cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reduction of ML decoding complexity for MIMO Sphere Decoding, QOSTBC, and OSTBC

In this paper, we discuss three applications of the QR decomposition algorithm to decoding in a number of Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) systems. In the first application, we propose a new structure for MIMO Sphere Decoding (SD). We show that the new approach achieves 80% reduction in the overall complexity compared to conventional SD for a 2 times 2 system, and almost 50% reduction for the 4 times 4 and 6 times 6 cases. In the second application, we propose a low complexity Maximum Likelihood Decoding (MLD) algorithm for quasi-orthogonal space-time block codes (QOSTBCs). We show that for N = 8 transmit antennas and 16-QAM modulation scheme, the new approach achieves > 97% reduction in the overall complexity compared to conventional MLD, and > 89% reduction compared to the most competitive reported algorithms in the literature. This complexity gain becomes greater when the number of transmit antennas (N) or the constellation size (L) becomes larger. In the third application, we propose a low complexity Maximum Likelihood Decoding (MLD) algorithm for orthogonal space-time block codes (OSTBCs) based on the real-valued lattice representation and QR decomposition. For a system employing the well-known Alamouti OSTBC and 16-QAM modulation scheme, the new approach achieves > 87% reduction in the overall complexity compared to conventional MLD. Moreover, we show that for square L-QAM constellations, the proposed algorithm reduces the decoding computational complexity from O(LN/2) for conventional MLD to O(L) for systems employing QOSTBCs and from O(L) for conventional MLD to O(radicL) for those employing OSTBCs without sacrificing the performance.
Synergistic antitumor effects of HER2/neu antisense oligodeoxynucleotides and conventional chemotherapeutic agents

Abstract Background: The HER2/neu oncogene is overexpressed in a substantial fraction of human tumors. HER2/neu overexpressing tumors may be intrinsically resistant to chemotherapy. The present study examined the ability of antisense-mediated downregulation of HER2/neu expression to enhance the antitumor effects of conventional chemotherapeutic agents against human tumor cells that overexpress HER2/neu. Methods: The effects of HER2/neu antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) on the growth inhibitory and proapoptotic activity of several distinct chemotherapeutic agents were examined in vitro. In vivo effects of HER2/neu antisense ODNs in combination with doxorubicin hydrochloride were assessed by examining the growth of human tumor xenografts implanted into nude mice. Results: The proliferation of tumor cell lines that overexpress HER2/neu was inhibited by antisense ODNs in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic agents in an additive or synergistic fashion. Such combination therapy also demonstrated synergistic activation of apoptosis. HER2/neu antisense ODNs in combination with doxorubicin hydrochloride demonstrated synergistic antitumor effects in vivo as well. Conclusions: Downregulation of HER2/neu. expression can enhance the sensitivity of human cancer cells, which overexpress HER2/neu to the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy. Antisense ODNs targeting the HER2/neu gene may play a role in cancer therapy. (Surgery 1999:126:413-21.)
Anatomy, shell morphology, and microstructure of the living fossil Pulvinites exempla (Hedley, 1914) (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Pulvinitidae)

Pulvinites exempla is the only living species of the marine bivalve family Pulvinitidae. Previously, the species has been known exclusively from cursory analyses of gross shell morphology. The present study is the first description of the soft anatomy, shell microstructure, and early ontogeny of the shell and ligament in this species. Many aspects of the morphology described herein are unique to P. exempla, considerably expanding the degree of morphological disparity within the superfamily Pterioidea. Many features of the body plan of P. exempla are affected by extensive torsion of the pedobyssal apparatus to accommodate its extreme pleurothetic (strongly inclined to the substratum) habit. The aberrant morphology of P. exempla is compared with that of similarly contorted but distantly related Anomiidae. In addition, P. exempla appears to be the first described pterioidean bivalve whose members brood lecithotrophic–planktotrophic larvae in their gills. Detailed observations on the arrangement of the musculature provide the basis for the re-interpretation of the muscle scars in fossil pulvinitids and establish their homology with other pterioideans. Type specimen designations of P. exempla are amended and taxonomic implications resulting from the analysis of variation in shell morphology within P. exempla are discussed. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 148, 523–552.
Green ICT practices in event management: case study approach to examine motivation, management and fiscal return on investment.

Events are a key component to tourism and play an active role in the development and marketing of a destination (Getz 2007). Festivals, in particular, are an exciting way for communities to celebrate culture, sense of place and social change (Picard and Robinson 2006). However, events’ impact on environmental sustainability has been difficult to measure due to their short duration, high visitor volume, diversity of clientele, and the intangible nature of the event experience (Getz 1989). Proenvironmental attitudes are being adopted by governing agencies that support event planning, although debate surrounds the most efficient means to integrate such goals (Mair and Laing 2013). Fredline et al. (2005) argue that sustainability in event management must be promoted through planning and management practices that deter negative outcomes and encourage positive ones. However, the more traditional motivation for green events come from a need to improve the financial bottom-line rather than a commitment to environmental values (Mair and Jago 2010) and technology is seen as an avenue to achieve this. The management and adoption of ‘‘Green ICT’’ in event businesses are just beginning to be broached in academic circles. Information communication technology (ICT) has become a holistic integrated system of networked equipment and software, which enables effective data processing and communication for an organisation’s benefit (Buhalis and Law
Speech cue enhancement for the hearing impaired: I. Altered vowel durations for perception of final fricative voicing.

Hearing-impaired persons with reduced voicing perception for final fricatives were studied for improvement in perception via training or enhancement of the vowel duration cue. Ten utterances each o...
A NEW METHOD FOR STUDYING THE FLOW CHARACTERISTICS OF GLASSES AND SLAGS AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES

Viscosities and surface tensions of glasses and slags are properties of great practical importance but they are frequently difficult to measure. The methods which yield results in absolute units are time-consuming and are not applicable to a study of the behavior of partly devitrified silicate melts. This paper describes an empirical method for estimating not only the relative fluidity of glasses and slags but also for determining the lowest temperature at which crystallization from a previously chilled vitreous slag will occur on reheating, the approximate rate at which devitrification proceeds at various temperatures, and the range of temperature within which devitrification is complete enough to prevent flow of the slag under its own weight. By an extension of the method to mixtures of crystalline substances, the behavior of such mixtures upon heating may be studied advantageously. By a further extension of the technique, the temperature at which the solid-liquid interfacial tension becomes low enough to permit wetting of a solid by a glass or slag may be determined. The applicability of these techniques to vitreous enameling problems is indicated.
DDS: Dynamics of Developmental Systems

The acronym Developmental systems theory (DST) has been introduced into the literature on development in at least three different contexts in recent years – twice for DST, and before that, for Dynamical Systems Theory – and in all cases, to designate a new perspective for understanding development. Subtle but significant differences in argument and aims distinguish these uses, and confound the difficulty of saying just what DST is. My aim in this paper is to disambiguate these different terms – both to call attention to the difference of perspectives, and to carve out a conceptual space for the concrete issues at stake.
Radiation therapy in the management of early stage Hodgkin's disease presenting in later life.

This study examined the contention that although elderly patients with Hodgkin's disease have a worse prognosis overall than younger patients, a subgroup of older patients fit enough to be managed like younger patients can fare just as well. A retrospective analysis was made on 29 patients older than 60 years of age with Stage I and II Hodgkin's disease treated by radiation therapy alone. Fourteen of these patients were managed optimally, i.e., were adequately staged (defined by one or more of the following: laparotomy, computed tomography [CT] scan, and/or lymphangiogram), followed by radical radiation therapy (mantle or inverted-Y). The remaining 15 patients, because of their general medical condition, were managed suboptimally with limited staging and/or involved-field irradiation. None of the 14 patients managed optimally relapsed over a median of 4.75 years of follow-up compared with 10 of 15 patients in the suboptimal group. For the optimally managed versus suboptimally managed groups, the actuarial 5-year disease-free survival rates were 61% and 6%, respectively; the actuarial overall survival rates (death from all causes) were 61% and 19%, respectively; and the disease-specific survival rates were 100% and 39%, respectively. Only three of the patients irradiated radically had acute complications severe enough to warrant a break in treatment. In the opinion of the authors, those elderly patients able to tolerate adequate staging and radical radiation therapy can anticipate a high likelihood of cure.
Neutron scattering from a collective spin fluctuation mode in a CuO 2 bilayer

A resonance in the magnetic scattering of neutrons from superconducting ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ has been observed at a momentum transfer of (\ensuremath{\pi}/a,\ensuremath{\pi}/a,\ensuremath{\pi}/c\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}), where a is the in-plane Cu spacing and c\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} is the Cu-Cu bilayer spacing. Here we construct a model of a ${\mathrm{CuO}}_{2}$ bilayer and show that a collective S=1, antiferromagnetic excitation with q=(\ensuremath{\pi}/a,\ensuremath{\pi}/a,\ensuremath{\pi}/c\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}) arises if the gap has ${\mathit{d}}_{{\mathit{x}}^{2}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathit{y}}^{2}}$ symmetry. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Optimal Byzantine attacks on distributed detection in tree-based topologies

This paper considers the problem of optimal Byzantine attacks or data falsification attacks on distributed detection mechanism in tree-based topologies. First, we show that when more than a certain fraction of individual node decisions are falsified, the decision fusion scheme becomes completely incapable. Second, under the assumption that there is a cost associated with attacking each node (which represent resources invested in capturing a node or cloning a node in some cases), we address the problem of minimum cost Byzantine attacks and formulate it as the bounded knapsack problem (BKP). An algorithm to solve our problem in polynomial time is presented. Numerical results provide insights into our solution.
Incorporating LGBT Issues into Student Affairs Graduate Education.

The authors address the need for including LGBT issues in student affairs graduate education, sharing current practices in select graduate programs and recommending a model for best practice.
Synthesis of Hyperbranched Polyacrylates by a Chloroinimer Approach

(2-Chloro-2-alkoxycarbonyl)ethyl acrylates with methyl, dodecyl, perfluoroalkyl, siloxane, oligooxyethylene, and mesogenic ester substituents were synthesized as inimers for self-condensing vinyl polymerization (SCVP) to produce hyperbranched polyacrylates. The inimers were polymerized by atom transfer radical polymerization under a variety of conditions to produce soluble polymers with broad polydispersities (up to PDI = 5.24) characteristic of hyperbranched polymers, although the isolated polymers had narrower polydispersities. The molecular weight distribution was followed as a function of time and inimer conversion for the polymerization of the mesogenic inimer. The first-order inimer conversion was linear with time. The buildup of a hyperbranched structure during the SCVP was confirmed by comparison of the error in the GPCPSt-determined molecular weights of the mesogenic polymer with those of the corresponding linear, three-arm star, and comb architectures.
Assessing the Costs of Living with Wildlife in Developing Countries Using Willingness to Pay

The costs of living with wildlife are assessed using Namibian subsistence farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for deterrents to attacks on crops and livestock. A utility-theoretic approach jointly estimates household WTP for deterrent programs in two ‘currencies’: maize and cash. This has a double payoff. Use of a non-cash staple increases respondent comprehension and provides more information about preferences, improving the accuracy of results. The household shadow value of maize is also identified. Significant costs from living with elephants and other types of wildlife are demonstrated. Compensation for farmers may be warranted on equity and efficiency grounds. Uncontrolled domestic cattle generate even higher costs to farmers than wildlife, highlighting the need to clarify property rights among these farmers.
Effect of heat-treatment on the tensile behavior of iron-rich FeAl and FeAl+B

Both test environment and heat-treatment have been demonstrated to have a substantial effect on the room-temperature mechanical properties of iron-rich B2-structured FeAl. Different heat-treatments also affect the ductility. Polycrystals of Fe-40Al show greater elongation when furnace-cooled than when oil-quenched or air-cooled. Similarly, after a low temperature anneal, Fe-45Al can exhibit [approximately]3% elongation when tested in air whereas without this anneal failure before yield occurs under tension. Polycrystals of boron-doped Fe-40Al show similar behavior. The fracture mode of the boron-doped material was noted to change from mixed mode to completely transgranular cleavage with increasing cooling rate, whereas higher cooling rates have been reported to increase the incidence of intergranular fracture for unalloyed FeAl. The cooling rate also dramatically affects the ductility of polycrystals in compression: for iron-rich alloys, the shortening to failure is reduced at higher cooling rates while for the stoichiometric composition a higher cooling rate can lead to fracture before yield. Interestingly, single crystals of Fe-40Al exhibit little difference in their fracture strains whether they are oil-quenched, air-cooled or furnace-cooled, although the ultimate tensile strength is less for the furnace-cooled crystals than those for the other heat-treatments. The present study was performed to examine further the effect of various more » heat-treatments on the strength and ductility of unalloyed and boron-doped FeAl. « less
A seismic equation of state II. Shear properties and thermodynamics of the lower mantle

For most solids at normal conditions the effect of temperature on the elastic properties is controlled mainly by the variation of volume. Volume dependent extrinsic effects dominate at low pressure and high temperature. Under these conditions one expects that the relative changes in shear velocity, due to lateral temperature gradients in the mantle, should be similar to changes in compressional velocity. However, at high pressure, the extrinsic contribution is suppressed, particularly for the bulk modulus, and variations of seismic velocities are due primarily to changes in the rigidity. Seismic data for the lower mantle are used to estimate the two Gruneisen parameters and related parameters such as the temperature and pressure derivatives of the elastic moduli and thermal expansion. Standard assumptions about the volume dependence of the elastic moduli based on high temperature behavior of solids are shown to be inaccurate for the lower mantle. The Gruneisen-type parameters for the lower mantle are (∂ In K_s/∂ In P)_p=δ_s=1.8-1.0, (∂ In K_s/∂ In p)_s=3-3.8, (∂ In G/∂ In P)_p=5.8-7.0, (∂ In G/∂ In P)_s=2.4-2.6 and y=1.3-1.1 These are based on the radial and lateral variations of seismic velocity and density. The zero-pressure high-temperature values for the coefficient of thermal expansion and the Gruneisen ratio are estimated as α_0 = 3.8 × 10^(−5) K^(−1) and γ_0 = 1.4. The seismic data imply (∂ In y/∂ In P) = - 1+є and -(∂ In ɑ/∂ In P)_s = ~ 2-3. The effect of temperature on the pressure derivatives of the moduli is also estimated. The lattice conductivity, K_L, increases rapidly with depth, contributing to a lowering of the Rayleigh number in the lower mantle and a large thickness for deep thermal boundary layers. Temperature is less effective in altering density and seismic velocity at depth than assumed in geophysical modeling. Temperature induced phase changes are more important than temperature per se. These considerations cast doubt on the thermal interpretation of deep slab anomalies and, therefore, on the deep slab penetration hypothesis.
Molecular pathophysiologic hints into Niemann-Pick Type C disease using cDNA microarray technology

Molecular pathophysiologic hints into Niemann-Pick Type C disease using cDNA microarray technology
Optimization of orifice geometry for crossflow mixing in a cylindrical duct

Mixing of gaseous jets in a cross-flow has significant applications in engineering, one example of which is the dilution zone of a gas turbine combustor. Despite years of study, the design of the jet injection in combustors is largely based on practical experience. The emergence of NO(x) regulations for stationary gas turbines and the anticipation of aero-engine regulations requires an improved understanding of jet mixing as new combustor concepts are introduced. For example, the success of the staged combustor to reduce the emission of NO(x) is almost entirely dependent upon the rapid and complete dilution of the rich zone products within the mixing section. It is these mixing challenges to which the present study is directed. A series of experiments was undertaken to delineate the optimal mixer orifice geometry. A cross-flow to core-flow momentum-flux ratio of 40 and a mass flow ratio of 2.5 were selected as representative of a conventional design. An experimental test matrix was designed around three variables: the number of orifices, the orifice length-to- width ratio, and the orifice angle. A regression analysis was performed on the data to arrive at an interpolating equation that predicted the mixing performance of orifice geometry combinations within the range of the test matrix parameters. Results indicate that the best mixing orifice geometry tested involves eight orifices with a long-to-short side aspect ratio of 3.5 at a twenty-three degree inclination from the center-line of the mixing section.
An Assessment of Existing Demand for Carbon Sequestration Services

Summary The market for carbon sequestration services is developing rapidly. The objective of this paper is to analyze existing market demand for carbon credits and review existing institutions supporting demand generation. Existing carbon demand is driven primarily by regulated, and to a lesser extent, non-regulated or voluntary markets. While regulated carbon markets are potentially large and driven by the Kyoto Protocol, the challenge for a forestry-based carbon project in Panama is its ability to meet CDM regulated constraints. The challenge in non-regulated carbon markets is identifying potential consumers in an extremely fragmented market. While there is significant demand for carbon credits, meeting demand for carbon credits in the regulated and voluntary markets from forestry-based carbon sequestration projects will remain a challenge. Landowners may have options to pursue these markets; however, reforestation and afforestation project profitability and viability will be dependent on how carbon mar...
Contradictory Expectations? Achievement and Satisfaction in Adult Learning

(1985). Contradictory Expectations? Achievement and Satisfaction in Adult Learning. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education: Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 10-12.
Cardiovascular toxicities of nandrolone and cocaine in spontaneously hypertensive rats

The outcome of concurrent abuse of cocaine and anabolic steroids is largely unknown and merits investigation. The present study was designed to determine whether an animal model could be developed for investigation of the toxic responses to simultaneous administration of cocaine and an anabolic steroid, nandrolone decanoate. Twenty-four male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), all 7 weeks of age, were assigned randomly to four groups: (1) control, (2) cocaine, (3) nandrolone, and (4) cocaine plus nandrolone. Metabolic measurements and indirect (tail-cuff) blood pressure and heart rate measurements were performed on all rats every 2 weeks. All drug treatment groups exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) higher levels of blood pressure after 6 weeks of treatment when compared to the control group. Cocaine plus nandrolone group exhibited the lowest heart rate compared to other groups. Rats were euthanized at 13 weeks of age, and different tissues were removed, blotted dry, and weighed. The kidney, levator ani muscle, and seminal vesicle (with prostate glands) weights in both nandrolone-receiving groups were higher than those of the control and cocaine groups. Testicular weights of the cocaine plus nandrolone group were less than those of the control and cocaine groups. Hearts were fixed in 10% buffered formaldehyde before myocardial dimension measurements were performed. The nandrolone group showed increased vertical ventricular diameters when compared to the control and cocaine groups. The nandrolone group also displayed higher vertical ventricular circumferences when compared to all the other groups. Finally, the cocaine plus nandrolone group had the greatest ventricular weights (per 100 g body weight) and left ventricular volumes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Dawn Gravity Investigation at Vesta and Ceres

The objective of the Dawn gravity investigation is to use high precision X-band Doppler tracking and landmark tracking from optical images to measure the gravity fields of Vesta and Ceres to a half-wavelength surface resolution better than 90-km and 300-km, respectively. Depending on the Doppler tracking assumptions, the gravity field will be determined to somewhere between harmonic degrees 15 and 25 for Vesta and about degree 10 for Ceres. The gravity fields together with shape models determined from Dawn’s framing camera constrain models of the interior from the core to the crust. The gravity field is determined jointly with the spin pole location. The second degree harmonics together with assumptions on obliquity or hydrostatic equilibrium may determine the moments of inertia.
Size and Sequence Polymorphism in the Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Kinase/Phosphatase Gene (Acek) and Flanking Regions in Salmonella Enterica and Escherichia Coli

The sequence of aceK , which codes for the regulatory catalytic enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase kinase/phosphatase (IDH K/P), and sequences of the 5′ flanking region and part or all of the 3′ flanking region were determined for 32 strains of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli . In E. coli , the aceK gene was 1734 bp long in 13 strains, but in three strains it was 12 bp shorter and the stop codon was TAA rather than TGA. Strains with the shorter aceK lacked an open reading frame ( f728 ) downstream between aceK and iclR that was present, in variable length, in the other strains. Among the 72 ECOR strains, the truncated aceK gene was present in all isolates of the B2 group and half of those of the D group. Other variant conditions included the presence of IS1 elements in two strains and large deletions in two strains. The aceK-aceA intergenic region varied in length from 48 to 280 bp in E. coli , depending largely on the number of repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) sequences present. Among the ECOR strains, the number of REP elements showed a high degree of phylogenetic association, and sequencing of the region in the ECOR strains permitted partial reconstruction of its evolutionary history. In S. enterica , the normal length of aceK was 1752 bp, but three other length variants, ranging from 1746 to 1785 bp, were represented in five of the 16 strains examined. The flanking intergenic regions showed relatively minor variation in length and sequence. The occurrence of several nonrandom patterns of distribution of polymorphic synonymous nucleotide sites indicated that intragenic recombination of horizontally exchanged DNA has contributed to the generation of allelic diversity at the aceK locus in both species.
Effects of systematic desensitization by trainees in an “exam fear” clinic

Abstract An “Exam Fear” Clinic was established to provide practicum experience with systematic desentization for beginning therapist. Of 40 clients who completed treatment, 85% were either appreciably or substantially improved. This outcome provides further evidence for the reliable efficacy of systematic desensitization in straightforward fears, even when applied by inexperienced and uncommitted therapists.
A Differentiated Message Delivery Architecture to Control Spam

Unsolicited bulk electronic mail (spam) is increasingly plaguing the Internet email system and deteriorating its value as a convenient communication tools. In this paper we argue that the difficulties in controlling spam can be attributed to the lack of receiver control on how different email messages should be delievered on the Internet. In the current email delivery architecture, a user can send messages to another at will, regardless of whether or not the latter is willing to accept the message. Based on this observation, we propose a differentiated message delivery architecture - DiffMail. In DiffMail, a user can classify email senders into multiple classes and handle messages from each class differently. For example, although a receiver may directly accept messages from the regular correspondents, he may selectively ask other senders to store messages on the senders' own mail servers, and pull the messages only if and when he wants to. In this paper we present the DiffMail architecture and illustrate some of the appealing advantages using real-world email archives
Kinesiology: Challenges of Multiple Agendas

This paper addresses the challenge of how the fi eld of kinesiology can exploit the advantages of multiple agendas while minimizing the disadvantages. Agendas here are the scholarly themes that help organize the field of study explicitly or implicitly and that give emphases to it with respect to its content and impact in society. The issue of multiple agendas is discussed with respect to the core knowledge dimensions of physical activity: namely, lifespan development, interdisciplinary knowledge, and the professions of physical activity. The selection of programmatic emphases within dimensions and their interpretation are critical to determining the relative degrees of coherence and fragmentation of a department and the field of study at large.
Chemokines and alcoholic hepatitis: are chemokines good therapeutic targets?

Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a severe form of alcoholic liver disease that is associated with high mortality. Despite extensive research on AH over the last several decades, the pathogenesis of AH remains largely unknown, and there are no approved targeted therapies. Inflammation (neutrophil infiltration) is generally believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of AH; however, the mechanisms underlying neutrophil infiltration in AH and the functions of neutrophils in AH are not fully understood.1 Despite its obscure role, inflammation has been actively investigated as a therapeutic target for the treatment of AH. For example, corticosteroids, which are broadly immunosuppressive drugs, have been widely used for AH therapy for more than five decades. However, the results have been controversial. It is generally accepted that corticosteroid therapy improves short-term, but not long-term, survival rates in patients with severe AH.2 Recently, we have demonstrated that treatment with prednisolone, a synthetic steroid drug, reduced hepatotoxin (eg, ethanol and CCl4)-induced liver injury in mice by inhibiting neutrophil-mediated phagocytosis and liver regeneration, suggesting a detrimental effect of steroid therapy in hepatotoxin-induced hepatitis.3 Additionally, it is known that steroid therapy is ineffective and, occasionally, even detrimental for the treatment of neutrophil-mediated diseases because steroid treatment stimulates bone marrow neutrophil release and increases neutrophil survival.4 Based on this phenomenon, it is plausible to speculate that steroid therapy for AH may have no beneficial effects on the injured liver itself but may retain certain beneficial effects in attenuating systemic inflammatory responses and, thus, improving the short-term survival rate. Therefore, there …
Applications of Thin-Film Standards in Analytical Electron Microscopy

For the first purpose to characterize the analytical performance of an instrument, Egerton’s NiOx test specimen has widely been used [1-3]. By taking a single XEDS spectrum from the NiOx test specimen, detector-performance parameters, such as the energy resolution, peak-to-background ratio, detector collection angle, etc., can be determined. The system energy resolution defined at 5.9 keV is converted from the full-width at half-maximum value of the Ni K peak in the spectrum from NiOx, as proposed by Bennett and Egerton [2]. The energy resolution of XEDS system is the major parameter can be controlled by a selection of the detector process time. In other words, the energy resolution varies depending on the process time setting, as shown in Fig. 1(a). The system energy resolution should be known before performing X-ray analysis. The P/B ratio and IHC, which can also be determined from a single spectrum of NiOx, are useful to evaluate the AEM-XEDS interface [4]. Furthermore, degradation of detector performance due to accumulated contamination and ice at the detector window can be monitored by determining thicknesses of those layers from two spectra acquired at different time period [3]. To perform these measurements routinely and consistently, a set of plug-ins for Gatan DigitalMicrograph named XUtils has been developed by the author [5] and is freely available from the author’s web site [6]. Since the NiOx test specimen is no longer available, a similar NiO test specimen (NiOxL) is now fabricated at Lehigh as well. The microstructure of the NiOxL test specimen and an XEDS spectrum from the NiOxL are shown in Fig. 1(b) and (c), respectively.
Empowerment : Community Economic Development from the Inside Out

Community economic development has achieved some enviable successes in both the US and Latin America. Community development corporations (CDCs) in the US are well networked among themselves and nurtured by a web of ® nancial intermediaries and technical assistance providers that channel resources and professional expertise to low-income neighbourhoods and communities across the country (see Wilson, 1995). In Latin America, most countries and many cities can point to their showcase low-income neighbourhoods where internationally funded non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have concentrated resources in creative programmes for community economic development, where one can ® nd local grassroots business incubators for hatching and supporting sectorally integrated micro-enterprises that share information, equipment, child-care and health services, and are governed through popular participation. Yet for all the growing sophistication and success stories, a sense of dissatisfaction has developed, perhaps most intensely among the `successful’ (King and George, 1987). In the US the feeling of malaise that comes with success in community economic development is one of selling outÐ to consumer society, to hierarchy and professionalisation, and to the non-pro® t funders themselves (Halpern, 1995). In Latin America, the malaise that comes with success is based on the awareness of asistencialismo, the realisation that rather than having empowered the low-income residents, the NGOs have made them dependent on outside assistance, even when the assistance itself is focused on providing the rod and not the ® sh (FundacioÂn Carvajal, 1995). Out of this dissatisfaction, new efforts have evolved in both US and Latin American low-income communities that point in the same direction: community economic development, if it is truly to empower people, must build community from the inside outÐ i.e. from the individual’ s realisation of selfef® cacy and interconnectedness with the larger community. Practitioners are discovering the pivotal role of the individual as subjectÐ not objectÐ of community economic development and social change. The urban economic development literature often leaves the individual to the domain of conservative `rational choice’ theorists (Sharp and Bath, 1993). Since conservative interest in the individual has emphasised the need for poor individuals to adopt the hegemonic values of the market economy, liberals have dismissed the interest as naive in the face of the structural and institutional impediments to redistributing power, wealth and income (Zippay, 1995). While conservatives
Aromatization: Is It Critical for the Differentiation of Sexually Dimorphic Behaviours?

While it is readily accepted that exposure to testicular secretions during a limited, sensitive stage of perinatal development permanently alters an organism’s behavioural responsivity to gonadal hormones in adulthood, it is unclear which hormone(s) mediates the events. Identity of the hormone or combination of hormones that bring about behavioural defeminization (suppression of female-typical responses) and behavioural masculinization (enhancement of male-typical responses) is critical for our eventual understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying sexual differentiation. Testosterone, the major secretory product of the developing testes (Resko et al. 1968; Corbier et al. 1978) is a likely candidate for the differentiating hormone. Indeed testosterone or testosterone propionate mimics the action of the testes when given to neonatally castrated males or females during perinatal development (Harris and Levine 1965; Whalen and Edwards 1967; Thomas et al. 1982 and others). However, this androgen is readily metabolized in peripheral and neural tissues (Mainwaring 1977) and one of its metabolites is oestrogen (Reddy et al. 1974). Moreover, oestrogens can also cause defeminization in rats (Wilson 1943; Feder and Whalen 1965). Since oestrogen is formed from circulating androgens within specific neural tissues, it has been postulated that oestrogens mediate sexual differentiation (Naftolin et al. 1975; Naftolin and MacLusky 1984).
Inverse scattering of Hz waves using local shape‐function imaging: A T‐matrix formulation

Inverse scattering algorithms for Hz polarized waves are scarce, due to the added difficulties of polarization charges. Nevertheless, the polarization charges cannot be ignored for 3D problems as well as for 2D Hz problems. This work aims to reconstruct arbitrary inhomogeneous dielectric objects from Hz scattering data using a new formulation that abandons the standard integral equation model for a T-matrix model. This new algorithm, called local shape-function (LSF) imaging, is modified for dielectric objects with Hz incident fields, where previously the LSF algorithm was applied to metallic objects with Ez incident fields. The advantage of the LSF algorithm is a more accurate modeling of the induced interfacial polarization charges. For comparison, the Hz distorted Born iterative method using integral equations is shown to be valid only for small contrasts, while the LSF algorithm converges for much larger dielectric contrasts.©1994 John Wiley & Sons Inc
Effect of silane coupling agent chemistry on electrical breakdown across hybrid organic-inorganic insulating films.

Dielectric breakdown measurements were conducted on self-assembled monolayer (SAM)/native silicon oxide hybrid dielectrics using conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). By depositing silane coupling agents (SCAs) through a diffusional barrier layer, SAM roughness was decoupled from chemistry to compare the chemical effects of exposed R-group functionality on dielectric breakdown. Using Weibull and current–voltage (I–V) analysis, the breakdown strength was observed to be independent of SCA R-group length, and the addition of a SAM was seen to improve the breakdown strength relative to native silicon oxide by up to 158%. Fluorinated SCAs were observed to suppress tunneling leakage and exhibited increased breakdown strength relative to their hydrocarbon analogs. Electron trapping, scattering, or attachment processes inherent to the fluorinated moieties are thought to be the origin of the improved breakdown properties.
Capital Budgeting of Interrelated Projects: Survey and Synthesis

As capital budgeting decision procedures become more complex, they must allow for more aspects of the real world. The present article surveys the techniques available to handle the important and generally neglected problem of project interrelationships such as mutual exclusion and interdependencies. The techniques utilized are linear and integer programming, dynamic programing, and the discrete optimizing procedure of Reiter. Project interrelationships arising from randomness of outcomes and nonlinear utility functions are also subjected to scrutiny by application of these procedures, and additional interrelationships, arising in the context of research and development budgets, are analyzed. A dynamic programming code for the multidimensional 0-1 knapsack problem is also presented.
Flanking p10 contribution and sequence bias in matrix based epitope prediction: revisiting the assumption of independent binding pockets

Eluted natural peptides from major histocompatibility molecules show patterns of conserved residues. Crystallographic structures show that the bound peptide in class II major histocompatibility complex adopts a near uniform polyproline II-like conformation. This way allele-specific favoured residues are able to anchor into pockets in the binding groove leaving other peptide side chains exposed for recognition by T cells. The anchor residues form a motif. This sequence pattern can be used to screen large sequences for potential epitopes. Quantitative matrices extend the motif idea to include the contribution of non-anchor peptide residues. This report examines two new matrices that extend the binding register to incorporate the polymorphic p10 pocket of human leukocyte antigen DR1. Their performance is quantified against experimental binding measurements and against the canonical nine-residue register matrix. One new matrix shows significant improvement over the base matrix; the other does not. The new matrices differ in the sequence of the peptide library. One of the extended quantitative matrices showed significant improvement in prediction over the original nine residue matrix and over the other extended matrix. Proline in the sequence of the peptide library of the better performing matrix presumably stabilizes the peptide conformation through neighbour interactions. Such interactions may influence epitope prediction in this test of quantitative matrices. This calls into question the assumption of the independent contribution of individual binding pockets.
Interleukin-6 upregulates expression of KDR and stimulates proliferation of human cerebrovascular smooth muscle cells.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) may play multiple roles in angiogenesis and vascular remodeling. Our previous study showed that a promoter polymorphism (174G > C) in IL-6 is associated with brain arteriovenous malformation hemorrhage; tissue expression is related to genotype. In this study, we investigated the effects of IL-6 on human cerebral smooth muscle cells (HCSMCs) and smooth muscle cells isolated from brain arteriovenous malformation surgical specimens (AVM SMCs) and surgical controls (control HCSMCs—from structurally normal temporal lobe taken during surgical treatment of epilepsy patients). We found that IL-6 (1.160.27 versus 0.3760.04 pg/mL, n =5 ,P < 0.05) and endogenous vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor II (kinase domain-containing receptor (KDR), 1563 versus 1.563 pg/mL, n =5 , P < 0.05) were increased in brain AVM SMCs compared with control HCSMCs. Further research revealed that IL-6 could stimulate SMC proliferation, VEGF release, and KDR activation in control HCSMCs. It could also stimulate KDR phosphorylation in control HCSMCs, further confirming a unique role of IL-6 in the triggering of KDR. Interleukin-6 could increase matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) secretion through activating KDR in control HCSMCs (P < 0.05 versus control). Inhibiting IL-6-induced KDR could reduce MMP-9 activity at least 50% compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Increased MMP-9 activity was accompanied by increased control HCSMC proliferation, and blocking MMP-9 activity significantly reduced IL-6-induced control HCSMC proliferation (P < 0.05). Collectively, our results show that IL-6 could activate, amplify, and maintain the angiogenic cascade in HCSMCs. A novel role of IL-6 during HCSMC proliferation is upregulating KDR expression and phosphorylation. The results may
Location of spectroscopic probes in self-aggregating assemblies. II. The location of pyrene and other probes in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles.

The location of pyrene in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles is determined as a function of the aggregation number, N, by exploiting the fact that spin probes 5- and 16-doxyl stearic acid methyl esters (5DSE and 16DSE, respectively) are effective quenchers of pyrene fluorescence. The locations of the two spin probes are known from Part 1 of this series (J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 9791) and the distance between the probes and pyrene is determined by using a hydrodynamic theory to predict the quenching rate constant. The hydrodynamic theory requires the microviscosity of the regions through which the probe and pyrene diffuse. The same spin probe that serves as quencher provides a measure of the microviscosity; thus, all the information needed to locate pyrene is available from each spin probe. Employing 5DSE, at N = 53, pyrene is found to diffuse through a zone 67% of which lies within the Stern layer and 33% in the core. As the micelle grows, due to increasing either the surfactant or added-salt concen...
MDCT Image Acquisition to Enable Optimal 3D Data Evaluation

When considering an abdominal multi-detector-row CT (MDCT) protocol to enable optimal diagnostic capability, there are several important factors that need to be considered. Most importantly, what is the clinical indication for the study? This will enable the radiologist to tailor the CT protocol appropriately to obtain the diagnostic information requested. Appropriate tailoring of the protocol requires consideration of: • The kind of oral contrast that should be administered (none, neutral, or positive) and over what period of time. • What kind of IV contrast should be administered and at what rate? • What slice collimation and dose that should be employed to enable a confident diagnosis to be made at axial imaging and how that data can be utilized for 3D rendering?
Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) expression in bladder cancer

Abstract Background Studies evaluating enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) expression and oncologic outcomes in bladder cancer have been discrepant. EZH2 expression in noninvasive bladder cancer is not well studied. We thus set out to address the discrepancy in previous reports, and to study expression of EZH2 in noninvasive bladder cancer and its associations, in a large cystectomy cohort. Materials and methods EZH2 expression was evaluated in tissue microarray material (invasive and noninvasive cancer). Associations between EZH2 expression and oncologic outcomes, tumor stage, and disease type were determined. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed for EZH2 expression in the diagnosis of invasive carcinoma and flat carcinoma in situ (CIS) compared to benign urothelium. Results EZH2 expression was most common in CIS, followed by invasive carcinoma, noninvasive papillary urothelial carcinoma, and benign urothelium, in decreasing order ( P P = 0.05, Fisher exact). Conclusion That EZH2 status of noninvasive and invasive cancer correlated in individual patients suggests that EZH2 may be a marker of lineage. EZH2 may offer diagnostic utility, particularly in flat urothelial CIS vs. benign urothelium. The present study supports that EZH2 expression in bladder cancer is not predictive of oncologic outcome.
Simulation of Horizontal Turbulent Diffusion of Particles under Waves

By oscillation of an array of turbulence-generating grids in still water, the turbulent fluid velocity field m shoaling waves near the bottom is simulated in a laboratory channel. Solid particles with fall velocities varying between 1 and 40 mm/sec are introduced into the test volume from above. Multiple- image photography using ultraviolet lighting techniques and a suitably placed mirror allow recording of the gram trajectories as functions of time and three space dimensions simultaneously. The Lagrangian intensities of turbulence and diffusion coefficients are then directly measured from the photographic data. The scale times, scale lengths, and the frequencies of the power spectra modes can then be calculated. Properties of the fluid turbulence are inferred from the quasi-neutral particles. The analysis, which is restricted to the component of diffusion in the hori2ontal direction normal to the grid motion, shows that the turbulent velocity distributions of both fluid and heavy particles are Gaussian, and that their standard deviations (intensities of turbulence) increase regularly with increasing grid Reynolds numbers (grid speeds). Diffusion coefficients likewise generally increase with increasing grid Reynolds numbers. Diffusivities of the heavy particles relative to the fluid are a function of both particle fall velocity and the structure of the fluid turbulence itself.
Some Described Species of Poria

The brown and black species of this group have already been treated in North American Flora and one genus, Xanthoporia, was recently described in Mycologia. The resupinate polypores are particularly difficult for several reasons. In the first place, they lack the definite shape which is often a determining character in the pileate forms; they are, moreover, entirely destitute of a "surface," with the various important characters which it usually affords; and they are mostly small, the characters that are present being necessarily on a small scale. As a rule, each individual specimen has to be examined with the microscope, and, even then, the well-known variability in microscopic characters often leaves one in doubt. In working with original specimens in foreign herbaria, it is often impossible to get satisfactory results because of the character of the work required and the time it consumes. Accidental resupinate forms among pileate species also give considerable trouble because of their close resemblance to forms uniformly resupinate, and for this reason a wide and accurate knowledge of pileate forms is essential.