cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract A135: Concurrent MCL1 and JUN amplification in pseudomyxoma peritonei.

Background: Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare abdominal malignancy. We hypothesized that next generation exomic sequencing would identify recurrent mutations that may have prognostic or therapeutic implications. Methods and Materials: Ten patients were selected based on availability of tissue and adequate follow-up. Mutations were tested for in 236 cancer-related genes in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) slides using next-generation exomic sequencing (Foundation Medicine, Cambridge, MA). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect MCL1 expression. Results: Detectable mutations were found in 80% of patients. Seventy percent harbored a KRAS mutation, most commonly involving codon 12 (G12D in four cases, and one case each of G12V, G12A and A59T). Four GNAS mutations (R201H/R201C substitutions) were also detected. MCL1 and JUN were concurrently amplified in three patients. One patient with MCL1 and JUN amplification had concurrent amplification of MYC and NFKBIA. ZNF703 was amplified in one patient. Patients with MCL1 amplification were also found to express MCL1 by IHC, but MCL1 expression was also detected in some patients without amplification. Conclusions: We are first to report MCL1 and JUN co-amplification in PMP. Expression of MCL1 may not be completely dependent upon amplification. The prognostic and therapeutic implications of these recurrent mutational events are the subject of ongoing investigation. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):A135. Citation Format: Aaron S. Mansfield, Terence Sio, Travis E. Grotz, Rondell P. Graham, Julian R. Molina, Florencia G. Que, Robert C. Miller. Concurrent MCL1 and JUN amplification in pseudomyxoma peritonei. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A135.
A dosimetric comparison of MammoSite and ClearPath high-dose-rate breast brachytherapy devices

Abstract Purpose A new form of partial breast irradiation (PBI), ClearPath (CP) breast brachytherapy, has been introduced. We present our results of a dosimetric comparison of MammoSite® (MS) and CP PBI. Methods and Materials The dimensions of the CP device were reconstructed onto the MS planning CT scans for 15 previously treated patients. The mean %V100, %V150, %V200 (percent of the PTV that received 100%, 150%, and 200% of the prescription dose, respectively), ipsilateral breast %V50 (percent of the ipsilateral normal breast that received 50% of the prescription dose), ipsilateral lung %V30 (percent of the ipsilateral lung that received 30% of the prescription dose), the heart %V5 (percent of the heart that received 5% of the prescription dose), and the maximum skin point dose per fraction were then determined for each patient using the two methods of balloon-based PBI. Results The mean %V100 was 96.5% vs. 96.5%, the mean %V150 was 42.1% vs. 42.9% (p = ns), and the mean V200 was 11.4% vs. 15.2% (p Conclusions The MS and CP methods of PBI offer comparable target volume coverage; however, the CP device achieves increased normal tissue sparing.
STORIES AND COSMOGONIES: Imagining Creativity Beyond “Nature” and “Culture”

What does it mean to create? Who or what could be said to create? God? Artists? Evolution? Markets? The Dialectic? Do things “just happen” and if so is that a kind of creativity? Taking storytelling as its point of reference, this essay considers the notion of creativity as it applies both to the productions of the human imagination, especially stories, and to the self-making of the material universe. I define creativity broadly as the bringing forth of new material, linguistic, or conceptual formations or the transformation of existing ones and as calling, not for a “cultural poetics,” but for a more broadly conceived poetics of making (poesis, in its most inclusive sense), encompassing both the natural and cultural realms as conventionally designated, a poetics capable of articulating the stories human beings tell with cosmogonies detailing the coming-to-being of the physical universe. Extending the purview of creativity beyond the human realm to include the processes shaping the material universe allows us to envision creativity itself in terms of a generative multiplicity that resists articulation in binary oppositional terms and that demands therefore to be thought as ontologically prior to any possible differentiation between the domains of nature and culture, or between reality and its cultural–linguistic representations, challenging us to reimagine not only the relationship between nature and culture but also the problematic of representation that continues to inform much work in the humanities and social sciences. Such a reimagining might proceed precisely from an enlarged understanding of creativity—and in particular of storytelling—and I consider some of the epistemic and writerly implications of this claim for anthropology as a discipline concerned preeminently with exploring and documenting the varieties of human being-in-the-world.
Neo-Ottoman Cool: Turkish Popular Culture in the Arab Public Sphere

In the past decade, Turkish television drama has enjoyed popular success in the Arab world, fueling wide-ranging controversies in the pan-Arab public sphere. Such popularity is at first sight puzzling. After all, Arabs lived under Ottoman rule for 400 years, and for most of the 20th century Turkey's foreign policy neglected Arab interests. Why, then, would Turkish drama be popular with Arab audiences, especially at a time of unprecedented vibrancy in Arab cultural production? This article grapples with that question via a systematic analysis of pan-Arab discourse about Turkish popular culture, concluding that some Turkish dramas conjure up an accessible modernity while others enact a counter-hegemonic narrative that puts Middle Easterners in the role of heroes. The rise of Turkish television drama in the Arab public sphere offers insights into the geopolitical underpinnings and geocultural consequences of transnational media flows.
Regulation of vertebrate embryogenesis by the exon junction complex core component Eif4a3

The establishment and maintenance of cellular identity are ultimately dependent upon the accurate regulation of gene expression, the process by which genetic information is used to synthesize functional gene products. The post-transcriptional, pre-translational regulation of RNA constitutes RNA processing, which plays a prominent role in the modulation of gene expression in differentiated animal cells. The multi-protein Exon Junction Complex (EJC) serves as a critical signaling hub within the network that underlies many RNA processing events. Here, we identify a requirement for the EJC during early vertebrate embryogenesis. Knockdown of the EJC component Eukaryotic initiation factor 4a3 (Eif4a3) in embryos of the frog Xenopus laevis results in full-body paralysis, with defects in sensory neuron, pigment cell, and cardiac development; similar phenotypes are seen following knockdown of other “core” EJC protein constituents. Our studies point to an essential role for the EJC in the development of neural plate border derivatives. Developmental Dynamics 239:1977–1987, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Global warming response options in Brazil's forest sector: Comparison of project-level costs and benefits

Abstract A project-level assessment of monetary and carbon costs and benefits for five classes of global warming response options in the forest sector is attempted for typical Brazilian conditions. Options considered are: silvicultural plantations (for pulp, charcoal and sawlogs), sustainable timber management and reduction of deforestation. Comparison of pulpwood and sawlog plantations with the vegetation characteristic of deforested areas indicates a modest carbon benefit. Plantations for charcoal can produce a substantial carbon benefit through fossil fuel substitution, but much of this calculated benefit disappears if discount rates greater than zero are applied to carbon. Sustainable timber management, when compared with existing forest, represents a net carbon loss, accumulation of carbon in wood products being insufficient to compensate for biomass reduction over a 100 year time scale. Reduction of deforestation has great potential as a global warming response option, its per-hectare carbon benefits being approximately four times that of silvicultural plantation establishment for pulp and sawlogs over a 100 year period. The costs of reducing deforestation are difficult to assess, however, due to the importance of government policy changes such as removal of land speculation and land tenure establishment as motives for clearing. Although these changes would not cost money and would have tremendous carbon and other benefits, they have not yet occurred.
Alcohol intake is associated with altered pulmonary function

Little is known about the effect of moderate alcohol intake on lung function in the general population. Because moderate alcohol intake appears to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, we hypothesized that moderate alcohol intake is associated with better pulmonary function. To test this hypothesis, we examined the association between alcohol intake and pulmonary function, measured by spirometry, in a representative sample of U.S. adults who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A stratified multistage clustered probability design was used to select a population-based sample. Data analyzed included alcohol intake, smoking status, education, body mass, sex, age, race, diabetes status, and CHF status. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was conducted from 1988 to 1994 by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. We analyzed data from 15,294 study participants who completed extensive questionnaires in the household and a comprehensive physical examination, including pulmonary function testing, either in the household or at a specially equipped mobile examination center. Low-to-moderate alcohol intake was not associated with reduced odds of obstructive lung function. In fact, increased odds for obstructive lung pattern were observed only in former heavy drinkers. In contrast, low-to-moderate alcohol intake was associated with better forced vital capacity and forced exhaled volume in 1s in the absence of obstruction, consistent with reduced odds for lung restriction. Using a logistic regression model, we found that individuals reporting alcohol consumption had a lower risk of lung restriction both before and after adjusting for confounding factors including smoking (P< or =.001). Alcohol intake-related reduced risk for restriction was associated with lower risk of CHF, diabetes, obesity, and lower markers of inflammation (white blood cell, fibrinogen, and C-reactive protein) consistent with less lung congestion, external restriction, and/or lung inflammation. Our analyses indicate that alcohol consumption, even at very modest intake levels, is associated with less lung restriction.
University adds hydrology to geophysics Ph.D. program

The University of Colorado at Boulder has added a program that provides an innovative, rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum and research framework in the hydrologic sciences, leading to a Ph.D. degree in geophysics. The goal is to graduate a new generation of researchers with a broad background in the basic sciences and a strong interdisciplinary education in the hydrologic sciences.
Nanostructured materials by mechanical alloying: new results on property enhancement

Mechanical attrition—the mechanical alloying or milling of powders—is a very versatile and potent method of obtaining nanocrystalline or ultrafine grain structures with enhanced properties. This article presents three examples of enhanced properties obtained by materials in which the grain size has been reduced to the nanoscale or ultrafine scale by ball milling and consolidation of powders. Very high strength/hardness—the highest hardness yet reported for crystalline Mg alloys—for a ball milled Mg97Y2Zn1 alloy is due in part to the nanocrystalline grain structure, along with nanoscale precipitates. A ternary Cu-base alloy with a low stacking fault energy was found to have both high strength and good ductility in a nanocrystalline material synthesized by the in situ ball milling consolidation method. This is another example that shows nanocrystalline materials need not be brittle. It is shown that bulk thermoelectric materials with superior properties can be produced by the ball milling and consolidation of powders to provide an ultrafine grain structure.
Crossing properties of F distributions

Abstract The crossing properties of F distributions are discussed. The results show that the F distribution stochastically decreases in its denominator degrees of freedom if the numerator degrees of freedom m is either one or two, and the difference of two F distribution functions with the same numerator degrees of freedom m ⩾ 3 has number of sign changes of one. It is also shown that the upper percentile of Student t distribution decreases in its degrees of freedom.
“Split ADC” Background Linearization of VCO-Based ADCs

A lookup-table digital correction technique using “split ADC” calibration is used for linearization of VCO-based ADCs. Simulation results in a 45 nm CMOS process targeting 10 b and 12 b resolutions show ENOB of 9.58 b and 11.5 b, with convergence times for background calibration adaptation of 380 ms and 5.7 s, respectively. The background LMS procedure is tolerant of different input signals and provides linearity calibration over the range covered by the input signal excursion. An input dither of 3% of the ADC reference enables absolute accuracy in scale factor calibration. Design tradeoffs related to the VCO V-to- $f$ characteristic, lookup table size, and convergence properties of the LMS adaptation loop are discussed.
Minimality of Variable-Thrust Subarcs in Optimal Chemical Rocket Trajectories

F ROM the beginning of rocket trajectory optimization, it has been known that the optimal trajectory of a rocket can be composed of three types of subarcs: maximum thrust, variable thrust, and zero thrust. To determine whether or not a particular subarc can be part of aminimum-fuel trajectory, it is possible to apply some tests (necessary conditions). Necessary conditions for a relative minimum are classified according to the types of the controls, that is, regular controls (nonsingular), singular controls, andmixed controls (regular and singular), and according to level, that is, weak or strong. Weak conditions are the Legendre–Clebsch condition [1] for regular controls, the generalized Legendre–Clebsch condition [2] for singular controls, andGoh’s condition [3] for mixed controls. Strong conditions are the Weierstrass condition [1] for regular controls, the equivalent of the Weierstrass conditon [4] for singular controls, and the equivalent of Goh’s condition for mixed controls (yet to be derived). A subarc is defined to be “minimizing” if the relevant necessary conditions for a minimum are satisfied. Although this use of the term minimizing might seem to be unconventional to some researchers, it is not. See for example Bliss [5] (p. 20), Bryson and Ho [6] (p. 247), Kopp and Moyer [7] (p. 1443), Goh [3] (p. 721), and Bell and Jacobson [2] (p. 3). For a chemical rocket, the particular variable-thrust subarc, known as Lawden’s spiral, was claimed by Lawden to be minimizing by applying the Weierstrass condition [8] (p. 112). Subsequently, Robbins [9], Kelley [10] , Kopp andMoyer [7], and Kelley et al. [11] developed the generalized Legendre–Clebsch condition and applied it to theLawden spiral. Their conclusionwas that theLawden spiral is not minimizing. The same conclusion was reached by Kelley [12] using state transformations. Later, Lawden [13] wrote that the variable-thrust subarc is not minimizing but did not say why the Weierstrass condition gave a conflicting result. This Note has two purposes. The first is to review the preceding necessary conditions and their use. The second is to explain why Lawden’s application of the Weierstrass condition did not eliminate the variable-thrust subarc.
Tunneling effects in the NMR spectrum of a spin in a symmetrical double-well potential

It has recently been suggested that tunneling may provide a mechanism for the automerization of cyclobutadiene and for other bond-shift reactions (I-3). Tunneling frequencies can be large even for rearrangements involving heavy atoms if the energy minima have very small separations. Since 13C NMR at low temperatures is used to investigate such systems (4), it is of interest to consider how tunneling, if present, would affect the spectra. NMR spectra have previously been calculated for tunneling protons in methyl groups and in tetrahedral molecules with strong dipole-dipole interactions (5-7). The much simpler problem of tunneling effects in MAS/CP spectra of 13C nuclei has apparently not been addressed. It is the purpose of this note to present NMR spectra for a spin-4 particle in a symmetric double-well potential where the spin Hamiltonian only includes chemical-shift terms. This would be a reasonable model for a ’ 3C nucleus in the norbornyl cation if a double-well potential were present (3). The calculation would not be changed in any way if two r3C nuclei interchanged their chemical shifts in the rearrangement reaction, and this would ensure that the double-well potential was in fact symmetrical; i.e., there would be no isotopic perturbation (8). In the spirit of a two-site exchange problem the Hamiltonian in frequency units (hertz) is taken to have the form
Self‐Esteem, Self‐Handicapping, and Self‐Presentation: The Strategy of Inadequate Practice

ABSTRACT In two experiments we investigated the causes of low preparatory effort (minimal practicing for an upcoming event that is to be evaluated), a possible form of self-handicapping Experiment 1 found that people with high self-esteem practiced less than people with low self-esteem, although a prior experience of success eliminated this difference Experiment 2 showed that people with high self-esteem practiced less only when the practice duration was publicly known, indicating that they were using a strategic self-presentational ploy rather man responding to superior confidence This difference may reflect a desire to maximize the self-presentation of high ability by appearing to succeed despite minimal preparatory effort These results suggest that this form of self-handicapping is a strategy used by highly confident individuals in uncertain situations to make a favorable impression on others
The Arabidopsis thaliana TAG1 mutant has a mutation in a diacylglycerol acyltransferase gene

In Arabidopsis thaliana (ecotype Columbia) mutant line AS11, an EMS-induced mutation at a locus on chromosome II results in a reduced diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT; EC 2.3.1.20) activity, reduced seed triacylglycerol, an altered seed fatty acid composition, and delayed seed development. A mutation has been identified in AS11 in a gene, which we designated as TAG1, that encodes a protein with an amino acid sequence which is similar to a recently reported mammalian DGAT, and, to a lesser extent, to acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferases. Molecular analysis revealed that the mutant allele in AS11 has a 147 bp insertion located at the central region of intron 2. At the RNA level, an 81 bp insertion composed entirely of an exon 2 repeat was found in the transcript. While the seed triacylglycerol content is reduced by the lesion in AS11, there is no apparent effect on sterol ester content in the mutant seed. The TAG1 cDNA was over-expressed in yeast, and its activity as a microsomal DGAT confirmed. Therefore, the TAG1 locus encodes a diacylglycerol acyltransferase, and the insertion mutation in the TAG1 gene in mutant AS11 results in its altered lipid phenotype.
A longitudinal and cross-sectional study of students' perceptions of the importance of job attributes

Abstract Entry-level employee turnover in large accounting firms is viewed by many as being excessive. Numerous studies have indicated that a link exists between job attribute dissonance and employee turnover. This study examines one possible cause for the dissonance. It is hypothesized that initial misconceptions on the part of the students as to what benefits their job will offer and subsequent changes in their perceptions of the relative importance of various job attributes will contribute to job dissatisfaction. Possible gender differences are also investigated. Cross-sectional study results indicate that students do not hold the same perceptions of the relative importance of various job attributes as workers. Longitudinal study results indicate that accounting graduates alter many of their beliefs previously held as students. Furthermore, the absence of important job attributes is associated with increased expressions of dissatisfaction and greater intentions to leave. These findings suggest that educators should enlarge their teaching role to include information pertaining to the work environment.
Pyrimidine biosynthesis and its regulation in the estrogen-stimulated chick oviduct.

Abstract Studies on the incorporation of radio-labeled precursors into orotic acid and the pyrimidine nucleotides of RNA have established the occurrence of the orotate pathway for the de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidines in the chick oviduct. Measurements of the rate of incorporation of precursors into orotic acid in minces of oviduct revealed the activity of the orotate pathway to be accelerated in response to estrogen-stimulated nucleic acid synthesis and tissue growth. These data indicate that extrahepatic tissues of avian species meet their requirements for pyrimidine nucleotides through de novo synthesis rather than depend upon the liver or other exogenous sources for a supply of preformed pyrimidines. An examination of the influence of pyrimidine and purine nucleosides on the incorporation of radio-labeled precursors into orotic acid yielded evidence that pyrimidine biosynthesis in the chick is quite sensitive to inhibition by both purines and pyrimidines; the data indicate the reaction catalyzed by carbamoylphosphate synthetase to be the site of inhibition in both cases.
The bodystuffer syndrome: a clandestine form of drug overdose.

Abstract The case histories of five people who ingested drugs in an attempt to conceal illegal substances when they were confronted by police are reported. They presented to an emergency department in various clinical states ranging from asymptomatic to comatose. This syndrome has been called “bodystuffing” by the authors, who differentiate it from “bodypacking,” which is the ingestion of drugs for the purpose of smuggling. Bodystuffers may ingest one or more drugs, usually deny the ingestion, and are often not discovered until symptoms develop. Bodystuffers tend to be known drug dealers and are often drug abusers themselves. The ingestion is often unsuspected by authorities, but the act may also be witnessed but regarded as trivial. A common scenario is that of a person who is in an asymptomatic state when arrested and is later found comatose in jail. A variant of the syndrome is the ingestion of drugs to produce a medical condition that could defer incarceration.
Genetic and pharmacological manipulations that alter metabolism suppress seizure-like activity in Drosophila

There is increasing evidence that alterations in metabolism can affect seizure susceptibility in a wide range of organisms. In order to investigate the link between metabolism and seizures, we took advantage of a group of Drosophila mutants, the Bang-sensitive (BS) paralytics, which are 3-10 times more susceptible to seizure-like activity (SLA) than wild type flies following a variety of stimuli including mechanical shock. To alter metabolism, we introduced the atsugari (atu) mutation into three of the BS mutants, easily shocked (eas), bang senseless (bss), and technical knockout (tko). The atu mutants, which exhibit reduced expression of the Drosophila ortholog of dystroglycan gene, have previously been shown to have a higher metabolic rate than wild type flies. Following mechanical shock, all three BS;atu double mutants displayed a reduction in SLA and the eas;atu and tko;atu double mutants recovered from the shock quicker than the respective single mutant BS flies. In addition, the eas;atu and tko;atu flies displayed higher levels of metabolism as compared to the single mutant BS flies. To further study the correlation between metabolism and seizure susceptibility, the three BS strains were fed a sulfonylurea drug (tolbutamide) known to both increase heamolymph glucose concentrations and stimulate lipid metabolism in flies. Following mechanical shock, the eas and tko mutants fed tolbutamide displayed less SLA and recovered quicker than unfed flies. While the bss mutants fed tolbutamide did not display a reduction in SLA, they did recover quicker than unfed controls. These data indicate that the upregulation of metabolism can have a protective effect against seizure susceptibility, a result that suggests new avenues for possible drug development.
Towards development of a high quality public domain global roads database

There is clear demand for a global spatial public domain roads data set with improved geographic and temporal coverage, consistent coding of road types, and clear documentation of sources. The currently best available global public domain product covers only one-quarter to one-third of the existing road networks, and this varies considerably by region. Applications for such a data set span multiple sectors and would be particularly valuable for the international economic development, disaster relief, and biodiversity conservation communities, not to mention national and regional agencies and organizations around the world. The building blocks for such a global product are available for many countries and regions, yet thus far there has been neither strategy nor leadership for developing it. This paper evaluates the best available public domain and commercial data sets, assesses the gaps in global coverage, and proposes a number of strategies for filling them. It also identifies stakeholder organizations with an interest in such a data set that might either provide leadership or funding for its development. It closes with a proposed set of actions to begin the process.
Pneumococcal bacteremia in pediatric patients

Patients treated for pneumococcal bacteremia were prospectively evaluated over a 21-month period. Of 2,610 blood cultures obtained, 79 (3%) were positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae. Of these, 37 patients (47%) initially had a focus of infection, and 73 (92%) were reevaluated after the results of the blood culture were known. Two-thirds of these were evaluated within 24 hours of the blood culture being drawn; the remainder were seen between 24 and 72 hours after the initial visit. Twenty-three patients were febrile (> 37.4 C) on reevaluation. Six demonstrated persistence of the original disease, nine showed no focus of infection, seven developed a focus of infection, and one developed a second focus of infection. No patients with temperatures less than 37.4 C developed significant disease. A regimen for management of patients with pneumococcemia is given.
Monotone paths in line arrangement

We show that for any $n$ there is an arrangement of $n$ lines which co ntain an $x$-monotone path of length $\Omega(n^{7/4})$.
2D electromagnetic PIC-MCC simulation of the initiation of a large area surface wave sustained plasma source

Summary form only given, as follows. A 2D electromagnetic PIC-MCC simulation of a large area plasma source is being performed. In this simulation, the plasma is contained in a metal bound cylindrical region. In one version, the plasma is excited by a ring slot on top of the chamber by oscillatory radial electric fields across the slot. The simulation demonstrates the initiation and fill-in process of a slot excited surface wave sustained plasma source. The steady state density is compared with the predictions of a simple model of the diffusion of the plasma from the source. In the diffusion model, plasma undergoes ambipolar diffusion and is only lost at the walls. Also, the role of electromagnetic effects, such as ponderomotive forces, in the initiation and fill-in are explored.
Photoluminescence of Metals

Radiative recombination in gold, copper, and gold-copper alloys has been observed arising from transitions between electrons in conduction-band states below the Fermi level and holes in the $d$ bands generated by optical excitation.
Dichhaptic hand-order effects with verbal and nonverbal tactile stimulation.

Abstract The palms of normal right-handed subjects were stimulated dichhaptically, i.e., with competing, bimanually presented tactile stimuli consisting of pairs of letters, pairs of digits, or pairs of line orientations. The subjects were required to identify both stimuli in a particular order, and order of report was compared between hands and across stimulus materials. Results indicated right-hand superiority for letters and left-hand superiority for lines; no hand differences occurred for digits. However, observed differences between hands appeared with second reports only, suggesting that measures of tactile storage are more sensitive to laterality differences than measures closer in time to actual stimulation.
Antibiotics delivered by an implantable drug pump: A new application for treating osteomyelitis

Abstract Osteomyelitis is usually treated with wide surgical debridement and prolonged intravenous antibiotics. The advent of the implantable drug pump has led us to evaluate this therapeutic modality for the treatment of osteomyelitis. We have previously shown that amikacin retains microbiologic activity in an implantable drug pump over a six-week period when incubated at 37°C. We have also demonstrated in rabbits that high local levels and low systemic levels of antibiotic can be achieved using an implantable drug pump as a delivery system and that this method can be used to sterilize infected wounds. This method was applied in the treatment of osteomyelitis in 14 patients whose duration of symptoms ranged from one month to 22 years. In 13 patients, active drainage had been present for more than six months, and all patients had undergone one or more attempts at eradication of their infection. Prior therapy included surgical debridement alone (one patient), one or more attempts at debridement and extended intravenous antibiotic therapy (13 patients), debridement and local flap procedures (four patients), and extended oral antibiotic therapy (two patients). The bones involved were the tibia (six patients), femur (four patients), and elbow, shoulder, hip, and radius (one patient each). Intra-operative cultures indicated that the infecting organism was Staphylococcus aureus alone (seven patients), S. aureus in combination with gram-negative bacteria (five patients), or gram-negative organisms alone (two patients). Debridement and pump implantation were performed in one stage. On an outpatient basis, the pumps were filled with amikacin in a concentration determined by each patient's serum level. Duration of therapy was based upon cessation of drainage and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. During therapy, serum amikacin levels ranged from less than 2.5 μg/ml to 8.2 μg/ml. The amikacin concentration in the wound drainage was always greater than the upper limits of what could be measured (greater than 55 μg/ml to greater than 5,000 μg/ml). There were no cases of ototoxicity and one case of minimal renal toxicity (posttreatment creatinine clearance of 66 ml per minute; normal equal to 70 ml per minute). Length of therapy ranged from 32 to 140 days (mean equal to 63 days). Length of hospitalization ranged from five to 52 days (mean equal to 24 days). Drainage in all patients stopped during therapy, but resumed in three patients after pump removal—in two patients, for brief periods of time, and in one patient, it continues. Twelve patients have posttreatment erythrocyte sedimentation rates less than or equal to 20 mm per hour. This is a potentially important method of treating patients with osteomyelitis. It offers the advantages of extremely high local and low systemic levels of antibiotic, a low incidence of side effects, a decreased length of hospitalization, and a high rate of suppression of infection.
Functional Completeness and Canonical Forms in Many-Valued Logics

This paper examines the questions of functional completeness and canonical completeness in many-valued logics, offering proofs for several theorems on these topics. A skeletal description of the domain for these theorems is as follows. We are concerned with a proper logic L , containing a denumerably infinite class of propositional symbols, P, Q, R, …, a finite set of unary operations, U 1 , U 2 ,…, U b , and a finite set of binary operations, B 1 , B 2 , …, B c . Well-formed formulas in L are recursively defined by the conventional set of rules. With L there is associated an integer, M ≧ 2, and the integers m , where (1 ≦ m ≦M), are the truth values of L .
SU-GG-J-198: Phantom Evaluation of Implanted Coil Localization Accuracy of the BrainLab ExacTrac Gating System and 4DCT

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of measured target motion using 4DCT scanning and BrainLab ExacTrac (ET) Gating system for gated therapy. Motions of an implantable coil as a function of respiratory phase were compared from the two systems to the known motion for a commercial gating phantom. Method and Materials: A Quasar respiratory motion phantom containing an implantable coil as a surrogate target was used. Phantom motion was sinusoidal with a 4‐second period and amplitudes of 5–25 mm. 4DCT datasets were sorted in 10 distinct respiratory phases, reconstructed, and imported into the Pinnacle TPS. Coil endpoints were identified on each phase‐sorted CT datasets to measure coil distortion. To compare coil localization accuracy, both systems imaged the implanted coil at the same respiratory phases and measured overall relative coil displacement as a function of respiratory phase. Results: Coil length errors measured on the 4DCT were <0.8 mm at end inhale/exhale phases, but 8.1 mm at mid‐inhalation. Maximum localization error from the expected position for all motion profiles was 5.5 mm for both coil tips in 4DCT. but only 0.8 mm for the ET Gating system. Even at the greatest coil velocity, ExacTrac coil localization agrees with calculated coil motion within 1 mm. 4DCT showed problems resolving a coil during large respiratory‐induced velocities, but accurately resolved the coil length within 1 mm of actual coil length at end expiration/inhalation. Conclusion: 4DCT can provide accurate representation of the phantom at end‐respiration for treatment planning. ExacTrac can accurately localize the coil to determine target motion over all phases. Good agreement of the techniques will allow minimization of internal motion margins in gated radiotherapy.Conflict of Interest: This work was supported in part by a research agreement with BrainLab, Inc.
Update of Medically Important Yeasts and a Practical Approach to Their Identification

While Candida albicans remains the major yeast pathogen, several other Candida species and other genera of yeasts are now considered medically important. Significant fungal infections caused by yeasts are seen in septicemia, the urinary tract, organ transplantation, meningitis, pneumonia, endocarditis, and hematologic malignancies. Because more patients are at risk for fungal infections, and because the rate of yeast isolation is increasing, hospital and reference laboratories face an important challenge: to select an approach for isolation and identification of yeasts that is not only accurate and cost effective but also provides results in a reasonable time period. Rapid, traditional, and commercial methodologies can be blended to accomplish this.
Interleaver performance for FSK transmission on the acoustic fading channel

The performance advantages provided by the use of a symbol interleaver in a frequency shift keying (FSK) autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) data communications link are demonstrated. The communication system is a digital FSK data link. It is well known that a Rayleigh fading medium introduces significant bit-error-rate (BER) degradations with respect to the additive noise channel due to the correlated nature of the induced errors. To reduce error correlation, symbol (chip) repeat and interleaver processing functions are introduced. By distributing transmitted chips in a predictable fashion. a time diversity is introduced from which the original can be efficiently reconstructed. The implementation of interleavers at various end-to-end delay to channel correlation time ratios is investigated. Residual correlations introduce degradations which are evaluated at various bit rates to characterize the data link BER performance for range of signal-to-noise ratios. It is demonstrated that interleavers provide an efficient method of improving AUV data link BER performance. >
Self-scheduling for hospital nurses: an attempt and its difficulties.

Aim To describe a pilot project on self-scheduling (self-rostering) for hospital nurses and assess its potential values and difficulties in implementation. Background Self-scheduling is one aspect of the effort to make the hospital nursing environment more accommodative of nurses’ lives. It is part of the good employment practices that nurses want and that can help recruitment, retention and – possibly – patient care. Method A self-scheduling programme was implemented on one nursing floor for a year. Its effect on nursing perceptions was gauged by an informal questionnaire, and its effect on the nurse manager was gauged by counting change requests and sick calls, as well as her time spent on scheduling and her perceived annoyance in doing it. Findings During the time of the pilot project nurses felt that they had better control of their time and were able to give better patient care. Also, change requests decreased, as did the time spent by the nurse manager and her sense of annoyance. But since the nurses did not adhere to the rules of the programme, despite repeated efforts by the nurse manager, the attempt floundered. Conclusion Self-scheduling can have positive results for nurses and benefit the nurse manager. But if nurses see this as an individual entitlement instead of a balance between individual and unit benefit, everyone loses. This experience may be of use to others trying to implement a self-scheduling system.
Femtosecond pump-probe study of preformed plasma channels

We report femtosecond pump–probe experiments in He plasma waveguides using 800-nm, 80-fs pump pulses of 0.2×1018 W/cm2 peak guided intensity and single orthogonally polarized 800-nm probe pulses ~0.1% as intense as the pump. Single-shot spectra and spatial profiles of the probe pulses exiting the channels are measured through a crossed-polarization analyzer at various pump–probe time delays Δt. At |Δt|≳100 fs, we observe frequency-domain interference between the probe and a weak component of the exiting pump created by hybridization of its polarization state through interaction with the channel. Frequency-domain interference measurements show this “depolarized” component differs substantially in mode structure from the injected pump pulse. This component is nearly undetectable by direct measurements of pump leakage without the probe. We analyze possible causes of depolarization within the channel and near its entrance and exit regions. At Δt≲0, i.e., the probe pulse propagates in the leading edge of the pump pulse, we observe spectral blueshifts in the transmitted-probe spectrum that are not evident in the transmitted pump. The evidence indicates that pump depolarization and probe blueshifts both originate primarily near the channel entrance.
The F2+ Center in KCl Crystals Part II: Optical Properties and Analogy with the H2+ Molecule

F centers in KCl crystals were so far identified by one absorption band at 1.4 μm. Several new absorption bands found in the visible and near UV are studied at LHeT with an almost perfectly aligned system. Energy positions, dichroic behavior and oscillator strengths of these transitions are found in close agreement to the calculated states of the H molecule corrected with a single dielectric constant. Excitation of the lowest excited 2pσu state at 1.4 μm leads with a temperature independent quantum efficiency to the IR emission at 1.67 μm. The experimental band shapes of these IR transitions with their associated zero phonon line were analyzed using a simple model for the electron coupling. Low temperature excitation of all higher absorption states (2pπu, etc.) produces a 600 nm luminescence. At higher temperature a thermally activated process transfers the excitation energy to the lowest excited state (2pσu) quenching the 600 nm luminescence and producing the IR emission. Les centres F dans les cristaux de KCl etaient identifies jusqu' a maintenant par une bande d'absorption IR a 1.4 μm. Plusieurs nouvelles bandes d'absorption dans le visible et le proche UV sont etudiees a la temperature de l'He liquide avec des centres F presque completement alignes. Les positions en energie, les proprietes dichroiques, et les forces d'oscillateurs de ces transitions sont trouvees en excellent accord avec les etats calcules du ion moleculaire H, corriges a l'aide d'une constante dielectrique unique. L'excitation de l'etat excite inferieur 2pσu a 1.4 μm donne lieu a une emission IR a 1.67 μm dont l'efficacite quantique est independante de la temperature. L'allure experimentale de ces transitions IR avec leur raie zero phonon associee sont analysees a l'aide d'un modele simple pour le couplage electron phonon. A basse temperature l'excitation de tous les niveaux superieurs (2pσu, etc.) produit une luminescence a 600 nm. A plus haute temperature un processus non radiatif transfert l'energie d'excitation sur le niveau excite relaxe inferieur (2σu) “quenchant” la luminescence a 600 nm mais laissant apparaǐtre l'emission IR.
Establishing a Standard of Care for Small Bowel Adenocarcinomas: Challenges and Lessons Learned

This commentary discusses the role of retrospective studies in the investigation of treatment options for small bowel adenocarcinoma.
Real-time Intent Recognition for a Powered Knee and Ankle Transfemoral Prosthesis

This paper describes a real-time gait intent recognition approach for use in controlling a fully powered transfemoral prosthesis. Rather than utilize an "echo control" as proposed by others, which requires instrumentation of the sound-side leg, the proposed approach infers user intent based on the characteristic shape of the force and moment vector of interaction between the user and prosthesis. The real-time intent recognition approach utilizes a K-nearest neighbor algorithm with majority voting and threshold biasing schemes to increase its robustness. The ability of the approach to recognize in real time a person's intent to stand or walk at one of three different speeds is demonstrated on measured biomechanics data.
The truncation-by-death problem: what to do in an experimental evaluation when the outcome is not always defined.

Although experiments are viewed as the gold standard for evaluation, some of their benefits may be lost when, as is common, outcomes are not defined for some sample members. In evaluations of marriage interventions, for example, a key outcome—relationship quality—is undefined when a couple splits up. This article shows how treatment-control differences in mean outcomes can be misleading when outcomes are not defined for everyone and discusses ways to identify the seriousness of the problem. Potential solutions to the problem are described, including approaches that rely on simple treatment-control differences-in-means as well as more complex modeling approaches.
Understanding and treating perfectionistic college students.

In the first part of this article we present several perspectives on maladaptive perfectionism and discuss the origins and characteristics of this cognitive-behavioral pattern. In the second part of the article, we offer some recommendations for treating college students who are troubled by ego-dystonic perfectionism.
Algorithms for coupled transient simulation of circuits and complicated 3-D packaging

In this paper techniques are described for coupled simulation of complicated 3-D interconnect and nonlinear transistor drivers and receivers. The approach is based on combining: multipole-accelerated method-of-moments techniques for extracting frequency-dependent inductances and resistances for the interconnect; a sectioning method for fitting the frequency-domain data with a rational function; a balanced-realization approach to reducing the order of the rational function in a guaranteed stable manner; and an implementation of fast recursive convolution to incorporate the rational function in SPICE3. Results are presented to demonstrate some of the frequency-dependent effects in a packaging analysis problem. >
Three Models of the 3D Filling Simulation for Injection Molding: A Brief Review:

This article reviews the state-of-the-art research and development in the 3D filling simulation of injection molding, most notably the different models. The article organizes prior studies into three sequential categories, namely, mid-plane models, surface models, and solid models. In the mid-plane models, the arbitrary planar mid-plane is used to represent the three-dimensional geometry of the part. Their model and formulation are presented based on the Hele—Shaw approximation. The article further discusses the main disadvantage of the mid-plane models, which introduces the surface models. The surface models represent a three-dimensional part with a boundary or skin mesh on the outside surfaces of a solid geometric model. This kind of model still adopts the Hele—Shaw approximation, but can avoid the re-modeling of the mid-plane. Subsequently, the situations that cannot be accurately predicted using the Hele—Shaw approximation are discussed, in which a full 3D simulation has become a promising solution. T...
Reframing the Migration Question: An Analysis of Men, Women, and Gender in Mexico

The migration literature agrees on several key factors that motivate individual decisions to move: human capital investments, socioeconomic status, familial considerations, social networks, and local opportunities in places of origin relative to opportunities abroad. Yet further analysis of the social forces underlying these relationships reveals interwoven gender relations and expectations that fundamentally differentiate migration patterns, in particular who migrates and why. Data analysis of 14,000 individuals in 43 Mexican villages reveals several mechanisms through which the effects ofgender play out in the migration process. Results suggest that migrant networks provide support to new men and women migrants alike, whereas high female employment rates reduce the likelihood that men, but not women, begin migrating. Education effects also emphasize the importance of examining gender differences. In keeping with the literature on Mexican migration, I find that men are negatively selected to migrate, but, conversely, that higher education increases migration among women. My findings also question the narrow portrayal of women as associational migrants that follow spouses, disclosing much greater chances of family separation than reunification among migrants' wives and significantly higher migration risks for single and previously married women than married women