cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nanoshells to nanoeggs to nanocups: optical properties of reduced symmetry core shell nanoparticles beyond the quasistatic limit

The plasmonic properties of metallodielectric nanoparticles exhibit a highly sensitive dependence on geometry, due to the interaction between primitive plasmon modes associated with the surfaces of the nanoparticle. Changes in nanoparticle geometry that reduce symmetry alter the interactions between plasmon modes and give rise to modified, and altogether new, plasmonic features. Here, we have examined the near- and far-field optical properties of three variants of a core?shell nanoparticle: nanoshells, nanoeggs and nanocups. Nanoshells, consisting of a spherical silica core coated with a thin gold shell, convert to 'nanoeggs' by offsetting the core within the shell. Offsets of the core greater than the thickness of the shell layer, where the core pierces the shell, result in 'nanocups'. The absorption and scattering spectra of a nanoegg reveal the emergence of multipolar peaks strongly redshifted relative to those of nanoshells and larger near-field enhancements. The wavelength of maximum field enhancement increases with increasing core offset, distinct from the dipole resonance of the nanoparticle. For larger nanoeggs beyond the quasistatic regime, variations in the relative contribution of scattering and absorption to the nanoparticle extinction depend upon both the core?shell offset and on overall particle size. These observations may lead to new opportunities to tailor near- and far-field properties of plasmonic nanoparticles for specific applications, such as high performance surface-enhanced spectroscopy, bioimaging and nanoparticle-based therapeutics.
Sympathetic regulation of cardiac calcium current is due exclusively to cAMP-dependent phosphorylation.

THE positive inotropic effect of the sympathetic nervous system on the heart is partly mediated by an increase in the voltage-gated Ca2+ current (Ica) This increase is generally attributed to β-adrenergic receptor-stimulated cyclic AMP-dependent phos-phorylation of the Ca2+ channel1,2. It has been suggested that cAMP-dependent phosphorylation cannot explain all the effects of β-adrenergic agonists on ICa and that a parallel membrane-delimited pathway involving the 'direct' action of the G protein Gs also stimulates ICa (refs 3–7). A precedent exists for such a membrane-delimited pathway in the activation of a K+ channel by acetylcholine in heart1,8. A membrane-delimited pathway for stimulation of ICa might be important in rapid beat-to-beat regulation of contraction by the sympathetic nervous system9, because isoproterenol may produce a biphasic increase in ICa with the rapid phase (τ = 150 ms) putatively mediated by the direct pathway and the slow phase (τ = 35s) by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation. Here we report that in frog, rat, and guinea pig ventricular myocytes ICa increases slowly and monophasically in response to isoproterenol. The increase is completely blocked by inhibitors of cAMP-dependent phosphorylation. Furthermore, the time course of the increase in ICa closely parallels the increase in contractile force produced by sympathetic nerve stimulation. These data refute earlier suggestions that regulation of Ca2+ channels by the sym-pathetic nervous system involves or requires a direct G-protein pathway.
Reduced Risk of Incident Kidney Cancer from Walking and Running

PURPOSE This study aimed to test whether incident kidney cancer risk is associated with exercise energy expenditure (i.e., metabolic equivalents, 1 MET) when calculated from distance walked or run. METHODS Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) from Cox proportional hazard analyses of self-reported physician-diagnosed incident kidney cancer versus MET-hours per week in 91,820 subjects recruited between 1991 and 1993 (7.7 yr follow-up of 42,833 subjects) and between 1998 and 1999 (6.4 yr follow-up of 33,053 subjects) as part of the National Runners' Health Study and between 1998 and 1999 as part of the National Walkers' Health Study (5.7 yr follow-up of 15,934 subjects). RESULTS Fifty-two incident cancers were reported. Age- and sex-adjusted risk declined 1.9% per MET-hour per week run or walked (HR = 0.981, 95% CI = 0.964-0.997, P = 0.02). Compared with walking or running below guidelines levels (<7.5 MET·h·wk(-1)), the risk for incident kidney cancer was 61% lower for meeting the guidelines (HR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.11-1.08, P = 0.07 for 7.5-12.5 MET·h·wk(-1)), 67% lower for exercising one to two times the recommended level (HR = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.15-0.72, P = 0.005 for 12.6-25.1 MET·h·wk(-1)), and 76.3% lower for exercising two times or more the recommended level (HR = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.11-0.52, P = 0.0005 for ≥ 25.2 MET·h·wk(-1)). Incident kidney cancer risk also increased in association with baseline body mass index (P = 0.002), smoking (P = 0.02), and hypertensive (P = 0.007) and diabetes medication use (P = 0.01); however, exercise-associated reductions in kidney cancer risk persisted for 12.6-25.1 MET·h·wk(-1) (HR = 0.35, P = 0.01) and ≥ 25.2 MET·h·wk(-1) (HR = 0.29, P = 0.004) vis-a-vis <7.5 MET·h·wk(-1) when also adjusted for body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, and pack-years smoked. CONCLUSION Running and walking may reduce incident kidney cancer risk independent of its other known risk factors.
Does Menopausal Hormone Therapy Initiate New Breast Cancers or Promote the Growth of Existing Ones

Several observational studies over the past two decades have suggested that menopausal hormonal therapy (MHT) increases the risk of breast cancer [1]. The randomized Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial of estrogen plus progestin supported this conclusion by reporting an increased relative risk (RR) of 1.26 for breast cancer [2]. Little attention has focused on the mechanisms responsible and, specifically, on whether this finding represents an increased rate of diagnosis of occult cancers or the initiation of completely new ones. The answer to this question is critically important for interpretation of published data. How common are small, undiagnosed, occult breast cancers in the population of women who initially start on menopausal hormone therapy? Data on this question come primarily from autopsy studies conducted 20–30 years ago. Eight studies examined breast tissue at autopsy in 952 women dying from other causes and attempted to determine how many occult breast cancers were present [3,4]. The individual results varied but pooled data suggested that 5% of women have undiagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ at autopsy and another 1% have invasive breast cancer. The stringency of techniques utilized probably explains the variability in results. For example, some studies made serial sections throughout the breasts for histologic examination; others identified grossly visible lesions that were then sectioned and examined; and finally, radiographs were performed on excised breasts at autopsy with sections made from the areas with increased density. Pooling of results from these eight studies demonstrates a ‘reservoir’ of undiagnosed breast cancer in the population of women ranging from 50 to 80 years of age. Critical interpretation of these ‘old’ data from a 2008 perspective would suggest that this reservoir is probably smaller now because of the more sensitive mammographic techniques currently used and the frequency of their use. However, this may not necessarily be true since a recent study using MRI of the opposite breast in high-risk women with their first breast cancer, demonstrated a 3% prevalence of contralateral breast cancer that had not been diagnosed by prior mammography or breast examination [5]. Based on these various studies, we consider it likely that a substantial number of women, perhaps 3% as a conservative estimate, have undetected breast cancers when starting MHT at the present time. Further support for the hypothesis regarding the ‘reservoir of undiagnosed breast cancer’ comes from studies of tumor biology in women. It has been estimated that the doubling time of small breast tumors ranges from 50 to 100 days in younger women and up to 6 months in those over 70 years [6]. Breast cancers must start from a single cell and then grow to a billion cells before they reach a clinically detectable size (∼1 cm).
Chemoselective Attachment of Small Molecule Effector Functionality to Human Adenoviruses Facilitates Gene Delivery to Cancer Cells

We demonstrate here a novel two-step "click" labeling process in which adenoviral particles are first metabolically labeled during production with unnatural azido sugars. Subsequent chemoselective modification allows access to viruses decorated with a broad array of effector functionality. Adenoviruses modified with folate, a known cancer-targeting motif, demonstrated a marked increase in gene delivery to a murine cancer cell line.
Distributed Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio Systems

Cognitive radio is a candidate technology for more efficient spectrum utilization systems based on opportunistic spectrum sharing. Because this new technology does not rely on traditional license-based spectrum allocation policies, it could disrupt existing systems if the spectrum utilization decision is based on unreliable spectral estimation. Distributed sensing methods have the potential to increase the spectral estimation reliability and decrease the probability of interference of cognitive radios to existing radio systems. In this paper, we consider different aspects of the processing and fusion of spectrum sensing information of cognitive radio systems. The use of cyclic feature- based methods for distributed signal detection and classification is discussed and recent results are presented.
Sequences of powder cocaine and crack use among arrestees in Los Angeles County.

The epidemic of cocaine abuse has led to numerous studies on the substance. While extent of use, characteristics of users, patterns of use, and consequences of dependence are well documented for both powder cocaine and crack, few studies have dealt with the sequence or progression of use between the two forms of cocaine. This paper draws on arrestee data collected from county jails in Los Angeles, California. It identifies four sequences of powder cocaine and crack use and examines each sequence in terms of user characteristics, history of use, dependence, contact with the criminal justice system, and concomitant use of other drugs. Findings not only confirm some already established observations, but also offer new knowledge on powder cocaine and crack abuse. For instance, (a) whereas powder cocaine–initiated users are more likely to progress to crack than to restrict their use to powder cocaine only, crack-initiated users tend more often to use crack only than to progress to powder cocaine; and (b) powde...
Assessment of left atrial transport function immediately after cardioversion.

Abstract Left atrial transport function was evaluated immediately after cardioversion in 10 patients by altering the timing of left atrial and ventricular contraction using right ventricular pacing. The effect of abruptly withdrawing the left atrial contribution to ventricular filling by suddenly decreasing the P-R interval from optimal to zero was evaluated by measuring left ventricular ejection time and peak systolic and systolic mean blood pressure. In 8 patients, a decrease in left ventricular ejection time (282 to 253 msec, P 0.4). In 2 patients, left ventricular ejection time remained unchanged, indicating absence of left atrial transport function. One of the 2 patients demonstrated left atrial transport function on reevaluation 14 days later. The deleterious effect of an inappropriately timed left atrial contraction on left ventricular ejection time, peak systolic blood pressure and systolic mean blood pressure can be used to verify the presence of left atrial transport function after cardioversion. Steady-state measurements of cardiac output may not be altered by left atrial transport function. Patients who do not immediately demonstrate left atrial transport function or who experience reversion to atrial fibrillation may be evaluated serially.
Buffering mitochondrial DNA variation.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are traditionally viewed as the toxic by-product of cellular respiration. A new study suggests a homeostatic role for ROS in maintaining stable respiratory phenotypes across genetic variants of the mitochondrial genome.
Opiate effects in the amygdala central nucleus on heart rate conditioning in rabbits.

Abstract Opiate agents were administered into the central nucleus of the amygdala complex of rabbits prior to either classical conditioning or pseudoconditioning of heart rate responding. Compared to control groups, opiate administration into the central nucleus did not significantly alter baseline heart rate, heart rate responding during habituation trials to presentations of the conditioned stimulus alone, or heart rate responding during the pseudoconditioning procedure. However, opiate administration altered the acquisition of a conditioned bradycardia response during classical conditioning trials in which the offset of the conditioned stimulus was coincident with the presentation of an aversive unconditioned stimulus. The opiate agonist levorphanol (5.0 nmole) significantly impaired the acquisition of the conditioned bradycardia response. This effect was observed to be stereospecific and blocked by concurrent administration of the opiate antagonist naloxone (2.5 nmole). Naloxone (2.5 nmole) administration alone significantly increased the magnitude of the conditioned bradycardia response. These effects produced by opiate administration into the central nucleus were not observed following administration of the same agents into sites 1–2 mm dorsal to the central nucleus.
Extracellular matrix maturation in the left ventricle of normal and diabetic swine

The main objective of this study is to determine the transmural distribution of extracellular matrix (ECM) collagen and maturation in non-diabetic and diabetic hearts. The Yucatan miniature swine heart ECM was analyzed in eight streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic pigs (Diabetic-Swine) and age matched normal control pigs (Nondiabetic-Swine). After 12 weeks of STZ induced diabetes, transmural biopsies were obtained from the left ventricular free wall divided into subendocardial, mid- and subepicardial layers. Collagen concentration and maturation were measured by RP-HPLC determination of hydroxyproline (Hyp) and content of hydroxylysylpyridinoline (HP) cross-links, respectively. Results showed a significant elevation in arterial glucose (P<0.05) and reduction in arterial plasma insulin levels in the Diabetic-Swine. Hyp concentration was significantly greater (P<0.05) in the subendocardial layers in both the Diabetic and Nondiabetic animals. The HP cross-link content was significantly greater (17%) in the Diabetic-swine subendocardial layer compared to Nondiabetic-Swine (P<0.05), but not in other layers. In summary, the accumulation and/or increase in HP cross-link content in the Diabetic-Swine subendocardial layer suggests that myocardial fibrosis may be greater in this specific region.
Rare earth element selenochemistry of immiscible liquids and zircon at Apollo 14 - An ion probe study of evolved rocks on the moon

Results are presented of trace-element analyses of three lunar zircons. The major-element and REE compositions were determined using electron microprobes, and a correction was made for zircon for Zr-Si-O molecular interferences in the La to Pr mass region. The three zircons were found to exhibit similar REE abundances and patterns. Results of the analyses confirm earlier studies (Hess et al., 1975; Watson, 1976; Neal and Taylor, 1989) on the partitioning behavior of trace elements in immiscible liquid-liquid pairs. The results also support the postulated importance of silicate liquid immiscibility in the differentiation of the upper mantle and crust of the moon.
Guild Analysis in Biological Control

A comparative analysis of three natural enemy guilds is used to illustrate a conceptual framework for guild analysis and to derive predictions for applied biological control. The guilds consist of: a natural, coevolved guild of parasites (seven species) associated with a native cecidomyiid midge, Rhopalomyia californica Felt, which develops in galls on Baccharis pilularis DC in northern California; a diverse parasite guild (12 species), believed to have been restructured by the addition of an exotic species, associated with a native diaspidid, Melanaspis obscura (Comstock) (obscure scale), on pecan in southern Texas; and a synthetic or anthropogenic guild of phytoseiid mites (four commercially available species) released against twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, on bean plants in northern California. These guilds are analyzed according to the following framework: ecological-evolutionary history, empirical patterns in space and time (e.g., spatial distribution of species per host patch), factors affecting guild structure (e.g., interspecific competition, structure of host population), ecological effect on the host population (e.g., spatial density dependence), and relationship between guild structure and ecological effect (e.g., species-dependent mortality). It is suggested that analysis of natural enemy guilds may be of value in deriving introduction strategies in both classical and augmentative biological control. The importation of Encarsia aurantii (Howard) into California for control of obscure scale is described as a case in point. Some additional implications of guild analysis for biological control are discussed.
Suppression of Nitrogen Oxide Dissociation by Gold on Pt(335)

Prototype NOx sensors for use in automotive exhaust can contain Au/Pt electrodes that dissociate O2 for removal by electrochemical pumping, but these electrodes should not dissociate NO. In these sensors, the NO diffuses to a second chamber where it is then detected. To understand the process that occurs at the Au/Pt electrode we have used temperature-programmed desorption to study the dissociation of NO and O2 on Pt(335) and on partially Au covered Pt(335). With a gold coverage of 0.15 ML, the dissociation probability of NO is decreased by a factor of 5 relative to bare Pt. Increasing Au coverage to 0.3 ML decreases NO dissociation to an undetectable level. At 0.3 ML Au, the saturation coverage of atomic O is reduced by only 20%. The variation of NO dissociation with Au coverage occurs in the range where all of the Au atoms are at steps, but Au is more effective at decreasing NO dissociation than can be explained by a simple site-blocking model. The effect of adsorbed O on NO dissociation was also invest...
Salivary IgA responses to Porphyromonas gingivalis in the cynomolgus monkey. I. Total IgA and IgA antibody levels to P. gingivalis

Porphyromonas gingivalis has been associated with the subgingival plaque of advancing disease lesions in various types of periodontitis. Additionally, this species of oral microorganism has been found to increase dramatically in ligature-induced periodontitis in nonhuman primates (Macaca fascicularis) and has recently been shown to induce progressing disease when implanted into the subgingival plaque in this animal model. Although systemic antibody responses have been demonstrated to P. gingivalis in both human and nonhuman primate with periodontitis, no information is available on the oral secretory IgA antibody response to this bacteria. This report describes the methods for reproducible collection of salivary secretions from cynomolgus monkeys and the development of methods for analyzing salivary IgA levels and specific IgA antibody in the saliva reactive with P. gingivalis. Purification of monkey salivary IgA allowed quantification of IgA using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Estimation of total IgA levels in saliva showed approximately a 20% greater level of IgA in whole versus parotid saliva from a group of 13 monkeys, with a 2-3 fold variation in levels among this group of animals. Naturally occurring salivary IgA antibody to P. gingivalis, as measured by ELISA, were routinely detectable but low in whole saliva; however, many of the parotid saliva specimens collected exhibited negligible levels of antibody to this microorganism. The IgA antibody in whole saliva showed nearly an 18-fold variation among the samples from the monkeys. Correlational analyses indicated that, although there was a positive relationship between antibody levels in whole and parotid saliva, the majority of natural IgA antibody in whole saliva appears to be derived from other sources.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Peripheral embolization during thrombolytic therapy for left atrial thrombus.

Abstract Recent studies have focused attention on the effects of anticoagulants1 and thrombolytic agents in the treatment of left ventricular thrombi.2 We report the use of thrombolytic therapy in a patient with a large left atrial thrombus.
Characterization of individual tree crowns using three-dimensional shape signatures derived from LiDAR data.

Three-dimensional (3D) shape signatures based on the distance distribution of random point pairs are introduced and the effectiveness evaluated using computer simulations and samples of oak and Douglas fir crowns selected from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) point clouds and Digital Surface Models (DSMs). The results suggest that comparison of 3D crown shapes can be effectively reduced to the comparison of frequency distributions of distances between random points, and that it is more computationally efficient when shape signatures are derived from raster surfaces. The results also suggest that the statistically based 3D shape signatures are relatively insensitive to noise and other small local variations, which is important for crown shape analysis in real-world environments.
Maintaining empathy in medical education.

Empathy is one of the “hot” topics in medical education, as most educators believe it to be a humanistic attitude that students and physicians must have (Spiro 1992). It is considered to be an esse...
A Low-Noise Broadband Cryogenic Preamplifier Operated in a High-Field Superconducting Magnet

The recently developed cryogenic Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FTICRMS) has provided an opportunity for improvement in the limit of detection of FTICRMS by cooling the detection preamplifier to 4 K, thus reducing the thermal noise in the preamplifier. In this manuscript, we describe the development of a low-noise cryogenic preamplifier for FTICRMS and its performance in a high-field superconducting electromagnet. The preamplifier has a voltage gain of 250 with - 3-dB roll off at 850 kHz. The cryogenic preamplifier circuit has shown about 20 times improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, over the room temperature version.
Connecting Low-Income Families to Mental Health Services: The Role of the Family Associate

The family associate is a parent without professional mental health training who acts as a system guide to low-income families whose children have been referred to mental health services through th...
On dynamic motion planning problems

A novel method for solving the motion planning problem in the presence of moving obstacles is presented. Compared to previous approaches, the proposed method is more general in that obstacles are allowed to move with translation and rotation at nonlinear velocity. Using path/velocity decomposition, the method emphasizes the development of an efficient algorithm for collision detection between the robot and moving polygons. This algorithm is devised using transversability vector theory to determine the geometric relationships between any two convex polygons or convex components of concave polygons. The interference between the robot and the moving obstacles is detected and registered on the constraint map to represent time constraints on the robot's motion along the path. The constraint map is then used for velocity planning using a simple algorithm. The problem of a robot crossing the street is used as an example for computational analysis. >
Querying the Web Graph - (Invited Talk).

This paper focuses on using hyperlinks in the ranking of web search results. We give a brief overview of the vast body of work in the area; we provide a quantitative comparison of the different features; we sketch how link-based ranking features can be implemented in large-scale search engines; and we identify promising avenues for future research.
Notes from the 2002 American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting.

FROM OCTOBER 12-16, 2002, key ASPAN leaders attended the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) annual meeting in Orlando, FL. ASPAN President, Linda Wilson; Vice President/President Elect, Sandra Barnes; Director of Foundation, Maureen Iacono; Director of Research, Dina Krenzichek; and ASPAN Liaison to the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, Denise O’Brien, attended the opening ceremonies on October 13 as President Wilson was introduced to the House of Delegates and officers of the ASA. On the days that followed, the ASPAN National Office Staff, Kevin Dill, CEO, and Dennis Johnson, Marketing and Exhibits Manager, met with exhibitors, while Dr. Wilson, Ms. Barnes, and Ms. O’Brien visited the exhibits, attended lectures and presentations, and participated in meetings of the Anesthesia Care Team and the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation.
Somesthetic effects of damage to cats' ventrobasal complex, medial lemniscus or posterior group.

Abstract Lesions of the cat's thalamic ventrobasal complex or medial lemniscus were followed by deficits in tests of discrimination or orientation-localization of passively received cutaneous cues. Lesions of the posterior group were not followed by such deficits. Specificity of effect of lesions was shown by comparing the results from cutaneous tests to those of auditory, visual, and postural tests in the same animals. The results of this experiment are contrasted with those of earlier ones which showed that damage to SI cortex in cats does not cause cutaneous deficits while damage to SII and adjacent tissue does, and with work in other laboratories that also casts doubt on the idea that “lemniscal properties” are important for discriminative responding. Consideration of certain aspects of the perceptual abilities of man and lower animals suggests that the lemniscal system has too little interconnectedness to subserve sensory discriminative responding by itself. It is concluded that while lemniscal transmission of information up to the thalamic level is important for cutaneous sensation in the cat, perceptual interpretation of cutaneous information begins at the cortical level. Alternatively, certain properties of the ventrobasal complex which are not particularly “lemniscal” in nature may be important, and these are listed.
Rib radiographs for trauma: Useful or wasteful?

In trauma to the chest, the clinical impression and the physical findings of rib fractures are nonspecific. Fractures often are not seen on initial films. The principal diagnostic goal should be the detection of significant complications (pneumothorax, hemothorax, major vascular injury, or pulmonary contusion) requiring admission. The therapeutic effort should be to provide pain relief and prevent the delayed development of atelectasis or pneumonia in patients with painful chest wall injuries, whether or not a fracture is detected initially. An upright posteroanterior chest radiograph has the greatest yield in detecting fractures and complications resulting from them. Tomograms and expiratory, oblique, and "coned-down" views should not be done routinely. The use of these more specific examinations may be indicated, however, in such cases as trauma to ribs 1 to 3 or 9 to 12. Their selective use in isolated cases (trauma to ribs 1 to 3 or 9 to 12) and suspected child abuse may indicate the need for these more specific examinations. Because detection of pulmonary complications of chest trauma is most important, a delayed or repeat upright posteroanterior chest radiograph may be the most cost-effective second radiograph. Significant medical care cost savings may be appreciated by limiting the use of specific rib views to instances in which it might influence the patient's therapy.
Dyads Can Be Groups (and Often Are)

Moreland eloquently argues for excluding dyads from group process research and theory. Although dyads can have properties that do not lend themselves to certain group process research (e.g., coalition formation) and have properties that can go beyond typical group processes (e.g., intimate relations and love), in most instances dyads are groups of two and operate under the same principles and theories that explain group processes for groups of three and larger. In this article, the author presents research and theory that support the inclusion of dyads as groups.
Healing the Heart: Integrating Complementary Therapies and Healing Practices Into the Care of Cardiovascular Patients

Complementary therapies and healing practices have been found to reduce stress, anxiety, and lifestyle patterns known to contribute to cardiovascular disease. Promising therapies include imagery and hypnosis, meditation, yoga, tai chi, prayer, music, exercise, diet, and use of dietary supplements. Many of these complementary approaches to healing have been within the domain of nursing for centuries and can readily be integrated into the care of patients with cardiovascular disease. While individual complimentary modalities hold considerable merit, it is critical that the philosophy underlying these therapies--caring, holism, and harmony--also be understood and honored.
Activation of protein kinase C inhibits human keratinocyte migration

The involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) in epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced human keratinocyte migration was studied with the phagokinetic assay. It was concluded that PKC activation does not mediate, but rather inhibits, EGF-induced keratinocyte migration. The following experimental observations support these conclusions: 1) The PKC inhibitor H-7 did not inhibit EGF-induced migration but instead led to a modest enhancement. 2) PKC activators such as phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu), and 1,2-dioctanoly-sn-glycerol inhibited migration, but biologically inactive 4α-PMA had no effect. 3) PMA did not inhibit keratinocyte attachment and spreading but blocked migration almost immediately after addition. 4) Migration of PKC-depleted cells, which were produced by prolonged treatment with PDBu, was enhanced similarly to normal cells by EGF. 5) PKC-depleted cells were not susceptible to the inhibitory effects of phorbol esters on migration. Additional experiments, in which cells were preactivated with EGF, suggested that PKC inhibits the EGF effect at a post-receptor level. The inhibitory effect of PKC on keratinocyte migration was not restricted to EGF-induced migration; PKC activation also inhibited keratinocyte migration induced by bovine pituitary extract, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, and keratinocyte growth factor. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Resource Dependence and Cross-border Constraint-absorption

This study applies resource dependence theory to understand the adoption of cross-border constraint-absorption strategies by firms. I examine how trade dependence drives these strategies in the form of interindustry mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances in U.S. manufacturing industries. Based on panel data between 1995 and 2000, results suggest that resource dependence theory provides a useful framework for predicting the adoption of various constraint-absorption strategies in an industry in a foreign country. Over time, however, the effect of trade dependence erodes. This paper also finds that the within-form imitation effect and the cross-form spillover effect diminish the impact of trade dependence on subsequent entry decisions.
Alternate Mode of Operation Program

The increasing complexity of the launch support equipment and the narrow launch windows of the Saturn IB and Saturn V missions require that methods be developed to minimize any delay attributable to launch support equipment failures. Since even short delays cannot be tolerated for Saturn manned missions, it is necessary to develop a method to prevent the occurrence of these delays. The Alternate Mode of Operation (AMO) concept, an analytical methodology, can be used to achieve this goal. The AMO Program is an engineering analysis of launch support equipment consisting of three phases. a. The design analysis phase which consists of performing the analysis as soon as the preliminary design is completed and constructing failure isolation logic diagrams. b. The operations analysis phase which consists of validating the failure isolation procedures, making launch decisions prior to the countdown which may result in built-in holds, and establishing repair plans prior to the countdown for personnel familiarization. c. The implementation phase which consists of instantly displaying the failure isolation logic and launch decisions for use by personnel in case of equipment failure during the countdown. The Alternate Mode of Operation Program provides: a. Launch support equipment capable of meeting launch windows. b. Optimized failure isolation procedures. c. Predetermined launch decisions in case of launch support equipment failure during the countdown.
Optoelectronic parallel processing with straight-pass optical interconnections and smart pixel arrays

Several fine and medium grain parallel computer architectures comprise multiple stages of 2D processing element arrays. The parallel massive interconnections between two such stages can be implemented in optics. Straight-pass interconnections, as one possible interconnection scheme, can be easily realized with a lens or a lenslet array and their simplicity and regularity permits easy scale-up. We have identified four application classes with operations that can be performed in parallel by straight pass interconnections between smart pixel arrays. These classes include numerical computations such as data comparison and sorting, associative processing, database operations in a relational database environment, and image processing operations. We propose several implementations which use vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers as emitters and heterostructure phototransistors as detectors. >
Effect of Suicide Prevention Centers in Ireland and Great Britain

The effective influence of suicide prevention centers in lowering suicide rates in the different regions of Ireland and Great Britain was not consistently found.
Futures festivals: An intergenerational strategy for promoting community participation

This paper describes a special events strategy for mobilizing community residents of all ages to take part in a community visioning process. Through locally initiated special eventscalled “Futures Festivals”-community residents come together to share their concerns and hopes for their community. Planning for these events is driven by a collaborative process involving representatives of local community organizations and agencies. The rationale for this intergenerational model is twofold; people of different age groups often have limited opportunities to communicate with one another, and the viewpoints of youth and seniors are frequently overlooked in the community planning process. This paper profiles two Futures Festival events and other preliminary organizing taking place in western Pennsylvania communities during the summer of 2002. Findings suggest that Futures Festivals can be effective tools for broadening the circle of community residents and other stakeholders engaged in critical dialogue ...
Speculative parallelization using state separation and multiple value prediction

With the availability of chip multiprocessor (CMP) and simultaneous multithreading (SMT) machines, extracting thread level parallelism from a sequential program has become crucial for improving performance. However, many sequential programs cannot be easily parallelized due to the presence of dependences. To solve this problem, different solutions have been proposed. Some of them make the optimistic assumption that such dependences rarely manifest themselves at runtime. However, when this assumption is violated, the recovery causes very large overhead. Other approaches incur large synchronization or computation overhead when resolving the dependences. Consequently, for a loop with frequently arising cross-iteration dependences, previous techniques are not able to speed up the execution. In this paper we propose a compiler technique which uses state separation and multiple value prediction to speculatively parallelize loops in sequential programs that contain frequently arising cross-iteration dependences. The key idea is to generate multiple versions of a loop iteration based on multiple predictions of values of variables involved in cross-iteration dependences (i.e., live-in variables). These speculative versions and the preceding loop iteration are executed in separate memory states simultaneously. After the execution, if one of these versions is correct (i.e., its predicted values are found to be correct), then we merge its state and the state of the preceding iteration because the dependence between the two iterations is correctly resolved. The memory states of other incorrect versions are completely discarded. Based on this idea, we further propose a runtime adaptive scheme that not only gives a good performance but also achieves better CPU utilization. We conducted experiments on 10 benchmark programs on a real machine. The results show that our technique can achieve 1.7x speedup on average across all used benchmarks.
The Epidemiology of Parainfluenza Virus Infection in Lung Transplant Recipients

Human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) is a common cause of seasonal respiratory tract infections. However, little is known about the clinical presentation and impact of HPIV infections in lung transplant recipients. We reviewed HPIV infections at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. From January 1990 through May 2000, 32 cases of HPIV infection were identified. HPIV infection was found in 24 lung transplant recipients (75%), all of whom were included in the study group. Diagnosis was established at a median of 2.1 years after transplantation (range, 0.6-5 years). Presenting symptoms included cough (17 patients), shortness of breath (16), and temperature elevation (4). Respiratory failure occurred in 5 patients (21%). The HPIV serotypes were HPIV-1 (7 patients), HPIV-2 (2), and HPIV-3 (15 [63%]). Twenty-two patients underwent transbronchial biopsy, and 18 (82%) showed signs of acute allograft rejection. Seven patients (32%) subsequently were found to have bronchiolitis obliterans.
Human-tracking systems using pyroelectric infrared detectors

We design and develop a low-cost pyroelectric detector- based IR motion-tracking system. We study the characteristics of the detector and the Fresnel lenses that are used to modulate the visibility of the detectors. We build sensor clusters in different configurations and demonstrate their use for human motion tracking. © 2006 Society of Photo-
Mechanisms Underlying Spatial Representation Revealed through Studies of Hemispatial Neglect

The representations that mediate the coding of spatial position were examined by comparing the behavior of patients with left hemispatial neglect with that of nonneurological control subjects. To determine the spatial coordinate system(s) used to define "left" and "right," eye movements were measured for targets that appeared at 5°, 10°, and 15° to the relative left or right defined with respect to the midline of the eyes, head, or midsaggital plane of the trunk. In the baseline condition, in which the various egocentric midlines were all aligned with the environmental midline, patients were disproportionately slower at initiating saccades to left than right targets, relative to the controls. When either the trunk or the head was rotated and the midline aligned with the most peripheral position while the eyes remained aligned with the midline of the environment, the results did not differ from the baseline condition. However, when the eyes were rotated and the midline aligned with the peripheral position, saccadic reaction time (SRT) differed significantly from the baseline, especially when the eyes were rotated to the right. These findings suggest that target position is coded relative to the current position of gaze (oculocentrically) and that this eye-centered coding is modulated by orbital position (eye-in-head signal). The findings dovetail well with results from existing neurophysiological studies and shed further light on the spatial representations mediated by the human parietal cortex.
Muscle protein turnover in cattle of differing genetic backgrounds as measured by urinary N tau-methylhistidine excretion.

N tau-methylhistidine (N tau MH) was used as an index for muscle protein degradation and this index was utilized to evaluate degradation rates in young growing cattle. Initially, two Charolais crossbred heifers, 12 months of age, were used to measure the recovery of radioactivity in the urine for a 120-hour period after intravenous injection of (/sup 14/C)N tau MH. Of the radioactivity injected into the animals, 89.7% was recovered after 120 hours. With rate and amount of clearance as the criteria, the excretion of N tau MH in urine appears to be a valid index of muscle protein degradation in cattle. Eight steers of two genetic types were used to evaluate the effect of frame size on turnover rates of muscle proteins with N tau MH as an index. Large frame cattle (LG) excreted more N tau MH per day throughout the trial. Total daily creatinine excretion was less for small frame (SM) cattle showing an increase with time in LG and SM cattle. N tau MH-to-creatinine ratios showed a decline with time. Fractional breakdown rates (FBR) and fractional synthesis rates (FSR) appeared to parallel each other with rates tending to decrease with age. No differences were observed between LGmore » and SM cattle for FBR, FSR or fractional growth rate (FGR).« less
In Vitro Stimulation of Leucine Incorporation Into Muscle and Cartilage Protein by a Serum Fraction with Sulfation Factor Activity: Differentiation of Elfects from Those of Growth Hormone and Insulin

Effects of growth hormone, insulin and a serum fraction with sulfation factor activity on in vitro incorporation of (3H) leucine into TCA-insoluble protein by diaphragm and costal cartilage of hypophysectomized rats were compared. Tissues were incubated in a medium containing 14 amino acids and glucose. Cartilage was very sensitive to growth hormone in vivo but relatively insensitive in vitro. This tissue was also relatively insensitive to insulin in vitro but very sensitive to sulfation factor. Muscle was less sensitive than cartilage to growth hormone in vivo or sulfation factor in vitro. In all muscle studies combined, the maximum effect of growth hormone in vivo and the maximum effect of either sulfation factor or insulin in vitro each exceeded the maximum effect of growth hormone in high concentration in vitro. Sulfation factor in serum of normal rats was sufficient for stimulation of both muscle and cartilage from hypophysectomized rats in vitro, and the effects were not augmented by a high concentr...
Acute Shoulder Trauma: What the Surgeon Wants to Know

Many excellent studies on shoulder imaging from a radiologic perspective have been published over the years, demonstrating the anatomy and radiologic findings of shoulder trauma. However, it may not always be clear what the surgeon, who bears the responsibility for treating the injured patient, really needs to know about the injury to predict outcomes and plan management. The authors review the relevant osseous, soft-tissue, and vascular anatomy and describe the clinically relevant concepts that affect management. Familiarity with the Neer classification system for proximal humerus fractures can have a significant impact on treatment. The length and displacement of the medial humeral metaphyseal fragment helps predict the risk of ischemia in proximal humerus fractures. The Nofsinger approach for measuring the area of glenoid fossa bone loss can help the surgeon determine the need for surgical repair of a bony Bankart lesion. The size of Hill-Sachs and reverse Hill-Sachs lesions is also an important predictor of stability. The Ideberg classification system for intraarticular fractures of the glenoid fossa, combined with information on instability and joint incongruity, helps determine the need for surgical fixation of glenoid fossa fractures. Awareness of what matters to the surgeon can help radiologists better determine where to focus their attention and efforts when describing acute shoulder trauma.
Spontaneous differentiation of germ cells from human embryonic stem cells in vitro

Little is known of molecular requirements for specification of human germ cells. However, it is likely that they are specified through the action of sequentially expressed genes just as in model organisms. We sought to determine whether human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines, like those of mice, might be capable of forming germ cells in vitro. We compared transcriptional profiles of three pluripotent human ES cells to those of isolated inner cell mass (ICM) cells. We found that ICM cells expressed NANOS1, STELLAR and OCT4, whereas undifferentiated human ES cells expressed these genes along with the germ cell-specific gene, DAZL. Upon ES cell differentiation into embryoid bodies (EBs), we observed a shift in expression from RNA and protein markers of immature germ cells to those indicative of mature germ cells, including expression of VASA, BOL, SCP1, SCP3, GDF9 and TEKT1. Although ability to test the function of these putative VASA positive germ cells is limited, these results demonstrate that differentiation of human ES cells into EBs in vitro results in formation of cells that express markers specific to gonocytes.
Evidence-Based Management: A Business Necessity for Hispanics

Evidence-Based Management (EBMgmt) is a movement to integrate best-available evidence, manager’s judgment and stakeholder values in business decision making. Money is being “left at the table” whenever a manager makes a decision that is not consistent with the best evidence made available by business research. To the extent that Hispanic managers – especially females – may be affected by “tokenism” phenomena such as increased visibility, heightened differentiation, and distortion of their individual characteristics so they fit stereotypes (Kanter, 1977a; 1977b), it is crucial for their careers that their decisions be informed by the best-available evidence. This article synthesizes current developments in EBMgmt within the context of minority status that many Hispanic professionals hold and offers suggestions aimed at making EBMgmt a reality.
Minimum variance semi-supervised boosting for multi-label classification

We present a semi-supervised boosting algorithm for the multi-label classification by using the conditional label variance as a loss function over the unlabeled data. The experiments on the benchmark data sets show that the proposed algorithm outperforms its supervised counterpart as well as the existing information theoretic based semi-supervised methods, and its performance is steadily improving as more unlabeled data is available.