cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Democracy, State, and Industry: Continuity and Change between the Cardoso and Lula Administrations

Brazilian industrial entrepreneurs have shown a high degree of mobilization and political activity in defense of their specific interests since the beginning of Brazilian industrial capitalist development. They have been characterized by pragmatism, support of different governments and political regimes (dictatorships or democracies), and adaptation to the political instability typical of the country from the proclamation of the Republic until the mid-1980s. For almost half a century they have played a prominent role in sustaining the different phases of national developmentalism by joining diverse political coalitions that upheld the industrial order. The past 10 years have been marked by an important reversal of this pattern that is essentially political: the socialization of entrepreneurs in democratic values, rules, and practices. A thread of continuity is represented by an ideological pragmatism characterized by successive adaptations to positions more or less aligned with a more active role for the ...
Stability of children's behavior problems: A 3½-year longitudinal study.

Abstract This study examined the stability of behavior problems in a population of 81 boys and 83 girls from first through fourth grades. For a 6-month interval, the correlations for Conduct, Anxiety-Withdrawal, and Distractibility-Hyperactivity ranged from .60 to .80. For 1-year intervals, the correlations ranged from .34 to .68. The stability of Conduct and Distractibility (which did not differ) was significantly greater than the stability of Anxiety-Withdrawal. Despite moderate to high stability coefficients, classifications (≥ 1.5 SD above the mean) of individual children lacked consistency across rating periods. There were no sex differences in behavior problem stability. Finally, there was significant “drift” in behavior rating scores across time with the direction of drift depending upon the grade of the initial rating as well as the time interval between ratings.
A View from the Other Side

Toward the End of Time. JOHN UPDIKE. Knopf, New York, 1997. x, 337 pp. $25 or C$35. ISBN 0-375-40006-0.
Organic emissions from combustion of combination coal/refuse to produce electricity

The compounds reported in the literatue by others and in this report are only some of the organic chemicals being emitted during production of electrical energy by combustion of coal and combination coal/refuse. The possible presence of more deleterious chemicals illustrates the need for a broader scope of analyses encompassing more accurate sampling and extraction schemes combined with improved separation and detection methods. Such developments are needed before accurate environmental impacts can be predicted. Classes of compounds reported include: polychlorinated biphenyls, other chlorinated compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes, carboxylic acids, phenols, phosphates, plasticizers, alkyl aromatics, and heterocyclic compounds.
How Do Nonlinear Unit Root Tests Perform with Non Normal Errors

This article examines how popular nonlinear unit root tests perform in the presence of non normal errors. Non normal errors normally do not pose a problem in the usual linear unit root tests since the least squares estimator will still be the most efficient under certain ideal conditions regardless of normal or non normal errors. Whether similar results will carry over to nonlinear unit root tests with non normal errors is a question that merits examination. We find that in contrast to the linear tests, the presence of non normal errors in nonlinear unit root tests will lead to a significant loss of power.
A 50-KVA Adjustable-Frequency 24-Phase Controlled Rectifier Inverter

This paper describes a multiphase 50-kva silicon-controlled rectifier inverter that uses phase displacement of the outputs from four 3-phase bridge inverters to generate a 3-phase output waveform with low harmonic content. The output voltage is controlled over a wide range by simply changing the phase position of controlled rectifier gate signals. Low harmonic content is maintained in the unfiltered output wave over the complete voltage range. At one phase position the lowest harmonic of consequence present in the output waveform is the 23rd. Frequency of the inverter output is smoothly adjustable over the range of 50 to 500 cps. The static inverter offers this adjustable frequency, and adjustable voltage power supply with electronic precision. Frequency regulation is independent of supply voltage or load variations and only dependent upon a low power timing oscillator.
The effect of ethanol on the expression of HLA class I genes in human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines.

Abstract The loss of HLA antigens by neoplastic cells may allow tumors to escape immune surveillance. We observed reduced expression of HLA antigens during human colon carcinogenesis. Since ethanol, which is associated with human colonic carcinogenesis, modulates the expression of HLA genes, we examined whether it affects the expression of HLA class I genes in human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines. Ethanol (1.7 × 10 −10 M to 1.7 × 10 −1 M), had no effect on the expression of HLA class I antigens on these colonocytes, the corresponding mRNA levels, or the expression of HLA constructs. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that ethanol may modulate the expression of HLA class I genes in human colon cancer cells.
Fluorescence solvato and vapochromism of a dimethylaminostyryl terpyridine derivative

Abstract The luminescence of dimethylaminostyryl terpyridine derivative ( MNpvpt ) is highly solvatochromic, ranging from blue emission in hexane ( λ em = 450 nm) to red emission in DMSO ( λ em = 630 nm). When the molecule is incorporated as a guest in polymer host (polystyrene or PMMA) matrices, it exhibits rapid and reversible changes in the luminescence maximum upon exposure to vapors of a variety of solvents.
Algorithms for simultaneous sparse approximation: part II: Convex relaxation

A simultaneous sparse approximation problem requests a good approximation of several input signals at once using different linear combinations of the same elementary signals. At the same time, the problem balances the error in approximation against the total number of elementary signals that participate. These elementary signals typically model coherent structures in the input signals, and they are chosen from a large, linearly dependent collection.The first part of this paper presents theoretical and numerical results for a greedy pursuit algorithm, called simultaneous orthogonal matching pursuit.The second part of the paper develops another algorithmic approach called convex relaxation. This method replaces the combinatorial simultaneous sparse approximation problem with a closely related convex program that can be solved efficiently with standard mathematical programming software. The paper develops conditions under which convex relaxation computes good solutions to simultaneous sparse approximation problems.
Reproductive restraint without policing in early stages of a social insect colony

Punishment of cheaters is a widespread means of promoting cooperation in social groups. In the eusocial Hymenoptera, punishment (i.e. ‘policing’) of reproductively active workers is thought to have been essential for the evolution of near-sterile worker castes. Many studies have investigated the evolutionary origin of policing behaviour in social insects, but few have considered the factors that affect the expression of policing behaviour in extant species. One factor that is predicted to affect the expression of policing behaviour is colony age. Specifically, policing is expected to be strongest at early stages of colony growth, when the cost of worker reproduction is high, and weaker at later stages. In a previous study, we found that egg-eating behaviour (i.e. ‘policing’, where workers eat worker-laid eggs) is not expressed in early stages of colony growth in the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus , contrary to theoretical predictions. Here we test two other mechanisms of policing in incipient colonies: queen policing and destruction of male larvae. We found no evidence of either. We also found that workers from incipient colonies were capable of activating their ovaries and laying eggs. In the absence of evidence of policing in incipient C. floridanus colonies, we suggest that reproductive restraint by workers in early colony stages can arise because the inclusive fitness benefits of helping outweigh the direct benefits of reproducing.
A Precision Scanning Probe Microscope with Direct Access to the Three Dimensional Tip-Sample Interaction Force Vector

Single-molecule imaging and force spectroscopy studies have produced rich insights into macromolecular structure and dynamics in biological settings and the atomic force microscope (AFM) has thus emerged as an important complementary apparatus in the structural biologist's toolkit. While conventional AFM has achieved sub-nm resolution imaging of membrane proteins in native membrane, atomic-scale tip-sample stability - which opens promising new avenues of AFM study - has previously only been achieved in highly isolated non-biological environments (i.e., cryogenic temperatures, ultra-high vacuum). We adapted techniques originally developed by the optical trapping microscopy community, and have constructed an ultra-stable AFM in which the tip and the sample positions are independently measured by, and stabilized with respect to, a pair of laser foci in three dimensions. Recently, we have extended ultra-stable AFM to common biological imaging conditions (tapping mode in aqueous buffer solution) and have exploited local observation of the three dimensional (3D) tip trajectories to yield 3D interaction force components in a direct manner. In this talk I will discuss these developments in the context of addressing central questions in membrane biophysics.
Reconciling gender differences in the returns to education in self-employment: Does occupation matter?

Abstract Compared to self-employed men, self-employed women have more education but considerably lower earnings, generating differences in the returns to education by gender. This paper finds evidence that men typically benefit from a complementary relationship between education and earnings. However, women are heterogenous in their returns to education. Women who self-employ in traditionally female occupations do not benefit from this complementary relationship, and women who self-employ in traditionally male occupations earn returns that are more similar to the male experience.
Use of the glycophorin A somatic mutation assay for rapid, unambiguous identification of Fanconi anemia homozygotes regardless of GPA genotype.

A 7-year-old girl was hospitalized with pancytopenia requiring blood transfusion. She and an older brother with suspicious symptoms were referred for laboratory testing to confirm a clinical diagnosis of Fanconi anemia (FA). Blood samples from these two children and one parent were examined with the GPA somatic mutation assay. The patient's total GPA somatic mutation frequency of 1.4 × 10−4 was determined despite the confounding effects of her recent transfusion, and was greater than 10-fold higher than that of a population of pediatric controls, consistent with the known FA phenotype. Her brother was not informative for the standard GPA assay, which requires heterozygosity for the MN blood group, but was analyzed with a modified assay that measured only allele loss mutation. His mutation frequency, 6.8 × 10−4 was also supportive of a diagnosis of FA. Both analyses also showed evidence of ongoing mutation through terminal erythroblast differentiation, a characteristic of patients with DNA repair syndromes which further confirmed the diagnoses. These conclusions were confirmed with traditional DEB-induced chromosome breakage studies. The quantitative and qualitative aspects of the GPA assay relevant for applying this test for FA diagnosis, and perhaps for carrier detection, are discussed. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company
Impact of a telephone counseling intervention on transitions in stage of change and adherence to interval mammography screening (United States).

Background: Interventions to improve adherence to regular mammography screening have had conflicting results. Many studies have depended on women’s self-report rather than clinical evidence of a mammography encounter. We tested the impact of two interventions on a population-based sample of NH women who were not receiving routine mammography to determine if adherence to screening could be improved. The interventions included a mailing of women’s health information and a telephone counseling intervention based on the Transtheoretical Model. Participant eligibility and outcome measures were based on clinical events obtained from a population-based mammography registry. Two hundred and fifty eight women completed all aspects of the intervention study. The women were randomly assigned to one of two study groups: 51% received the mail intervention and 49% received the telephone intervention. Among women who received the telephone counseling intervention, 67% percent reported being in either an action or maintenance stage at Call 1, which increased to 84% at Call 2 (p<0.001). Seventy-six percent of women identified barriers to screening mammography at Call 1, which decreased to 44% at Call 2 (p<0.01). The most frequently identified barrier was confusion over the guidelines for screening mammography. At the first assessment time interval, greater than 60% of women were up-to-date for screening mammography in the group that received telephone counseling versus 48% in the group that received health information by mail (p = 0.04). However, women’s status as up-to-date fell for both groups between the first and second assessment time intervals. Tailored telephone counseling based on the Transtheoretical Model can improve adherence to screening mammography, though the duration of this effect is in question.
Retinopathy in Adolescents and Young Adults with Onset of Insulin-dependent Diabetes in Childhood

Retinal studies were done in 181 postpubescent, insulin-dependent diabetic patients who developed diabetes before the age of 20. Retinal studies included serial direct ophthalmoscopic examinations, stereoscopic fundus photography and fluorescein angiography. At the time of retinal studies, muscle biopsies also were done to measure capillary basement membrane thickness (CBMT) as an index of early microvascular changes in skeletal muscles. Assessment of clinical metabolic control, interpretation of retinal findings, and CBMT were done independently. No retinopathy was detected in patients observed continuously and known to have been in higher degrees of metabolic control. Twenty-five patients in lower degrees of control for extended periods had retinopathy. CBMT was found to be labile and to progress or regress within a year depending on the degree of control. All patients in lower degrees of control with retinopathy had increased CBMT, but if they subsequently attained and maintained a high degree of control for a year, then CBMT diminished and there was no progression of retinopathy. Our study demonstrates that a high degree of metabolic control delays, and may prevent, microvascular changes, and confirms other studies indicating that most postpubescent, insulin-dependent diabetic patients will develop retinopathy within 15 years unless a relatively high degree of control is maintained.
Public choice in a local government setting

From its beginnings, public choice has always had a substantial component devoted to federalism and local government decision-making. The DeVoe Moore Center at Florida State University has made the study of local government within a public choice framework a core component of its mission. The Center held a conference February 17–19, 2011, on public choice in a local government setting. This special issue of Public Choice contains the papers presented at that conference.
Building an equitable green economy: a Brazilian perspective

The transition from a carbon-driven economy to a green-driven economy demands a paradigm shift in institutions and change in infrastructure. This paper examines the Brazilian quest for a green and equitable economy. Brazil’s green liabilities range from a carbon-intensive transportation matrix to a poorly developed social infrastructure. Yet, Brazil offers one of the world’s most biodiverse landscapes, a large reservoir of fresh water and the world’s largest tropical forest. Using a ‘politics of attention’ perspective, we propose that it is precisely the mobility of the Brazilian economy that precludes its evolution as a vanguard of change. Its rising status as a part of the global economic agenda makes it accept globalization without making an effective paradigm shift toward the environment and social justice. A transition to a green economy cannot be achieved using management practices that drive a carbon-intensive economy.
Fast canonization of circular strings

Abstract A circular string A = (a1,…,an) is a string that has n equivalent linear representations Ai = ai,…,an,a1,…,ai−1 for i = 1,…,n. The ai's are assumed to be well ordered. We say that Ai n + ⌈ d 2 ⌉ comparisons. The number d denotes the difference between two successive m.s.p.'s (see Lemma 1.1) and is equal to n if A has a unique m.s.p. Our algorithm improves the result of 3n comparisons given by K. S. Booth. Only constant auxiliary storage is used.
Cardiac implantable electronic devices in end-stage renal disease patients: preservation of central venous circulation.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In the United States Renal Data System database, 25–29.7% of cardiac deaths are attributable to arrhythmic mechanisms [1, 2]. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) and hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia (VT) likely remain the most common initiating and potentially reversible mechanisms of outof-hospital sudden cardiac death (SCD). Defibrillation is the only predictably effective therapy for reverting VF and pulseless VT to an effective rhythm for restoration of blood flow [3]. The expanding indications of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy for primary and secondary prevention of SCD have significantly increased the patient population with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) [4]. A meta-analysis of secondary prevention trials showed a 28% relative risk reduction (RRR) in all-cause mortality (p0 0.0006) with ICD therapy that was due almost entirely to a 50% RRR in arrhythmic death (p<0.0001); similarly, primary prevention trials showed a 28% reduction in the risk of death in the ICD-treated patients as compared with the conventionally treated patients and an overall absolute 2year mortality reduction of 3% [3]. Despite the high incidence of SCD among patients with ESRD and the proven survival benefits of ICD therapy, the benefit of ICD therapy in this patient population has been questioned. This is probably due to the fact that all major ICD trials excluded patients with advanced renal dysfunction and transvenous ICD therapy is associated with higher complications rates in this patient group; especially, on hemodialysis (HD) patients. Our current knowledge regarding the efficacy of ICD therapy in this population relies on observational data and secondary post hoc analyses of major ICD trials [5–11]. Initially, ICDs were implanted via thoracotomy, which was associated with mortality rates of 3% to 5.4%. The development of transvenous ICD systems in the early 1990s was associated with an operative mortality of <1%, lower costs, and shorter hospital stays [12–14]. For these reasons, the transvenous route has become the most frequently used method for implantation of CIEDs. However, the use of the transvenous CIEDs can be associated with significant complications in chronic HD patients including central venous stenosis, tricuspid regurgitation (TR), and device infection [15–31]. Varies degrees of central venous stenosis have been reported in 23% to 67% patients with transvenous CIEDs [15–17]. This complication is asymptomatic in most patients. However, the situation is different in patients on G. Lopera : R. Carrillo Division of Cardiology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
Characterization of Errors in a Coupled Snow Hydrology–Microwave Emission Model

Abstract Traditional approaches to the direct estimation of snow properties from passive microwave remote sensing have been plagued by limitations such as the tendency of estimates to saturate for moderately deep snowpacks and the effects of mixed land cover within remotely sensed pixels. An alternative approach is to assimilate satellite microwave emission observations directly, which requires embedding an accurate microwave emissions model into a hydrologic prediction scheme, as well as quantitative information of model and observation errors. In this study a coupled snow hydrology [Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC)] and microwave emission [Dense Media Radiative Transfer (DMRT)] model are evaluated using multiscale brightness temperature (TB) measurements from the Cold Land Processes Experiment (CLPX). The ability of VIC to reproduce snowpack properties is shown with the use of snow pit measurements, while TB model predictions are evaluated through comparison with Ground-Based Microwave Radiometer (G...
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy fails to reduce hydrocephalus formation following subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats

Background & purpose Approximately 40% of hemorrhagic stroke survivors develop hydrocephalus. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) has been shown to be anti-inflammation following experimental stroke; however, its effect upon post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus formation is not known. The objective of this study is to investigate whether HBO therapy can effectively reduce hydrocephalus formation and improve neurobehavioral functions in a rat model of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).
Data acquisition experiments

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has developed a course and established a laboratory form a grant from the National Science Foundation to perform experiments and projects in the area of automated data acquisition and control. This course is intended to provide technical currency for its engineering technology students who most often go on to industrial positions that require a knowledge of data measurement and process control techniques. In addition to serving the needs for engineering technology majors, this interdisciplinary course is designed to provide theoretical instruction and practical training to physics, chemistry, and biology majors, and to practicing professionals as well. This paper discusses the considerations in developing the course and associated laboratory, provides an outline of the syllabus, and concludes with the details of the experiments.
Tax lien sales as local neoliberal governance strategy: The case of Waterbury, Connecticut:

This article examines bulk sales of municipal property tax liens in the formerly industrial city of Waterbury, Connecticut, USA, in the 1990s, in order to explore the limits and contradictions of n...
Pneumococcal Facial Cellulitis in Children

Objective. To review the epidemiology and clinical course of facial cellulitis attributable to Streptococcus pneumoniae in children. Design. Cases were reviewed retrospectively at 8 children9s hospitals in the United States for the period of September 1993 through December 1998. Results. We identified 52 cases of pneumococcal facial cellulitis (45 periorbital and 7 buccal). Ninety-two percent of patients were 15 000/mm 3 ) were noted at presentation in 78% and 82%, respectively. Two of 15 patients who underwent lumbar puncture had cerebrospinal fluid with mild pleocytosis, which was culture-negative. All patients had blood cultures positive for S pneumoniae . Serotypes 14 and 6B accounted for 53% and 27% of isolates, respectively. Overall, 16% and 4% were nonsusceptible to penicillin and ceftriaxone, respectively. Such isolates did not seem to cause disease that was either more severe or more refractory to therapy than that attributable to penicillin-susceptible isolates. Overall, the patients did well; one third were treated as outpatients. Conclusions. Pneumococcal facial cellulitis occurs primarily in young children ( S pneumoniae . Ninety-six percent of the serotypes causing facial cellulitis in this series are included in the heptavalent-conjugated pneumococcal vaccine recently licensed in the United States.
Recent developments in rotary-wing aerodynamic theory

Current progress in the computational analysis of rotary-wing flowfields is surveyed, and some typical results are presented in graphs. Topics examined include potential theory, rotating coordinate systems, lifting-surface theory (moving singularity, fixed wing, and rotary wing), panel methods (surface singularity representations, integral equations, and compressible flows), transonic theory (the small-disturbance equation), wake analysis (hovering rotor-wake models and transonic blade-vortex interaction), limitations on computational aerodynamics, and viscous-flow methods (dynamic-stall theories and lifting-line theory). It is suggested that the present algorithms and advanced computers make it possible to begin working toward the ultimate goal of turbulent Navier-Stokes calculations for an entire rotorcraft.
Frontal sinus drillout (modified Lothrop procedure): long-term results in 204 patients.

Objectives/Hypothesis To determine the long-term results of frontal sinus drillout (also known as modified Lothrop procedure) for the treatment of advanced frontal sinus disease. Study Design Retrospective review. Methods The records of patients who underwent frontal sinus drillout by a single surgeon at an academic medical center from June 1995 through November 2011 were reviewed. Patient demographics and perioperative clinical findings were analyzed for their impact on surgical outcome. Failure was defined as restenosis of the frontal drainage pathways, necessitating additional frontal sinus surgery. Results A total of 204 patients underwent frontal drillout surgery (143 bilateral procedures) over the 16-year period. Mean follow-up was 10.2 years (range 0.9–17 years). Symptomatic re-obstruction of the frontal sinus requiring revision surgery occurred in 61 (29.9%) patients. Drillouts performed for a diagnosis of mucocele or tumor had significantly higher failure rate (38.9%, odds ratio [OR] = 2.9, P = 0.022 and 58.3%, OR = 5.3, P = 0.020, respectively). The majority of surgical failures (61%) occurred within 2 years of surgery, but delayed failures were observed up to 12 years after drillout. Clinical outcome did not correlate with a history of smoking, asthma, nasal allergy, aspirin sensitivity, prior sinus surgery, nasal polyposis, or the presence of eosinophilic mucin. Conclusion For the majority of patients who undergo frontal sinus drillout, patency of the frontal sinus outflow tract appears to be maintained for more than a decade; nevertheless, almost one-third of patients who undergo this procedure will ultimately require additional frontal sinus surgery. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 124:1066–1070, 2014
The Garrison State in America: a Content Analysis of Trends in the Expectation of Violence

In the revised version of the garrison state hypothesis, Lasswell argued that the modern garrison state would retain many of the external forms of democracy, while effective power was increasingly concentrated in an elite composed of military officers and militarized civilians. Here we attempt to assess the rplevance of the garrison state construct for contemporary American politics through an analysis of trends in expectations of violence, on the assumption that high expectations of violence and a clear enemy are necessary, though not sufficient, conditions for the emergence of a garrison state. Based on a content analysis of presidential State of the Union messages since 1946 and survey data on trends in public opinion, we conclude that since 1977 the U.S. has been engaged in a new 'cold war' characterized by a strong sense of threat, frequent references to aggression, conflict, and violence, and heavy emphasis on the Soviet Union as the enemy. Given the postVietnam lack of consensus on foreign policy and security issues, the new cold war poses more serious problems in civil-military relations than the earlier cold war era and possibly greater danger of an attempt to institute some form of garrison state.
The use of B-type natriuretic peptide to assess volume status in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Background Although B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels correlate with volume overload in congestive heart failure, its usefulness in patients with renal dysfunction has been questioned. A simple test to estimate volume overload and assist in the management of dry weight in hemodialysis (HD) patients would be useful. Methods Thirty-nine patients—aged 64 ± 2 years (mean ± SEM), male-female ratio of 37:2—undergoing HD thrice weekly for at least 30 days were studied. Samples were collected at the start and end of each of 3 consecutive HD sessions. Pre- and postsession weights and blood pressures were recorded. Left ventricular ejection fractions were obtained from echocardiograms performed within 1 year of enrollment. The first session was the dialysis session after a 72-hour interdialytic period, whereas the second and third sessions were after a 48-hour period. Plasma volume changes were measured in a subset of 13 patients. Results Pre- and postdialysis BNP levels for each of the 3 sessions were 434 and 343 pg/mL, 347 and 231 pg/mL, and 249 and 202 pg/mL, respectively. The values for body weights were 82.6 ± 3.6 and 78.6 ± 3.5 kg, 81.5 ± 3.6 and 78.2 ± 3.5 kg, and 81.5 ± 3.46 and 78.3 ± 3.5 kg, respectively. The values of mean systolic blood pressures were 150 ± 4 and 134 ± 3 mm Hg, 142 ± 4 and 134 ± 4 mm Hg, and 142 ± 4 and 131 ± 4 mm Hg, respectively. The values for mean diastolic blood pressures were 81 ± 2.5 and 70 ± 2.4 mm Hg, 74 ± 2.4 and 72.1 ± 2.2 mm Hg, and 76 ± 2.9 and 72 ± 2.9 mm Hg, respectively. There was no correlation between changes in intradialytic BNP values and other measured parameters. Plasma volume changed minimally during dialysis. Conclusions Values of BNP are elevated in patients with end-stage renal disease and decline after each dialysis session. Over the course of a week, BNP levels gradually declined irrespective of changes in weight or blood pressure. The lack of correlation between changes in BNP and changes in measured clinical parameters is partly explained by a lack of a significant change in plasma volume. The highest BNP values were seen in patients with systolic dysfunction.
Jet stream and long waves in a steady rotating‐dishpan experiment: Structure of the circulation

The three-dimensional structure of the flow of water in a steady rotating three-wave dishpan experiment is computed and compared with the atmosphere. At first the experiment and methods of comparison between dishpan and atmosphere are described. Then motion and vorticity at the top surface are shown; trajectories leading from equatorial to polar rim of the pan are found. Next the three-dimensional temperature field is determined, and from this the geostrophic motion at all depths. The flow pattern resembles the basic features of the middle-latitude atmosphere in a remarkable way. Mobile long waves in a jet stream near the top overlie cyclonic and anticyclonic vortices farther down. There is, however, neither the counterpart of tropopause nor stratosphere in the temperature field, indicating that these features are not necessary for development of the basic flow pattern. Further, the distribution of momentum sources and sinks differs from that of the atmosphere, as momentum is given off to the inner (and possibly to the outer) cylinder, while most of the bottom acts as source. This throws doubt on the importance of momentum balance considerations for explanation of the principal flow features. Vertical motions are calculated in the interior of the fluid with the adiabatic assumption. Values again compare well with those of the atmosphere as does the distribution of centres of ascent and descent relative to long waves and cyclones. A positive correlation between temperature and vertical motion exists along the jet axis, hence there is release of potential energy. If averaging is performed along the jet-stream axis, one finds that the centre of ascent lies equatorward, and the centre of descent poleward of the axis. If zonal averaging is performed, however, the centre of ascent appears north of the zonal wind maximum, and the centre of descent on its equatorward side. This calculation uncovers a weakness of zonal averaging as a tool in studying the general circulation. Absolute vorticity is calculated on constant temperature surfaces in the interior of the liquid. It is found that the theorem of conservation of absolute vorticity is nearly fulfilled in the jet-stream layer with wave motion; in the lower layer with vortices, validity of the theorem of conservation of potential vorticity is indicated qualitatively. The regions of convergence and divergence, as inferred from the vorticity changes along the relative stream-lines, agree qualitatively with the vertical motion distribution.
A chemically enhanced oil recovery simulation benchmark

Etude comparative des performances de quinze ordinateurs lors de la simulation du transport de substance chimique au cours d'un ecoulement multiphasique tridimensionnel a travers un milieu poreux. La formulation mathematique du modele inclut une equation de pression et (n−1) equations de conservation de la masse pour n especes chimiques. La comparaison des performances des ordinateurs est realisee en fonction de leur mode de fonctionnement: multitraitement ou traitement
A Markov decision process approach to temporal modulation of dose fractions in radiation therapy planning

The current state of the art in cancer treatment by radiation optimizes beam intensity spatially such that tumors receive high dose radiation whereas damage to nearby healthy tissues is minimized. It is common practice to deliver the radiation over several weeks, where the daily dose is a small constant fraction of the total planned. Such a 'fractionation schedule' is based on traditional models of radiobiological response where normal tissue cells possess the ability to repair sublethal damage done by radiation. This capability is significantly less prominent in tumors. Recent advances in quantitative functional imaging and biological markers are providing new opportunities to measure patient response to radiation over the treatment course. This opens the door for designing fractionation schedules that take into account the patient's cumulative response to radiation up to a particular treatment day in determining the fraction on that day. We propose a novel approach that, for the first time, mathematically explores the benefits of such fractionation schemes. This is achieved by building a stylistic Markov decision process (MDP) model, which incorporates some key features of the problem through intuitive choices of state and action spaces, as well as transition probability and reward functions. The structure of optimal policies for this MDP model is explored through several simple numerical examples.
Comparison of MCNPX and Geant4 proton energy deposition predictions for clinical use

Several different Monte Carlo codes are currently being used at proton therapy centers to improve upon dose predictions over standard methods using analytical or semi-empirical dose algorithms. There is a need to better ascertain the differences between proton dose predictions from different available Monte Carlo codes. In this investigation Geant4 and MCNPX, the two most-utilized Monte Carlo codes for proton therapy applications, were used to predict energy deposition distributions in a variety of geometries, comprising simple water phantoms, water phantoms with complex inserts and in a voxelized geometry based on clinical CT data. The Gamma analysis was used to evaluate the differences of the predictions between the codes. The results show that in all the cases the agreement was better than clinical acceptance criteria.
Interactive Effects of Initial Achievement Orientation and Prior Success Feedback on the Mastery of Subsequent Difficult and Easy Tasks

This study investigated the effects of initial achievement orientation and prior success feedback on the rate of mastery of subsequent easy and difficult tasks. Eighty male introductory psychology students (40 high in initial achievement orientation and 40 low) were administered six trials of a digit-symbol substitution task on which they received either success feedback or no feedback. All participants then learned an easy or difficult list of paired-associates with no feedback about performance given. Results indicate success facilitates digit-symbol performance in general, but slightly more so for participants initially low in achievement orientation. The transfer effects of prior success feedback indicated a disordinal Trait by Treatment by Task Difficulty interaction. Here, prior success feedback has: 1) no effect on rate of mastery of a subsequent easy task, 2) a positive transfer effect on rate of mastery of a subsequent difficult task for participants initially high in achievement orientation, and...
Effects of systemic aluminum on the resolution of a uremic and dietary phosphorus-dependent model of uremic osteomalacia in rats.

We have developed a model of osteomalacia that is dependent on both uremia and the feeding of a diet low in phosphorus and that can be reversed by subsequent dietary phosphorus repletion. The objectives for this study were to use this model to investigate the role of aluminum (Al) in both the induction and resolution of osteomalacia. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were five-sixths nephrectomized and fed either low or normal dietary phosphorus, both with and without intraperitoneal Al injections. Uremic rats fed low phosphorus developed osteomalacia characterized by increased osteoid surface, volume, and thickness and osteoid maturation time and decreased mineralizing surface. Al-treated uremic rats fed low phosphorus were similarly affected, developing increased osteoid volume and thickness and osteoid maturation time and decreased osteoblastic surface, mineralizing surface, and bone formation rate. In addition, they had a significantly increased Al-positive surface. Al-treated uremic rats fed normal phosphorus had only increased osteoid thickness and aluminum-positive surface and decreased osteoblastic surface. Osteomalacic rats continuously treated with Al during the induction and phosphorus repletion stages had increased growth plate thickness, osteoid volume and thickness, and Al-positive surface and decreased osteoblastic and mineralizing surface. Mineralization in these rats was impaired to such a degree that no detectable double labels were present. Osteomalacic rats treated with Al during the induction phase but not during phosphorus repletion had increased osteoid surface and volume and Al-positive surface and decreased osteoblastic and mineralizing surface. Double labels were not detectable in these rats, either. These results indicate that the osteomalacia induced in uremic rats fed low phosphorus was similar in rats with and without Al treatment. However, Al prevented the reversal of this osteomalacia by phosphorus repletion, even when Al administration was discontinued. The impairment of mineralization by Al in this model of osteomalacia suggests that Al-positive bone surfaces are not an epiphenomenon in osteomalacia associated with uremia.
Tubular Surface Segmentation for Extracting Anatomical Structures From Medical Imagery

This work provides a model for tubular structures, and devises an algorithm to automatically extract tubular anatomical structures from medical imagery. Our model fits many anatomical structures in medical imagery, in particular, various fiber bundles in the brain (imaged through diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (DW-MRI)) such as the cingulum bundle, and blood vessel trees in computed tomography angiograms (CTAs). Extraction of the cingulum bundle is of interest because of possible ties to schizophrenia, and extracting blood vessels is helpful in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. The tubular model we propose has advantages over many existing approaches in literature: fewer degrees-of-freedom over a general deformable surface hence energies defined on such tubes are less sensitive to undesirable local minima, and the tube (in 3-D) can be naturally represented by a 4-D curve (a radius function and centerline), which leads to computationally less costly algorithms and has the advantage that the centerline of the tube is obtained without additional effort. Our model also generalizes to tubular trees, and the extraction algorithm that we design automatically detects and evolves branches of the tree. We demonstrate the performance of our algorithm on 20 datasets of DW-MRI data and 32 datasets of CTA, and quantify the results of our algorithm when expert segmentations are available.
Browsing and placement of multiresolution images on secondary storage

Image decomposition techniques such as wavelets are used to provide multiresolution representations of images. The original image is represented by several coefficients, one of them with visual similarity to the original image, but at a lower resolution. Several strategies are evaluated to store the image coefficients on parallel disks so that thumbnail browsing as well as image reconstruction can be performed efficiently. Disk simulation and experiments with real disks are used to evaluate the performance of these strategies. The results indicate that significant performance improvements can be achieved with as few as four disks by placing image coefficients based upon browsing access patterns.
Pets, Property, and Partners: Macaques as Commodities in the Human-Other Primate Interface

In this chapter I argue that using the concept of commodity as part of an extended toolkit in ethnoprimatology can enable us to leverage the fact that in some contexts macaques have specific types of value; they mean something for the humans they share space with. Thinking about this “meaning” in terms of social, financial, or cultural contexts helps us dissect the components of this multispecies relationship and apply an ethnoprimatological approach to understanding the overall ecosystem in which macaques and humans co-reside and co-construct their ecologies. It is not my intent to argue that we should assess, via a cost-benefit analysis, the financial and social value of macaques in order to evaluate whether the interface is “good” or “bad” in terms of net benefits, or any sort of pragmatic ecology. Rather, viewing macaques as commodities, in certain contexts, enables us to see that they play specific types of roles in the lives of humans and that these roles can be important in shaping the behavior and potential future of macaque populations throughout Asia.
In reply to Ventres.

I thank Dr. Ventres for his comments on my recent commentary. In particular, I appreciate his point that it is not only trainees and students who benefit from comprehensive ethical guidelines in international health service, but also practicing physicians, who might be tempted to practice outside their specialty or beyond their regular capabilities. As outlined in my commentary, it is my point of view that an overemphasis on the service aspects of such work contributes to the risk that short-term health interventions in underresourced countries may do more harm than good. Sustainability, which should be a primary concern of any intervention,1 may become an afterthought if visiting learners and physicians calculate the benefit of short-term international educational experiences according to procedures conducted or medicines distributed during their stay. Visitors should instead give serious consideration to the costs of their visit in terms of the potential undermining of local infrastructure and negative outcomes in the community due to lack of follow-up, both of which are indicators that are likely to be visible only after the visitors have packed up and gone home.2 Dr. Ventres writes eloquently of humility, echoing my concern that the pride one may feel in having “served” risks blinding visitors to the benefits that they themselves seek or obtain from the experience.3 Roberts points out that a better framework for evaluating ethical conduct in service, including outreach, may be found in guidelines governing clinical trials,3 whereby the burden rests on the researcher to document, even when some benefit to participants is evident, that the harm to those “served” does not exceed those benefits and that due diligence has been taken to protect their interests.
Cryopreservation of Oocyte and Ovarian Tissue

Cryopreservation of reproductive cells (i.e., oocytes, spermatozoa) and tissues (i.e., ovarian and testicular tissue) is a developing technology that has tremendous implications for rapid advancement of biomedical research in general. Since the early 1980s, advances have been made in establishing optimal conditions for in vitro oocyte maturation, fertilization, and culture of resulting embryos. These in vitro systems have contributed significantly to the utilization of these cells and tissues after thawing and have made it possible to evaluate protocols designed to cryopreserve such biomaterials more effectively. Although cryopreservation of preimplantation embryos from various species including mouse, human, and farm animals has been successful, cryopreservation of oocytes from most mammalian species has been more challenging due to their extreme sensitivity to suboptimal conditions during the cryopreservation process. Cryopreservation on mouse oocytes have been well documented and have resulted in greater success than studies with other mammalian species. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation techniques have recently received much scientific and public attention due to their great potential use in human infertility treatment, in safeguarding the reproductive potential of the endangered species, and in genome banking of genetically important lab animal strains. A review of past and current research in the field of oocyte and ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation and discussion of possible strategies for oocyte and ovarian tissue banking are provided.
Women Members of European Parliaments

Rose Macaulay, among others, has said that “women are always news.” When all else fails, murders, suicides, and divorce cases, journalists can still propound some such question as “can a woman drive a car as well as a man?” and they are sure of a hearing. If it were not for the eternal interest of the public in women as women, women in parliaments would no longer be news. In these last few years there have been nearly a hundred sitting in the various parliaments of Europe, and now and then even the newspapers have shown signs of forgetting that they are there. There is something odd about the geographical position of the countries in which these women members, deputies and senators, are to be found. They exist in a fringe around the north and east of Europe. France, Italy, Spain, and the other countries along the Mediterranean are out of it entirely. Upon closer analysis the situation grows even more mysterious. To find the group of women legislators of longest standing, one must go up beyond the Scandinavian countries, to the Finns, who live farther north than any other civilized people in the world. There are nearly twenty women in the Finnish parliament, and one of them has served her fifth three-year term.
Changes in glucose tolerance as an index of improvement after electro-shock therapy

Summary and ConclusionsThe effect of electroshock therapy on glucose tolerance was studied in 12 psychotic patients who improved with electroshock therapy. Changes in sugar tolerance varied in direction and degree; there was no correlation with clinical improvement.