cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporal learning curve of a multidisciplinary team for magnetic resonance imaging/transrectal ultrasonography fusion prostate biopsy.

Both transperineal and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided systematic biopsy are accepted methods to diagnose prostate cancer (PCa). However, systematic sampling misses up to 47% of tumors 0.5 mL or larger and under-represents the tumor grade in 38% of cases [1,2]. These shortcomings result in underestimated risk and repeat prostate biopsies.
Sacred Violence: Historical fictions: interpreting the circumcellions

Modern historians have placed the men and women known as circumcellions at the heart of a rural rebelliousness – I purposefully use general words – a movement of resistance which, it has been claimed, swept through the African countryside in the fourth and fifth centuries. For centuries by now, beginning before any modern historical interest in them, their violent activities have been catalogued, analyzed, and theorized. Most of the earliest interest in the circumcellions, going back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, was generated by the Protestant Reformation and the interest of its theologians and churchmen in the early history of resistance to the Catholic Church. Works by Friedrich Staphylus, Gustavus Dietz, and others, published in the course of the Lutheran movement in Germany, marked the modern origins of this research. As a result, many details have been assembled and overwrought narratives written about them, but these efforts have not led to much understanding. In a review of the methodological and factual difficulties that bedevil analyses of the circumcellions, Joachim Diesner, an historian of late antiquity who devoted much time and effort to understanding their activities rightly remarked that the circumcellions are “one of those historical phenomena of which we know many things, but about which we really don't know very much.” Because of the peculiar condition of the evidence, this precarious state of affairs remains true. Partly for the same reasons, there have been a number of basic shifts of perspective on the circumcellions, as one dominant historical paradigm has succeeded another in interpreting them, including Marxist approaches that highlighted the “rebels” as prime bearers of the class conflict in late Roman Africa. If there is any one thing that has fundamentally shifted our understanding of the circumcellions in more recent years, however, it is not any of the new interpretive paradigms about them as such, but rather our profoundly altered knowledge of the general economic circumstances in which their violent actions occurred. Among the continuing verities, there is still no real disagreement with the basic fact that over the long fourth century the Roman empire, especially its western parts, was caught up in a process of military and political disintegration.
The Evolution of Shipboard Accommodations and Habitability Standards Aboard U. S. Merchant Ships

This paper discusses some current practices, future trends, and suggested improvements in U.S. merchant ship habitability. It develops some historical background starting with the World War II Liberty, and T2 Tanker programs and brings the readers up through the present. Some future trends such as two-room suites for officers and crew, as well as some thoughts on the probable future crew work assignments have been discussed.
Populist radical right parties in Europe: External supply-side: political opportunity structures

While the extremist parties pick up the good vocabulary from the mainstream parties and keep the old bad grammar, the mainstream parties do just the opposite, keeping the good grammar but picking up the bad vocabulary in an attempt to be more successful. But such tactics will only create more confusion. (PER 2002: 30) Introduction The last few years have seen a growing number of studies showing the importance of supply-side factors in the success and failure of populist radical right parties (e.g. Carter 2005; Givens 2005; Norris 2005; Van der Brug et al. 2005; Betz 2004; Decker 2004). Success will be interpreted here primarily in electoral terms, in line with most of the academic literature on populist radical right parties. However, special attention will be paid to the distinction between electoral breakthrough and persistence , which are clearly related, but do not always have the same explanations (Coffe 2004; Schain et al. 2002b). Moreover, electoral success does not equal political success; in fact, it is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition (see further chapter 12). The discussion of supply-side factors proceeds with the fairly straightforward distinction between internal and external factors. The next chapter will address the major internal factors, i.e. those directly related to the populist radical right parties themselves. This chapter focuses on external factors, i.e. those not inherent to the populist radical right parties. In aggregate external factors constitute the so-called political opportunity structure, the overarching concept in this chapter.
Determination of Moisture Content

The moisture (or total solids) content of foods is important to food manufacturers for a variety of reasons. Moisture is an important factor in food quality, preservation, and resistance to deterioration. Determination of moisture content also is necessary to calculate the content of other food constituents on a uniform basis (i.e., dry weight basis). The dry matter that remains after moisture analysis is commonly referred to as total solids.
Wavelet algorithms for illumination computations

One of the core problems of computer graphics is the computation of the equilibrium distribution of light in a scene. This distribution is given as the solution to a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind involving an integral over all surfaces in the scene. In the general case such solutions can only be numerically approximated, and are generally costly to compute, due to the geometric complexity of typical computer graphics scenes. For this computation both Monte Carlo and finite element techniques (or hybrid approaches) are typically used. A simplified version of the illumination problem is known as radiosity, which assumes that all surfaces are diffuse reflectors. For this case hierarchical techniques, first introduced by Hanrahan et al. (32), have recently gained prominence. The hierarchical approaches lead to an asymptotic improvement when only finite precision is required. The resulting algorithms have cost proportional to $O(k\sp2 + n)$ versus the usual $O(n\sp2)$ (k is the number of input surfaces, n the number of finite elements into which the input surfaces are meshed). Similarly a hierarchical technique has been introduced for the more general radiance problem (which allows glossy reflectors) by Aupperle et al. (6). In this dissertation we show the equivalence of these hierarchical techniques to the use of a Haar wavelet basis in a general Galerkin framework. By so doing, we come to a deeper understanding of the properties of the numerical approximations used and are able to extend the hierarchical techniques to higher orders. In particular, we show the correspondence of the geometric arguments underlying hierarchical methods to the theory of Calderon-Zygmund operators and their sparse realization in wavelet bases. The resulting wavelet algorithms for radiosity and radiance are analyzed and numerical results achieved with our implementation are reported. We find that the resulting algorithms achieve smaller and smoother errors at equivalent work.
Beating Cilia and Whipping Flagella: More Than Meets the Eye.

From the Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York (RCG); Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, New York (RCG); and the Departments of Ophthalmology and Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn Medical School at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (CI). Supported by NIH EY022639 and Research to Prevent Blindness. Correspondence: Ronald C. Gentile, MD, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, 310 East 14th Street, New York, NY 10003. doi: 10.3928/01913913-20150427-03 The terms “cilia” and “flagella” are the Latin words for “eyelash” and “whip,” and refer to a hair-like structure found protruding from the surface of a cell. Cilia are found in some of the most primitive unicellular organisms, as well as on almost all vertebrate cells, including man. Cilia can be motile or non-motile. Motile cilia beat and generate forces. Non-motile cilia, also called primary cilia, are single cilia and function as sensors or transporters. Despite a large variety of functional and morphological adaptations, ciliary architecture and composition has been preserved during evolution for more than 3 billion years. The internal structure of the cilium includes a central shaft or axoneme originating from a modified centriole (basal body). The axoneme has nine microtubule doublets arranged in a circular pattern. In addition to a structural role, the axoneme also acts as a track for molecular motors that power a bidirectional transport of protein particles involved in cilia assembly and signaling called intraflagellar transport. A ciliary membrane, continuous with the plasma membrane, surrounds the axoneme and contains specialized receptors and signaling molecules. Defects affecting cilia can lead to a group of genetic diseases called ciliopathies that are often syndromic. More than 100 genes causing ciliopathies have been identified, and uncovering the functions of cilia help us understand the diverse clinical findings in these diseases. Defects affecting ciliary motility cause primary ciliary dyskinesia, a disorder that affects the respiratory system (infections), fallopian Beating Cilia and Whipping Flagella: More Than Meets the Eye
Wavelet-Based Cost Estimation for Spatial Queries

Query cost estimation is an important and well-studied problem in relational database systems. In this paper we study the cost estimation problem in the context of spatial database systems.We introduce a new method that provides accurate cost estimation for spatial selections, or window queries, by building wavelet-based histograms for spatial data. Our method is based upon two techniques: (a) A representation transformation in which geometric objects are represented by points in higher-dimensional space and window queries correspond to semi-infinite range-sum queries, and (b) Multiresolution wavelet decomposition that provides a time-efficient and space-efficient approximation of the underlying distribution of the multidimensional point data, especially for semi-infinite range-sum queries. We also show for the first time how a wavelet decomposition of a dense multidimensional array derived from a sparse array through a partial-sum computation can still be computed efficiently using sparse techniques by doing the processing implicitly on the original data. Our method eliminates the drawbacks of the partition-based histogram methods in previous work, and even with very small space allocation it gives excellent cost estimation over a broad range of spatial data distributions and queries.
Enzymic synthesis of polynucleotides. I. Polynucleotide phosphorylase of azotobacter vinelandii.

The isolation, partial purification and some properties of polynucleotide phosphorylase of Azotobacter vinelandii are described. The enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of highly polymerized ribonucleic acid-like polynucleotides from 5′-nucleoside diphosphates with release of orthophosphate. The reaction requires magnesium ions and is reversible. Thus, the enzyme also catalyzes the phosphorolysis of polynucleotides to yield the corresponding 5′-nucleoside diphosphates. The preparation and isolation of a number of polynucleotides containing one or several kinds of mononucleotide units is described. The scope, mechanism and significance of the reaction are discussed.
Topic importance and proportion of item agreements as significant variables in interpersonal attraction

The proportion of item agreements between an individual and a hypothetical stranger represented by a test protocol has been repeatedly found to be a critical variable determining interpersonal attraction. Recent work, however, has indicated that the importance of the topic or item may also be of marked significance. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how Ss respond to hypothetical strangers on the basis of information differing in both importance and proportion. Both these variables were found to have a significant effect in determining attraction.
Adhesin genes and serum resistance in Haemophilus influenzae type f isolates

The incidence of invasive infections due to Haemophilus influenzae has decreased significantly in developed countries with high rates of vaccination against H. influenzae serotype b (Hib). This vaccine provides no protection against H. influenzae serotype f (Hif), typically associated with invasive infections in adults with chronic disease and/or immunodeficiency, and rarely in otherwise healthy adults and children. The specific properties of Hif associated with virulence remain largely uncharacterized. A panel of 26 Hif strains consisting of both invasive disease-associated and mucosal surface non-invasive disease-associated isolates was surveyed by DNA fingerprinting, biotyping and PCR detection of hmw1, hmw2, hsf, the hif fimbrial locus and the lipo-oligosaccharide (LOS) biosynthetic island, and assessment of β-lactamase expression and determination of resistance to the bactericidal activity of normal adult human serum. Repetitive sequence-based PCR fingerprinting differentiated the 26 strains into three clusters, with the majority of isolates (22/26, 84.6 %) clustered into a single indistinguishable group. Most isolates (24/26, 92.3 %) were of biotype I and two isolates produced β-lactamase with detection of a conjugative plasmid, and the isolates displayed a range of resistances to the bactericidal activity of human serum. All 26 isolates carried the adhesin hsf, 21 carried a partial hif fimbrial operon and 4 had the adhesin genes hmw1/2. A LOS biosynthetic island was detected in 20 isolates consisting of the genes lic2BC. It was concluded that Hif has many recognized virulence properties and comprises a relatively homogeneous group independent of the anatomical source from which it was isolated.
The dynamic approach to neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders: use of fMRI combined with neuropsychology to elucidate the dynamics of psychiatric disorders, exemplified in ADHD and schizophrenia

The paper discusses the application of fMRI in combination with neuropsychology to neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders, exemplified on the case of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in comparison with schizophrenia. The view is presented that ADHD, rather than being a compound of unrelated co-existing deficits, is a pervasive disorder of impulsiveness, which manifests at the motor, emotional, social and cognitive domain. Neuropsychology needs to refine the psychological measurements of these impulsivity symptoms and, in combination with fMRI, provide new insights into the interrelationship between brain and dysfunction and its bi-directional causalities. The suitability of the dynamic technique of functional MRI to assess the dynamic nature of developmental neuropsychiatric disorders is discussed. Brain activation can inform about strategy and compensatory mechanisms at a neuroanatomical level, which are not observable at a psychological level, providing insight into the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms of psychiatric disorders. Data are presented and discussed on opposing neurocognitive activation patterns for patients with ADHD and those with schizophrenia while performing a stop task. Comparisons between patient groups will be essential to address the specificity of neurocognitive mechanisms corresponding to specific neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders.
EarthScope science for Mid‐America

In mid-America (roughly the region between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains, and between the U.S./Canadian border and the Gulf of Mexico), the National Science Foundation's (NSF) EarthScope program presents important opportunities to advance the understanding of the evolution, composition, and hazards of the North American heartland. EarthScope (http://www.earthscope.org) will help to image the geological roots of North America at unprecedented resolution with a variety of geophysical techniques. The program challenges the solid Earth science community to define multidisciplinary science objectives that further both the technical knowledge and the societal impact of our work.
Multimodality Treatment of Resectable Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

In early-stage, resectable non–small-cell lung cancer other than stage IA, survival following surgical resection has been disappointing. Many phase III adjuvant trials using postoperative chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or chemoradiation have had disappointing results — results that have been confirmed by two recent metaanalyses. Preoperative radiotherapy combined with surgery has also failed to improve survival following surgical resection. For the past 20 years, several phase II trials have investigated the use of induction therapies (chemotherapy or chemoradiation) prior to surgery in the management of stage IIIA lung cancer. The phase II trials have been encouraging, and two small phase III trials have confirmed the efficacy of the multimodality approach. Newer, more tolerable chemotherapeutic agents are now being investigated. Because of the encouraging results in locally advanced disease, this induction therapy has been used in two trials of early stage (IB, II) disease; both trials have suggested that induction therapy improved patient tolerance to chemotherapy and in one trial perhaps improved survival. Currently, several phase III trials are attempting to confirm these early encouraging reports.
Development of kindled seizures and circadian rhythms.

Seizures were kindled in 16 male hooded rats with electrode placements aimed at the amygdala. Subjects were housed in a vivarium with a 12-hr light—dark cycle (on 0600, off 1800). Half of the subjects were stimulated at approximately 1000 hr, half at 2200 hr. Those animals stimulated during the light half of the cycle did not develop afterdischarges as early and kindled significantly slower than animals stimulated during the dark half of the cycle. The results were related to circadian rhythms of seizures in humans.
The effects of imipramine and iprindole on the metabolism of octopamine in the rat.

Abstract Acute injections of imipramine and iprindole in rats produced significant decreases in the concentration of p-hydroxyphenylglycol (pHPG), a neutral metabolite of octopamine in brain at 6 and 24 hr after the administration of drugs. The 24-hr urinary levels of both free and total pHPG were reduced to 25–29% of control with acute administration of imipramine, while iprindole produced a 30% decrease in free pHPG. With chronic administration of imipramine, concentrations of pHPG in brain returned to normal, while the 24-hr urinary levels were still decreased (to 24%). Octopamine in brain was unaltered after both single and repeated injections of imipramine. Thus, these data suggest that the turnover of octopamine in brain is reduced after acute administration of imipramine and iprindole, while after chronic treatment with imipramine, turnover of octopamine in brain has returned to control levels.
ION-PAIRING POLYMERIZATION

This account describes the development of a new type of polymerization catalysis termed ion-pairing polymerization (IPP). IPP utilizes compatible and dually active transition-metal cation–main-group anion ion pairs in which both the cation and the anion can independently catalyze the polymer chain growth in a single polymerization reaction. Furthermore, cations and anions of ion pairs can exhibit different stereoselectivity and growing chains at the cationic and anionic sites can undergo infrequent exchange between the two sites, thereby covalently linking the polymer chains produced at both sites to afford functionalized vinyl polymers with unique stereomultiblock microstructures.
Relative contribution of promoter and intragenic sequences in the hormonal regulation of rat β-casein transgenes

In order to identify DNA sequences responsible for the regulation beta-casein gene expression, lines of transgenic mice bearing the entire rat beta-casein gene and two rat beta-casein promoter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) fusion genes have been established. All three transgenes have been shown previously to be regulated in a tissue- and stage specific manner. To investigate the relative contribution of promoter and intragenic sequences in the hormonal regulation of the beta-casein gene, mammary explant cultures derived from these lines of mice have now been performed, and the effects of PRL and glucocorticoids on transgene as compared with endogenous beta-casein gene expression have been quantified. After the addition of PRL to cultures performed in the presence of insulin and glucocorticoids, a 25- to 40-fold induction of endogenous mouse beta-casein mRNA was observed after 48 hr. A comparable greater than 25-fold induction of transgene expression after PRL addition was observed in explant cultures derived from a line of mice expressing the entire rat beta-casein gene. In contrast, PRL addition elicited only a 1- to 4.5-fold increase in CAT activity in cultures derived from two lines of mice bearing casein-CAT fusion genes with either 524 or 2300 base pairs of 5'-flanking DNA. In the presence of insulin, glucocorticoid or PRL addition alone increased endogenous beta-casein gene expression 2- to 2.5-fold and 5- to 10-fold, respectively, but only a 1.2- to 2.5-fold induction of CAT activity was observed for each hormone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping in mapping populations via genomic reduction and next-generation sequencing: proof of concept.

We report the results of a proof-of-concept experiment that validates the use of multiplex identifi er (MID) barcodes and next-generation sequencing (454-pyrosequencing and Illumina GAIIe) to simultaneously discover and genotype single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from mapping populations using pooled genomic reduction libraries. The genomic reduction library utilized here consisted of 60 individuals from an Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. mapping population. A total of 1720 and 504 SNPs were de novo identifi ed and genotyped across the mapping population using only bioinformatic analyses of the progeny sequence fragments from the 454-pyrosequencing and Illumina datasets, respectively. The average base coverage at the SNPs was 4.5x for the 454-pyrosequencing dataset and 18.2x for the Illumina dataset. Cross validation of the genotypic scores between datasets showed 99.91% accuracy. Linkage mapping with the 454-pyrosequencing dataset produced fi ve highly supported linkage groups that were collinear with the Arabidopsis physical map (r = 0.981), further validating the accuracy of the genotyping method. The unadjusted cost per data point ranged from US$0.07 to $0.147, suggesting that the technique could be broadly used for large-scale genotyping and has particular value for plant species with limited monetary resources as it circumvents the need for post-SNP discovery genotype assay development.
Mix and sequencing of economywide and agricultural reforms: Chile and New Zealand

Abstract Once committed to economywide and sectoral reforms — stabilization, structural adjustment, and trade liberalization — and companion reforms of institutions, how does government best proceed? With what reforms in response to initial conditions, and in what mix, sequence, strength, and speed? This study examines what factors were most critical to success during transition in two early reformers. The economies of Chile and New Zealand have undergone seismic reforms, starting in the mid-1970s and 1980s, respectively. Comparative analysis of their reforms look at the prior conditions that induced drastic action and the policy choices made in each country. Though similar in many respects, differences in initial economic conditions and implementation led to dissimilar, even contrary results. For Chile, the outcome was a vigorous, recharged economy and agricultural sector; for New Zealand, the economy and the sector are lagging still. How policy choice and implementation, as well as simultaneity of reforms, affected the outcomes is the major thrust of the study. The preeminence of trade and macroeconomic policies over sectoral interventions, and in particular the strategic nature of the real exchange rate in allowing agriculture to compete domestically and internationally highlight the discussion.
Experimental determination of the partitioning behavior of rare earth and high field strength elements between pargasitic amphibole and natural silicate melts

Abstract The primary goal of this investigation was to derive a set of expressions that can be used to calculate the amphibole-melt partitioning behavior of the rare earth elements (REE) and the high field strength elements (HFSE) in natural systems. To supplement the existing data set on basaltic systems, we conducted experiments on systems where amphibole was in equilibrium with dacitic, tonalitic and low Si rhyolitic melts. These experiments, doped with La, Sm, Gd, Lu, Ta, Nb, Y, Zr, and Hf, were run at pressures of 2 and 5 kbar, temperatures between 900°C and 945°C, and oxidation conditions ranging from QFM-1 to NiNiO+1. The partitioning data obtained in this study were combined with published data to calculate two sets of expressions describing trace element partitioning. The first set models the partitioning of trace elements into amphibole using temperature, pressure and several compositional parameters, including the compositionally-compensated partition coefficients of Ti, Al, Caand SiO2, and the exchange of Fe and Mg between the crystal and the melt (DMg/DFe). The second set of expressions are slightly less precise, but require no specific knowledge of P, T, or fO2 and, for application to natural systems, can be constructed solely on the basis of information available from standard electron microprobe analyses. These expressions predict amphibole-melt partition coefficients for REE and HFSE within an internal precision of 14–40% (relative) for alkali basalt to low Si rhyolite, from 850°C to 1100°C, 2–20 kbar and oxygen fugacity from QFM-1 to NiNiO+1. Partition coefficients calculated from the expressions derived in this study were used to model the partial melting and fractional crystallization of a hypothetical amphibolite and hydrous melt, respectively. Fractionation and/or melting in amphibole-bearing systems produces a magma with a convex upward REE pattern, a characteristic common to many hornblende-bearing dacites. However, the removal or addition of an amphibole component cannot produce the strong HFSE depletion relative to the REE observed in many arc magmas.
Conditions for reproducible detection of calmodulin and S100β in immunoblots

Abstract The conditions used in some immunoblot procedures can fail to detect calmodulin, S100 proteins, and other proteins with similar physical properties. We describe here some of the basis of this difficulty, and provide an immunoblot protocol that allows the rapid and reproducible detection of calmodulin and S100β in crude biological samples. These proteins are rapidly transferred from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels to membrane matrices, and retention on the matrix is enhanced by a glutaraldehyde fixation step. Either nitrocellulose or a positively charged membrane filter (ZetaProbe) can be used as the immobilizing matrix. By combining microslab gel electrophoresis, 30 min electrophoretic transfer, and glutaraldehyde fixation of nitrocellulose paper, an immunoblot analysis can be done in an 8-hr day.
PREDICTION ON THE RELATIVE DIELECTRIC LOSS FACTOR IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS OF NONFAT DRIED MILK THROUGH CHEMICAL SIMULATION

SUMMARY— The relative dielectric loss factor in aqueous solutions of nonfat dried milk has been studied through chemical simulation of its major constituents. This study shows that milk dielectric loss cannot be predicted simply on the basis of its chemical composition. It does, however, provide a conceptual basis for milk modeling which leads to a more general understanding of food dielectric properties. The focal point in milk simulation was shown to be a complex relationship of solute-solute and solute-solvent interactions which reduce the dielectric loss factors to levels substantially lower than those predicted by considering only chemical composition. These include both binding and nonbinding interactions of the solutes. The binding effects are believed to result from the incomplete dissociation of milk salts in a saturated ionic environment and are reflected by a reduction of specific ion activities in solution. Nonbinding effects, on the other hand, are seen to result from the formation of hydrated ion complexes. These effects, in conjunction with chemical composition, are shown to completely determine the dielectric loss level in dried milk solutions.
The Impact of Strategy on Conflict: A Cross- National Comparative Study of U.S. and Japanese firms

An empirical test of 290 U.S. and 653 Japanese managers, using the Miles and Snow typology, provides a cross-national examination of strategy's impact on conflict. Results substantially support the study's predictions and indicate that firms should: (1) monitor their conflict handling mechanisms; (2) emphasize integrative approaches; and (3) appropriately use formalization for conflict handling. Despite a convergence of management practices globally, findings indicate that considerable differences still exist between U.S. and Japanese firms.
The use of bile — esculin agar for the taxonomic classification of the family Enterobacteriaceae

Bile-esculin medium has been used for many years for the presumptive identification of group D Streptococcus. The test is based on the ability of a bacterium to grow in the presence of 40% bile and produce esculinase.
Increased Blood Clotting, Microvascular Density, and Inflammation in Eotaxin-Secreting Tumors Implanted into Mice

An important theme that is emerging in cancer research is the interaction between tumor cells and the host stroma. Because many types of human cancer are infiltrated by eosinophils that are believed to mediate an anti-tumor cytotoxic effect, we developed and studied a transfected B16 murine melanoma cell line that secretes high levels (510 pg/ml/100,000 cells/day) of eotaxin, a chemokine that recruits and activates primarily eosinophils. Here we report that there was increased inflammation (eosinophils, mast cells, mononuclear cells), blood clotting, and microvascular density within the tumors produced by subcutaneous implants of eotaxin-secreting tumor cells in 10 C57BL/6 compared to tumors produced by wild-type tumor cells. The extensive blood clotting in the eotaxin-transfected tumors was associated with significantly decreased blood flow to the tumors as measured by magnetic resonance imaging [(mean maximum signal enhancement of eotaxin-secreting tumors, 147 ± 57 (n = 7) compared to 202 ± 36 signal enhancement units (n = 8) for the wild-type melanoma cells; P = 0.04 by two-tailed, unpaired t-test]. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference between the growth rates or mean masses of the eotaxin-secreting tumors (750 ± 280 mg, n = 10) and the wild-type tumors (780 ± 290, n = 10) after 20 days of growth in vivo, despite the significantly slower growth rate in vitro of the eotaxin-secreting tumor cells. We conclude that eotaxin and the resultant tumor-infiltrating inflammatory cells are not likely to mediate a significant anti-tumor effect in vivo. Instead, elevated eotaxin is associated with increased inflammation, microvascular density, and blood clotting. Thus, eotaxin and eosinophils may play a more complex role in modulating the growth of tumors than the simple, anti-tumor cytotoxic effect that has been previously proposed.
Religious Studies as Critical Organic Intellectual Practice

L'A. soutient que les specialistes qui etudient la religion peuvent faire des contributions importantes aux luttes pour la justice sociale, l'integrite ecologique et les droits de l'homme. Mais pour faire ce genre de contributions ils doivent rompre notamment avec des methodes d'interpretation qui ne tiennent pas compte du contexte et developper une pratique intellectuelle inspiree de principes de Cornel West et Antonio Gramsci.
Original Articles: Prostate Cancer: Detailed Preliminary Analysis of Iodine-125 Implantation for Localized Prostate Cancer Using Percutaneous Approach

ABSTRACTRecent developments have permitted accurate seed placement and dosimetry for interstitial brachytherapy of selected patients with localized prostate cancer. We present our experience with 76 patients divided into 2 groups. Group 1 included 45 patients with smaller, more well differentiated tumors, usually less than 2 cm. in diameter on digital rectal examination or transrectal ultrasound and a Gleason score of less than 7 who were treated with 125 iodine alone. Group 2 consisted of 31 patients with localized tumors greater than 2 cm. in diameter and/or a Gleason sum equal to or greater than 7 who were treated with low dose external beam radiation followed by 125 iodine boost 4 weeks later. Complete clinical progression-free survival, including prostate specific antigen, digital rectal examination and biopsy, was 51% for group 1 and 63.3% for group 2, with a mean followup of 26.3 months. Prostate specific antigen progression-free survival was 97.7% for group 1 and 94.7% for group 2.These results ap...
Identifying and filtering noise caused by sensor set switching in UWB indoor position tracking

Trilateration calculations are affected by errors in distance measurements from the set of fixed points to the object of interest. When these errors are systemic, each distinct set of fixed points can be said to exhibit a unique set noise. For ultra-wideband (UWB) indoor position tracking, the set of fixed points is a set of sensors measuring the distance to a tracked tag. In this paper we develop a noise model for this sensor set noise, along with a particle filter that uses our set noise model. We test our methods on a real UWB system. Our methods showed an approximately 15% improvement in accuracy over the raw measurements.
Dying to remember, remembering to survive: mortality salience and survival processing.

Processing items for their relevance to survival improves recall for those items relative to numerous other deep processing encoding techniques. Perhaps related, placing individuals in a mortality salient state has also been shown to enhance retention of items encoded after the morality salience manipulation (e.g., in a pleasantness rating task), a phenomenon we dubbed the “dying-to-remember” (DTR) effect. The experiments reported here further explored the effect and tested the possibility that the DTR effect is related to survival processing. Experiment 1 replicated the effect using different encoding tasks, demonstrating that the effect is not dependent on the pleasantness task. In Experiment 2 the DTR effect was associated with increases in item-specific processing, not relational processing, according to several indices. Experiment 3 replicated the main results of Experiment 2, and tested the effects of mortality salience and survival processing within the same experiment. The DTR effect and its assoc...
PL 94-142: A Response to Vernon.

Inevitably a law as important, pervasive, and radical as the Education of All Handicapped Act of 1975 (PL 94-142) provokes wide controversy and debate. Considering that PL 94-142 is critical to effective education of handicapped children, it is important that we conduct this debate in a reasonable and unsensational manner. In the case of PL 94-142, considered debate should include thoughtful presentation and interpretation of the basic concepts of the Act. Careful and considered objections should not include incomplete or misleading interpretations of the law's features or emotionally charged sensational rhetoric. Some of Veron's (1981) objections to PL 94-142 reflect realistic and sincere disagreements with the manner in which services are provided to handicapped children through PL 94-142. The arguments presented concerning such issues as constitutionality, excessive federal control, cost benefit, and least restrictive alternative are incomplete, however, and occasionally mislead. This paper presents other possible interpretations of issues raised by Vernon.
Closed-loop identification with MPC for an industrial scale CD-control problem

An approach to implementing closed-loop identification in a model predictive-control framework for the cross-direction control of basis weight is proposed. The closed-loop-identification technique uses the concepts of Markov parameters to determine a step-response model that can then be used within a model predictive controller. The technique is applied to an industrial-scale paper-machine-simulation benchmark problem for cases of varying degrees of shrinkage. The performance of wet- and dry-end full-array sensors are compared. Also, the performance of the closed-loop identification is compared for a nominal case and two cases in which shrinkage occurs in the drying process.
Biafine topical emulsion accelerates excisional and burn wound healing in mice

Macrophages play a fundamental role in wound healing; therefore, employing a strategy that enhances macrophage recruitment would be ideal. It was previously suggested that the mechanism by which Biafine topical emulsion improves wound healing is via enhanced macrophage infiltration into the wound bed. The purpose of this study was to confirm this observation through gross and histologic assessments of wound healing using murine full-thickness excisional and burn wound models, and compare to common standards, Vaseline and silver sulfadiazine (SSD). Full-thickness excisional and burn wounds were created on two groups of 60 mice. In the excisional arm, mice were divided into untreated control, Biafine, and Vaseline groups. In the burn arm, mice were divided into untreated control, Biafine, and SSD groups. Daily treatments were administered and healing was measured over time. Wound tissue was excised and stained to appropriately visualize morphology, collagen, macrophages, and neutrophils. Collagen deposition was measured and cell counts were performed. Biafine enhanced wound healing in murine full-thickness excisional and burn wounds compared to control, and surpassed Vaseline and SSD in respective wound types. Biafine treatment accelerated wound closure clinically, with greater epidermal/dermal maturity, granulation tissue formation, and collagen quality and arrangement compared to other groups histologically. Biafine application was associated with greater macrophage and lower neutrophil infiltration at earlier stages of healing when compared to other study groups. In conclusion, Biafine can be considered an alternative topical therapy for full-thickness excisional and burn wounds, owing to its advantageous biologically based wound healing properties.
High Performance Liquid Chromatography in Veterinary Toxicology

Abstract Since the late 1960's, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has performed an increasingly important role as a separative analytical technique. Its range of application is far wider than that of gas chromatography which makes it attractive to those disciplines that require the capability to analyze a diversity of compound in a variety of matrices. The field of veterinary toxicology is such an area. Veterinary toxicology laboratories must have the capability to identify and quantify compounds from many different classes of toxicants. This demand requires a wide range of analytical capabilities so that inorganic, volatile organic, and complex high molecular weight toxicantscan a11 be quickly determined. The matrices from which the analytes must be separated are frequently complex; typically feeds, biological fluids, and tissues. Often clues as to the nature of the analyte are lacking in the sample history requiring methods that can screen for many classes of compounds. This review attempts ...
Black Carbon Aerosol at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Aerosol light absorption as black carbon (BC) was measured from November 19, 1995, to February 6, 1996, at a location 0.65 km downwind of the center of McMurdo Station on the Antarctic coast. The results show a bimodal frequency distribution of BC concentrations. Approximately 65% of the measurements were found in a mode at a low range of concentrations centered at approximately 20 ng/m3. These concentrations are higher than those found at other remote Antarctic locations and probably represent contamination from the station. The remaining measurements were in a high-concentration mode (BC approximately 300 ng/m3), indicating direct impact of local emissions from combustion activities at the station. High values of BC were associated with winds from the direction of the station, and the BC flux showed a clear directionality. Maximum BC concentrations occurred between 7:00 and 11:00 a.m. The "polluted" mode accounted for more than 80% of the BC frequency-weighted impact at this location.
Introduction: Geographic Contributions to Agrobiodiversity Conservation

The study of agriculture has a long tradition in the discipline of geography. Research on the spatial and temporal dynamics of agricultural biodiversity and its conservation have interested geograp...
“From the prison door right to the sidewalk, everything went downhill,” A qualitative study of the health experiences of recently released inmates

In many states, budget constraints are prompting earlier release of prison inmates. Prior studies have demonstrated elevated mortality rates in the post-release period but little is known about the health experiences of former inmates in the transition from prison to the community. The objective of this study was to understand the health-seeking experiences, perceptions of risk, and medical and mental health needs of former prisoners in the first two months after release from prison. Participants consisted of 29 former inmates within the first two months after their release from prison to the Denver, Colorado area. Using qualitative methods, trained interviewers conducted individual, in-person, semi-structured interviews exploring participants' experiences with health, mental health, and health care since release. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed utilizing a team-based approach to inductive analysis. We found that health-related behavior occurred in the context of a complex life experience, with logistical problems exacerbated by emotional distress. Major themes included 1) transitional challenges; 2) cognitive responses including perceptions about personal risk, knowledge and priorities; 3) emotional responses including pronounced stress, fear, anxiety, disappointment; and 4) health behaviors. Former inmates reported multiple challenges, poor transitional preparation preceding release, and inadequate or absent continuity of mental and physical health care in the context of significant emotional distress and anxiety. Improved release planning, coordination between the medical, mental health and criminal justice systems may reduce the risk of poor health outcomes for this population.
Magnetic fields throughout the heliosphere

Recent measurement results on the heliospheric magnetic fields are reviewed. Findings in the areas of spatial gradients, sector structure and the heliospheric current sheet, changes in solar wind structure with solar cycle and radial distance, solar modulation of Galactic cosmic rays, and the interaction of the solar wind with the interstellar medium are addressed.
An extrasolar planet that transits the disk of its parent star

Planets orbiting other stars could in principle be found through the periodic dimming of starlight as a planet moves across—or 'transits'—the line of sight between the observer and the star. Depending on the size of the planet relative to the star, the dimming could reach a few per cent of the apparent brightness of the star. Despite many searches, no transiting planet has been discovered in this way; the one known transiting planet—HD209458b—was first discovered using precise measurements of the parent star's radial velocity and only subsequently detected photometrically. Here we report radial velocity measurements of the star OGLE-TR-56, which was previously found to exhibit a 1.2-day transit-like light curve in a survey looking for gravitational microlensing events. The velocity changes that we detect correlate with the light curve, from which we conclude that they are probably induced by an object of around 0.9 Jupiter masses in an orbit only 0.023 au from its star. We estimate the planetary radius to be around 1.3 Jupiter radii and its density to be about 0.5 g cm^(-3). This object is hotter than any known planet (approx 1,900 K), but is still stable against long-term evaporation or tidal disruption.
Isotope Effect for the Diffusion of Zinc in Copper, and Ordered and Disordered CuZn

The strength of the isotope effect for the diffusion of zinc in copper is 0.41 at 894.5 and 946.4\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. The most probable value of the correlation factor for the diffusion of zinc in copper is 0.55. The strength of the isotope effect for the diffusion of zinc in disordered CuZn at 560.3\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C is 0.245; it is 0.201 for diffusion in ordered CuZn at 410.6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C ($S=0.7$). The near equality of these numbers indicates that next-nearest-neighbor jumps are not probable, that the details of the diffusion mechanism are the same in the ordered and disordered phases, and that at this degree of long-range order, the Elcock-McCombie mechanism is not dominant.
Self-Monitoring Adherence and Adolescent Weight Control Efficacy

Aspects of food self-monitoring related to overweight adolescents' successful weight control remain unexplored. Behaviorally treated adolescents' food records were assessed for self-monitoring frequency, sufficiency, whether amounts and calories were recorded, and whether daily calories were summed. Greater recording sufficiency, operationalized as recording 5 or more different food/beverage items in a day, was the only self-monitoring aspect related to better weight outcomes. More recording and calorie summing were related to lower caloric intake at follow-up, whereas these aspects and sufficiency were related to dietary fat at follow-up. Recording sufficiency may be a critical component of overweight adolescents' food self-monitoring, although the direction of causality and potential spurious effects cannot be fully determined.
Seasonal and Diel Movements of White Sturgeon in the Lower Columbia River

Abstract Continuous monitoring of the movements and depths used by white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus with acoustic telemetry technologies in the lower Columbia River provided information on diel and seasonal migrations, local movements, and site fidelity. White sturgeon moved to shallower water at night and showed greater activity, inferred from rates of movement, than during daytime. The extent of local movement within a season was variable among fish; some fish readily moved among habitats while the movements of others were more constrained. White sturgeon were absent from the study area (river kilometers 45-52) during winter and returned from upstream during the spring, confirming an upstream seasonal migration in the fall and downstream migration in spring. The return of individual fish and reoccupation of areas previously inhabited showed that some white sturgeon exhibit site fidelity. This work shows that studies seeking to characterize habitat for white sturgeon need to be cognizant of diel mi...