cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Providing a Dental Home for Pregnant Women: A Community Program to Address Dental Care Access – A Brief Communication

Objective: This paper describes a community-based intervention to provide a dental home for women covered by Medicaid in Klamath County, Oregon. In 2001, 8.8 percent of pregnant women served by Medicaid in Oregon received care. The long-term goal of the program is to promote preventive oral care for both mothers and their new infants. Methods: Pregnant women received home/Women, Infant and Children visits and were assigned a dental home under a dental managed care program [Dental Care Organization (DCO)]. All initial care was provided at the Oregon Institute of Technology Dental Hygiene Clinic under the contract with the DCO. Emergency, preventive, and restorative care was provided. Results: Between February 2004 and January 2006, 503 pregnant women were identified; 421 women were contactable. Of these, 339 received home visits (339/421, 80.5 percent) and 235 received care (235/339, 69.3 percent). Overall, 55.8 percent of eligible women received care (235/421). Most who did not have a visit either moved or were not the caretaker of the baby. The missed appointment rate was 9 percent. Conclusion: A community health partnership led to a successful and sustainable model extending care to pregnant women and is being extended to promote preventive care for both new mothers and their offspring.
Unequal Employment Status and Ethnicity: Further Analysis of the USPI-ESPI Model

This study compares two groups of Chicanos who were exposed to two disparate work environments. The effect of these two different employment systems on a number of psychological and attitudinal variables was investigated. Significant group differences were found, which supported the hypothesis that being in an unequal social power and influence (USPI) work environment, where Chicanos are job segregated, negatively affects their psychological well-being. However, a relationship was not found between the socialpower environment of Chicanos at work and their attitudes reflectingperceived reasons for the current social status of Chicanos in society. Also, groups failed to differ in their perceptions of discrimination against Chicanos in their neighborhoods. Even so, the results demonstrated the psychological importance and consequence to Hispanics of being exposed to unfair and inequitable work environments.
Markets in the Ancient Near East: A Challenge to Silver's Argument and Use of Evidence

Morris Silver's argument that Karl Polanyi was wrong about markets in the ancient Near East raises the issue of whether Polanyi's work in general was well founded and scholarly. ' If Silver is correct, then he has refuted much in The Livelihood of Man, and has cast grave doubts upon all the work done by Polanyi, his associates, and those who have followed in this tradition.2 We do not think that Silver is right, and we challenge his argument on four grounds: his treatment of Livelihood without reference to the larger body of Polanyi's work, with a consequent misunderstanding of Polanyi's position; his logic; his arguments from words in translation; and his inferences from facts.
Evidence for an addition to the reading scan hypothesis

Letters were tachistoscopically presented in pairs to the left or right of fixation for 40 msec. The pair consisted of a target letter (B, D, P, or T) and a noise letter (all other letters of the alphabet except I), with the noise letter appearing either to the inside or the outside of the stimulus letter. S’s task was to report verbally the target letter as fast as possible. Reaction times and number of errors indicated that there was more interference when the noise letter occurred further from the fixation point than the target letter for both the left and right visual field. Since a reading scan cannot account for the results in the right visual field, an outside-toward-fixation scan is proposed. An analysis of the different kinds of errors indicated that the outside to fixation scan is more primitive than the reading scan in that it produces less detailed information about the letters than does the reading scan.
Current time responses and impedances of model thin layer and membrane cells with steady state current

When electrochemical cells have symmetric bathing and symmetric electrode kinds, there are steady state currents under applied voltage steps. The impedance spectrum can be calculated in terms of steady state current and measured at each voltage. This procedure gives another method for confirming the electrochemical origins of the Rs and Cs of a system. Three example systems are analyzed and illustrated: a thin-layer cell with single charge carrier in a high concentration of supporting electrolyte; a single charge carrier in a constant resistance membrane with current controlled by coupled back diffusion of an uncharged complexing agent (a neutral carrier system) and a general liquid ion exchanger membrane with one charge carrier at dc and trapped mobile sites subject to concentration polarization, corresponding to voltage-dependent concentration profiles and distributed resistances.
A derivation of the marginal Fermi liquid from first class constraints

Abstract A new method based on Dirac's method for first class constraints is introduced for solving the problem of exclusion of double occupancy. In the language of quantum constraints we demand that the pair operator Q ( x ⇒ ) = ψ ↓ ( x ⇒ ) ψ ↑ ( x ⇒ ) annihilates the ground state | Ψ 0 〉 . As a result of the projection a time dependent action is generated and is investigated with the help of the renormalization group. We identify the marginal Fermi liquid with the properties: (a) The excitations spectrum is asymmetric between electrons and holes; we believe this asymmetry is the origin of the asymmetry observed in the tunneling density of states. (b) The imaginary part of the self-energy 1 / τ ∝ ω is linear in the frequency at T = 0 as observed experimentally.
Late Quaternary Marine Invasion in Maine: Its Chronology and Associated Crustal Movement

Recession of the ice margin at a rate of 0.3 km/yr or more in coastal areas in central Maine between 13,000 and 12,700 yr B.P. resulted in a large-scale marine submergence of this region. Isostatic uplift brought the region above sea level by 12,100 yr B.P. Model calculations show the existence of an inland sea in the later stages of emergence. The chronology of these events is given by 14 C dates on shells and seaweed from the Presumpscot Formation. Several criteria applied indicate age reliability of the shell dates within a few hundred years. 14 C ages of the earliest grown organic material in kettles often lag behind the time of deglaciation.
Bacterial Transport Experiments in Fractured Crystalline Bedrock

The efficiency of contaminant biodegradation in ground water depends, in part, on the transport properties of the degrading bacteria. Few data exist concerning the transport of bacteria in saturated bedrock, particularly at the field scale. Bacteria and microsphere tracer experiments were conducted in a fractured crystalline bedrock under forced-gradient conditions over a distance of 36 m. Bacteria isolated from the local ground water were chosen on the basis of physicochemical and physiological differences (shape, cell-wall type, motility), and were differentially stained so that their transport behavior could be compared. No two bacterial strains transported in an identical manner, and microspheres produced distinctly different breakthrough curves than bacteria. Although there was insufficient control in this field experiment to completely separate the effects of bacteria shape, reaction to Gram staining, cell size, and motility on transport efficiency, it was observed that (1) the nonmotile, mutant strain exhibited better fractional recovery than the motile parent strain; (2) Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria exhibited higher fractional recovery relative to the Gram-positive rod-shaped strain of similar size; and (3) coccoidal (spherical-shaped) bacteria transported better than all but one strain of the rod-shaped bacteria. The field experiment must be interpreted in the context of the specific bacterial strains and ground water environment in which they were conducted, but experimental results suggest that minor differences in the physical properties of bacteria can lead to major differences in transport behavior at the field scale.
Inverse problems: recovery of BV coefficients from nodes

We consider the Sturm-Liouville problem on a finite interval with Dirichlet boundary conditions. Let the elastic modulus and the density be of bounded variation. Results for both the forward problem and the inverse problem are established. For the forward problem, new bounds are established for the eigenfrequencies. The bounds are sharp. For the inverse problem, it is shown that the elastic modulus is uniquely determined, up to one arbitrary constant, by a dense subset of the nodes of the eigenfunctions when the density is known. Similarly it is shown that the density is uniquely determined, up to one arbitrary constant, by a dense subset of the nodes of the eigenfunctions when the elastic modulus is known. Algorithms for finding piecewise constant approximations to the unknown elastic modulus or density are established and are shown to converge to the unknown function at every point of continuity. Results from numerical calculations are presented.
Resilience following spinal cord injury: a phenomenological view.

Qualitative research design involving semi-structured focus groups. To increase current understanding of how persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) define resilience and what factors contribute to their resilience or the resilience of others. Inpatient rehabilitation program in a large urban city in the Southwestern United States. A convenience sample of 28 participants (14 current patients; 14 former patients) participated in semi-structured focus groups led by the research investigators. Through a constant comparative analysis of the data, six themes emerged in participants’ responses regarding what they believed contributed to their own resilience in adapting to SCI. The six themes included psychological strength, social support, perspective, adaptive coping, spirituality or faith, and serving as a role model or inspiring others. Consistent with previous research findings, individuals with SCI identified positive thinking (for example, optimism, hope and positive attitude), perseverance and determination, and social support from friends and family as important contributors to their ability to adapt in spite of experiencing traumatic events that resulted in SCI. Findings provide richness and depth to current empirical conceptualizations of resilience.
Distributed computing paradigms for collaborative signal and information processing in sensor networks

In this paper, we report the development of an energy-efficient, high-performance distributed computing paradigm to carry out Collaborative Signal and Information Processing (CSIP) in sensor networks using mobile agents. In this paradigm, the processing code is moved to the sensor nodes through mobile agents, in contrast to the client/server-based computing, where local data are transferred to a processing center. Although the client/server paradigm has been widely used in distributed computing, the many advantages of the mobile agent paradigm make it more suitable for sensor networks. The paper first presents simulation models for both the client/server paradigm and the mobile agent paradigm. We use the execution time, energy and energy*delay as metrics to measure the performance. Several experiments are designed to show the effect of different parameters on the performance of the paradigms. Experimental results show that the mobile agent paradigm performs much better when the number of nodes is large while the client/server paradigm is advantageous when the number of nodes is small. Based on this observation, we then propose a cluster-based hybrid computing paradigm to combine the advantages of these two paradigms. There are two schemes in this paradigm and simulation results show that there is always one scheme which performs better than either the client/server or the mobile agent paradigms. Thus, the cluster-based hybrid computing provides an energy-efficient and high-performance solution to CSIP.
Transcriptional analysis of porcine circovirus type 2.

Abstract Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the causative agent of an emerging swine disease, postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome. In this work, the RNAs of PCV2 synthesized during productive infection in porcine kidney cells were characterized. A total of nine RNAs were detected. They include the viral capsid protein RNA (CR), a cluster of five Rep-associated RNAs (designated Rep, Rep′, Rep3a, Rep3b, and Rep3c), and three NS-associated RNA (designated NS515, NS672, and NS0). Members of the Rep-associated RNA cluster all share common 5′ and 3′ nucleotide sequences and they also share 200 common 3′ nucleotides with the NS-associated RNAs. Rep, capable of coding for the replication-associated-protein (RepP), appears to be the primary transcript that gives rise to Rep′, Rep3a, Rep3b, and Rep3c by alternate splicing. Protein sequence alignment showed that RepP and the Rep′ protein of PCV2 are equivalent to those described for PCV type 1 (PCV1) (a nonpathogenic virus), which had been shown to be essential for viral DNA replication. The results also suggest that NS515, NS672, and NS0 are transcribed from three different promoters inside ORF1 downstream of the Rep promoter. To date, only three RNAs (CR, Rep, and Rep′) have been reported for PCV1-infected porcine kidney cells. Therefore, it is important to apply similar strategies from this study to reexamine the transcription pattern of PCV1.
Tensile bond strengths of Comspan to electrolytically etched metal with and without enamel bonding agent.

Abstract When cementing a resin-bonded etched metal “Maryland” bridge, the clinician applies unfilled resin bonding agent to the etched metal prior to placing the filled resin cement. This study evaluated whether or not it was necessary to place the unfilled resin bonding agent on the metal. Twenty rods were cast in Rexillium III and machined so their ends could be etched and bonded together, first with filled resin alone, then with filled resin plus unfilled resin yielded an average tensile bond strength of 39.24 MPa, while the filled resin alone had an average of 32.21 MPa. At p≤.05, this was statistically insignificant, suggesting that elimination of unfilled Comspan ® resin application to Rexillium III is possible without loss of bond strength.
Promoting successful diabetes management in the workplace

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to learn from participants about their experiences managing type 1 and type 2 diabetes at work. Design/methodology/approach – Longitudinal, qualitative interviews with 45 individuals three times per year over three years focussed on views about disclosure; how they found or created support to manage their diabetes at work; and how they experienced the relationship between health and productivity. Findings – Among participants, the presence of secondary conditions, such as fibromyalgia or vision loss, typically overshadowed the effect of diabetes at work. These conditions were often mentioned as the reason why a participant changed jobs, stopped working, or decreased work hours. Perspectives on disclosure were affected by the perception of stigma and discrimination, as well as the need for workplace accommodations. Overall, participants believed that the routine of a job and feeling useful benefited their health. Research limitations/implications – The nature of the r...
Possible Physical Mechanisms in the Galaxy to Cause Homochiral Biomaterials for Life

The origin of homochirality in life remains a mystery that some believe is essential for life, and which may result from chiral symmetry breaking interactions with galactic organic material.
Non‐neuroleptic medications in the management of agitation in Alzheimer's disease and other dementia: A selective review

Both neuroleptic and non-neuroleptic medications are widely used to treat symptomatic behaviors in dementia patients. There is a substantial body of literature suggestig that neuroleptics are modestly effective in treating these symptoms, but the magnitude of their effect is limited. Non-neuroleptic medications such as anticonvulsants and antidepressants have been advocated as useful in treating certain symptoms but have not been as well studied. This article critically reviews the published evidence for the effectiveness of selected non-neuroleptic medications in treating behavioral symptoms in elderly dementia patiens, especially those with possible Alzheimer' disease. The medications reviewed include lithium, β-adrenergic blockers, trazodone, carbamazepine, buspirone, I-deprenyl, and serotonin uptake blockers, reflecting the point of view that pharmacological approaches to the problem of agitation in dementia have included a variety of psychotropic medications. Most of these medications were not tried specifically with Alzheimer' disease patients, however, but in patients with various organic mental syndromes. The literature consists almost entirely of clnical series and case reports, making interpretations of the efficacy of individual medications difficult. With the singular exception of the serotonin uptake blocker citalopram, the few placebo-controlled studies are of small sample sizes, showing at best very modest efficacy for the study medication. Despite their widespread use, there is very little published empirical evidence for the effectiveness of these novel treatments for treating behavioral symptoms in elderly dementia patients.
Competitive feeding behavior and social status in multiple-hen cages

Abstract The feasibility of using brief tests of competitive feeding behavior or observations of the displacement of one bird by another at the feeder to estimate the social status of hens in cages was evaluated. Data were gathered from 24 hens in six, 4-bird cages. Social status, determined from aggressive and submissive acts, was not found to be associated with success in gaining access to feed from a restricted-space feeder during the first 5 or 15 min, or with number of displacements of other hens from the feeder over 2-h periods, following 4 h feed deprivation.
Selection strategies to reduce invasive potential in introduced plants

The crop domestication process is examined from plant collection to product release for various junctures at which deliberate breeding, selection, and crop transformation may occur to prevent invasive potential. Four primary juncture opportunities for research on techniques and development of selection procedures for non-invasiveness include: The Plant Exploration Phase, Initial Trial Phase, Fast-Tracking Phase, Selection and Improvement Phase. Avoiding the collection of germplasm that appears weedy during plant exploration is an obvious, yet cost-effective way to reduce invasiveness in a selection program. During initial trials, comparing genotypic differences in traits related to invasiveness should allow plant breeders to identify cultivars that pose the least risk before undertaking comprehensive field trials. Genotypes with high commercial value, considered candidates for “fast-tracking”, should only advance quickly to product release if they exhibit a minimum level of invasive risk, i.e., species with low dispersal capacity and that have little potential to impact ecosystems. Fast-growing taxa, those with high seed production, ones likely to be rapidly dispersed by wind, animals, water or people, and others that can significantly alter nutrient or light levels are examples of species that should not be “fast-tracked”. Field trials that have typically been used to evaluate performance of genotypes across a broad range of cultivated environmental conditions need to be expanded to adequately evaluate invasive potential during the selection and improvement phase. Testing in environments that mimic conditions where introductions could naturalize is crucial, as are evaluations of competition with indigenous species. The time and resource investment needed to conduct adequate trials at this stage is potentially very high; more research is needed to ensure the trials conducted are targeting important information gaps for decision-making. Additional research is also needed to develop modeling approaches that effectively forecast long-term dynamics of introductions and to assist in developing field testing priorities. Minimizing invasive potential could significantly reduce introductions that cause inadvertent damage to landscapes and ecosystems. The strategy proposed here will require further development, especially in the context of understanding and assessing risks of pre- and post-release strategies for minimizing damage from invasive species.
The effect of salts on the activity and stability of Escherichia coli and Haloferax volcanii dihydrofolate reductases

The extremely halophilic Archae require near-saturating concentrations of salt in the external environment and in their cytoplasm, potassium being the predominant intracellular cation. The proteins of these organisms have evolved to function in concentrations of salt that inactivate or precipitate homologous proteins from non-halophilic species. It has been proposed that haloadaptation is primarily due to clustering of acidic residues on the surface of the protein, and that these clusters bind networks of hydrated ions. The dihydrofolate reductases from Escherichia coli (ecDHFR) and two DHFR isozymes from Haloferax volcanii (hvDHFR1 and hvDHFR2) have been used as a model system to compare the effect of salts on a mesophilic and halophilic enzyme. The KCl-dependence of the activity and substrate affinity was investigated. ecDHFR is largely inactivated above 1M KCl, with no major effect on substrate affinity. hvDHFR1 and hvDHFR2 unfold at KCl concentrations below approximately 0.5M. Above approximately 1M, the KCl dependence of the hvDHFR activities can be attributed to the effect of salt on substrate affinity. The abilities of NaCl, KCl, and CsCl to enhance the stability to urea denaturation were determined, and similar efficacies of stabilization were observed for all three DHFR variants. The DeltaG degrees (H(2)O) values increased linearly with increasing KCl and CsCl concentrations. The increase of DeltaG degrees (H(2)O) as a function of the smallest cation, NaCl, is slightly curved, suggesting a minor stabilization from cation binding or screening of electrostatic repulsion. At their respective physiological ionic strengths, the DHFR variants exhibit similar stabilities. Salts stabilize ecDHFR and the hvDHFRs by a common mechanism, not a halophile-specific mechanism, such as the binding of hydrated salt networks. The primary mode of salt stabilization of the mesophilic and halophilic DHFRs appears to be through preferential hydration and the Hofmeister effect of salt on the activity and entropy of the aqueous solvent. In support of this conclusion, all three DHFRs are similarly stabilized by the non-ionic cosolute, sucrose.
High-Spin Mn4 and Mn10 Molecules : Large Spin Changes with Structure in Mixed-Valence MnII4MnIII6 Clusters with Azide and Alkoxide-Based Ligands

The use has been explored of both azide (N3−) and alkoxide-containing groups such as the anions of 2-(hydroxymethyl)pyridine (hmpH), 2,6-pyridinedimethanol (pdmH2), 1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane (thmeH3) and triethanolamine (teaH3) in Mn cluster chemistry. The 1:1:1:1 reactions of hmpH, NaN3 and NEt3 with Mn(ClO4)2·6H2O or Mn(NO3)2·H2O in MeCN/MeOH afford [MnII4MnIII6O4(N3)4(hmp)12](X)2 [X = ClO4− (1), N3− (2)]. The [Mn10(μ4-O)4(μ3-N3)4]14+ core of the cation has a tetra-face-capped octahedral topology, with a central MnIII6 octahedron, whose eight faces are bridged by four μ3-N3− and four μ4-O2- ions, the latter also bridging to four extrinsic MnII atoms. The core has Td symmetry, but the complete [MnII4MnIII6O4(N3)4(hmp)12]2+ cation has rare T symmetry, which is crystallographically imposed. A similar reaction of Mn(ClO4)2·6H2O with one equiv each of NaN3, thmeH3, pdmH2, and NEt3 in MeCN/MeOH led to [MnII4MnIII6O2(N3)6(pdmH)4(thme)4] (3). Complex 3 is at the same oxidation level as 1/2 but its core is...
Numerical Langevin Simulations: Equilibrium Dynamics and Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics

Stochastic differential equations of motion (e.g., Langevin dynamics) provide a popular framework for simulating molecular systems. Any computational algorithm must discretize these equations, yet the resulting finite time step integration schemes suffer from several practical shortcomings: for example, equilibrium dynamical properties diverge from those of the continuous equations of motion; path-sampling applications are impeded by a path action that is either unknown or cumbersome; and thermodynamic statistics of driven systems are skewed, leading to biased inference using recently-developed nonequilibrium fluctuation theorems. We show how any finite time step Langevin integrator, even with a time-independent Hamiltonian, can be thought of as a driven, nonequilibrium physical process. Once an appropriate work-like quantity (the shadow work) is defined, nonequilibrium fluctuation theorems can characterize or correct for the errors introduced by the use of finite time steps. In particular, we demonstrate that amending estimators based on nonequilibrium work theorems to include this shadow work removes the time step dependent error from estimates of free energies. We also quantify, for the first time, the magnitude of deviations between the sampled stationary distribution and the desired equilibrium distribution for equilibrium Langevin simulations of solvated systems of varying size. What is more, we show that the incorporation of a novel time step rescaling in the deterministic updates of position and velocity can correct a number of dynamical defects in these integrators. Finally, we identify a particular splitting that has essentially universally appropriate properties for the simulation of Langevin dynamics for molecular systems in equilibrium, nonequilibrium, and path sampling contexts.
Fast CMOS ECL receivers with 100-mV worst-case sensitivity

CMOS emitter-coupled logic (ECL) receiver circuits consisting of a differential-amplifier stage and a CMOS inverter are shown to convert 100-mV input signals to on-chip CMOS levels even with worst-case parameter variations in a 5-V 1- mu m technology. Two different receiver circuits are used to cover a range of power supply options; a third circuit provides a comparison case. The differential amplifiers feature built-in feedback compensation for common-mode parameter variations. The differential input devices are designed with large widths, minimum channel lengths, and an interleaved layout to enhance gain, speed, and margin for differential mismatches. The simplicity of the circuits and the effectiveness of the built-in compensation facilitate analysis. Partitioning and simplifying assumptions are used to thoroughly test the worst case without complex simulations, while providing insight into the design process. >
Effect of dehydration and arginine vasopressin on renal ornithine decarboxylase activity in mice

Abstract Dehydration of mice for 60 h caused a fall in the activity of renal ornithine decarboxylase. Administration of arginine vasopressin acutely produced a sharp increase in ornithine decarboxylase of the kidney 4 h later, while chronic intraperitoneal injection of vasopressin lowered renal enzyme activity in a manner analogous to that of dehydration. This bimodal response of the kidney to trophic hormonal stimulation appears to be different from that of other endocrine responsive organs.
Error compensation of coordinate measurements in computer-integrated manufacturing using neural networks

Abstract Coordinate measurements on computer numerically-controlled (CNC) machine tools and coordinate measuring machines are widely used in modern manufacturing settings. Switching probes, also called touch trigger probes, are the most widely used probe type in these dimensional measurement tasks. However, probe error exists and becomes one of the major error sources in today's coordinate measurement processes due to advances in machine accuracy and tighter part tolerances. In this paper, a three-hidden layer backpropagation neural network is designed and implemented to characterize probe pretravel pattern. The trained neural network can be used to perform on-line probe error compensation in coordinate measurements. Experimental data from a CMM are used to train the neural network and to show the prediction effectiveness of the approach.
Relationship Between the Interacting Boson Model and the Bohr Collective Hamiltonian

It is demonstrated that the Interacting Boson Model I (IBM), which is described by a Hamiltonian of six coupled harmonic oscillators, (one s-boson and 5 d-bosons), where the total number of bosons, N, is constant of the motion, can be transformed into a Bohr-Mottelson model (BMM) described by a Hamiltonian with the familiar five dimensional quadrupole oscillator degrees of freedom. The correspondence is one-to-one for a BMM acting in a sub-space of the full five-dimensional harmonic oscillator space. The proof depends on a well-known non-linear realization of the generators of SU(6) (which are the basic building blocks of the IBM) in terms of the five BMM bosons and the number N. The orthonormal basis vectors of the BMM are obtained. The relationship between the limiting symmetries of the IBM and the geometrically simple limits of the BMM is described with the aid of the concept of potential energy surface. The form of the BMM Hamiltonian is given for the adiabatic limit. Finally we show that previous work on this problem involving coherent states and the generator coordinate method is incomplete.
The effect of the Sq current on the determination of the effective recombination coefficient of the E-region

Abstract An expression for the velocity gradient of the drift associated with the Sq current is included in the equation relating the ‘relaxation time’ τ of the maximum electron density Nmax of the E-region, to the effective recombination coefficient αE. It is shown that the currents do not affect the τ measurement enough to bring it into agreement with the laboratory measurement of αE of ~10−7 cm3/sec.
Implications of Ambient Glucose Variation on the Target-to-Background Ratio of Hepatic Tumors By (18)FDG-PET Imaging.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of ambient glucose on quantitative analysis of hepatic tumors on 2-deoxy-2-( 18 F)-fluoro-D-glucose ( 18 FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and to establish a method for glucose correction. Patients and Methods: Eighty-six patients with hepatic lesions identified on 18 FDG PET/computed tomography (CT) were analyzed. The serum glucose level (Glc) was recorded prior to imaging, and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) in the hepatic tumors and the average SUV in normal liver were determined. The inverse relationship of SUV to glucose can be defined as d (SUV)/d (Glc) = g*SUV/(Glc), where g is the glucose sensitivity. Simulations using glucose level from 70 to 250 mg/dl were performed to evaluate the effects of Glc on the maximum SUV of malignant hepatic lesions and normal liver. Results: By logarithmic transformation and linear regression, g for metastasis was significantly higher than that for normal liver (−0.636 ± 0.144 vs. −0.0536 ± 0.0583; P = 0.00092). Simulation studies showed that the SUV in malignant lesions will decrease rapidly when Glc level is >120 mg/dl, while background liver remains relatively constant up to 250 mg/dl. Conclusion: The tumor FDG uptake is much more sensitive to ambient glucose level variation than the background liver. Therefore, correction by the glucose sensitivity factor will result in more accurate SUV measurements and make semi-quantitative analysis of 18 FDG PET scans more reliable.
1. Patient compliance with screening and treatment protocols for anal dysplasia in a high-risk population

Background Anal cancer rates are increasing in the US and particularly in patients with HIV. High-resolution anoscopy (HRA) with ablation of precursor lesions is thought to be critical towards reversing this trend but patient compliance is poor. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with loss to follow-up, so that targeted initiatives might be introduced to improve compliance and maximise cancer prevention. Methods: Data on all patients undergoing HRA at our institution was reviewed. We categorised patients as ‘compliant’ if they underwent continued surveillance or ablation within recommended time intervals or as ‘non-compliant’ if they delayed treatment or were lost to follow-up entirely. Demographic factors and disease-related parameters were compared across both groups. Results: 153 patients underwent HRA, including 114 men (71% MSM) and 123 HIV-positive patients (99.2% on ART). Most patients had LSIL on Pap smear (51%) with 23.5% ASCUS and 7.8% HSIL. 35% of patients had high-grade biopsies. 96 patients were compliant with follow-up (62.7%) and 57 patients were not. There were no significant demographic differences between the two groups. However, the compliant group contained a significantly higher proportion of patients with high-grade lesions compared with the non-compliant group (27.1% vs 15.8%, P = 0.0003). Conclusions: In this preliminary report, there were no demographic variables associated with likelihood of follow-up. However, high-grade pathology was more frequently identified in the compliant group. Whether this was due to more aggressive tracking of these patients remains unclear. Further efforts to identify predictive factors for compliance are essential.
Aerodynamic jet steering using steady blowing and suction

An aerodynamic jet steering scheme using a combination of blowing and suction near the exit plane of the primary jet is demonstrated. Previous studies involving synthetic jet actuators have shown that jet steering or vectoring is achieved when primary jet fluid is drawn into the suction slot, and that the vectoring force increases with primary jet speed. These studies were limited by the high-actuation frequencies required to maintain vectoring at high primary jet speeds. The present steady technique does not suffer from this limitation, and requires suction and blowing flow rates which are a small fraction of that of the primary jet. This arrangement is studied experimentally and numerically. The results are presented primarily in terms of turning angle. It is found that for sufficient blowing flow rates (similar to the suction flow rate) the resultant turning angle increases linearly with the suction flow rate regardless of Reynolds number (up to 21,000). For insufficient blowing, the jet may be turned in the opposite direction.
Response of aregenate dehydratase to changing physiological states of growth in suspension cultures of Nicotiana silvestris

Abstract The well-documented differential expression of isozymes of 3- deoxy - d -arabino- heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase, DS-Mn (plastid) and DS-Co (cytosol), provide a basis for comparing the expression of other aromatic-pathway enzymes in Nicotiana silvestris. Arogenate dehydratase, catalyzing the final step of l -phenylalanine biosynthesis in the plastid, is expressed at its highest level during the exponential phase of growth. Maximal activity is achieved at mid-exponential growth, and activity declines with the onset of stationary-phase physiology. Thus, DS-Mn and arogenate dehydratase show similar behavior with respect to the overall relationship of activity level and physiological state of growth. However, the detailed kinetics of enzymic response to the subculture of stationary-phase cells in suspension culture differed for DS-Mn and arogenate dehydratase. Arogenate dehydratase exhibited a later onset time of activity increase and the duration of activity increase was sustained longer than was the case for DS-Mn.
Modeling Noble Gas Transport and Detection for The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Detonation gases released by an underground nuclear test include trace amounts of 133Xe and 37Ar. In the context of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, On Site Inspection Protocol, such gases released from or sampled at the soil surface could be used to indicate the occurrence of an explosion in violation of the treaty. To better estimate the levels of detectability from an underground nuclear test (UNE), we developed mathematical models to evaluate the processes of 133Xe and 37Ar transport in fractured rock. Two models are developed respectively for representing thermal and isothermal transport. When the thermal process becomes minor under the condition of low temperature and low liquid saturation, the subsurface system is described using an isothermal and single-gas-phase transport model and barometric pumping becomes the major driving force to deliver 133Xe and 37Ar to the ground surface. A thermal test is simulated using a nonisothermal and two-phase transport model. In the model, steam production and bubble expansion are the major processes driving noble gas components to ground surface. After the temperature in the chimney drops below boiling, barometric pumping takes over the role as the major transport process.
Electronic structure and bonding of {Fe(PhNO2)}6 complexes: a density functional theory study.

Reduction of nitro-aromatic compounds (NACs) proceeds through intermediates with a partial electron transfer into the nitro group from a reducing agent. To estimate the extent of such a transfer and, therefore, the activity of various model ferrous-containing reductants toward NAC degradation, the unrestricted density functional theory (DFT) in the basis of paired Lowdin-Amos-Hall orbitals has been applied to complexes of nitrobenzene (NB) and model Fe(II) hydroxides including cationic [FeOH]+, then neutral Fe(OH)2, and finally anionic [Fe(OH)3]-. Electron transfer is considered to be a process of unpairing electrons (without the change of total spin projection Sz) that reveals itself in a substantial spin contamination of the unrestricted solution. The unrestricted orbitals are transformed into localized paired orbitals to determine the orbital channels for a particular electron-transfer state and the weights of idealized charge-transfer and covalent electron structures. This approach allows insight into the electronic structure and bonding of the {Fe(PhNO2)}6 unit (according to Enemark and Feltham notation) to be gained using model nitrobenzene complexes. The electronic structure of this unit can be expressed in terms of pi-type covalent bonding [Fe+2(d6, S = 2) - PhNO2(S = 0)] or charge-transfer configuration [Fe+3(d5, S = 5/2) - {PhNO2}- ((pi*)1, S = 1/2)].
Growth cones turn and migrate up an immobilized gradient of the laminin IKVAV peptide.

Growth cone navigation is guided by extrinsic environmental proteins, called guidance cues. Many in vitro studies have characterized growth cone turning up and down gradients of soluble guidance cues. Although previous studies have shown that axonal elongation rates can be regulated by gradients of surface-bound molecules, there are no convincing demonstrations of growth cones turning to migrate up a surface-bound gradient of an adhesive ligand or guidance cue. In order to test this mode of axonal guidance, we used a photo-immobilization technique to create grids and gradients of an adhesive laminin peptide on polystyrene culture dish surfaces. Chick embryo dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) were placed on peptide grid patterns containing surface-bound gradients of the IKVAV-containing peptide. DRG growth cones followed a path of surface-bound peptide to the middle of a perpendicularly oriented gradient with a 25% concentration difference across 30 μm. The majority of growth cones turned and migrated up the gradient, turning until they were oriented directly up the gradient. Growth cones slowed their migration when they encountered the gradient, but growth cone velocity returned to the previous rate after turning up or down the gradient. This resembles in vivo situations where growth cones slow at a choice point before changing the direction of axonal extension. Thus, these results support the hypothesis that mechanisms of axonal guidance include growth cone orientation by gradients of surface-bound adhesive molecules and guidance cues. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol, 2005
Minmax regret solutions for minimax optimization problems with uncertainty

We propose a general approach for finding minmax regret solutions for a class of combinatorial optimization problems with an objective function of minimax type and uncertain objective function coefficients. The approach is based on reducing a problem with uncertainty to a number of problems without uncertainty. The method is illustrated on bottleneck combinatorial optimization problems, minimax multifacility location problems and maximum weighted tardiness scheduling problems with uncertainty.
Single boiler-turbine-generator units

WHEN Oswego Steam Station of the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation was being designed in the late 1930's, a unit system was decided upon, a unit consisting of a boiler, turbine, and generator. No steam, feed water, or electric interconnections at greater voltage were provided between units. The merits of the unit system in this case have been described elsewhere.1 The controls for such a station required an entirely new approach and presented an opportunity for major improvement.
Family history of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke among women who develop hypertension in pregnancy.

Abstract Objective To assess familial cardiovascular risk factors in women developing hypertension in pregnancy. Methods Of 2211 women delivering live births after enrollment in a pregnancy cohort study, 85 (3.8%) developed preeclampsia (antepartum systolic blood pressure greater than 140 or diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 plus proteinuria) and 142 (6.4%) developed transient hypertension of pregnancy (antepartum blood pressure elevation without proteinuria). At a mean of 10.2 weeks' gestation, women were asked about first-degree family members with heart disease or stroke, hypertension, diabetes, renal disease, or any of these, which defined familial cardiovascular risk. Results After adjustment for age and body size, having two or more family members, versus no family members, with cardiovascular risk imparted a 1.9-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1, 3.2) elevated risk for developing preeclampsia and a 1.7-fold (95% CI 1.1, 2.6) risk for developing transient hypertension of pregnancy. Having two or more family members with hypertension also imparted a significant, two-fold elevation in risk of preeclampsia and transient hypertension of pregnancy, and having two or more family members with heart disease or stroke imparted a 3.2-fold (95% CI 1.4, 7.7) elevation in the risk for preeclampsia. Conclusion A strong family history of aggregate cardiovascular risk increased the likelihood for developing preeclampsia and transient hypertension of pregnancy. These findings support the theory that a preexisting tendency to cardiovascular risk, and particularly hypertension, increases a women's susceptibility to developing hypertension in pregnancy.
Characterization of a laser-ablation-assisted-plasma-discharge-metallic ion source

Experiments have been carried out to characterize further the properties of a new laser-ablation-assisted-plasma-discharge source of metallic aluminium ions. Laser ablation is accomplished by focusing a KrF excimer laser (<1.2 J, 40 ns, 248 nm) onto a solid aluminium target with a fluence of approximately 10 J cm-2. Through gated optical emission spectroscopy, the laser ablation plume optical emission is observed to contain only aluminium neutral atom transitions after approximately 100 ns. With the application of a 3.6 kV, 760 A discharge, the neutral atom plume is transformed into a plasma with the emission dominated by Al+ and Al2+ ion transitions. Through time-resolved spectroscopy, emission intensity from the Al neutral species and the Al2+ ion species is observed to coincide with current peaks through the plasma. Spectroscopic measurements indicate an Al2+ electronic temperature of 3 eV (and an Al+ electronic temperature of 1 eV) which, since local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) is applicable for the observed emission, provide a free electron temperature of 1 to 3 eV. A simple LTE model suggests an electron temperature of 1.2 eV for equal Al+ and Al2+ ion fractions. A floating double Langmuir probe measurement 1 mm in front of the laser ablation spot indicates an electron temperature of roughly 1 eV and an ion density of approximately 5*1014 cm-3 during the second current lobe.
Structural Parse Tree Features for Text Representation

We propose and study novel text representation features created from parse tree structures. Unlike the traditional parse tree features which include all the attached syntactic categories to capture linguistic properties of text, the new features are solely or primarily defined based on the tree structure, and thus better reflect the pure structural properties of parse trees. We hypothesize that these new complex structural features capture an orthogonal perspective of text even compared to advanced syntactic ones. Evaluation based on three different text categorization tasks (i.e., nationality detection, essay scoring, and sentiment analysis) shows that the proposed new tree structure features complement the existing ones to enrich text representation. Experiment results further show that a combination of the proposed new structure features with word n-grams can improve F1 score and classification accuracy.
Direct-reading instruments for aerosols. A review.

Direct-reading instruments for aerosols have not had the popularity within the industrial hygiene community that similar instruments for gases and vapours have enjoyed. There are several reasons for this: aerosols have complex properties that are difficult to characterize with a single measurement, commercial instruments often do not provide an accurate measure of a useful aerosol property and aerosol instruments are relatively expensive for industrial hygiene use. A variety of instruments are commercially available and are briefly reviewed. Two general classes of instruments used for industrial hygiene measurements are covered: field instruments and research instruments. The International Symposium on Air Sampling Instrument Performance held in Research Triangle Park, NC, USA, in October, 1991 included a workshop on direct-reading aerosol instruments that produced several recommendations to advance the state of the art. The two primary recommendations approved by the symposium attendees were to develop voluntary consensus standards for aerosol mass measuring instruments and optical particle counters and to develop an accurate, portable, direct-reading aerosol mass monitor. Some progress is being made on the latter recommendation through a project supported by the US Bureau of Mines. Other instruments have found specific application in industrial hygiene measurements. A miniaturized condensation nucleus counter is being used to estimate fit factors for respirators. A fibre monitor is used for monitoring asbestos, especially in asbestos abatement operations. Optical particle counters are used for low-concentration aerosols, especially in clean rooms. Aerosol research instruments are being used to evaluate and improve field instrumentation, such as respirable, thoracic and inhalable samplers and cascade impactors. Several such direct-reading instruments are now commercially available that can rapidly measure aerosol concentration and size distribution. These instruments can also be used to make field measurements. Accurate aerosol sampling is often difficult in uncontrolled atmospheres; many direct-reading instrument manufacturers have paid little attention to inlet characteristics of their instruments. Errors due to sampling and internal instrument losses can be large.