cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microradiography for absorption analysis.

The projection X-ray microscope modified for vacuum microradiography can be used in absorption X-ray microanalysis for several of the lighter elements. When suitable targets are not available for it, the characteristic K radiation from other elements (at least down through magnesium) can be excited fluorescently with an intensity sufficient for rapid microradiography. This can be done with X-rays generated either in the microscope or in commercially available tubes having beryllium windows. The unquestionable identification of chemical elements present in microregions of a sample that thus becomes feasible is illustrated by microradiographs of several sectioned rocks.
Symbol, ritual, and doctrine: the cultural ‘tool kit’ of TQM

Abstract In this study I use Swidler's concept of the cultural tool kit to show how modern management strategies employ symbol, doctrine, and ritual to integrate new management methods, practices, concepts, and beliefs into the culture of organizations. Swidler's concept of cultural tools provides an interpretive mechanism to help explain how specific actors work to create, maintain and occasionally manipulate organizational cultures. By introducing such programs, leaders hope to dilute subcultural differences and promote corporate values of quality achieved through greater focus on the organization's problems and goals. Actors, thus, seek goals through approved, legitimate channels dictated by such a ‘tool kit’ rather than seeking goals based on pre-existing values, norms, and beliefs.
The effects of delay of reinforcement and dose on the self-administration of cocaine and procaine in rhesus monkeys.

Abstract Delays of reinforcement were imposed while three rhesus monkeys intravenously self-administered either cocaine or procaine to determine whether the magnitude of delay-induced reductions in infusion frequency were dose- or drug-dependent. Drugmaintained baselines demonstrating the greatest resistance to change under delay conditions might be conceptualized as involving the greatest strength of responding and include drug reinforcers with the greatest efficacy. Under baseline conditions, cocaine or procaine was infused contingent upon lever pressing according to fixed ratio 10 schedules during daily, 1-h experimental sessions. Under delay conditions, a 120-s delay of reinforcement was inserted between the completion of each fixed ratio contingency and infusion delivery. Tests under baseline and delay conditions alternated until several doses of cocaine (3, 10, 33, 100, and 300 μg/kg), and subsequently, of procaine (33, 100, 300, 1000, and 3000 μg/kg) were tested. The results indicated that during both baseline and delay conditions increases in dose of either drug resulted in increases followed by decreases in the number of infusions obtained. Introducing delays of reinforcement resulted in decreases in the number of infusions obtained at a given dose. Generally, however, when reinforcement delays were imposed the decreases in infusion number, as a percentage of baseline number, were less at the higher doses of both drugs. The doses of procaine which were maximally effective as reinforcers (i.e. during which infusion number was minimally reduced by delay) were as effective as the maximally effective doses of cocaine. These results suggest that drug preparations and routes of administration which, in fact, maximize unit dose delivery would also maximize the likelihood that drugmaintained behavior will be resistant to theraputic intervention.
The effects of dehydroepiandrosterone on carcinogenesis, obesity, the immune system, and aging.

With the passage of the U.S. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA, 5-androsten-3β-ol-17-one) has become widely available, and a large and growing market has developed for this “fountain of youth”. DHEA has been shown to have significant beneficial effects in animals, which may lead to clinical uses in man. Historically, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed DHEA from the over-the-counter market in 1985 because there was no support for the health claims that were made for this product. Almost all of the biological data was on animals and there was a lack of demonstrated efficacy in humans. Recently there have been a number of small clinical trials in humans but the results have not been as positive as in the animal tests. This review will be restricted to the effects of DHEA on carcinogenesis, obesity, the immune system, and aging. Four hypotheses have been proposed to explain the underlying biochemical mechanism(s) by which DHEA exerts its beneficial properties. The first is based on the inhibitory effect of DHEA on mammalian glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. This mechanism can explain the antiinitiation and antipromotion steps in some cases of carcinogenesis. The second biochemical mechanism involves the induction of peroxisomes and peroxisome-associated enzymes. The third explanation is that DHEA works in a similar fashion to the known anticarcinogenic action of food restriction. An antiglucocorticoid mechanism has also been suggested. A hypothesis for the increase followed by the decrease in the levels of DHEA with age is proposed. A number of new synthetic DHEA analogs have been synthesized and tested. They offer the best hope for the development of a clinically useful drug based on the properties of DHEA.
EFFECT of HEAT TREATMENT ON FIRMNESS of APPLES and APPLE SLICES

Effects of heat treatment on firmness of apples (Golden Delicious, McIntosh and Delicious) and apple slices were studied. Heat treatment (45C, for 1.75 h) of Golden Delicious and Delicious apples significantly increased their firmness, but no significant increase was observed for the McIntosh cultivar. After storage for 7 days at 2C, the treated apples were firmer than those stored at 10, 18, and 25C. Apple slices prepared from the heat treated apples were also firmer at 21 days storage than those prepared from nontreated apples: differences ranging from 12% for McIntosh to 48% for Delicious. This beneficial firming effect of heat treatment might have application in producing high quality minimally processed slices from Golden Delicious and Delicious apple cultivars.
Synaptic Depression and Aberrant Excitatory Network Activity in Alzheimer’s Disease: Two Faces of the Same Coin?

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), target specific and functionally connected neuronal networks, raising the possibility that neurodegeneration may spread through abnormal patterns of neural network activity. AD is associated with high levels of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides in the brain, synaptic depression, aberrant excitatory neuronal activity, and cognitive decline. However, the relationships among these alterations and their underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In experimental models of AD, high concentrations of pathogenic Aβ assemblies reduce glutamatergic transmission and enhance long-term depression at the synaptic level. At the network level, they cause dysrhythmias, including neuronal synchronization, epileptiform activity, seizures, and postictal suppression. Both synaptic depression and aberrant network synchronization likely interfere with activity-dependent synaptic regulation, which is critical for learning and memory. Abnormal patterns of neuronal activity across functionally connected brain regions may also trigger and perpetuate trans-synaptic mechanisms of neurodegeneration. It remains to be determined if synaptic depression and network dysrhythmias are mechanistically related, which of them is primary or secondary, and whether normalization of one will prevent the other as well as cognitive dysfunction in AD.
A comparison of paper vs computer-assisted self interview for school alcohol, tobacco, and other drug surveys

School surveys of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use play an important role in prevention programs and policy development. Improving the quality of such data collection is critical. Most surveys are conducted with paper and pencil (PAP) instruments, but computer-assisted self interviews (CASI) are now being developed and there is some evidence that they elicit higher rates of positive responses to sensitive questions than traditional measures. The present study examines whether ATOD school surveys using CASI are feasible and improve the quality of data. Seventh, ninth, and eleventh grade students in two California communities were randomly assigned to PAP or to CASI (n=2296). The findings indicate that while CASI did not increase reported rates of substance use over PAP, it significantly improved the speed of data processing and decreased the incidence of missing data. CASI was well accepted by students and school staff despite problems such as lack of computer resources.
Making Sense in Education: Pretense (Including No Child Left Behind) and Realities in Rhetoric and Policy About Schools and Schooling

One wrong assumption about reality is sufficient to ensure the failure of education policy. For a variety of reasons, too many people have ignored realities in policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act. Individuals who are serious about reforming or improving education, general or special, must confront realities in at least the following areas: measurement, statistical distributions, measurement error, labels, special services, teacher responsibilities, and teacher training. Enacting or supporting education policy that is known to be seriously flawed is unacceptable and tantamount to the criminal conduct of someone who markets goods with known safety defects or harmful effects or of someone who ignores critical realities in the conduct of business.
A case report of hemicrania continua-like headache due to ipsilateral inflammatory orbital pseudotumor.

No abstract available Keywords: headache; hemicrania continua; indomethacin; inflammatory; orbital pseudotumor.
Signatures of turbulence in atmospheric laser propagation

The signatures of turbulence in atmospheric laser propagation are examined, with a particular focus on the effects of non-Kolmogorov turbulence on laser scintillation and phase fluctuations. Non-Kolmogorov properties of the atmospheric index-of-refraction spectrum are outlined, and it is shown that it may be possible to reproduce these features through broadband power-law forcing of the velocity and temperature fields in turbulent flows. Numerical simulations of homogeneous isotropic turbulence subjected to power-law forcing are used to motivate a spectral model for the kinetic energy, which is then extended to address power-law forcing of passive scalars such as the temperature. A modeled non-Kolmogorov index-of-refraction spectrum for power-law forced turbulence is proposed, where the model spectrum consists of standard Kolmogorov and forcing-dominated contributions. This form could reproduce the experimentally observed signatures of atmospheric turbulence on laser propagation and it may provide insights into the origins of non-Kolmogorov turbulence in the atmosphere.
Effect of Particle Distribution on Morphological and Mechanical Properties of Filled Hydrogel Composites

Agglomeration of particles in composite polymeric materials is a fundamental issue, but the relationship between the particle distribution and the composite mechanical properties is not fully under...
An element-by-element strategy for non-linear shape optimization

A strategy for the efficient solution of non-linear shape optimization problems is developed. This strategy employs an integrated element-by-element approach to the solution of the governing partial differential equations, and, more particularly, to the computation of the necessary gradients of the objective function and constraints using an adjoint formulation. This proves to be a very efficient strategy and also is relatively easy to implement, because the local effect of design changes can be exploited. The method is tested with an application involving the design of the shape of electromagnet poles in order to obtain a desired field in the interpolar region.
Postnatal development of the parabrachial gustatory zone in rat: Dendritic morphology and mitochondrial enzyme activity

Previous studies have shown that behavioral and neurophysiological responses to tastes develop during rat's postnatal life. The present experiments evaluated morphological and metabolic development of neurons in the gustatory zone of the caudal parabrachial nucleus (PBNc) of rat. Histological reconstruction studies were conducted to establish coordinate systems for PBNc gustatory zones in developing rats. Reliability of coordinate systems were evaluated in separate experiments following infusions of horseradish peroxidase in the thalamic taste area. Morphological and Golgi impregnation studies were performed to characterize neuronal and dendritic architecture in PBNc gustatory zones defined by coordinates. Conventional histochemical studies were performed for the mitochondrial respiratory enzymes cytochrome C oxidase (CO; EC 1.9.3.1) succinate dehydrogenase (SDH; EC 1.3.99.1), and NADH-dehydrogenase (NADH-DH; EC 1.6.99.3). Results show that two somatic morphologies can be statistically characterized in PBNc gustatory zones: Multipolar somatic types and fusiform somatic types. Multipolar and fusiform neurons of neonatal and adult rats project axons to the thalamic taste area, and dendrites of these neurons grow extensively between approximately 16 days after birth to approximately 35 days after birth. Activity of CO, SDH, and NADH-DH increases in the PBNc gustatory zones during the period of dendritic growth, and continues to increase slightly to approximately 45 days. These results provide the first demonstration of postnatal morphological and metabolic developmental in a central gustatory relay. Postnatal development of gustatory system therefore appears similar to that reported for other sensory systems, to the extent that morphological and metabolic development accompanies the ontogeny of taste responses.
Estimation of haplotype frequencies

Maximum likelihood estimates of haplotype frequencies in multilocus systems are often zero and so may be genetically inacceptable. Estimation problems are discussed, and preferable estimates are derived.
Platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 modulates endothelial migration through its immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif.

Abstract Coordinated migration of endothelial cells models the remodeling of existing endothelia as well as angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. Platelet–endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, PECAM-1, a transmembrane endothelial adhesion protein, binds and activates the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 via phosphotyrosines 663 and 686. PECAM-1 phosphorylation and recruitment of SHP-2 are regulated by cell–cell and cell–substrate adhesion. We found that PECAM-1 is dephosphorylated on tyrosine 686 during endothelial migration, resulting in diffuse dispersal of PECAM-1 and SHP-2. Overexpression of native PECAM-1 slowed, and nonphosphorylatable PECAM-1 increased, endothelial migration, implying that the SHP-2-regulatory phosphotyrosines negatively regulate migration. Using differentially phosphorylated recombinant proteins we found that phosphotyrosine 686 preferentially mediates binding and 663 mediates activation of SHP-2 by PECAM-1. In PECAM-1-null endothelial cells, SHP-2 bound and dephosphorylated an alternative set of phosphoproteins and its distribution to the cytoskeletal fraction was significantly decreased. Tyrosine phosphorylation of β-catenin and focal adhesion kinase was increased in endothelial cells overexpressing nonphosphorylatable PECAM-1. Thus homophilically engaged, tyrosine-phosphorylated PECAM-1 locally activates SHP-2 at cell–cell junctions; with disruption of the endothelial monolayer, selective dephosphorylation of PECAM-1 leads to redistribution of SHP-2 and pro-migratory changes in phosphorylation of cytoskeletal and focal contact components.
Streamflow impacts of biofuel policy-driven landscape change.

Likely changes in precipitation (P) and potential evapotranspiration (PET) resulting from policy-driven expansion of bioenergy crops in the United States are shown to create significant changes in streamflow volumes and increase water stress in the High Plains. Regional climate simulations for current and biofuel cropping system scenarios are evaluated using the same atmospheric forcing data over the period 1979–2004 using the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model coupled to the NOAH land surface model. PET is projected to increase under the biofuel crop production scenario. The magnitude of the mean annual increase in PET is larger than the inter-annual variability of change in PET, indicating that PET increase is a forced response to the biofuel cropping system land use. Across the conterminous U.S., the change in mean streamflow volume under the biofuel scenario is estimated to range from negative 56% to positive 20% relative to a business-as-usual baseline scenario. In Kansas and Oklahoma, annual streamflow volume is reduced by an average of 20%, and this reduction in streamflow volume is due primarily to increased PET. Predicted increase in mean annual P under the biofuel crop production scenario is lower than its inter-annual variability, indicating that additional simulations would be necessary to determine conclusively whether predicted change in P is a response to biofuel crop production. Although estimated changes in streamflow volume include the influence of P change, sensitivity results show that PET change is the significantly dominant factor causing streamflow change. Higher PET and lower streamflow due to biofuel feedstock production are likely to increase water stress in the High Plains. When pursuing sustainable biofuels policy, decision-makers should consider the impacts of feedstock production on water scarcity.
Human LDL Receptor Enhances Sequestration of ApoE4 and VLDL Remnants on the Surface of Hepatocytes but Not Their Internalization in Mice

Objective— In humans, apolipoprotein (apo) E4 is associated with elevated plasma cholesterol levels and a high risk of developing atherosclerosis, whereas apoE2 is protective. Here we investigate the mechanism by which mice expressing human apoE isoforms recapitulate this association when they also express high levels of human low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR). Methods and Results— Primary hepatocytes from apoE4 mice secreted less apoE into the medium than hepatocytes from apoE2 mice. Increased LDLR expression decreased this secretion and increased degradation of apoE4. An apoE4-GFP fusion protein expressed in the liver of apoE-deficient mice accumulated on the hepatocyte surface bordering the space of Disse in an LDLR-dependent manner. Fluorescence-labeled very low–density lipoprotein (VLDL) remnants accumulated on the hepatocyte surface in apoE4 mice with high LDLR, but they were internalized poorly. In contrast, apoE2-GFP did not accumulate on the hepatocyte surface even when the LDLR expression was high, but apoE2 mice with high LDLR internalized the remnants avidly without sequestering them on the hepatocyte surface. Conclusions— The high affinity of apoE4 to the LDLR enhances VLDL sequestration on the hepatocyte surface but delays their internalization. This delay likely increases VLDL conversion to cholesterol-enriched remnants in apoE4 mice with high LDLR, and probably to LDL in humans with apoE4.
TAOISM AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE

. The seemingly disparate systems of philosophical Taoism and modern biological science are compared. A surprising degree of similarity is found in their views on death, reversion (cyclicity of phenomena), complementary interactions of dichotomous systems, and the place of humans in the universe. The thesis is advanced that these similarities arise quite naturally, since both systems base their knowledge upon objective observation of natural phenomena. Substantial differences between the two systems are recognized and examined regarding verbal argument, machinery, and experimentation. The Taoists' relationship to Chinese alchemy and the biologists' to technology are claimed to mitigate their attitudes toward experimentation.
Has your help desk graduated yet

There are specific ages and levels of maturity that mark an individual's progress through the stages of the education system. These stages include pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and adult education. As any teacher will tell you, the transition from one stage to the next is not always smooth or easy.This paper will describe the various stages of the Administrative Data Processing (ADP) Help Center and share the goals and processes that are currently in place. The ADP Help Center is currently in the early college stage of maturity and new skills are continually being developed. This paper will discuss these new skills, which include implementing help desk utilities such as remote control software and determining if a centralized software distribution package such as Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) is a viable fit for a university campus.
Cluster Studies of Correlation Effects on the Excited States of Polyenes

Abstract The Hubbard-Peierls Hamiltonian is used to investigate the competing effects of electron phonon and electron electron interactions in the excited state spectrum for six electrons propagating on a six membered ring. With increasing U we find that the character of the lowest lying singlet excitation changes discontinuously from a polar state (U UC) which favors polaron creation in the ring. implications of the results for the excited state spectrum of (CU)X are discussed.
The role of parallel function in the acquisition of relative clauses in English

Children were tested for their comprehension of four types of sentences with relative clauses, in order to determine the role of the following factors in comprehension: ( a ) position of the embedded clause, ( b ) word order in the embedded clause, ( c ) grammatical functions of the identical noun phrases. The results indicate that if the identical noun phrases have the same function in their respective clauses the sentence is significantly easier to understand. The nonsignificant effects of the position of the embedded clause and of the word order in the relative clause disconfirm a putative universal of language acquisition, which has recently been proposed by Slobin. The Parallel Function Hypothesis is proposed to account for our findings, and the implications that it has for the grammar of adult English are considered.
Use of conventional and real-time polymerase chain reaction to determine the epidemiology of hemoplasma infections in anemic and nonanemic cats.

Background: The goals of this study were to develop and apply conventional (c) and real-time TaqMan polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum’ (Mhp), and ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum’ (Mhm) to blood samples of cats to determine the epidemiology of these infections in cats. Hypothesis: Cats are infected with >2 hemoplasma species, and organism load correlates with disease induced by these organisms. Animals: Blood samples from 263 anemic and nonanemic cats were used. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted. Results: Forty-seven (18%) samples were positive. Three samples (1%) yielded 170 base pair cPCR products, 1 of which was positive for Mhf using real-time PCR. Forty-four samples (17%) yielded 193 base pair cPCR products, 40 of which were positive for Mhm using real-time PCR. Organism loads ranged from 375 × 106/mL to 6.9 × 106/mL of blood. Sequencing of cPCR products from samples testing negative using real-time PCR identified 2 Mhp-like sequences, 1 Mhm-like sequence, and 1 sequence resembling ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis.’ Cats infected with Mhm were less likely to be anemic than uninfected cats. Older age, outdoor exposure, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) seropositivity, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and stomatitis were associated with Mhm infection. Cats from the Sacramento Valley were more often infected with Mhm than cats from the San Francisco bay area. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Cats may be infected with 4 hemoplasma species. The association between Mhm infection, FIV, and SCC may reflect outdoor roaming status of infected cats. The clustered distribution of infection suggests an arthropod vector in transmission.
Strontium isotopic reconstruction of the composition of an urban free black population from the 19th century United States

Abstract The Industrial Revolution in the United States had a tremendous impact on society, altering not only economics but also the distribution of it population. It was also during this period that increasing numbers of African Americans gained their freedom from slavery. Released from overt bondage, free African Americans sought the opportunities denied to them for over two centuries, initiating a large scale movement of people to the burgeoning urban centers of industry. The individuals interred in the Newburgh Colored Burial Ground (1830–1870) represent one small segment of this process. Strontium isotopic analyses are utilized in order to discuss the demographic composition of Newburgh’s free black population during this time period. In particular, we examine the relative contribution of migration and natural increase, and whether there are significant sex-specific differences in the formation of the population. The results suggest that Newburgh’s free black population was composed predominantly of individuals born in the immediate region. Additionally, there were a greater percentage of non-local males than females. While historical data suggests that females had greater job opportunities in the north relative to males, the growing industrial economy Newburgh may very well have fostered greater male mobility.
Long-range effects of confinement on water structure.

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed for water confined between two extended hydrophobic surfaces, which were represented by either planar surfaces or, more realistically, linear alkane monolayers, separated up to hundreds of angstroms. These simulations show that the confinement significantly affects the structure and density distribution of water, as well as the hydration of the confining surfaces. The results are largely independent of model surfaces used. At large separation distances (up to 800 A) between the confining hydrophobic surfaces, it was found that the water distribution is inhomogeneous: the water density is high near the surfaces and low in the middle of the water slab. Using a simple free energy density functional approach, these features seen from simulations were reproduced when a nonlocal free energy density term was introduced. The confinement was also found to have a noticeable effect on the hydrogen bond network of water. For water confined between two hydrophobic plates s...
Analysis of bilateral trade liberalization and South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) on Pakistan's economy by using CGE model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to quantify and analyze the relative impact of agriculture Trade liberalization and South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) over the global economic welfare. The objectives are to analyze and quantify the potential economic cost and benefits of the prospective trade between India and Pakistan to consumers, producers and government of the two countries by analyzing the potential economic costs and benefits of Pak‐India trade in exporting various consumer goods.Design/methodology/approach – The Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) database is the database for the GTAP model of the world economy, which is publicly available. The main data source for this model is “The GTAP 4 Data Base” which is easy to adapt to appropriate sectoral and regional aggregations that allow one to focus on specific policy questions. The regional databases in the model are derived from individual country input‐output (I/O) tables that provide information about the individual regional economie...
Correlation of cellulase gene expression and cellulolytic activity throughout the gut of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes.

Termites have developed cellulose digestion capabilities that allow them to obtain energy and nutrition from nutritionally poor food sources, such as lignocellulosic plant material and residues derived from it (e.g., wood and humus). Lower termites, which are equipped with both endogenous (i.e., of termite origin) and symbiotic cellulases, feed primarily on wood and wood-related materials. This study investigated cellulase gene diversity, structure, and activity in the lower termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar). We initially used a metagenomics approach to identify four genes encoding one endogenous and three symbiotic cellulases, which we refer to as Cell-1, -2, -3 and -4. These four genes encode proteins that share significant sequence similarity with known endoglucanases, exoglucanases and xylanases. Phylogenetic analyses further supported these inferred relationships by showing that each of the four cellulase proteins clusters tightly with respective termite, protozoan or fungal cellulases. Gene structure studies revealed that Cell-1, -3 and -4 are intron-free, while Cell-2 contains the first intron sequence to be identified from a termite symbiont cellulase. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed that the endogenous Cell-1 gene is expressed exclusively in the salivary gland/foregut, whereas symbiotic Cell-2, -3, and -4 are highly expressed in the hindgut (where cellulolytic protists are harbored). Cellulase activity assays mapped the distribution pattern of endoglucanase, exoglucanase and xylanase activity throughout the R. flavipes digestive tract. Cellulase gene expression correlated well with the specific types of cellulolytic activities observed in each gut region (foregut + salivary gland, midgut and hindgut). These results suggest the presence of a single unified cellulose digestion system, whereby endogenous and symbiotic cellulases work sequentially and collaboratively across the entire digestive tract of R. flavipes.
Carcinoembryonic antigen in breast cancer patients: serum levels and disease progress.

Serum CEA was evaluated in 69 patients with breast cancer and 17 with benign breast disease. Serum CEA was elevated (above 2.5 ng/ml) in 6 of 22 patients (27%) with primary cancer without clinical evidence of distant metastases, and in 37 of the 47 (79%) who had metastatic disease. Sixteen of 17 patients (94%) with benign cystic disease had values less than 2.5 ng/ml (1 was 2.9 ng/ml). Fourteen patients with metastases undergoing chemo- and hormonal therapy were studied by serial CEA estimations for 3 to 18 months, with a mean of 14 months. The trends of serial CEA values correlated with response to treatment.
Estimating the efficiency of collaborative problem-solving, with applications to chip design

We present a statistical framework to address questions that arise in general problems involving collaboration of several contributors. One instance of this problem occurs in the complex process of designing ultralarge-scale-integration (ULSI) semiconductor chips. In these processes, computer-aided design tools are treated as "black boxes." In most cases, the automated design tools operate on designs and successfully complete a specified task to create designs that satisfy specified design criteria. In other cases involving complex designs, however, the tools are unable to create designs that satisfy the specified criteria. In both situations, the performance of the tools can be enhanced with systematic external intervention that is implemented with some supplemental algorithm. This algorithm can either be fully automated or be implemented by hand, relying on formally describable human expertise. In this intervention, the supplemental algorithm and the automated design tool take turns to move the design from one configuration to another until either the task is complete or further improvements are not possible or necessary. In such a setting, a number of questions arise about how to measure the effectiveness of the external intervention. One question, for example, is whether the external intervention consistently assists the progress of the automated program. This situation is an instance of a general problem that we address in this paper. As an example, we apply the statistical framework to the problem of routing a functional unit of the IBM POWER4 microprocessor.
Selective, concurrent bilateral nephrectomies at renal transplantation for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Purpose: An algorithm was developed for performing bilateral nephrectomies for specific indications before or at renal transplantation in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Outcomes for the living donor arm of the algorithm are reported.Materials and Methods: Patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and end stage renal disease were evaluated for transplantation. Patients with recurrent pyelonephritis, hemorrhage, pain, early satiety or kidneys that extended into the true pelvis underwent bilateral nephrectomies. Bilateral nephrectomies with concurrent renal transplantation were performed if a living renal donor was identified. If no living donor was identified, pre-transplantation bilateral nephrectomies were done and the patients were listed for cadaveric donor renal transplantation. The living renal donor arm of the algorithm was evaluated by comparing certain parameters for 15 and 17 patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease who underwent pre-...
Time dependence of the reaction of water with glass

Abstract Equations for the time-dependence of release of constituents from glass during reaction with water are discussed. Values of linear dissolution rates of different glasses are compared. Models for the reaction of water with glass are discussed. It is concluded that extrapolation of constant dissolution rates for durable glasses such as commercial soda-limes is reliable, but such extrapolation for borosilicate glass for waste disposal is less reliable because the mechanisms involved in their reaction with water are unclear.
Perturbed Orbital Contribution to the Two-Loop Lamb Shift in Hydrogen

A part of the two-loop Lamb shift called the perturbed orbital term is evaluated with exact Dirac-Coulomb propagators. It is shown to be the most nonperturbative function of $Z\ensuremath{\alpha}$ yet encountered in QED, so much so that even at $Z\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1$ the leading term in its $Z\ensuremath{\alpha}$ expansion is of the opposite sign from the complete answer. The higher order contributions are $\ensuremath{-}71(1)\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\mathrm{kHz}$ to the ground state Lamb shift in hydrogen and $\ensuremath{-}8.9(1)$ and $\ensuremath{-}346(1)\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\mathrm{kHz}$ to the $n\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}2$ Lamb shift in hydrogen and ${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$, respectively.
The Fictional Mind: Young Children's Understanding of Imagination, Pretense, and Dreams.

Abstract Knowledge about children′s understanding of the mind has grown considerably in recent years. A primary focus of research on this question has been children′s understanding of beliefs and knowledge, or epistemic mental states. The nature of children′s understanding of nonepistemic, or fictional, mental states, such as dreams and imaginings, has received less attention. This paper presents a framework within which to organize and synthesize existing knowledge about children′s understanding of the fictional mental states of imagination, pretense, and dreams, with the aim of constructing a coherent picture of children′s understanding in this relatively neglected domain in their mental state understanding. It is concluded that children, by the age of 3, understand important fundamental aspects of the mental nature, origin, and truth-relation of fictional mental states, but that their understanding continues to develop in important ways during the preschool and early elementary school years.
1097 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWICE DAILY PENICILLIN V (PENV) IN THE TREATMENT OF GROUP A BETA-HEMOLYTIC STREPTO-COCCAL (GABHS) PHARYNGITIS

Most children with GABHS pharyngitis are treated with oral penicillin given either 3 or 4 times a day. In order to determine if a twice daily regimen would be as effective, 99 children with acute pharyngitis and a positive throat culture for GABHS were randomized to receive either 250 mg of penV t.i.d. or 250 mg of penV b.i.d. for 10 days. Compliance was checked by analyzing urine specimens for antimicrobial activity. Two weeks after completing therapy, patients returned for a follow-up throat culture. Acute and convalescent streptococcal serology were obtained on all patients. There was no difference between the two treatment groups with respect to age, sex, race, duration of illness prior to therapy, clinical findings, compliance, or percentage of children with an antibody rise. Nine of the 50 (18%) patients who received the t.i.d. regimen and 14 of the 49 (29%) patients who received the b.i.d. regimen had the same strain of GABHS (as determined by M- and T-typing) isolated from their follow-up as from their initial throat culture and were considered penicillin treatment failures (p>0.2). One of the 9 (22%) treatment failures in the t.i.d. group and 5 of the 14 (36%) treatment failures in the b.i.d. group were symptomatic at the time of their follow-up visits. Oral penV given twice a day appears as effective in the treatment of GABHS pharyngitis as penV given three times a day and is more convenient especially for children attending school.
Regulation of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 4 (PDK4) by Thyroid Hormone ROLE OF THE PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR γ COACTIVATOR (PGC-1α)

PDK4 (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4) regulates pyruvate oxidation through the phosphorylation and inhibition of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). PDC catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA and is an important control point in glucose and pyruvate metabolism. PDK4 gene expression is stimulated by thyroid hormone (T3), glucocorticoids, and long chain fatty acids. The effects of T3 on gene expression in the liver are mediated via the thyroid hormone receptor. Here, we have identified two binding sites for thyroid hormone receptor β in the promoter of the rat PDK4 (rPDK4) gene. In addition, we have investigated the role of transcriptional coactivators and found that the PGC-1α (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator) enhances the T3 induction of rPDK4. Following T3 administration, there is an increase in the association of PGC-1α with the rPDK4 promoter. Interestingly, this increased association is with the proximal rPDK4 promoter rather than the distal region of the gene that contains the T3 response elements. Administration of T3 to hypothyroid rats elevated the abundance of PGC-1α mRNA and protein in the liver. In addition, we observed greater association of PGC-1α not only with the rPDK4 gene but also with phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and CPT-1a (carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a) genes. Knockdown of PGC-1α in rat hepatocytes reduced the T3 induction of PDK4, PEPCK, and CPT-1a genes. Our results indicate that T3 regulates PGC-1α abundance and association with hepatic genes, and in turn PGC-1α is an important participant in the T3 induction of selected genes.
Steady state thermal-hydraulic analysis of hydride-fueled grid-supported BWRs

Abstract A steady state thermal-hydraulic analysis was performed to estimate the power density attainable with hydride-fueled boiling water reactor (BWR) cores with respect to that of an existing oxide BWR core chosen as reference. The power-limiting constraints taken into account were the minimum critical power ratio (MCPR), core pressure drop, fuel average and centerline temperature, cladding outer temperature, flow-induced vibrations and power/flow ratio. The study consisted of two independent analyses: a whole core analysis and a single bundle analysis. The whole core analysis was performed, with a fixed core volume, for both hydride and oxide fuel over hundreds of combinations of rod diameter–rod pitch, referred to as “geometries”, in the ranges 0.6 ≤ D ≤ 1.6 cm and 1.1 ≤ P/D ≤ 1.6. For each geometry, the maximum achievable steady state core power was calculated. Preliminary neutronics results derived from a companion neutronic study were then overlaid on the whole-core thermal-hydraulic results to estimate the reduction in maximum achievable power caused by the application of neutronic constraints. The single bundle analysis was performed to compare in greater detail the thermal-hydraulic performance of a limited number of hydride and oxide fuel bundles having D and P values similar to those of the reference oxide bundle, and for which the compliance with neutronic constraints was demonstrated in a companion neutronic study. The study concluded that, if the core pressure drop is not allowed to increase above the reference core value, the power density increase attainable with hydride fuel is estimated to be in the range 0–15%. If the pressure drop is allowed to increase up to a value 50% higher than the reference core value, the power density increase is estimated to be in the range 25–45%. These power density increases, which are defined with respect to the reference oxide core, decrease about 10% if the comparison is made with respect to oxide designs resembling the most recent commercial high-performance oxide cores. The power gain capability of hydride fuel is primarily due to the possibility of: (1) replacing volumes occupied by water rods and water gaps in oxide fuel cores with fuel rods, thus increasing the heat transfer area per core volume, and (2) flattening the bundle pin-by-pin power distribution. The actual achievement of the above-mentioned power density increase is however conditioned to the compliance of hydride-fueled cores to safety requirements related to core behavior during transients, hydrodynamic stability and steam dryer performance, which are fields of study not addressed in this work. A potential 25–45% power density increase justifies however interest for further investigation on this alternative fuel.
Exploring personal impact for group recommendation

Group activities are essential ingredients of people's social life. The rapid growth of online social networking services has greatly boosted group activities by providing convenient platform for users to organize and participate in such activities. Therefore, recommender systems, as a critical component in social networking services, now face new challenges in supporting group activities. In this paper, we study the group recommendation problem, i.e., making recommendations to a group of people in social networking services. We analyze the decision making process in a group to propose a personal impact topic (PIT) model for group recommendations. The PIT model effectively identifies the group preference profile for a given group by considering the personal preferences and personal impacts of group members. Moreover, we further enhance the discovery of personal impact with social network information to obtain an extended personal impact topic (E-PIT) model. We have conducted comprehensive data analysis and evaluations on three real datasets. The results show that our proposed group recommendation techniques outperform baseline approaches.
β-Galactosidase-instructed formation of molecular nanofibers and a hydrogel

Here we report the first example of using β-galactosidase to trigger the formation of cell compatible, supramolecular nanofibers, which ultimately may lead to a new approach for the development of soft nanotechnology.
Supermarket fluid milk pricing practices in the western United States

This study analyzes retail milk pricing by supermarkets and marketing margin behavior for four fluid milk products in nine large metropolitan markets in the Western United States. Multiple empirical approaches are utilized to investigate retailer pricing behavior, and, on balance, these methods provide significant evidence of noncompetitive price behavior in each of the markets. Correlations of retail price changes indicate considerable pricing independence among retailers across cities, while rankings of retail prices by milk product provide significant evidence that prices are not based primarily on costs, as would be true if pricing were competitive. Estimated retail price responses to farm price changes are consistent with monopoly pricing behavior for several of the milk products in several of the markets. [EconLit Citations: L660, L810]. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 21: 509–530, 2005.
Poor African American women and work : the occupational attainment process

I use multiple measures to examine the occupational attainment process among urban African American women from low-income backgrounds. Using 10-year follow-up data and earlier study data, I found that employment histories and current employment had more impact than childbearing events or amount of education on the income and job quality of minority women in their mid-twenties. Simply being employed led to an adequate job with minimal financial self-sufficiency. The most important contributor to a “good job,” one with ample earnings and more than adequate non-wage benefits, was having content-specific educational goals in high school, attaining post-high school training in the same content area, and obtaining jobs that utilized this content background. These findings suggest that chronological interruptions in the traditional occupational attainment process are normative for poor African American women, and, by themselves, are not opportunity costs; however, interruptions in content consistency result in lowered occupational attainment.
Dynamic Instability of Simple Structural Systems

Lateral strengths required to avoid dynamic instability of single-degree-of-freedom systems are examined. Oscillators with a bilinear hysteretic behavior with negative postyield stiffness are considered. Mean lateral strengths normalized by the lateral strength required to maintain the system elastic are computed for systems with periods ranging from 0.2 to 3.0 s when subjected to 72 earthquake ground motions recorded on firm soil. The effect of the period of vibration and postyield stiffness are investigated. Results indicate that mean normalized lateral strengths required to avoid dynamic instability decrease as negative postyield stiffness increases and that the reductions are much larger for small negative postyield stiffness than for severe negative postyield stiffnesses. It is concluded that there is a significant influence of the period of vibration for short-period systems and for systems with mildly negative postyield stiffnesses. Dispersion of normalized lateral strengths required to avoid dynam...