cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity of postplanning target and OAR coverage estimates to dosimetric margin distribution sampling parameters

Purpose: A dosimetric margin (DM) is the margin in a specified direction between a structure and a specified isodose surface, corresponding to a prescription or tolerance dose. The dosimetric margin distribution (DMD) is the distribution of DMs over all directions. Given a geometric uncertainty model, representing inter- or intrafraction setup uncertainties or internal organ motion, the DMD can be used to calculate coverage Q, which is the probability that a realized target or organ-at-risk (OAR) dose metric D{sub v} exceeds the corresponding prescription or tolerance dose. Postplanning coverage evaluation quantifies the percentage of uncertainties for which target and OAR structures meet their intended dose constraints. The goal of the present work is to evaluate coverage probabilities for 28 prostate treatment plans to determine DMD sampling parameters that ensure adequate accuracy for postplanning coverage estimates. Methods: Normally distributed interfraction setup uncertainties were applied to 28 plans for localized prostate cancer, with prescribed dose of 79.2 Gy and 10 mm clinical target volume to planning target volume (CTV-to-PTV) margins. Using angular or isotropic sampling techniques, dosimetric margins were determined for the CTV, bladder and rectum, assuming shift invariance of the dose distribution. For angular sampling, DMDs were sampled at fixed angular intervalsmore » {omega} (e.g., {omega}=1 deg., 2 deg., 5 deg., 10 deg., 20 deg.). Isotropic samples were uniformly distributed on the unit sphere resulting in variable angular increments, but were calculated for the same number of sampling directions as angular DMDs, and accordingly characterized by the effective angular increment {omega}{sub eff}. In each direction, the DM was calculated by moving the structure in radial steps of size {delta}(=0.1,0.2,0.5,1 mm) until the specified isodose was crossed. Coverage estimation accuracy {Delta}Q was quantified as a function of the sampling parameters {omega} or {omega}{sub eff} and {delta}. Results: The accuracy of coverage estimates depends on angular and radial DMD sampling parameters {omega} or {omega}{sub eff} and {delta}, as well as the employed sampling technique. Target |{Delta}Q|<1% and OAR |{Delta}Q|<3% can be achieved with sampling parameters {omega} or {omega}{sub eff}=20 deg., {delta}=1 mm. Better accuracy (target |{Delta}Q|<0.5% and OAR |{Delta}Q|<{approx}1%) can be achieved with {omega} or {omega}{sub eff}=10 deg., {delta}=0.5 mm. As the number of sampling points decreases, the isotropic sampling method maintains better accuracy than fixed angular sampling. Conclusions: Coverage estimates for post-planning evaluation are essential since coverage values of targets and OARs often differ from the values implied by the static margin-based plans. Finer sampling of the DMD enables more accurate assessment of the effect of geometric uncertainties on coverage estimates prior to treatment. DMD sampling with {omega} or {omega}{sub eff}=10 deg. and {delta}=0.5 mm should be adequate for planning purposes.« less
Mood, Dietary Restraint, and Women's Smoking and Eating Urges

Women may have difficulty maintaining smoking cessation efforts due to negative affect and fear of weight gain. Dieting smokers who rely on cigarettes for affect regulation and weight management may be especially prone to weight gain and smoking relapse following initial smoking abstinence. The present study, which included 82 women smokers, assessed the relationship between dieting status, self-efficacy, and temptation to smoke and eat following a depressing or elating mood induction. Women with high levels of dietary restraint (i.e., more dieting behavior) had more confidence in their ability to refrain from smoking when in the elated mood condition, and they were more tempted to smoke when in the depressed condition. At low levels of dietary restraint (i.e., less dieting behavior), depressed or elated mood condition appeared to have little impact on women's confidence to refrain from smoking or their temptation to smoke. Dieting status seems to moderate the impact of positive and negative mood states, especially with respect to women's smoking behavior. These findings may have implications for dieters who are trying to quit smoking and also maintain their weight.
Optimizing experimental conditions for minimum production cost in preparative chromatography

Optimum experimental conditions and column design parameters are calculated for most economical separation of binary mixtures by preparative liquid chromatography. The solvent consumption and capital costs are regarded as the two major cost contributions. Calculations were performed by using the numerical solution of the equilibrium-dispersive model of chromatography and a nonlinear simplex algorithm. Solvent consumption depends only on the column efficiency, the retention factor, and the loading factor. The production rate depends on the particle size, the column length, the mobile-phase flow velocity, the retention and the loading factors, and can be optimized with or without recovery yield constraints. A hybrid objective function was constructed to find the tradeoffs between the production rate and the solvent consumption.
Service offshoring: the evolution of offshore operations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of economic development on culture and the significance of cultural change on the evolution of offshoring of services and knowledge‐based activities.Design/methodology/approach – The paper offers a conceptual model that links economic development, national cultural predispositions, and the future of offshoring service and knowledge functions. It builds on a range of academic literatures within these core areas to derive a set of propositions that offer insights into the manner in which the relative success and evolution of offshoring service and knowledge work would be impacted by a country's economic development posture and its cultural roots and value systems. The model presented here is also well complemented by examples from real offshoring projects to offer the reader a comprehensive picture of the central propositions put forth.Findings – Several propositions, formulated at the multidisciplinary intersection of service operations managemen...
Generalized alternating‐direction collocation methods for parabolic equations. I. Spatially varying coefficients

The alternating-direction collocation (ADC) method can be formulated for general parabolic partial differential equations. This is done using a piecewise cubic Hermite trial space defined on a rectangular discretization. As in all alternating-direction methods, the ADC algorithm produces errors that are additional to the standard discretization errors of multi-dimensional collocation. These errors increase when the coefficients of the governing equation are spatially variable. Analysis of the additional errors leads to several correction schemes. Numerical results indicate that a variant on the Laplace-modification procedure is an attractive choice as an improved ADC algorithm.
A Large Scale Process for the Preparation of Thymitaq

The large scale manufacturing of the anticancer agent 2-amino-6-methyl-5-(pyridin-4-ylsulfanyl)-3H-quinazolin-4-one dihydrochloride (thymitaq) from 6-bromo-5-methylanthranilic acid is described. The chemical route consists of two chemical steps: formation of a bromoquinazolinone and a copper-mediated Ullman-like coupling between 4-mercaptopyridine and the bromoquinazolinone. During process development, sodium hydride was replaced with sodium hydroxide and a method for removal of copper, based on 2,4,6-trimercapto-s-triazine, was developed. A number of purification operations were performed to ensure a product of pharmaceutical quality.
Expert voices in echo chambers: effects of source expertise indicators on exposure to diverse opinions

We studied how a source expertise indicator impacted users' information seeking behavior when using a system aggregating diverse opinions, and how it interacted with a source position indicator to shape users' selectivity of information. We found that, for both attitude consistent and inconsistent information, the expertise indicator increased the selection of sources indicated to have high expertise and decreased that of low expertise. Moreover, when both source expertise and position indicators were present, users' selective exposure tendency, i.e., preferential selection of attitude consistent sources over inconsistent ones, decreased among expert sources. Moreover, we found that the expertise indicator could benefit encouraging common ground seeking with different others by increasing the agreement with, and perceived expertise of inconsistent sources indicated to be experts. Design implications for moderating selective exposure by highlighting the utility of dissonant information were discussed.
Epstein-Barr–based episomal chromosomes shuttle 100 kb of self-replicating circular human DNA in mouse cells

We describe the microcell fusion transfer of 100–200 kb self-replicating circular human minichromosomes from human into mouse cells. This experimental approach is illustrated through the shuttling of the latent 170 kb double-stranded DNA genome from the human herpesvirus, Epstein-Barr virus, into nonpermissive rodent cells. Using this interspecies transfer strategy, circular episomes carrying 95–105 kb of human DNA were successfully established at low copy number in mouse A9 cells. Selected episomes were stably maintained for 6 months, and unselected episomes were characterized by a 95% episomal retention per cell division. The establishment of a mouse artificial episomal chromosome system should facilitate evolutionary and therapeutic studies of large human DNA in rodent genetic backgrounds.
Maternal Behavior in the Rat: an Investigation and Quantification of Nest Building

A technique has been developed to quantify nest building in rats. Small wooden dowels are provided as nest material. Rats shred the dowels, and the degree of nest building is determined by the amount shredded daily. Pregnant females show a marked increase in dowel shredding at or just prior to the time of parturition; shredding falls precipitously after parturition. Males and nonpregnant females show no such pattern over an equivalent period of time; their dowel shredding, in fact, decreases over time. A series of experiments were carried out involving hormone manipulations of pregnant and nonpregnant females. The only significant finding was that progesterone reduced the percentage of females which shredded dowels and also delayed the time of onset of this behavior. When nonpregnant females and males were exposed to cool ambient temperatures, dowel shredding increased markedly. On the other hand, exposing females to a warm temperature blocked dowel shredding behavior. Some similarities and differences between these findings and findings for the rabbit and mouse are discussed.
A Q3 Statistic for Unfolding Item Response Theory Models: Assessment of Unidimensionality With Two Factors and Simple Structure

Although there are many methods available for dimensionality assessment for items with monotone item response functions, there are few methods available for unfolding item response theory models. In this study, a modification of Yen's Q3 statistic is proposed for the case of these nonmonotone item response models. Through a simulation study, the method demonstrates some promise for use as a test of the hypothesis of unidimensionality and local independence. A positive bias seems to occur in some cases, however. The new statistic appears to have properties that would also make it useful in the construction of dissimilarity measures for use in clustering and multidimensional scaling algorithms. A real data analysis is also provided to demonstrate how the proposed methods could be used in practice.
Child sexual abuse: victim age, victim gender, and observer gender as factors contributing to attributions of responsibility.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of victim gender, and observer gender on the tendency to attribute responsibility for extrafamilial child sexual abuse to the victim and the nonoffending parents. METHOD: A 2 (Victim Age) x 2 (Victim Gender) x 2 (Observer Gender) between-subjects design was employed. Undergraduate students (N = 145) read a vignette describing a sexually abusive interaction between an adult male neighbor and a child. In this vignette, the child's gender and age (6 years old, 13 years old) varied. After reading the vignette, participants used a 5-point scale to indicate the degree to which they believed the victim and the parents (a) were responsible for, (b) were to blame for, (c) caused, and (d) could have prevented the abuse. RESULTS: Greater responsibility was assigned to older than younger victims. Both parents were ascribed similar levels of responsibility, and were ascribed greater responsibility when the child victim was younger than older. Male observers attributed greater responsibility and causality to the victim and the parents than did female observers. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that responsibility attributions directed toward the victim and the nonoffending parents may be a function of the victim's age. In addition, the findings support previous research suggesting that male observers may tend to hold victims more responsible for their abuse than female observers. Implications for treatment and research are discussed. Language: en
Spontaneous Pulmonary Hemangiosarcoma in a Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Abstract A second parity, 1-year-old female Norway rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) presented for veterinary evaluation 5 weeks postpartum with a progressively decreased appetite, weight loss, lethargy, and labored breathing. On physical examination, the animal was in fair body condition, dyspneic, and dehydrated. Owing to a poor prognosis, the owner opted for palliative care for the animal, declined further diagnostic testing, and requested for the rat to be discharged from the hospital. The following day the animal was found dead in its cage, and the body was submitted for necropsy. Gross observations included numerous, variably sized, soft, dark red pulmonary nodules concurrent with hemothorax and hemopericardium. Microscopically, the pulmonary architecture was effaced by nodules of variably sized, irregular, vascular channels lined with neoplastic endothelial cells. The cytoplasm of neoplastic cells in the lung was immunohistochemically positive for von Willebrand factor (i.e., factor VIII–related antigen) and was more intensively and more often positive for vascular endothelial growth factor as compared with nonneoplastic cells. Ultrastructurally, vascular channels were formed by spindloid neoplastic cells with elongated, fused, and interdigitated processes. Based on these findings, a diagnosis of spontaneous pulmonary hemangiosarcoma was made in this Norway rat.
Saturation spectroscopy of molecular iodine using the 5017 Å argon laser line

Abstract The hyperfine structure of the R(26) 62 ← 0 line of the B ← X transition in 127 I 2 was observed at 5017 A. The spectrum was fitted by a nuclear electric quadrupole and an unusually large magnetic
Chronic Ethanol Consumption Disrupts the Core Molecular Clock and Diurnal Rhythms of Metabolic Genes in the Liver without Affecting the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

Chronic ethanol consumption disrupts several metabolic pathways including β-oxidation and lipid biosynthesis, facilitating the development of alcoholic fatty liver disease. Many of these same metabolic pathways are directly regulated by cell autonomous circadian clocks, and recent studies suggest that disruption of daily rhythms in metabolism contributes to multiple common cardiometabolic diseases (including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). However, it is not known whether ethanol disrupts the core molecular clock in the liver, nor whether this, in turn, alters rhythms in lipid metabolism. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that chronic ethanol consumption disrupts the molecular circadian clock in the liver and potentially changes the diurnal expression patterns of lipid metabolism genes. Consistent with previous studies, male C57BL/6J mice fed an ethanol-containing diet exhibited higher levels of liver triglycerides compared to control mice, indicating hepatic steatosis. Further, the diurnal oscillations of core clock genes (Bmal1, Clock, Cry1, Cry2, Per1, and Per2) and clock-controlled genes (Dbp, Hlf, Nocturnin, Npas2, Rev-erbα, and Tef) were altered in livers from ethanol-fed mice. In contrast, ethanol had only minor effects on the expression of core clock genes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). These results were confirmed in Per2Luciferase knock-in mice, in which ethanol induced a phase advance in PER2::LUC bioluminescence oscillations in liver, but not SCN. Further, there was greater variability in the phase of PER2::LUC oscillations in livers from ethanol-fed mice. Ethanol consumption also affected the diurnal oscillations of metabolic genes, including Adh1, Cpt1a, Cyp2e1, Pck1, Pdk4, Ppargc1a, Ppargc1b and Srebp1c, in the livers of C57BL/6J mice. In summary, chronic ethanol consumption alters the function of the circadian clock in liver. Importantly, these results suggest that chronic ethanol consumption, at levels sufficient to cause steatosis, disrupts the core hepatic clock as well as the diurnal rhythms of key lipid metabolism genes.
Reproduction of Pseudocalanus newmani (Copepoda: Calanoida) is deleteriously affected by diatom blooms – A field study

Abstract Copepod secondary production has traditionally been linked to the spring diatom bloom in temperate and high latitudes, but laboratory studies have recently challenged this view and have shown either reduced fecundity or viability of offspring when copepods were fed high concentrations of – mostly unialgal – diatoms. However, field evidence that diatoms affect copepod reproduction is still scarce. We analyzed the reproductive response of a common, small calanoid copepod of the boreal Pacific, Pseudocalanus newmani, to spring diatom blooms in Dabob Bay, a semi-enclosed fjord of Puget Sound, Washington, USA. Abundance patterns, egg production rates, egg hatching success, and naupliar viability of the egg-carrying copepod were examined between February and early May in the years 2002–2004. The population underwent strong variations in abundance during both years, with high abundance of all stages from February to mid-March, but dramatically decreasing individual numbers later in spring. A recovery to higher numbers occurred in July. While egg production rates were independent of chlorophyll concentrations, the reproductive success of P. newmani was negatively affected by certain phytoplankton bloom conditions. Hatching success and – more markedly – naupliar survival were reduced following peaks of Thalassiosira species that were producing anti-mitotic aldehydes, but were high during periods when phytoplankton blooms were more diverse or dominated by other prey taxa including diatoms. As a consequence, recruitment of the naupliar population was considerably affected by the Thalassiosira blooms. This study shows for the first time that the so-called diatom effect operates in nature when all prerequisites – (1) high concentration of aldehyde producers, (2) few prey alternatives, and (3) feeding of copepods on these algae – are given. However, the effect was transient in Dabob Bay and may be so in other pelagic ecosystems. It remains to discern the potential sources of mortality, such as toxicity, malnutrition, predation, and/or advection, that may have caused the strong decline of the Pseudocalanus population during April.
Poet's Prose: The Crisis in American Verse

Poet's Prose is the first scholarly work devoted exclusively to American prose poetry and has been recognised as a pioneering study in contemporary American poetry. Many recent American poets have been writing prose; Fredman has set out to determine why and what it means. Three central works of American poets' prose are discussed in detail: William Carlos Williams' Kora in Hell, Robert Creeley's Presences, and John Ashbery's Three Poems. In these chapters, Fredman both demonstrates how to read these difficult works and examines their philosophical seriousness. In a final chapter and a new epilogue, he discusses the newest trends in contemporary poetry, the 'talk poems' of David Antin and the prose of the Language poets, in which poet's prose forms an important aspect of the 'theoretical poetry' now being written.
Rapid staining of Heinz bodies in smears.

(1948). Rapid Staining of Heinz Bodies in Smears. Stain Technology: Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 97-98.
A complete algorithm for visibility-based pursuit-evasion with multiple pursuers

We introduce a centralized algorithm for a visibility-based pursuit-evasion problem in a two-dimensional environment for the case of multiple pursuers. The input for our algorithm is an environment represented as a doubly-connected edge list and the initial positions of the pursuers. The output is a joint strategy for the pursuers that guarantees that the evader has been captured, or a statement that no such strategy exists. We create a Cylindrical Algebraic Decomposition(CAD) of the joint configuration space by using polynomials that capture where critical changes can occur to the region of the environment hidden from the pursuers. Then after computing the adjacency graph for the CAD we construct a Pursuit Evasion Graph(PEG) induced by the adjacency graph. A search through the PEG can produce one of the following outcomes; the search can reach a vertex where the pursuers’ motions up to this point ensure that the evader has been captured, or the search terminates without finding a solution and produces a statement recognizing that no solution exists.
Water in expired air: physiology and measurement.

Summary The physiology of insensible water loss and the methods of measuring this loss are reviewed. Because of the multiple sources of potential artifacts, only few reliable data for total insensible loss are available in the literature, especially in that of the last 25 years. Values for insensible losses through skin and respiratory passages obtained from the literature since 1906 are tabulated. Those data which were obtained with reasonably precise methods, usually on healthy, well-nourished individuals under basal conditions, indicate that under these conditions the total insensible weight loss amounts to approximately 25 ml. per square meter of body surface per hour. This total insensible weight loss includes the weight of carbon dioxide produced minus that of oxygen consumed as well as the weight of water evaporated from the skin and respiratory passages. Between one third and one half of the total amount may represent water lost with the expired air. Water loss through respiration is thought to be determined by the volume of minute ventilation and by the temperature and humidity of inspired air, probably also by body temperature. Expired air has a lower temperature than the interior of the body and may or may not be saturated with water vapor at that temperature. Although low absolute humidity of the inspired air (e.g., in winter) would be expected to enhance the water loss through respiration, the available experimental data are not sufficient to evaluate the importance of this factor, especially in sick children. Respiratory water loss may vary greatly in pathologic conditions; such variations have been suspected as the cause of disturbances of the total water balance of the body but have not been measured accurately in children.
Fundaments of optical far-field subwavelength resolution based on illumination with surface waves

We present a general discussion about the fundamental physical principles involved in a novel class of optical superlenses that permit to realize in the far-field direct non-scanning images with subwavelength resolution. Described superlenses are based in the illumination of the object under observation with surface waves excited by fluorescence, the enhanced transmission of fluorescence via coupling with surface waves, and the occurrence of far-field coherence-related fluorescence diffraction phenomena. A Fourier optics description of the image formation based on illumination with surface waves is presented, and several recent experimental realizations of this technique are discussed. Our theoretical approach explains why images with subwavelength resolution can be formed directly in the microscope camera, without involving scanning or numerical post-processing. While resolution of the order of λ/7 has been demonstrated using the described approach, we anticipate that deeper optical subwavelength resolution should be expected.
Toxoplasma Invasion of Mammalian Cells Is Powered by the Actin Cytoskeleton of the Parasite

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that invades a wide range of vertebrate host cells. We demonstrate that invasion is critically dependent on actin filaments in the parasite, but not the host cell. Invasion into cytochalasin D (CD)-resistant host cells was blocked by CD, while parasite mutants invaded wild-type host cells in the presence of drug. CD resistance in Toxoplasma was mediated by a point mutation in the single-copy actin gene ACT1. Transfection of the mutant act1 allele into wild-type Toxoplasma conferred motility and invasion in the presence of CD. We conclude that host cell invasion by Toxoplasma, and likely by related Apicomplexans, is actively powered by an actin-based contractile system in the parasite.
The international foreign aid regime: who gets foreign aid and how much?

This paper analyses the data on international foreign aid. It examines the basic data on who gets foreign aid, how much, how aid dependent are the recipient countries, and how the international foreign aid regime has evolved. It is argued that the pattern of the flow of foreign aid suggests that aid provided has little relationship to human needs in developing and transitional countries.
Retention Of Cardiac Auscultation Skill Requires Paired Visual And Audio Information In New Learners

Introduction: Cardiac auscultation accuracy is poor: 20% to 40%. Audio-only of 500 heart sounds cycles over a short time period significantly improved auscultation scores. Hypothesis: adding visual information to an audio-only format, significantly (p<.05) improves short and long term accuracy. Methods: Pre-test: Twenty-two 1st and 2nd year medical student participants took an audio-only pre-test. Seven students comprising our audio-only training cohort heard audio-only, of 500 heart sound repetitions. 15 students comprising our paired visual with audio cohort heard and simultaneously watched video spectrograms of the heart sounds. Immediately after trainings, both cohorts took audio-only post-tests; the visual with audio cohort also took a visual with audio post-test, a test providing audio with simultaneous video spectrograms. All tests were repeated in six months. Results: All tests given immediately after trainings showed significant improvement with no significant difference between the cohorts. Six months later neither cohorts maintained significant improvement on audio-only post-tests. Six months later the visual with audio cohort maintained significant improvement (p<.05) on the visual with audio post-test. Conclusions: Audio retention of heart sound recognition is not maintained if: trained using audio-only; or, trained using visual with audio. Providing visual with audio in training and testing allows retention of auscultation accuracy. Devices providing visual information during auscultation could prove beneficial.
Lambda integrase: armed for recombination.

Bacteriophage λ moves its viral genome into and out of the bacterial chromosome using site-specific recombination. Crystal structures of reaction intermediates in this recombination pathway provide exciting new snapshots of full length λ integrase interacting with both core and regulatory DNA elements.
Differential gene expression between alate and dealate queens in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera : Formicidae)

The transition of fire ant queens from alates to dealates, following a mating flight, is associated with numerous important physiological changes. A molecular analysis of gene expression differences that occur between alates and dealates was performed using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method. 983 SSH clones were arrayed and screened by dot blot hybridization, followed by Northern blot analysis for selected clones. Gene expression profiles throughout fire ant development were determined using semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR). The cytochrome c oxidase subunit II and STARS (striated muscle activator of Rho signaling) transcripts were expressed at higher levels in dealates compared to alates and may be involved in the programmed cell death of the flight muscles. Three different vitellogenin genes and two unique yellow g-like genes were identified that may be closely associated with the reproductive system and/or nutrient transport. Two putative antibacterial peptides, abaecin and hymenoptaecin precursors, were highly expressed in dealate queens, suggesting that they are present as an immune system component during this important stage of fire ant development. The genes identified in this study may be utilized as novel targets for fire ant control and will also provide molecular markers for studies of other social insects.
Associations in Pavlovian conditioned inhibition

Abstract Two experiments with rat subjects used a variety of transfer tests to examine the associations learned when Pavlovian inhibition is established by an A+, AX− paradigm. Experiment 1 found in a conditioned suppression situation that inhibition conditioned to X with one exciter (A) readily transferred to another exciter (B) which had been paired with the same shock US. Transfer occurred even when the response to A had been extinguished prior to testing with B. However, X did not inhibit a general activity response produced by a B which had been subsequently paired with a food US. Experiment 2 employed a Pavlovian conditioning situation in which A and B, when separately paired with the same food US, evoked dissimilar responses. Nevertheless, an inhibitor trained in an A+, AX− paradigm successfully inhibited the different response evoked by B. However, such an X did not inhibit the behaviors acquired by A or B when they were subsequently paired with a shock US. The transfer of Pavlovian inhibition across conditioned stimuli and responses but not across unconditioned stimuli is consistent with the notion that a conditioned inhibitor acts to prevent activation of a US representation which would normally be activated by conditioned exciters.
Intravesical Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) for Interstitial Cystitis-A Practical Approach

Abstract Objectives To provide a brief overview of intravesical dimethly sulfoxide (DMSO) therapy for interstitial cystitis and offer a practical approach to patient treatment. Methods A review of the literature and a summation of the experience with treatment of >300 patients with DMSO at the Interstitial Cystitis Clinic, New England Medical Center. Results DMSO is helpful in a significant number of patients and it has acceptable morbidity and an excellent safety profile. Conclusions Intravesical DMSO (singly or in combination) is one of the mainstays in the pharmacologic treatment of interstitial cystitis.
Defects in Semiconductors: Some Fatal, Some Vital

REVIEW The role of defects as essential entities in semiconductor materials is reviewed. Early experiments with semiconductors were hampered by the extreme sensitivity of the electronic properties to minute concentrations of impurities. Semiconductors were viewed as a family of solids with irreproducible properties. Scientific efforts overcame this idiosyncrasy and turned the art of impurity doping into today9s exceedingly useful and reproducible technology that is used to control precisely electrical conductivity, composition, and minority-carrier lifetimes over wide ranges. Native defects such as vacancies and self-interstitials control basic processes, foremost self- and dopant diffusion. The structural properties of dislocations and higher dimensional defects have been studied with atomic resolution, but a thorough theoretical understanding of their electronic properties is incomplete. Reactions between defects within the host lattices are increasingly better understood and are used for gettering and electrical passivation of unwanted impurities. Metastable defects such as DX centers and the EL2-related arsenic antisite are briefly discussed. The recent development of isotopically controlled semiconductors has created new research opportunities in this field.
Sequencing of the putative DNA helicase-encoding gene of the Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus and fine-mapping of a region involved in host range expansion

Abstract The complete sequence of a 3666-nucleotide (nt) open reading frame (ORF) and its flanking regions (58.1–62.1 map units (m.u.) from Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV)) was determined. This ORF, BmNPV dnahel, encoded a predicted protein of 143 623 Da which possessed seven consensus motifs found in proteins which unwind duplex DNAs, indicating that it is a DNA helicase. A 572-bp SacI-HindlII fragment, BmScH, that was previously shown to expand the host range of Autographa californica NPV (AcNPV) following homologous recombination [Maeda et al. (1993) J. Virol. 67, 6234–6238], was localized within BmNPV dnahel. By cotransfection experiments, two adjacent nt (A and T) that appeared to be the minimal essential sequence necessary to expand the host range of AcNPV, were mapped within BmScH. These adjacent nt encoded a single amino acid difference between BmNPV (Asp) and AcNPV (Ser).
Learned Helplessness Among Families and Surrogate Decision-Makers of Patients Admitted to Medical, Surgical, and Trauma ICUs

Background We sought to determine the prevalence of and clinical variables associated with learned helplessness, a psychologic state characterized by reduced motivation, difficulty in determining causality, and depression, in family members of patients admitted to ICUs. Methods We conducted an observational survey study of a prospectively defined cohort of family members, spouses, and partners of patients admitted to surgical, medical, and trauma ICUs at a large academic medical center. Two validated instruments, the Learned Helplessness Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale, were used, and self-report of patient clinical characteristics and subject demographics were collected. Results Four hundred ninety-nine family members were assessed. Of these, 238 of 460 (51.7%) had responses consistent with a significant degree of learned helplessness. Among surrogate decision-makers, this proportion was 50% (92 of 184). Characteristics associated with significant learned helplessness included grade or high school education (OR, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.29-8.27; P = .01) and Perceived Stress Scale score > 18 (OR, 4.15; 95% CI, 2.65-6.50; P Conclusions The majority of family members of patients in the ICU experience significant learned helplessness. Risk factors for learned helplessness include lower educational levels, absence of an advance directive or DNR order, and higher stress levels among family members. Significant learned helplessness in family members may have negative implications in the collaborative decision-making process.
Optical Assesssment of Tumor Resection Margins in the Breast

Breast conserving surgery, in which the breast tumor and the surrounding normal tissue are removed, is the primary mode of treatment for invasive and in situ carcinomas of the breast, conditions that affect nearly 200 000 women annually. Of these nearly 200 000 patients who undergo this surgical procedure, between 20%-70% of them may undergo additional surgeries to remove tumor that was left behind in the first surgery, due to the lack of intraoperative tools that can detect whether the boundaries of the excised specimens are free from residual cancer. Optical techniques have many attractive attributes that may make them useful tools for intraoperative assessment of breast tumor resection margins. In this paper, we discuss clinical design criteria for intraoperative breast tumor margin assessment and review optical techniques applied to this problem. In addition, we report on the development and clinical testing of quantitative diffuse reflectance imaging (Q-DRI) as a potential solution to this clinical need. Q-DRI is a spectral imaging tool, which has been applied to 55 resection margins in 48 patients at Duke University Medical Center. Clear sources of contrast between cancerous and cancer-free resection margins were identified with the device, and resulted in an overall accuracy of 75% in detecting positive margins.
Variable morbidity in alagille syndrome: a review of 43 cases.

Background: Alagille syndrome is one of the most common inherited disorders that cause chronic liver disease in children. Early reports suggested a benign course in these patients. Subsequent reports showed significant morbidity and mortality. This study was designed to analyze the long-term clinical course in Alagille syndrome. Methods: The records of children with Alagille syndrome seen during a 20-year period were reviewed. Results: Forty-three patients were identified. Liver disease was diagnosed before 12 months of age in 95%. The frequencies of renal anomalies (50%) and intracranial hemorrhage (12%) were significant. The high incidence of chronic otitis media (35%) has not been reported previously. One patient had a renal transplant. Vascular compromise as a pathologic mechanism for some characteristics of the syndrome is also suggested by the presence of small bowel stenosis and atresia, tracheal and bronchial stenosis, renal artery stenosis, middle aortic syndrome, and avascular necrosis of the humeral and femoral heads. Twenty (47%) patients underwent liver transplantation. Five of six who underwent Kasai procedure required liver transplantation. Twelve died (28%), five after liver transplantation. One patient died of intracranial bleeding. Sixteen (37%) without liver transplantation and 15 (35%) who underwent liver transplantation are alive. Conclusions: Some patients with early-onset and more severe liver disease can benefit from liver transplantation. Careful and complete assessment should be made of infants with a cholestatic syndrome, to avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary Kasai procedures. Our observation of vascular compromise in various organ systems suggests that notch signaling pathway defects affect angiogenesis in Alagille syndrome.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation During Rehabilitative Training Improves Functional Recovery After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose— Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) delivered during rehabilitative training enhances neuroplasticity and improves recovery in models of cortical ischemic stroke. However, VNS therapy has not been applied in a model of subcortical intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We hypothesized that VNS paired with rehabilitative training after ICH would enhance recovery of forelimb motor function beyond rehabilitative training alone. Methods— Rats were trained to perform an automated, quantitative measure of forelimb function. Once proficient, rats received an intrastriatal injection of bacterial collagenase to induce ICH. Rats then underwent VNS paired with rehabilitative training (VNS+Rehab; n=14) or rehabilitative training without VNS (Rehab; n=12). Rehabilitative training began ≥9 days after ICH and continued for 6 weeks. Results— VNS paired with rehabilitative training significantly improved recovery of forelimb function when compared with rehabilitative training without VNS. The VNS+Rehab group displayed a 77% recovery of function, whereas the Rehab group only exhibited 29% recovery. Recovery was sustained after cessation of stimulation. Both groups performed similar amounts of trials during rehabilitative, and lesion size was not different between groups. Conclusions— VNS paired with rehabilitative training confers significantly improved forelimb recovery after ICH compared to rehabilitative training without VNS.
Temporal Trends in Treatment and Outcomes for Advanced Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction from 1993-2010: Findings from a University Referral Center

Background—Randomized trials have demonstrated the efficacy of several new therapies for heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction over the preceding 2 decades. This study investigates whether these therapeutic advances have translated into improvement in outcomes for patients with advanced HF referred to a heart transplant center. Methods and Results—Patients with HF (n=2507) referred to a single university center were analyzed in three 6-year eras during which medical and device therapies were evolving: 1993 to 1998 (era 1), 1999 to 2004 (era 2), and 2005 to 2010 (era 3). Impaired hemodynamics and comorbidities were more frequent at time of referral in later eras, whereas other HF severity parameters where similar or improved. Successive eras had greater usage of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, β-blockers, aldosterone antagonists, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy, consistent with evolving evidence and guideline...
Direct lunar halo orbit transfers

This paper provides a robust survey of short-duration, two-burn transfers from the Earth to lunar halo orbits. The results show that several families of such transfers exist, including quick four- to five-day transfers, as well as more efficient transfers that require three or more weeks. The trajectories surveyed in this paper all begin from 185-km circular Earth parking orbits, with varying inclinations; they transfer to many sample halo orbits about the Earth-Moon L1 and L2 points. It has been found that the quickest lunar transfers require between 3.6 and 4.1 km/s, depending on the halo orbit destination. If more time is available, then any lunar halo orbit considered in this paper may be reached for as little as 3.59 to 3.65 km/s. Finally, the paper discusses the costs and benefits of short and longer halo transfers applied to real lunar mission designs.
RESPONSE OF POTASSIUM RETENTIVITY AND SURVIVAL OF YEAST TO FAR-ULTRAVIOLET, NEAR-ULTRAVIOLET AND VISIBLE, AND X-RADIATION

Potassium retentivity and survival of yeast were studied after exposure to various kinds and conditions of irradiation. The radiations used were: 2537 A ultraviolet, 3500 to 4900 A long-ultraviolet and short visible, and 250 kvp1 x-rays. Both potassium retentivity and survival are decreased by these radiations. The dose-response of survival is about 16 times as sensitive as is potassium retentivity after 2537 A irradiation. Potassium retentivity is about twice as sensitive as survival after irradiation of 3500 to 4900 A. Survival after x-irradiation under aerobic conditions is five times as sensitive as potassium retentivity. Survival of cells irradiated with x-rays under anaerobic conditions was about half as sensitive as under aerobic conditions. The response of potassium retentivity to x-radiation at 25°C. under anaerobic conditions is only slightly affected below 160 kr, at which dose the slope abruptly increases to that obtained under aerobic conditions; lowering the temperature to 0°C. moves this point to about 300 kr. These differential effects are indicative of interaction of radiations with the yeast cell at sites that independently control survival and the retention of potassium.
Allergic Conjunctivitis Exacerbates Corneal Allograft Rejection by Activating Th1 and Th2 Alloimmune Responses

Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) and airway hyperreactivity exacerbate corneal allograft rejection. Because AC and airway hyperreactivity are allergic diseases of mucosal tissues, we determined whether an allergic disease of a nonmucosal tissue would affect corneal allograft rejection and whether Th2 cells alone accounted for accelerated graft rejection in allergic mice. Hosts sensitized cutaneously with short ragweed pollen developed cutaneous immediate hypersensitivity but rejected corneal allografts at the same tempo and incidence as naive mice. Th2 immune deviation induced with keyhole limpet hemocyanin and IFA did not affect corneal allograft rejection. Thus, Th2 immune deviation alone does not account for the exacerbation of corneal allograft rejection that occurs in mice with AC. CD4+ T cells from AC mice elaborated Th1 (IFN-γ) and Th2 (IL-13) cytokines when challenged with donor alloantigens. Adoptive transfer of Th1 or Th2 cells to nude mice, from AC mice that had rejected corneal allografts, produced graft rejection in 70% and 20% of the hosts, respectively. In contrast, adoptive transfer of a combination of Th1 and Th2 cells produced 100% rejection. Administration of exogenous IFN-γ could substitute for Th1 cells and produced 100% corneal allograft rejection in recipients of Th2 cells alone. By contrast, IFN-γ did not significantly enhance corneal allograft rejection mediated by Th1 cells. Thus, exacerbation of corneal allograft rejection in mice with AC is associated with a mixed Th1 and Th2 alloimmune response, and the contribution of Th1 cells is through their production of IFN-γ.
Anisotropic smoothing of posterior probabilities

Teo et al. (see IEEE Trans. on Medical Imaging, 1997) proposed an efficient image segmentation technique that anisotropically smoothes the homogeneous posterior probabilities before independent pixel wise MAP classification is carried out. In this paper we develop the mathematical theory underlying the technique. We demonstrate that prior anisotropic smoothing of the posterior probabilities yields the MAP solution of a discrete MRF with a non-interacting, analog discontinuity field. In contrast, isotropic smoothing of the posterior probabilities is equivalent to computing the MAP solution of a single, discrete MRF using continuous relaxation labeling. Combining a discontinuity field with a discrete MRF is important as it allows the disabling of clique potentials across discontinuities. Furthermore, explicit representation of the discontinuity field suggests new algorithms that incorporate properties like hysteresis and non-maximal suppression.
Alternative policies for agriculture in Europe

Three different approaches to a reform of the agricultural policies are discussed. Tourniquet solutions to solve the immediate problem of budget control, therapeutic solutions aiming at a stable and prosperous rural community while ensuring the further technological development of agriculture, and a catalytic approach in which agricultural policies are integrated in an overall political effort aimed at the further political and economic integration of the expanded European Community and the tackling of its important social and economic problems. Copyright 1987 by Oxford University Press.
Statistical mechanics of small systems

Using the determinental form of the N-V-T and N-P-T partition functions, we derive explicit expressions for the N-dependent virial coefficients occurring in the expansions of the equations of state in the N-V-T and N-P-T ensembles. The results are presented in a matrix algebra formalism. The equation of state of N hard spheres in an N-P-T ensemble of systems is analyzed by the method of Pade Approximants.