated with substorms. The east-west field component usually exhibits less coherence between the spacecraft. These differences in the east-west component at various spacecraft are generally consistent with the current wedge model, but changes in the sign of this component between nearby spacecraft indicate that spacecraft {approximately} 1 R{sub E} north of the equatorial plane are frequently immersed in or even north of the wedge currents. Little evidence was found for a high field injection front propagating inward from the tail, but the absence of such evidence may be due to the fact that their dualmore » spacecraft measurements are 0.5-1.3 R{sub E} north of the geomagnetic equatorial plane in a strong field region where injection-front field increases are unlikely to occur.« less
Quantitative determination of nonintegral spin quadrupolar nuclei in solids using nuclear magnetic resonance spin-echo techniques

Abstract Experimental and theoretical results concerning the quantitative determination of non-integral-spin quadrupolar nuclei in static solids using spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance are presented for the cases of selective, nonselective. and "partially" selective excitation. For a strong quadrupolar coupling, selective excitation of the central ( 1 2 , − 1 2 ) transition is shown to give excellent quantitative results on systems of known composition, using both in-phase and 90°-phase-shifted pulse sequences. Off-resonance effects are manifested as intensity oscillations, from which nuclear quadrupole coupling constants may be estimated.
Update on effective interventions to increase tobacco cessation.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the USA and will soon be the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. The only way to decreasetobacco-related morbidity and mortality in the short term is to help current smokers quit. Fortunately, effective clinical- and population-based interventions that increase tobacco cessation exist. However, these interventions are not being implemented, leaving most smokers to use the least effective approach to cessation (an unassisted quit attempt). This review summarizes the evidence for the effectiveness of clinical- and population-based interventions and recommendations from various organizations regarding tobacco use treatment. It also outlines proposed strategies for improving clinical and public health practice to increase tobacco cessation.
Blowup of smooth solutions to the compressible Navier-Stokes equation with compact density

We present a sufficient condition on the blowup of smooth solutions to the compressible Navier-Stokes equations in arbitrary space dimensions with initial density of compact support. As an immediate application, it is shown that any smooth solutions to the compressible Navier-Stokes equations for polytropic fluids in the absence of heat conduction will blow up in finite time as long as the initial densities have compact support, and an upper bound, which depends only on the initial data, on the blowup time follows from our elementary analysis immediately. Another implication is that there is no global small (decay in time) or even bounded (in the case that all the viscosity coefficients are positive) smooth solutions to the compressible Navier-Stokes equations for polytropic fluids, no matter how small the initial data are, as long as the initial density is of compact support. This is in contrast to the classical theory of global existence of small solutions to the same system with initial data being a small perturbation of a constant state that is not a vacuum. The blowup of smooth solutions to the compressible Euler system with initial density and velocity of compact support is a simple consequence of our argument. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Embryo transfer: The next 100 years

Abstract Technological advances in embryology during the past 20 years have been phenomenal, and it is predicted that the pace of new developments in this area will continue, or even accelerate, unless the world becomes embroiled in warfare due to overpopulation and poverty. Currently, the number of people employed in research with preimplantation embryos is approximately equal to the number employed in agricultural applications of embryo technology. The number employed in applications of this technology in human medicine is increasing rapidly. It is predicted that work in all of these areas will increase exponentially on a world wide basis for at least 50 years; however, agricultural applications will plateau after 50 years. Innovative advances in biotechnology and embryology will help us to understand many unsolved questions in reproductive biology, but also will raise new questions. There is a moral responsibility to use these technologies for the benefit of mankind when appropriate.
How to Say Things with Songs: Al Jolson, Vitaphone Technology, and the Rhetoric of Warner Bros. in 1929

On 6 August 1929, Al Jolson's third feature Say It With Songs opened to great fanfare at Warner's Theater in New York City. Though subsequently met with lukewarm critical and commercial reception a...
TMpro web server and web service

Summary: TMpro is a transmembrane (TM) helix prediction algorithm that uses language processing methodology for TM segment identification. It is primarily based on the analysis of statistical distributions of properties of amino acids in transmembrane segments. This article describes the availability of TMpro on the internet via a web interface. The key features of the interface are: (i) output is generated in multiple formats including a user-interactive graphical chart which allows comparison of TMpro predicted segment locations with other labeled segments input by the user, such as predictions from other methods. (ii) Up to 5000 sequences can be submitted at a time for prediction. (iii) TMpro is available as a web server and is published as a web service so that the method can be accessed by users as well as other services depending on the need for data integration. Availability: http://linzer.blm.cs.cmu.edu/tmpro/ (web server and help), http://blm.sis.pitt.edu:8080/axis/services/TMProFetcherService (web service) Contact:judithks@cs.cmu.edu or jks33@pitt.edu
Time-dependent voltages across superconductors during flux motion☆

Abstract A simple theory based on the London equations is developed to describe the measured time-dependent voltages across superconductors during flux motion and the associated power spectra. The theory is first used to compute the voltage pulse measured when voltage probe contacts are attached to the surface of a superconducting strip across which a singly-quantized fluxon is moving. The time-dependent voltage and its power spectrum are then calculated for a given distribution of fluxons within the specimen. The theory may be used in general to show that the power spectrum of the measured time-dependent flux-flow voltage depends upon the following factors: the distribution of flux within the specimen, the speed of the flux motion, the width of the specimen, the size of the voltage probe contacts, and the spatial configuration of the leads which attach the contacts on the surface of the superconductor to the voltage-measuring apparatus.
2B4 (CD244)-CD48 interactions provide a novel MHC class I-independent system for NK-cell self-tolerance in mice

Natural killer (NK) cells must be able to eliminate infected and transformed cells while remaining tolerant of normal cells. NK-cell self-tolerance is thought to be maintained by self-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I recognition; however, there are examples where NK cells are not regulated by MHC class I and yet remain self-tolerant. Here, we show that 2B4 (CD244) and CD48 represent a second system for murine NK-cell self-recognition. 2B4 and MHC class I receptors act nonredundantly to inhibit NK lysis of syngeneic tumor cells. NK cells from β2 microglobulin (β2m)-deficient mice and NK cells that lack expression of self-MHC-binding inhibitory receptors are inhibited by 2B4. Moreover, we provide the first in vivo evidence for MHC-independent NK self-recognition in a bone marrow rejection assay. These data suggest that NK-cell self-tolerance can be mediated by molecules other than MHC. (Blood. 2005;106:1337-1340)
The ohio state university libraries' utilization of general bookbinding company's automated binding records system

Campbell is Head of Collection Maintenance and Bindery Preparation at the Ohio State University Libraries in Columbus. Boomgaarden is the Preservation Officer at the Ohio State University Libraries in Columbus. At the Ohio State University (OSU) Libraries in Columbus, routine first-time binding and rebinding of selected serials and monographs are considered an essential part of preservation and collection management functions. In fact, as in most libraries, contractual binding is currently the single largest line item in the libraries' preservation budget. Because of this considerable cost in providing primary protection for identified portions of the collections, efforts have been made at the OSUL to improve the physical structure of the finished product and control the cost per unit through the use of appropriately written and monitored binding specifications that assure a permanent, durable binding structure. Simultaneously, and no less importantly, there have been continuing efforts to increase the efficiency and productivity of the binding preparation unit, and to improve the management of that operation. This has been accomplished in large part through the installation of an automated binding records control system supplied by the libraries' binder, the General Bookbinding Company (GBC) of Chesterland, Ohio. This article is a review of the OSU Libraries' early experience with that automated system, which has been dubbed by GBC as "GOLD/BACS"--General's On-Line Dynamic Binding Administration and Control System. The Bindery Preparation Division at the OSUL is presently administratively part of the Preservation Office as a comprehensive preservation program is being established in the Libraries. The unit is managed by the Head of Collection Maintenance and Bindery Preparation, who reports to the Preservation Officer. Bindery preparation is centralized
An Efficient Implementation of Fast Direct Method of Moments for Half-Space Green’s Function on Multi-Core Platform

AbstractThe method of moments with a half-space Green’s function is of paramount importance to problems that involve an infinitely large ground plane, such as scattering from sea-or land-based targets. A fast direct matrix factorization method based on dynamic matrix compression is presented for improving computational efficiency. This method is especially useful for simulating mono-static radar cross-section for which a large number of incident angles need to be considered. This approach was further accelerated by multi-core programming. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate its accuracy and efficiency.
A new inequality for entire functions

Abstract We prove that, if f ( z ) is an entire function and ¦f(z)¦ ⩽ (A 1 + A 2 ¦z¦ n ) exp [ax 2 + by 2 + cx + dy] , then there are numbers C 1 , C 2 ⩾ 0, depending only on n , A 1 , A 2 , a , b , c , and d such that ¦f′(z)¦ ⩽ (C 1 + C 2 ¦z¦ n + 1 ) exp (ax 2 + by 2 + cx + dy) .
DPP-4 inhibitors as a new target of action for Type 2 diabetes mellitus: a focus on vildagliptin

The purpose of this review is to highlight the role of the incretin system and discuss the role of dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors as potential treatment for diabetes, drawing attention to some of the available clinical trial data that support the use of such agents. The DPP-4 enzyme is involved in the breakdown of glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1, an incretin that has a very short half-life. DPP-4 inhibitors delay the degradation of GLP-1, in turn extending the action of insulin and suppressing the release of glucagon. Endogenous and exogenous GLP-1 not only stimulates the release of insulin, but also reduces the secretion of glucagon. The latter action may be very important and represents a neglected aspect of the treatment of diabetes. The focus of the review is on one of the DPP-4 inhibitors, vildagliptin, since there is much recently published data on this drug. Vildagliptin has been shown to decrease hemoglobin A1C by 0.5–0.8% either alone or in combination. Generally, it is found to be well to...
Cooperativity can reduce stochasticity in intracellular calcium dynamics.

The opening of inositol (1,4,5)-triphosphate (IP3) receptors, clustered at discrete sites on the endoplasmic reticulum, can lead to large-scale intracellular calcium waves. Recent experiments in Xenopus oocytes (Marchant J S and Parker I 2001 EMBO J. 20 65–76) have shown that the inter-wave intervals for these waves have a standard deviation that is much smaller than their mean and that the background calcium concentration exhibits a slow rise during the interwave interval. Using a simple mathematical model, we examine the possibility that this slow rise increases the cooperativity between the openings of the clusters. We find that our model, coupled to the usual assumption that the pumps on the endoplasmic reticulum are activated instantaneously, is unable to explain the observed data: the clusters are found to fire independently and the inter-wave interval distribution is a Poisson distribution with a standard deviation that is approximately equal to its mean. On the other hand, we find that incorporating pumps that slowly activate leads to a slow increase in the background calcium concentration which makes global events progressively more likely to occur. We show that this cooperativity results in much smaller standard deviations and inter-wave interval distributions that are clearly not Poisson distributions.
Differentiation among populations of Sedum wrightii (Crassulaceae) in response to limited water availability: water relations, CO2 assimilation, growth and survivorship.

Sedum wrightii is one of only a few species in the Crassulaceae for which there is evidence for a high degree of variability in the ratio of daytime to nighttime CO2 assimilation. There are both environmental and genetic components to this variability. S. wrightii grows over a wide altitudinal gradient. The purpose of this study was to compare low, intermediate, and high altitude populations with respect to the degree of CAM expression and the capability to tolerate limited water availability. We utilized clonallyreplicated genotypes of plants from each population in common environment greenhouse experiments. Genetic differences among the populations were found in long-term water use efficiency, in 24 hour CO2 exchange patterns, in biomass δ13C values, in carbon allocation, and in water status and ultimately survival during prolonged drought. The differences among the populations appear to be closely related to differences in the native habitats. The low altitude, desert plants had the greatest ability to grow and survive under conditions of limited water availability and appear to have the greatest shift to nighttime CO2 uptake during periods without water, while the high altitude plants had the poorest performance under these conditions and appear to shut down net carbon uptake when severely water limited.
Enhancing Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Scattering Background Suppression with Phase Cycled Structured Femtosecond Laser Pulses

We demonstrate a homodyne coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering technique based on femtosecond laser pulse shaping (phase-cycling). This technique utilizes a self-generated non-resonant background as a local oscillator to retrieve phase information of the Raman signal.
Multi-component response in multilayer graphene revealed through terahertz and infrared magneto-spectroscopy

In this work we present mid-infrared (114 meV–224 meV) polarization-sensitive measurements on multilayer epitaxial graphene, which reveal graphene's rich and complex cyclotron resonant (CR) structure. By using Fourier transform Kerr spectroscopy we are able to separate and identify cyclotron resonances from graphene multilayers with various stacking orders and thicknesses. Moreover, from the identification of the layers present and their measured fundamental band parameters we are able to use these results to better understand previously unexplained CR features in far-infrared (0.1 meV – 87 meV) transmission measurements performed on the same sample.
Cloning, characterization, and expression of glucose transporter 2 in the freeze-tolerant wood frog, Rana sylvatica

Abstract Background The essential role of glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) in glucose homeostasis has been extensively studied in mammals; however, little is known about this important protein in lower vertebrates. The freeze-tolerant wood frog (Rana sylvatica), which copiously mobilizes glucose in response to freezing, represents an excellent system for the study of glucose transport in amphibians. Methods GLUT2 was sequenced from northern and southern phenotypes of R. sylvatica, as well as the freeze-intolerant Rana pipiens. These proteins were expressed and functionally characterized in Xenopus oocytes. Abundance of GLUT2 in tissues was analyzed using immunoblotting techniques. Results GLUT2s cloned from these anurans encoded proteins with high sequence homologies to known vertebrate GLUT2s and had similar transport properties, although, notably, transport of the glucose analog 3-O-methyl- d -glucose (3-OMG) was strongly inhibited by 150 mM urea. Proteins from all study subjects had similar affinity constants (~ 12 mM) and other kinetic properties; however, GLUT2 abundance in liver was 3.5-fold greater in northern R. sylvatica than in the southern conspecific and R. pipiens. Conclusion Our results indicate that amphibian GLUT2s are structurally and functionally similar to their homologs in other vertebrates, attesting to the conserved nature of this transport protein. The greater abundance of this protein in the northern phenotype of R. sylvatica suggests that these transporters contribute importantly to freezing survival. General significance This study provides the first functional characterization of any GLUT isoform from an anuran amphibian and novel insights into the role of these proteins in glucose homeostasis and cryoprotectant mobilization in freeze-tolerant vertebrates.
Factors influencing fine-needle aspiration cytology in the management of recurrent gynecologic malignancies

Over a period of 6.5 years (January 1983 through August 1989) 124 fine-needle aspirations (FNAs) were performed on 95 patients with prior documented primary malignancies of the cervix, ovary, endometrium, and vulva. The significance of clinicopathologic factors which influenced the FNA results was analyzed by statistical methods. The factors studied included the initial patient clinical stage, the time interval between staging and disease recurrence, the treatment modalities, the neoplasm type, the aspiration site, the target lesion size, and the type of radiologic guidance. Primary aspiration sites were pelvic wall and organs (40%), lymph nodes (36%), and liver (21%); 64% were positive, 5% suspicious, 15% negative, and 16% unsatisfactory. The specificity was 100%; sensitivity, 96.3%; predictive value of a positive test, 100%; and predictive value of a negative test, 84.2%. Statistically significant clinicopathologic factors which influenced the FNA results included the target lesion size (P = 0.026) and the aspiration site (P = 0.033). The primary neoplasm type, the time interval between staging and disease recurrence, the initial patient clinical stage, the treatment modalities, and the type of radiologic guidance were not statistically significant. FNA is a reliable procedure in the management of gynecologic malignancy and its results are influenced by clinicopathologic factors.
Toward Developing a Framework of Cost Elements for Preserving Authentic Electronic Records into Perpetuity

The financial challenges of the processes involved in preserving electronic records into perpetuity are significant. Financial management tools will support the decision-making processes in which archives and libraries engage when preserving electronic records. Applying business concepts, in combination with archival precepts and collection management principles, to the challenge of preserving electronic records will assist institutions such as archives and libraries in making decisions that will support their mission statements and act in the best interests of their users. This article proposes that a cost model specific to preserving authentic electronic records be developed.
Gastric Mucosal Damage Following Repeat Administration of Melanocortin Subtype-4 Receptor Ligands to Fischer 344 Rats

Since the melanocortin system plays a role in the central control of feeding, melanocortin receptor ligands may be efficacious in treating human obesity. Ten structurally similar melanocortin subtype-4 receptor (MC4R) ligands from an aryl piperazine chemical platform were evaluated in female Fischer 344 rats to assess the toxicity of this class of compounds. Rats were orally gavaged with 100, 250, or 500 mg/kg of each compound in 10% acacia and purified water daily for 4 days. In treated rats, notable clinical observations included a dose-dependent decrease in mean body weight and food consumption. A morphologically unique compound-related histologic lesion occurred in the nonglandular gastric mucosa. The lesions consisted of multiple, raised, sometimes ulcerated, white foci which, microscopically, were discrete, intraepithelial vesicles containing dense accumulations of neutrophils continuous with inflammation in the submucosa. Ruptured vesicles resulted in ulcers and occasionally gastric perforation. The morphologic characteristics of this acute lesion were described and concluded to be a direct toxicity of the compounds unrelated to melanocortinmediated pharmacology.
“Women Come Here on Their Own When They Need To”: Prenatal Care, Authoritative Knowledge, and Maternal Health in Oaxaca

Physiological and anatomical concepts about reproduction held by traditional midwives in Southern Oaxaca differ considerably from those of biomedicine. Government training courses for traditional midwives disregard these deep-seated differences, and also the underlying conceptual rationale of ethno-obstetrics. These courses constantly reinforce and actively promote the biomedical model of care. But rural midwives, despite these training courses, do not substantially change their obstetrical vision and ways. The strength of their own authoritative knowledge, fully shared by the women and men of their communities, allows them to continue their traditional style of care, despite pressures to conform to biomedical values, beliefs, and practices. Suggestions for a mutual accommodation of biomedical and midwifery approaches to prenatal care include training medical personnel in ethno-obstetric techniques and rationales, teaching midwives basic medical interventions, addressing in intervention programs all social actors participating in reproductive decision making, and adopting an interdisciplinary approach that includes nonmedical aspects of maternal care.
Witnessing Marital Violence as Children: Men's Perceptions of Their Fathers

This study examined 104 men to explore the type of relationship they had with their fathers during childhood/adolescence. A group of men who had witnessed marital violence as children were compared with a group of men who did not witness marital violence to determine whether there were differences in how these men perceived their relationships with their fathers. Adult men's perception of their fathers was measured using the Fatherhood Scale (FS), which found significant differences between the two groups on their total FS score. This study sought to determine, if in addition to the father's violence against the mother, there were other aspects of fathering behavior that were predictors of whether or not these men, as children, would witness marital violence. The results indicated that child abuse and emotional abuse by the father, and parental divorce were significant predictors of whether or not the men in the study would witness marital violence during childhood. Using logistic regression, child abuse, emotional abuse and parental divorce classified 75% of the men in the correct group. Results indicate significant differences in self-reported measures of fathering between the two groups of men on five out of the seven FS subscales.
Annular Modes in the Extratropical Circulation. Part I: Month-to-Month Variability*

The leading modes of variability of the extratropical circulation in both hemispheres are characterized by deep, zonally symmetric or ‘‘annular’’ structures, with geopotential height perturbations of opposing signs in the polar cap region and in the surrounding zonal ring centered near 458 latitude. The structure and dynamics of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) annular mode have been extensively documented, whereas the existence of a Northern Hemisphere (NH) mode, herein referred to as the Arctic Oscillation (AO), has only recently been recognized. Like the SH mode, the AO can be defined as the leading empirical orthogonal function of the sea level pressure field or of the zonally symmetric geopotential height or zonal wind fields. In this paper the structure and seasonality of the NH and SH modes are compared based on data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction‐National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis and supplementary datasets. The structures of the NH and SH annular modes are shown to be remarkably similar, not only in the zonally averaged geopotential height and zonal wind fields, but in the mean meridional circulations as well. Both exist year-round in the troposphere, but they amplify with height upward into the stratosphere during those seasons in which the strength of the zonal flow is conducive to strong planetary wave‐mean flow interaction: midwinter in the NH and late spring in the SH. During these ‘‘active seasons,’’ the annular modes modulate the strength of the Lagrangian mean circulation in the lower stratosphere, total column ozone and tropopause height over mid- and high latitudes, and the strength of the trade winds of their respective hemispheres. The NH mode also contains an embedded planetary wave signature with expressions in surface air temperature, precipitation, total column ozone, and tropopause height. It is argued that the horizontal temperature advection by the perturbed zonal-mean zonal wind field in the lower troposphere is instrumental in forcing this pattern. A companion paper documents the striking resemblance between the structure of the annular modes and observed climate trends over the past few decades.
Design, implementation, and performance of a scalable multi-camera interactive video capture system

We describe a system for interactive, real time, multi-camera video capture and display. The system is almost entirely software-based and as a result is flexible and expandable. Computation and data storage is provided by the Carnegie Mellon-Intel Corporation iWarp computer. Video display is accomplished using a High Performance Parallel Interface network to write to a high resolution frame buffer Video can be displayed as it is captured, with only a single frame latency. We provide interactivity with a VCR-like graphical interface running on a host workstation, which in turn controls the operation of the capture system. This system allows a user to interactively monitor, capture, and replay video with the ease of use of a VCR, yet with flexibility and performance that is unavailable in all but the most expensive and customized video capture systems.
Networked control systems: a sampled-data approach

In this paper we present a novel modelling method for networked control systems, motivated from a sampled-data approach. We study sufficient conditions that guarantee exponential stability for the closed-loop system and illustrate our results via a numerical example.
Tack operation for idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops: an update.

This paper discusses an analysis of two groups of patients who underwent a tack operation for incapacitating recurrent attacks of vertigo due to idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops. Group I consisted of the first 140 patients operated on by one of the authors (D.T.R.C.). All were followed up for at least 5 years after the operation. However, between the 63rd and 166th postoperative months, 12 patients died of unrelated causes, and an additional 26 patients were lost to follow-up between the 70th and 119th postoperative months. The analysis was based on the condition of these patients up to the time of their death or the time that they were last contacted. The mean postoperative follow-up for the 140 patients was 12 years 9 months, and the range was 63 to 197 months. Group II consisted of 150 consecutive patients who had a tack operation performed by several consultants and residents in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Mayo Clinic, and the opportunity for follow-up of at least 5 years existed for all patients. The patients who were lost to follow-up in the first 56 postoperative months were excluded from the analysis unless at the time they were last seen the operation had not controlled their vertigo, in which case the results were classified as failures. On this basis, 22 patients (15%) were excluded from the study, so that 128 patients remained in the analysis. The mean postoperative follow-up for this group was 9 years 4 months, with a range of 56 to 182 months. The following conclusions were reached. Vertigo was satisfactorily controlled in 79% of the patients in the two groups. Hearing was improved or maintained in 66% of the patients in Group I and 60% of the patients in Group II. A moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss occurred in 34% of the patients in Group I and 40% of the patients in Group II. We consider the tack operation the conservative operation of choice in the management of idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops.
Healthy Cities: Toward Worldwide Health Promotion

Healthy Cities is a community problem-solving process for health promotion that began in Canada and Europe in the mid-1980s. Although Healthy Cities have expanded worldwide, there is limited scientific literature that documents the effects of these efforts. This review describes the dynamic status of Healthy Cities globally and summarizes what is known about these efforts. It is difficult to draw generalizations or clear differences between Healthy Cities and other efforts with similar objectives in the United States. There appears to be less variation among Healthy Cities in Europe, most likely because of the extensive technical support provided by the WHO European Regional Office to the Healthy Cities Project. Case descriptions present the diversity and types of activities of Healthy Cities. It is concluded that community participation and broad involvement from different sectors of the community are promising approaches to addressing urban problems.
Estimated Ultraviolet Radiation Doses in Wetlands in Six National Parks

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280–320-nm wavelengths) doses were estimated for 1024 wetlands in six national parks: Acadia (Acadia), Glacier (Glacier), Great Smoky Mountains (Smoky), Olympic (Olympic), Rocky Mountain (Rocky), and Sequoia/ Kings Canyon (Sequoia). Estimates were made using ground-based UV-B data (Brewer spectrophotometers), solar radiation models, GIS tools, field characterization of vegetative features, and quantification of DOC concentration and spectral absorbance. UV-B dose estimates were made for the summer solstice, at a depth of 1 cm in each wetland. The mean dose across all wetlands and parks was 19.3 W-h m )2 (range of 3.4–32.1 W-h m )2 ). The mean dose was lowest in Acadia (13.7 W-h m )2 ) and highest in Rocky (24.4 W-h m )2 ). Doses were significantly different among all parks. These wetland doses correspond to UV-B flux of 125.0 lW cm )2 (range 21.4–194.7 l Wc m )2 ) based on a day length, averaged among all parks, of 15.5 h. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), a key determinant of water-column UV-B flux, ranged from 0.6 (analytical detection limit) to 36.7 mg C L )1 over all wetlands and parks, and reduced potential maximal UV-B doses at 1-cm depth by 1%–87 %. DOC concentration, as well as its effect on dose, was lowest in Sequoia and highest in Acadia (DOC was equivalent in Acadia, Glacier, and Rocky). Landscape reduction of potential maximal UV-B doses ranged from zero to 77% and was lowest in Sequoia. These regional differences in UV-B wetland dose illustrate the importance of considering all aspects of exposure in evaluating the potential impact of UV-B on aquatic organisms.
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome and severe thrombocytopenia: case report and literature review.

We report an unusual case of thrombocytopenia associated with neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). A 31-year-old Black male with a history of hypertension, partial seizures, and schizophrenia developed acute rigidity closely followed by severe hyperpyrexia (temperature 102°F), tachypnea, and tachycardia. His home medications at the time of presentation included propanolol 10 mg tid, haloperidol 10 mg bid, sodium valproate 500 mg bid, benztropine 1 mg bid, and haloperidol decanoate 100 mg i.m. every 3 weeks, from another psychiatric facility. Despite vigorous therapy for the hyperthermia, he rapidly developed significant hypoxia requiring mechanical ventilation. A diagnosis of neuroleptic malignant syndrome was made and the patient continued to receive aggressive supportive care. On hospital day 2 his platelet count dropped to 47,000/μl and bottomed out at 36,000/μl by day 3 with other blood cell counts remaining within normal limits. Over the next few days he showed rapid clinical improvement with normalization of his blood chemistries and he was discharged home after 5 days of hospitalization in good condition.
Mechanisms of Endothelial Cell Heterogeneity in Health and Disease

See related article, pages 200–208 The endothelium is an expansive spatially distributed organ.1 Endothelial cells participate in a large number of physiological processes including the control of vasomotor tone, the trafficking of cells and nutrients, the regulation of permeability, and the maintenance of blood fluidity. In addition, the endothelium mediates new blood vessel formation, contributes to the balance of pro- and antiinflammatory mediators, and may play a role in antigen presentation. In accomplishing these tasks, the endothelium exhibits a remarkable “division of labor”. For example, arteriolar endothelium is primarily responsible for mediating vasomotor tone; endothelium in postcapillary venules regulates leukocyte trafficking; capillary endothelial cells display organ-specific barrier properties (eg, blood brain barrier versus fenestrated, discontinuous endothelium in hepatic sinusoids); and endothelial cells from different vascular beds balance local hemostasis via the expression of site-specific patterns of anticoagulants and procoagulants.2 In recent years, in vivo phage display and direct proteome mapping of the intact vasculature have revealed a rich diversity in endothelial cell surface markers.3,4 Any consideration of the mechanisms underlying endothelial heterogeneity is best framed around the time-honored debate of nature versus nurture (which will be addressed here in reverse order) (Figure). Mechanisms of endothelial cell heterogeneity. Relative importance of epigenetics and microenvironment in mediating site-specific phenotypes is indicated by +. The table is designed to provide a conceptual framework; the scores are largely speculative and will require ongoing experimental validation. ### Nurture Site-specific endothelial cell phenotypes may be initiated and maintained by signals residing in the extracellular environment. The endothelium is analogous to a barcode reader, constantly taking inventory of its surrounding extracellular environment on the luminal side (circulating blood and its constituents), the abluminal side, and at the endothelial junctions. Environmental cues may be classified into biomechanical or biochemical. Biochemical forces include shear stress and strain. …
Providing flow based performance guarantees for buffered crossbar switches

Buffered crossbar switches are a special type of combined input-output queued switches with each crosspoint of the crossbar having small on-chip buffers. The introduction of crosspoint buffers greatly simplifies the scheduling process of buffered crossbar switches, and furthermore enables buffered crossbar switches with speedup of two to easily provide port based performance guarantees. However, recent research results have indicated that, in order to provide flow based performance guarantees, buffered crossbar switches have to either increase the speedup of the crossbar to three or greatly increase the total number of cross- point buffers, both adding significant hardware complexity. In this paper, we present scheduling algorithms for buffered crossbar switches to achieve flow based performance guarantees with speedup of two and with only one or two buffers at each crosspoint. When there is no crosspoint blocking in a specific time slot, only the simple and distributed input scheduling and output scheduling are necessary. Otherwise, the special urgent matching is introduced to guarantee the on-time delivery of crosspoint blocked cells. With the proposed algorithms, buffered crossbar switches can provide flow based performance guarantees by emulating push- in-first-out output queued switches, and we use the counting method to formally prove the perfect emulation. For the special urgent matching, we present sequential and parallel matching algorithms. Both algorithms converge with N iterations in the worst case, and the latter needs less iterations in the average case. Finally, we discuss an alternative backup-buffer implementation scheme to the bypass path, and compare our algorithms with existing algorithms in the literature.
Examining Models of Nondominated Decoy Effects across Judgment and Choice.

Three experiments explored cognitive models of inferior, compromise, and phantom decoy effects in both judgment and choice. Participants made judgments of attractiveness, justifiability, and evaluation anxiety associated with each alternative in the set, along with judgments of the attractiveness of each alternative's dimensional values. In another session, they also chose the alternative they most preferred. Results were analyzed in terms of the degree to which decoy effects reflected shifts in dimensional values or reflected emergent values based on relationships with other alternatives in the set. Both emergent-value and value-shift models of inferior decoy effects were supported, but only the emergent-value model of compromise decoy effects was supported. Results for the phantom decoy indicated that this effect was choice-based and did not occur in judgment. Thus, although decoy effects were largely similar in choice and judgment, they also differed in important ways.
The Longer Tail: The Changing Shape of Amazon's Sales Distribution Curve

Internet consumers derive significant surplus from increased product variety, and in particular, the “Long Tail” of niche products that can be found on the Internet at retailers like Amazon.com. In this paper we analyze how the shape of Amazon’s sales distribution curve has changed from 2000 to 2008, and how this impacts the resulting consumer surplus gains from increased product variety in the online book market. Specifically, in 2008 we collected sales and sales rank data on a broad sample of books sold through Amazon.com and compare it to similar data we gathered in 2000. We then develop a new methodology for fitting the relationship between sales and sales rank and apply it to our data. We find that the Long Tail has grown longer over time, with niche books accounting for a larger share of total sales. Our analyses suggest that by 2008, niche books account for 36.7% of Amazon’s sales and the consumer surplus generated by niche books has increased at least five fold from 2000 to 2008. We argue that this increase is consistent with the presence of “secondary” supply- and demand- side effects driving the growth of the Long Tail online. In addition, our new methodology finds that, while power laws are a good first approximation for the rank-sales relationship, the slope is not constant for all book ranks, becoming progressively steeper for more obscure books.