cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CONTRAST DETAIL CURVES IN HEAD CT EXAMINATIONS

The purpose of this study was to generate contrast detail (CD) curves for low contrast mass lesions embedded in images obtained in head and neck CT examinations. Axial head and neck CT slice images were randomly chosen from patients at five different levels. All images were acquired at 120 kV, and reconstructed using a standard soft tissue reconstruction filter. For each head CT image, we measured detection of low contrast mass lesions using a 2 Alternate Forced Choice (2-AFC) experimental paradigm. In an AFC experiment, an observer identifies the lesion location in one of two regions of interest. After performing 128 sequential observations, it is possible to compute the lesion contrast corresponding to a 92% accuracy of lesion detection (i.e., I92%). Five lesion sizes were investigated ranging from 4 mm to 12.5 mm, with the experimental order randomized to eliminate learning curve as well as observer fatigue. Contrast detail curves were generated by plotting log[I92%] versus log[lesion size]. Experimental slopes ranged from ~ -0.1 to ~ -0.4. The slope of the CD curve was directly related to the complexity of the anatomical structure in the head CT image. As the apparent anatomical complexity increased, the slope of the corresponding CD curve was reduced. Results from our pilot study suggest that anatomical structure is of greater importance than quantum mottle, and that the type of anatomical background structure is an important determinant of lesion detection in CT imaging.
Communicating and Philosophizing About Authenticity or Inauthenticity in a Fast-Paced World

North Americans live in an increasingly fast-paced world. Not only might this be physically and relationally unhealthy, a fast pace of life might prevent people from living life to its fullest and achieving happiness. Using Heidegger’s theory of Dasein, this study examines how individuals talk about time in holiday letters. Results of the study indicate that many letter writers were living inauthentic lives. According to Heidegger, inauthenticity prevents individuals from experiencing life at its fullest; implications of the findings blending philosophy and communication are discussed.
Of chickens and Guinea fowl : Living matriliny in North-Western Zambia in the 1980s

■ The old structural-functionalist obsession with comparisons between patrilineal and matrilineal systems and their respective functionality in a modernizing world, has been extensively and justifiably criticized. One thing this literature did do, however, was to recognize the centrality of kinship to political and economic life in much of rural Africa. In the postcolonial world kinship con tinues to play a central role, and understanding this role is crucial if we want to understand the complex and dynamic realities of contemporary Africa. This article traces out some of the practical realities into which 'matriliny' translated in the lives of those living in the Kaonde-speaking communities of Zambia's North-Western Province in the 1980s. One of the questions it addresses is that perennial one in the context of discussions of matriliny and matrilineal kinship systems: to what extent is matriliny, as opposed to patriliny, associated with greater power and authority for women? In particular I explore the i...
Threshold Measurements of Mach Bands

Thresholds for Mach bands were obtained by filtering discontinuous luminance gradients until the bands disappeared. Visibility was related to two properties of the stimulus discontinuity at which the bands were seen: the change in the rate of change of luminance with respect to distance and the luminance at the discontinuity. The former clearly affects visibility. The latter also appears to affect visibility, but its influence was not always demonstrable. Light and dark bands are independently perceived. Light-band thresholds vary with exposure duration according to Bloch’s law.
Sample size influences estimation of cotton dry matter, nitrogen accumulation, and lint yield

Accurate estimates of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) dry matter accumulation and nitrogen content are important for both production and environmental reasons. One of the important factors in estimate ...
The use and abuse of commercial letters from the Cairo Geniza

The Cairo Geniza contains thousands of pieces of correspondence, but they have not been analysed as genres. Separating out the ‘commercial letters’ from this mass of correspondence shows that this kind of letter was a discrete genre, written according to norms that differed from other kinds of correspondence. These norms were largely a result of the particular ways letters could function as instruments of long-distance trade. Letters were primarily ephemeral business instruments that allowed a merchant to designate a fellow merchant as agent for his goods and make orders, maintaining his executive authority at a distance, but they had no intrinsic value in the legal system and were not used or kept as records. Their ephemeral nature helped make them more effective in their main secondary use: as tools to manage and negotiate business relationships within a geographically dispersed merchant community. Understanding these functions not only lets us see commercial letters as part of the institutional structu...
Feminism and the exclusion of army women from combat

Although claiming to represent the views of military women on the combat exclusion policy, feminist activists actually represent only a minority of Army women. Most women soldiers do support opening the combat arms to women, however only on a volunteer basis and with physical qualifications for those jobs. Most Army women are not interested in serving in the combat arms, and roughly half do not believe they would be capable of doing so. A gap exists, then, between activists who deny differences between men and women and seek to bring women's policy in line with men, and women soldiers who support greater opportunities for women but who do not perceive most women as equally qualified for the combat arms as men. Furthering the gap between these activists and much of their constituency, the feminist framing of the debate has neither been tailored to fit the specific nature of the military as an organization (one which does not value individualist perspectives) nor the particular circumstances of the lives of military women (particularly enlisted and/or minority women).
Effect of cortisone on metabolism of cystine in regenerating wound tissue.

Summary1. Administration of 1.0 mg/day of cortisone to wounded female rats over a period of 12 days resulted in a weight loss significantly greater than that due to wounding and low protein diet alone. 2. Cortisone inhibited the formation of collagen. On the basis of tyrosine content, the sterol had no effect on the synthesis of total cellular proteins. 3. The rate of formation of cystine-rich proteins in the wound tissue was inhibited by the cortisone treatment. 4. The turnover of disulfide-bound cystine attached to the protein of the wound tissue cells was reduced in rats receiving cortisone, indicating a decreased utilization of cystine (or sulfhydryl) activated enzymes.
Sampling Airborne Solids in Ducts Following a 90° Bend

Abstract An experimental study was made to evaluate the sampling procedure commonly used for the quantitative determination of the mass of solids associated with a volume of gas and to reveal the patterns of flow of solids downstream of a 90° bend. Glass spheres with a mean Feret's diameter of 25 μm were fed into an air stream flowing in a horizontal duct followed by a 90° bend and a vertical section. Particle concentrations were measured by drawing the air-solids mixture into a sampling probe isokinetically and depositing the solids on a filter. The volume of air passing through the filter was measured. Four measurements of particle concentration were made at sampling locations in the horizontal duct and at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 duct diameters downstream of a 90° bend for the following variables: (1) air velocities of 40 and 80 ft/sec (measured at the centerline in the horizontal run of duct); (2) radii of curvature of the elbow equal to two and four times the duct diameter; and (3) twelve sampling points a...
Larvae provide first evidence of successful reproduction by pallid sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus, in the Mississippi River

Summary The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) was not described until 1905, when it was commonly caught by commercial fishers. This species began to decline in the early 1900s presumably because of overharvest and habitat degradation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed S. albus as an endangered species in 1990. Because S. albus live in deep, turbid rivers that are difficult to sample, very little is known about its reproductive timing and spawning habitat. The act of spawning has never been observed in nature. Captures of wild young S. albus verifying natural reproduction are rare, the last being a 4-year-old fish taken in 1978. In this paper, we describe the first collection of a larval S. albus from the wild and subsequent larval collections in the Mississippi River from 1998 to 2000 using a modified slingshot balloon trawl (the Missouri Trawl) designed to capture small fishes in deep, turbulent rivers. We captured larval Scaphirhynchus spp., including verified S. albus, in association with island habitats often in heavy detritus, especially at downstream tips. We postulate that Scaphirhynchus spp. spawned at the heads of islands upstream from where we collected larvae, but we cannot be certain. The capture of larval S. albus verifies reproduction possibly from the lower Missouri River to the upper and lower Mississippi River. However, we found no evidence of recruitment of S. albus from 1998 to 2000 as we were unable to capture juveniles after 374 trawl hauls that captured over 21 735 fish.
The effect of progestin on rabbit endometrial aromatase activity.

Abstract The ability of rabbit endometriuna to synthesize estrogen was investigated. Aromatase activity was measured by incubating the viable tissue fragments with [ 3 H]testosterone at 37°C and quantitated the [ 3 H]estrogens at the end of 6 h incubation. The activity was not detectable in endometrium and myometrium of non-pregnant rabbits. In pregnant rabbit, the activity increased from 2 to 12 fmol/h/g of tissue in endometrium obtained from both gravid and nongravid uterine horns 4–8 days after mating. Aromatase activity in endometrium at implanted sites on the 8th day after mating reached up to 550 fmol/h/g of tissue. Hormonal regulation of the aromatase activity was studied directly in cultured rabbit endometrial stromal cells. Both progesterone and medroxyprogesterone acetate stimulated the activity with 2- to 25-fold increase over the control values (0.2–1 fmol/h/mg protein). The stimulation of aromatase activity by progestin was found to be both time- and dose-dependent. Estrogen, Bu 2 cAMP, forskolin, HCG or relaxin had no effect on the activity. Aromatase activity in glandular epithelial cells was neither detectable nor affected by progestin. These results indicate that aromatase activity in rabbit endometrium is concentrated in stromal cells and progestin stimulates the activity. However, estrogen, forskolin and relaxin which enhanced the stimulation of the activity by progestin in human endometrium had no effect on aromatase in rabbit endometrium. The increase of aromatase activity observed after the onset of conception may be physiologically important to increase the local estrogen content for decidualization of the endometrium.
Opioid prescribing by multiple providers in Medicare: retrospective observational study of insurance claims

Objectives To estimate the frequency and characteristics of opioid prescribing by multiple providers in Medicare and the association with hospital admissions related to opioid use. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Database of prescription drugs and medical claims in 20% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries in 2010. Participants 1 808 355 Medicare beneficiaries who filled at least one prescription for an opioid from a pharmacy in 2010. Main outcome measures Proportion of beneficiaries who filled opioid prescriptions from multiple providers; proportion of these prescriptions that were concurrently supplied; adjusted rates of hospital admissions related to opioid use associated with multiple provider prescribing. Results Among 1 208 100 beneficiaries with an opioid prescription, 418 530 (34.6%) filled prescriptions from two providers, 171 420 (14.2%) from three providers, and 143 344 (11.9%) from four or more providers. Among beneficiaries with four or more opioid providers, 110 671 (77.2%) received concurrent opioid prescriptions from multiple providers, and the dominant provider prescribed less than half of the mean total prescriptions per beneficiary (7.9/15.2 prescriptions). Multiple provider prescribing was highest among beneficiaries who were also prescribed stimulants, non-narcotic analgesics, and central nervous system, neuromuscular, and antineoplastic drugs. Hospital admissions related to opioid use increased with multiple provider prescribing: the annual unadjusted rate of admission was 1.63% (95% confidence interval 1.58 to 1.67%) for beneficiaries with one provider, 2.08% (2.03% to 2.14%) for two providers, 2.87% (2.77% to 2.97%) for three providers, and 4.83% (4.70% to 4.96%) for four or more providers. Results were similar after covariate adjustment. Conclusions Concurrent opioid prescribing by multiple providers is common in Medicare patients and is associated with higher rates of hospital admission related to opioid use.
Analytic approach to the interfacial polarization of heterogeneous systems.

We have obtained an analytical solution of Maxwell's equations for a dielectric system of spherical particles in a medium. The system is placed between two parallel electrode plates, subject to a low-frequency alternating potential, and the solution is obtained from the corresponding boundary-value problem for the Green function. All the multipole moments and the electric field are expressed in terms of the applied potential at the electrodes and a matrix which depends on the system configuration. The effective dielectric function is then obtained as an average over the whole sample. For disordered systems, we solve exactly the case of two-particle distributions with short-range correlations and find that the form of the distribution plays a crucial role. In particular, we prove that for spherically symmetric two-particle distributions all multipole moments except dipoles are exactly zero, and the Maxwell-Garnett result, or, equivalently, the Clausius-Mossotti relation for spherical particles, is valid regardless of the particle concentration. Within the two-particle distribution, corrections to the Maxwell-Garnett result can only derive from nonsphericity in the distribution: in such a case, higher multipole moments are generally nonzero and may strongly affect the effective dielectric function. We provide the explicit expressions for all the multipole moments and the effective dielectric function, which can be computed straightforwardly for any given distribution. We show that an iterative unsymmetrical procedure proposed originally by Bruggeman is inconsistent with our results.
Technique of X-Ray Powder Photography*

THE aspects of technique that influence the quality of the X-ray powder photograph can be classified into two groups: those concerned with the kind and purity of the X-radiation; and those concerned with the camera. A battery of X-ray tube target materials is desirable to give the necessary flexibility in the selection of wave-lengths. Demountable tubes in which targets are interchangeable, or sets in which sealed-off X-ray tubes containing different target elements can be quickly interchanged, provide alternative lines of approach.
Fluoride pharmacokinetics in good and poor responders to fluoride therapy.

In this study, the relationship between fluoride pharmacokinetics and the response in spinal bone density to fluoride treatment was studied in 14 patients with primary osteoporosis treated with fluoride for at least 1 year. Serum concentrations and urinary excretion of fluoride were determined after ingestion of 10 mg fluoride as monofluorophosphate. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated according to a linear one-compartment open model. The fasting serum fluoride level was 8.8 +/- 0.98 mumol/liter. The peak serum fluoride level was 20.5 +/- 1.4 mumol/liter and was reached within 2 h after ingestion of fluoride. When the patients were divided into good and poor responders, based on whether they did or did not exhibit a change in spinal bone density of 13 mg/cc per year or more, we found that good responders had decreased renal fluoride clearance (-62 +/- 13%, p less than .02), increased maximum change in serum fluoride (+38 +/- 18%, p less than .01), increased extrarenal clearance (+62 +/- 57%, p less than .05) and increased change in serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (+241 +/- 169%, p less than 0.02) compared with poor responders. Our data suggest that one factor accounting for a good response is a relatively high serum level of fluoride. However, although the maximum change in serum fluoride was greater in good responders compared with poor responders, variations in fluoride levels could not explain all of the variation in spinal bone density. Therefore, we propose that in addition to differences in serum fluoride, other factors are also responsible for the good response.
226Ra uptake by sagebrush from uniform and non-uniform soil amendments

Abstract A two-group plant uptake experiment was conducted in which sagebrush seedlings ( Artemisia tridentata ) were grown in pots containing soil spiked with 226 Ra. The objective was to determine the effect of soil tracer amendment configuration on the uptake of 226 Ra as determined by the concentration in leaves. The soil in all pots was spiked to contain the same total radioactivity. In one group, the radioactivity was distributed uniformly in the soil. In the other group, the activity was injected into the soil along a narrow vertical line, the site of injection being chosen randomly. The mean 226 Ra leaf concentration from each group was 0.8 kBq/kg; however, the coefficient of variation of the leaf concentration from uniformly contaminated soil was 30% as compared to 84% for uptake from injected soil. It was concluded from statistical hypothesis testing that the mean leaf concentration was indistinguishable for the two groups.
Controlling the duration of photosynthetic charge separation with microwave radiation

Electron transfer reactions are commonplace in both chemical and biochemical transformations. These reactions generally involve the formation of transient radical ion pairs. Non-adiabatic electron transfer results in formation of a correlated radical ion pair1. Only when the radical ions have separated to distances of the order of 10 A are the internal magnetic fields in the radical ions able to perturb this correlation. Thus radical pairs initially born in a singlet state will develop triplet character as a function of time, and vice versa. Because the ensuing chemistry of the radicals is dependent on their spin state, external perturbations of the radical pair spin state may permit some control over the course of the chemistry. Microwave radiation can provide a strong internal magnetic field perturbation on a radical pair such as the one that results from photoin-duced charge separation in bacterial reaction centres. We show here how this perturbation can be used to control the lifetime of the initially formed radical pair.
Detecting Transformation of Delta-Ferrite to Sigma-Phase in Stainless Steels by Advanced Metallographic Techniques

Magnetic etching is a useful metallographic tool for distinguishing between delta-ferrite, sigma-phase, and austenite in stainless steels. The technique is limited only by the resolution of the optical microscope.
A Superadditive-Impairment Theory of Optic Aphasia

Accounts of neurological disorders often posit damage to a specific functional pathway of the brain. Farah (1990) has proposed an alternative class of explanations involving partial damage to multiple pathways. We explore this explanation for optic aphasia, a disorder in which severe performance deficits are observed when patients are asked to name visually presented objects, but surprisingly, performance is relatively normal on naming objects from auditory cues and on gesturing the appropriate use of visually presented objects. We model this highly specific deficit through partial damage to two pathways-one that maps visual input to semantics, and the other that maps semantics to naming responses. The effect of this damage is superadditive, meaning that tasks which require one pathway or the other show little or no performance deficit, but the damage is manifested when a task requires both pathways (i.e., naming visually presented objects). Our model explains other phenomena associated with optic aphasia, and makes testable experimental predictions.
ACTTON SPECTRA OF PHYTOCHROME IN VITRO

Summary First-order rate constants, Kλ, for the photochemical conversions of both forms of phytochrome, PR and PFR, were measured at various wavelengths between 300 and 800 nm. The product of the extinction coefficient, e, and the quantum yield, o, at any wave-length, λ, could be determined from the value of Kλ and the mole fractions of PR and PFR present at the photostationary state set by λ. The determination of the action (eo) spectra required that the photostationary states in red and far-red light be known. These were determined from the absorption spectra and kinetic data.
Understanding Pro-Environmental Behavior: Models and Messages

Certainly societal Discourses shape our individual worldviews, and our behaviors are influenced by our organizations’ quest for legitimacy during stakeholder interactions. However, when individuals communicate about sustainability-related initiatives, part of that exchange is influenced by each person’s environmental values, attitudes, and beliefs. What influences an individual’s pro-environmental values and behaviors? How can communication facilitate individual-level behavioral change? This chapter identifies factors influencing an individual’s pro-environmental values and behaviors; discusses the tentative link between values, attitudes, and behaviors; and identifies how communication can be used to influence individual-level behavioral change. Literature is reviewed which identifies and discusses pro-environmental values and beliefs and defines pro-environmental behaviors. Various persuasion and social influence theories are reviewed to help practitioners better understand how to stimulate pro-environmental behaviors. Key models of pro-environmental behavior are identified. Information is drawn from social marketing, health-related models, stages of change models, energy use reduction models, and communication campaign literatures. At the end of each block of theories, ways these theories can guide practice are highlighted. The chapter ends by focusing on concrete message strategies and the importance of interpersonal communication. Interview data is drawn from Sam’s Club; Bayern Brewing; the South Dakota Bureau of Administration; the State Farm Insurance processing facility in Lincoln, NE; the Neil Kelly Company; the City of Fayetteville; the University of Colorado, Boulder; and the University of Colorado, Denver.
A micromachined sensor for in-situ monitoring of plasma etching

We present a prototype plasma etch rate sensor which correlates film thickness with the change in resonant frequency that occurs in a micromachined platform during etching. This approach is similar to the use of crystal oscillators to monitor deposition processes. The platform is suspended over a drive electrode on the surface of the wafer and electrically excited into resonance. As material is etched from the platform, its fundamental resonance frequency shifts, thus allowing etch rate to be inferred. The sensor has the potential to allow in-situ process monitoring of both etch rate and uniformity at a nominal cost.
Osmoregulatory Organs of Immature Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in North America

Aquatic insects must regulate the ion concentrations of their haemolymph, and freshwater insects tend to loose ions to their aquatic environment. The osmoregulatory organs of larvae and pupae of C. sonorensis have not been previously reported. Silver nitrate was used to detect tissues in immature stages of C. sonorensis with active chloride exchange. Larvae of C. sonorensis actively exchanged ions with their anal papillae, cutaneous chloride cells, and to a lesser extent the hindgut. Only the cutaneous chloride cells were stained in their pupae.
A manufacturing approach to reducing underfill voiding on large die (> 18 mm) flip chip organic laminate packaging

The rising production levels on flip chip large dies (15 to 26 mm square) and low stand off solder C4's has brought to light greater process sensitivity with respect to the formation of voids in underfills. The formation of voids is a result of flow limitations and / or moisture diffusion from the laminate during the capillary underfill dispense and cure processes. Voiding propensity depends on a number of factors, such as underfill type and multiple variables from the laminate and chip construction and designs. Another set of factors however are controllable through process, and include preparatory bakes, preheat steps, adequate temperature control during the dispense process as well as underfill dispense pattern strategy. This paper summarizes a series of experiments conducted to better understand the interplay of several of these factors and the validation of best practices through controlled experiments on the production line. The diffusion behaviour of moisture in laminates can be roughly anticipated with standard models of moisture diffusion in epoxy and offers insights to proper adjustments of preparatory thermal treatments. The data indicates that appropriate thermal treatments to, minimise the possibility of moisture absorption and a good control of dispense parameters are key elements to reducing the occurrence of voids in underfills.
Architecting information assurance

Architecting information assurance in complex enterprises is a challenge that requires the skills of many different professions. Combining all possible solutions in a structured approach to meeting assurance needs throughout the phases of protection, detection, and reaction/correction and within resource limitations is enormously complex. This paper describes an approach to systematically developing feasible architectures that meet identified needs within resource constraints.
Robust SDC parameterization for a class of Extended Linearization systems

We consider nonlinear regulation of systems with parametric uncertainty. Under mild conditions, these systems can be brought into a psuedo-linear form known as extended linearization. Under this formulation, conventional linear control synthesis methods can be applied. One popular technique that mimics the LQR method of optimal linear control is referred to as the State-Dependent Riccati Equation (SDRE) approach. SDRE control relies on a non-unique factorization of the system dynamics known as the State Dependent Coefficient (SDC) parameterization. Under system uncertainty, each SDC parameterization will produce its own radius of stability in a region of interest in the state space. In this paper a method to compute the radius of stability in a special class of systems is used to obtain the SDC parameterization which results in the maximum radius of stability for the original nonlinear system in the region of interest. It is shown that the problem of finding the maximum radius of stability from a hyperplane of SDC parameterizations can be reduced to constrained minimization of the spectral norm of a comparison system.
Effect of lesion length on fractional flow reserve in intermediate coronary lesions

Background Fractional flow reserve (FFR) has become a gold standard in physiological assessment of coronary artery stenosis. An FFR Methods We performed FFR measurements by pressure guidewire in 63 intermediate-grade lesions (63 patients) by visual assessment. Lesion length and percent diameter stenosis (%DS) at the lesion site were determined by performing off-line quantitative coronary angiography analysis. Results Overall, there was a moderate inverse correlation between FFR and %DS ( r = −0.55, P r = −0.31, P r = −0.78, P r = 0.16, P = NS; respectively). Similar improvement with LL was also observed for intermediate lesions by quantitative coronary angiography (%DS 50%-70%; r = 0.19, P = NS for LL r = −0.74, P Conclusions This study demonstrates that LL differentially affects the correlation between the functional assessment (FFR) and the "anatomic" severity (%DS) of coronary lesions and suggests that LL has a significant impact on the physiological significance of intermediate-grade coronary lesions.
Anomalous dimensions of anisotropic gauge theory operators

Abstract The anomalous dimensions of the anisotropic dimension four operators in SU( N ) gauge theory coupled to fermions are calculated to lowest order. The possibility of comparison with numerical simulations is pointed out.
MIDDLE EOCENE TERRESTRIAL PALYNOMORPHS FROM THE DOLIME MINERALS AND GULF HAMMOCK QUARRIES, FLORIDA, U.S.A.

A small but diverse assemblage of pollen and spores recovered from marine sediments of the Avon Park Formation (middle Eocene) in west central Florida, represents the oldest land flora described from the state. Twenty-one pollen taxa from terrestrial plants, are identified from the Dolime Minerals and Gulf Hammock quarries. The presence of mangrove pollen associates such as Acrostichum, Nypa, and Pelliciera associated with seagrass macrofossils, combined with evidence from invertebrate fossils and sedimentary structures, suggest that the sediments of the Avon Park Formation, at these quarry sites, were deposited in a shallow marine lagoon, perhaps near the mouth of a river or stream in a protected area that had some tidal influence. This is the earliest report of terrestrial vegetation and near marine vegetation of Florida and documents the presence of a Florida landmass during middle Eocene time.
Utility of Cystatin C to monitor renal function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Creatinine as a marker of renal function has limited value in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) because of reduced muscle mass. Alternative methods of assessing renal function are sorely needed. Cystatin C, a nonglycosylated protein unaffected by muscle mass, is potentially an ideal biomarker of nephrotoxicity for this population but requires validation. In all, 75 subjects were recruited: 35 DMD (mean age 10.8 +/- 5.4 years, corticosteroids n = 19, ambulatory n = 26), 29 healthy controls, 10 with renal disease, and one DMD with renal failure. Cystatin C levels in DMD were normal irrespective of age, ambulation, or corticosteroid treatment. Serum cystatin C was 0.67 +/- 0.11 mg/l compared to normal controls 0.69 +/- 0.09. mg/l. In these same individuals serum creatinine was severely reduced (0.27 +/- 0.12 mg/dl) versus normals (0.75 +/- 0.15 mg/dl, P < 0.01). In one DMD subject in renal failure, cystatin C was elevated. This study demonstrates the potential value of cystatin C as a biomarker for monitoring renal function in DMD. Its applicability extends to other neuromuscular diseases.
Electrically Programmable Surfaces for Configurable Patterning of Cells

Microsystems technology provides the ability to precisely control micrometer-scale environments that surround cells in microfluidic devices, small-volume chambers, or biochips. Precise control over the chemical and cellular environment, including interactions with neighboring cells, in microdevices opens doors to new high-throughput and high-content experimental approaches and mechanistic insights into cell behaviors, such as relationships between cell shape and cell growth. Fundamental aspects of complex cell–cell interactions found in living organisms can also be re-created in microsystems for drug and toxicology screening. To create and accurately control the environmental and physiological conditions, surfaces capable of generating micrometer-scale patterns of cells in microsystems are crucial. These surfaces serve for controlling cellular growth factors, engineering tissues, and performing controlled cell-based assays, and could become key components for the development of bioelectronics and portable diagnostic devices useful in clinical settings. In this Communication, we present a newmaterial approach that can be programmed to generate cell patterns on a surface, with the smallest dimension down to the size of single cells. The locations and shapes of the generated cell patterns on a surface can be controlled externally by selectively switching on microelectrode arrays in an engineered microfluidic device. In addition, the method allows one to configure different cell population densities and cell morphologies into generated cell patterns on the same surface by adjusting applied voltage biases on the microelectrodes. Several techniques have demonstrated an ability to immobilize cells on designated regions on a surface. For example, cell patterns have been generated by using microcontact
ABCs of diabetes care, targeted drug delivery with nanocarriers, and cost- effectiveness analysis methods of tomorrow

resistant breast cancer. Treatment with targeted nanoparticles was compared with nontargeted nanoparticles and drug solution treatments. The pharmacokinetic profile of the targeted nanoparticles was superior to both drug solution and nontargeted nanoparticles, particularly for lonidamine delivery. The first target site of accumulation was the liver, followed by the kidneys, and then the tumor mass; maximal tumor accumulation occurred at 3 hours after administration. Implications. Does this article signal that the “magic bullet” has been found? No, not yet; we still don’t have the perfect drug to cure a disease with no danger of adverse effects. However, the authors have provided another example of medication delivery methods that carry higher concentrations to the affected tissues using less invasive methods in animal models. Given more targeted distribution and tumor specificity, we seem to be moving closer to equal or greater effectiveness with fewer systemic adverse effects. However, as we think about tomorrow, what is the role of the pharmacist in personalized medicine systems based on genetic profiles? How does one provide MTM for individually “manufactured” medications?
X-Ray Spectrometer Experiment Aboard the ISEE-C (Heliocentric) Spacecraft

This experiment is designed to provide continuous coverage of solar flare X-ray bursts and transient cosmic gamma-ray bursts. A proportional counter and a scintillation detector together cover the energy range from 5 to 228 keV with good sensitivity, large dynamic range, and high temporal resolution. This experiment provides data storage capability and good absolute timing so that in conjunction with similar experiments on other spacecraft, accurate source locations can be obtained for cosmic gamma-ray bursts.
Integrating the School Experience: A Message from William Butler Yeats to Counselors.

The theme of integration presented in Yeats's poem “Among School Children” is used to explore some counseling solutions to current problems in high schools.
Effects of selected PCB congeners on survival, growth, and reproduction in Daphnia magna

The effects of individual polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners on survival, growth and reproduction in the freshwater cladoceran, Daphnia magna, were determined. Congeners evaluated in this study (IUPAC numbers 52, 77, 101, 118, 138, 153, 180) represent a variety of microsomal mixed-function oxidase (MFO) inducers. After 21 d of static renewal exposure, Daphnia survival was high (88–100%) in all congener treatments and unaffected by any PCB. Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners had little to no detectable sublethal effects on reproduction and growth. The number of neonates produced was either unaffected (congeners 52, 77, 118) or enhanced (congeners 101, 138, 153, 180). Effects on total biomass were mixed and the magnitude of significant differences, when observed, was small. Diminished biomass was observed in Daphnia exposed to congener 101 whereas increases occurred in treatments with congeners 52 and 118. Both elevated and diminished biomass was observed in animals exposed to congener 77. Congeners 138, 153 and 180 had no significant effect on Daphnia biomass. Daphnia accumulated substantial amounts of all PCBs even though minimal effects on survival, growth and reproduction were observed. Mean tissue concentrations ranged from approximately 2.0 ng/mg to 130 ng/mg dry weight. These tissue residues are one to several orders of magnitude greater than those observed in aquatic fish and invertebrates collected in and around industrial waterways of the Great Lakes. Possible explanations for the lack of PCB congener toxicity are discussed.
Obesity Increases and Physical Activity Decreases Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Risk in Older Men: The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study

Background Two potential targets for preventing chronic lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in older men are obesity and physical activity.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy

Nephrolithiasis is a common disease. It is estimated that the lifetime risk of urinary tract stone formation is 5–15 % and appears to be increasing in the United States. The disease afflicts men in excess of women in a 1.3:1 proportion (J Urol 173:848, 2005; Kidney Int 69:760–764, 2006). About 12 % of American population will develop renal stones by the age of 70 years. Patients with nephrolithiasis relapse at a rate of 50 % within 5–10 years and 75 % within 20 years (Lancet 367:333–344, 2006). Although the majority of patients with nephrolithiasis are managed conservatively, surgical interventions remain the mainstay for more complicated renal calculi. Traditional open surgical treatments essentially disappeared by the 1990s, after less invasive surgical approaches were introduced and refined. Two techniques, percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), and their anesthetic implications are discussed.
Remodeling reversals in anterior parts of the human mandible and maxilla.

Abstract No Abstract Available. From Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio and supported in part by USPHS Grant DE05078.
Cardiac biomarkers, cardiotoxicity, and active collaboration: is this the final frontier or the wave we should catch?

The development of new “targeted” cancer therapy or investigation of new strategies for delivering previously established treatments for specific cancers is a major concern in oncology. It is clear that minimizing the potential for cardiac-related toxicity during cancer therapy is of significant
Project CATE Using outcome measures to assess school-age children's use of technology in urban public libraries: A collaborative research process

Although outcome-based evaluation was routine in governmental and nonprofit agencies by 2002, it had not been systematically applied to the evaluation of children's services in public libraries. At the same time, digital technology had grown commonplace in public libraries, with 94.5% of libraries providing Internet access to the public in the year 2000. This article examines various definitions and models of outcome-based evaluation; describes the lack of knowledge regarding children's use of technology in public libraries, despite their majority status among users; and presents an original outcome-based evaluation model (the Project CATE model) developed to assess this use. Although this unique, dynamic, and interactive evaluation research model was conceived as a collaboration between the Saint Louis Public Library and the Florida State University School of Information Studies, it is designed to be transportable and applicable in a wide variety of assessment situations.
Coordination of Economic Research

Coordination is defined by Webster as the "act of regulating and combining so as to give harmonious results, or a harmonious adjustment." It involves in research the viewpoint of cooperation of different agencies as well as the harmonizing of method and result. The problems with which we have to deal in studying the economic side of agriculture are so complex and interrelated as to make fuller coordination of our research promise real improvement in the adequacy of our conclusions. Results that may be looked forward to are such as to make steps in that direction of substantial value. Farm management is illustrative of a field of work which progresses through the effective coordination of research. It carries through and across the results of many studies. It combines and adjusts the results of research in the field of crop and animal production, with studies in marketing and distribution, with abstract economic theory, and it attempts to develop a principle that may be applied both in agricultural programs for groups of producers and in the organization of individual farms for superior results. Effect of Coordination-The basic thought in the coordination of research is that of greater effectiveness either in the prosecution of research or in the securing of results. Properly directed coordination of research should give: 1. Greater economy through the elimination of certain duplication and a percentage of wasteful effort. 2. Research more directly related to and focused upon a larger objective. 3. Results that are more complete and consequently more valuable.
Accessing the World Adult Literacy Educators’ Metaphors for Learners and Learning

Adult educators are often part-time workers or volunteers and, as such, they must simultaneously negotiate multiple professional identities. This negotiation process may trigger conflict among professional identities, which can provide an opportunity for transformational learning. In this case study, the authors explore this conflict and learning through interviews with five female adult secondary educators. The authors use thematic analysis and metaphor analysis to explore participants’ narratives of professional identity. Each participant narrates her unique professional situation with what the authors call metaphorical improvisation, creating new metaphors or using old metaphors in new ways. Moreover, all participants use metaphors of space and boundaries to narrate themselves as providing educational “access” for their students.
Ferroelectric tunnel memristor.

Strong interest in resistive switching phenomena is driven by a possibility to develop electronic devices with novel functional properties not available in conventional systems. Bistable resistive devices are characterized by two resistance states that can be switched by an external voltage. Recently, memristors—electric circuit elements with continuously tunable resistive behavior—have emerged as a new paradigm for nonvolatile memories and adaptive electronic circuit elements. Employment of memristors can radically enhance the computational power and energy efficiency of electronic systems. Most of the existing memristor prototypes involve transition metal oxide resistive layers where conductive filaments formation and/or the interface contact resistance control the memristive behavior. In this paper, we demonstrate a new type of memristor that is based on a ferroelectric tunnel junction, where the tunneling conductance can be tuned in an analogous manner by several orders of magnitude by both the amplit...
Blood DNA methylation markers in prospectively identified hepatocellular carcinoma cases and controls from Taiwan.

Blood DNA methylation markers in prospectively identified hepatocellular carcinoma cases and controls from Taiwan
Single-molecule force spectroscopy of polycystic kidney disease proteins

Atomic force microscopy in its single-molecule force spectroscopy mode is a nanomanipulation technique that is extensively used for the study of the mechanical properties of proteins. It is particularly suited to examine their response to stretching (i.e., molecular elasticity and mechanical stability). Here, we describe protein engineering strategies and single-molecule AFM techniques for probing protein mechanics, with special emphasis on polycystic kidney disease (PKD) proteins. We also provide step-by-step protocols for preparing proteins and performing single-molecule force measurements.
Capacitance microbiology as a means of determining the quantity of spoilage bacteria on fish fillets.

An experiment was conducted to determine if a method for enumeration of Pseudomonas fluorescens in less than 11 h could be used to predict potential spoilage of fresh fish of four species. In each of three separate replications (Rep), five boneless fillets from each species of fish, including rainbow trout (RT), Atlantic salmon (AS), red grouper (RG), and tilapia (T) were obtained fresh from a retail outlet. For each species, six 25-g samples of fish flesh were asceptically removed from each fillet, placed into a polyethylene bag, and stored at 3°C for 0,1, 2, 3,4, or 5 days. After storage, samples were analyzed for psychrotrophic plate count (PPC), Pseudomonas fluorescens plate counts (PFPC), and P. fluorescens capacitance detection times (PDT) and subjectively evaluated for odor (ODOR). PPC gradually increased on all fish species as storage time increased. In most cases, PFPC decreased slightly and then progressively increased as storage time increased. In Reps 1 and 2, PDT decreased gradually (indicati...
The External Adaptation of Religious Organizations: Church Response to Social Issues

Church response to social issues, measured in terms of programs and activities, is investigated as one mode of church adaptation to the external environment. Data from a study of 209 United Methodist churches indicate that such variables as membership size and educational composition are related to response to social issues. From these findings it is adduced that certain personnel and leadership resources are key factors for this type of church adaptation.
Narcolepsy in Adolescence

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurologic disorder that causes a dysregulation of the sleep-wake cycle that commonly has an onset at an early age. The mean age of onset is typically around 16 years, but children are often misdiagnosed with behavioral or psychiatric disorders. Misdiagnosis is frequent due to the symptoms of cataplexy not being identified. Cataplexy in children and adolescents can be subtle and thus missed. Some teenagers may manifest with hyperactivity, inattention, or other behavioral issue rather than daytime sleepiness.
Biomarkers in Arrhythmias, Sudden Death, and Device Therapy

Biomarkers are emerging clinical tools which may provide rapid and objective quantification of distinct pathophysiologic mechanisms which contribute to atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, and may identify patients at risk for adverse response to implantable device therapy. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss our present understanding of cardiac biomarkers in these settings, with an emphasis on emerging data on diverse pathogenic processes associated with arrhythmias. Based upon the rapid growth in the number and understanding of biomarkers, there is tremendous potential to assist in the risk stratification and care of patients with cardiac arrhythmias. While presently limited in practice, the incorporation of biomarkers into routine clinical use may be dependent upon future trials of biomarker panels, or biomarkers in combination with functional or imaging studies, to achieve an acceptable clinical accuracy.