cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Covariant multiple scattering series for elastic projectile-target scattering.

A covariant formulation of the multiple scattering series for the optical potential is presented. The case of a scalar nucleon interacting with a spin zero isospin zero A-body target through meson exchange, is considered. It is shown that a covariant equation for the projectile-target t-matrix can be obtained which sums the ladder and crossed ladder diagrams efficiently. From this equation, a multiple scattering series for the optical potential is derived, and it is shown that in the impulse approximation, the two-body t-matrix associated with the first order optical potential is the one in which one particle is kept on mass-shell. The meaning of various terms in the multiple scattering series is given. The construction of the first-order optical potential for elastic scattering calculations is described.
A Note on Civilizations and Economies

This article approaches the topic of civilizations and economies through a discussion of two key texts that appeared during the first wave of interest among social scientists for the phenomenon of ...
U.S. Demand for Organic and Conventional Fresh Fruits: The Roles of Income and Price

Using retail purchase data reported by Nielsen’s Homescan panel this study investigates the U.S. demand for organic and conventional fresh fruits. The study fills an important research void by estimating the much needed income and price elasticities for organic and conventional fruits utilizing a censored demand approach. Household income is found to affect organic fruit consumption. Consumers are more responsive to price of organic fruits than to price of conventional fruits. Cross-price effects suggest that a change in relative prices will more likely induce consumers to “cross-over” from buying conventional fruits to buying organic fruits, while it is less likely that organic consumers will “revert” to buying conventional fruits.
MRI of myocardial function: Motion tracking techniques

Methods for the noninvasive measurement of three-dimensional myocardial motion with MRI have recently been developed using presaturation tagging and velocity-encoded phase maps. The quality of clinical cardiac MRI studies has also recently improved with the advent of breath-hold scanning. The combination of breath-hold imaging with tagging and velocity-encoding sequences has made the measurement of myocardial wall motion in patients a simple and reproducible exam. These methods make it possible to quantify the severity and extent of regional heart wall motion abnormalities both at rest and during stress. This article reviews the MRI techniques developed for these applications.
Oral neomycin and respiratory failure

On connait le danger de blocage neuro -musculaire â la suite d’application de neomycine dans la cavite abdominale Dans les conditions normales, la neomycine n’est pas absorbee dans le tractus intestinal On a deja rapporte trois cas ou l’on a soupconne la neomycine, absorbee par la bouche, d’avoir cause de l’embarras respiratoire Les auteurs rapportent cette complication chez un enfant mâle de sept mois, admis au “Bronx Municipal Center” pour une histoire de saignement rectal intermittent remontant a trois mois On a fait a cet enfant une preparation intestinale a la neomycme en lui donnant par la bouche six doses de 100 milligrammes de neomycme durant vingt-quajtre heures, avant l’operation Le jour de l’operation, a six heures du matin, on lui fit un lavement sale et a son arrivee a la salle d’operation l’enfant etait calme et apparemment somnolent Pendant qu’on pratiquait une dissection veineuse, l’enfant se mit a pleurer, puis il devint cyanose La respiration devint superficielle, irreguliere, puis elle cessa Il y eut un arret cardiaque traite par massage externe Apres vingt minutes de ventilation artificielle a l’oxygene la respiration reprit, et au bout de trente minutes on enleVa le tube endotracheai L’operation fut pratiquee deux jours plus tard sans prepaiiation intestinale a la neomycine A ce moment, l’enfant etait bien eveille et enjoue A l’exploration chirurgicale on a trouve un diverticule de Meckel qui presentait des zones de muqueuse desquamee recouverte d’exsudat fibrineux frais Le calme de l’enfant a son arrivee a la salle d’operation, la periode subsequente de pleurs suivie de depression puis d’arret respiratoire ont fait porter un diagnostic tres probable “d’epuisement” du a un blocage neuro-musculaire partiel La neomycme fut le seul, parmi les medicaments utilises, qui ait pu provoquer cette complication On a presume que les lesions de la muqueuse dans le diverticule etaient de dimension considerable par rapport a la taille de l’enfant, ces lesions pouvaient constituer une surface d’absorption pour la neomycme donnee par la bouche On ne peut que se perdre en conjectures quant au role joue sur l’absorption de la neomycme, par l’augmentation du peristaltisme ou de la pression intestinale due au lavement du matin
Murine V kappa gene expression does not follow the VH paradigm.

V kappa gene family expression among LPS-reactive murine B lymphocytes, unlike that of VH gene families, is not proportional to genomic complexity, i.e., nonstoichiometric. Furthermore, no positional bias for the overexpression of J-proximal V kappa genes (V kappa 21) is observed among neonatal B lymphocytes. Yet, the V kappa 1 and V kappa 9 families located in the center of V kappa locus are preferentially used by neonatal B splenocytes. Thus, the mechanisms of V kappa gene rearrangement and expression appear to differ significantly from those controlling the VH locus.
The half-life of 111mPd

As a contribution toward improving the accuracy of neutron activation analysis, the half-life of 111mPd was measured by gamma-ray spectrometry. The uncertainty of this parameter is greater than desired for accurate work, largely because 111mPd represents a small part of the total activity of palladium exposed to neutrons. In this work, several irradiated samples of pure palladium were counted continually with high-resolution Ge gamma detectors through about ten half-lives. The 172 keV photopeak was integrated with a region-of-interest procedure, and each datum corrected for rate-related losses before fitting to an exponential function by a nonlinear least-squares procedure. The half-life found is 5.580 ± 0.032 h, where the uncertainty is an estimate of the 95 % confidence level, a substantial improvement over published values.
Biosensors and antibody probes for environmental and biomedical applications

This paper presents an overview of the applications of antibody-based fiber optic sensors. Special focus is devoted to antibody-based fiber optics fluoroimmunosensors developed in our laboratories to detect important pollutants and biochemicals. The fiber optics sensor utilizes antibodies covalently bound or encapsulated on the probe tip. The usefulness of fluoroimmunosensors for environmental and biomedical monitoring will be discussed.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Dynamical approach to inhomogeneous rays

Certain rigorous asymptotic solutions to the wave equation with spatially dependent wave speed are constructed. These solutions have the form of inhomogeneous Gaussian pulses, allowing for the determination of the so-called inhomogeneous rays from the solution of an underlying system of ordinary differential equations. Inhomogeneous ray traces are numerically generated for several examples.
The development of middle rare earth element enrichments in freshwaters: weathering of phosphate minerals

Abstract Many phosphatic minerals of biogenic, authigenic and diagenetic origin are distinguished by rare-earth element (REE) compositions, which have a well-developed middle rare-earth element (MREE) enrichment defined by a gradual increase in the shale-normalized ratios of REE toward the middle of the REE series (La to Lu). Also, the REE composition of dissolved matter in the waters of the Amazon, Fly and Sepik Rivers (as well as other river, lake and ground waters) have well-developed MREE enrichments. The development of MREE enrichments was studied through a series of leaching experiments using river-bank sediments from the Amazon, Fly, Sepik and Mississippi Rivers. A well-characterized phosphate mineral-rich shale with a pronounced MREE enrichment in its bulk composition was also leached in order to better assess the relationship between the weathering of phosphate minerals and the formation of MREE-enriched solutions. The two leaching solutions per sediment consisted of filtered lake water at pH 5 and the same water adjusted to pH 2. Leaching experiments with the four river sediments result in extensive fractionation whereby the REE compositions of the solutions develop MREE enrichments from starting sediments that show no MREE enrichments. The pH 2 leachates have much higher concentrations of the REE and more fully developed MREE enrichments than do the pH 5 leachates. The MREE enrichments at pH 2 usually form within an hour of starting the experiments. The phosphatic shale results show that there is preferential release of large amounts of MREE at pH 5, as well as at pH 2, demonstrating the weather ability of the phosphatic minerals at pHs of natural freshwaters. The Sepik River pH 5 experiment also shows significant MREE enrichment under near-neutral conditions. The development and retention of the MREE enrichments in the leaching solutions is accompanied by an increase in dissolved phosphate concentrations. Although the magnitudes of the MREE enrichment do not directly correlate with the percent of phosphate released, the experimental data suggest that the preferential dissolution of phosphatic minerals during weathering can result in extensive REE fractionation between bulk river sediment and water, leading to freshwaters with MREE enrichments.
Biosecurity for arthropod-borne diseases

Arthropod-borne diseases (ABD) of cattle include those pathogens transmitted mechanically and biologically from one bovine to another or from other species to cattle. This article provides examples of the more common ABD of North America and reviews strategies to prevent entry of ABD onto cattle operations and control transmission of ABD once established on cattle operations using an integrated approach.
Theory of Low-Temperature Adsorption.

Abstract A general and qualitatively exact theory is developed for quantum sticking coefficients α(k) in the small wave number limit k → 0. The theory covers Morse-type to inverse-square potentials, the latter representing long-range potentials. The theory gives unambiguous answers to crucial questions in the problem and helps lead to an overall understanding of low-temperature adsorption.
BMP-6 enhances chondrogenesis in a subpopulation of human marrow stromal cells.

Marrow stromal cells (MSCs) can differentiate into several mesenchymal lineages. MSCs were recently shown to form cartilage in micromass cultures with serum-free medium containing TGF-beta and dexamethasone. Here we found that addition of BMP-6 increased the weight of the pellets about 10-fold and they stained more extensively for proteoglycans. mRNAs for type II procollagen and type X collagen were detected at 1 week and the levels were increased at 3 weeks. We also compared two subpopulation of cultures of MSCs: Small and rapidly self-renewing cells (RS cells) and the large, more mature and slowly replicating cells (mMSCs). The cartilage pellets prepared from cultures enriched for RS cells were about 2.5-fold larger, stained more extensively for proteoglycans, and had levels of mRNA for type II procollagen that were 1.6-fold higher. Also, RS cells retained more of their chondrogenic potential as the cells were passaged.
HMQC and refocused-INEPT experiments involving half-integer quadrupolar nuclei in solids

Abstract Hetero-nuclear coherence transfers in HMQC and refocused-INEPT experiments involving half-integer quadrupolar nuclei in solids are analyzed. 1D and 2D schemes are considered under MAS for the general case of multi-spin systems SI n ( n ⩽ 4), where S is an observed nucleus. These results are also discussed in the context of high-resolution schemes featuring MQMAS or STMAS. The theoretical predictions are verified experimentally in a series of 1D and 2D experiments performed at 9.4 and 18.8 T.
Class II positive human dermal fibroblasts restimulate cloned allospecific T cells but fail to stimulate primary allogeneic lymphoproliferation.

Abstract Recently, a number of laboratories have shown that gamma interferon (IFN-γ) is a potent modulator of HLA class II antigen expression in a variety of cell types ranging from classical antigen presenting cells to those not expected to participate in physiological antigen presentation such as fibroblasts. In order to examine the role of HLA class II expressing fibroblasts in antigen presentation, we established dermal fibroblast (FIB) strains from five HLA typed donors. After optimal preculture with IFN-γ, class II positive FIB were fully competent to restimulate proliferative responses of two DR specific T cell clones and one DP specific T cell line. However, they failed to elicit strong primary allogeneic proliferation from fully DR mismatched fresh PBMC. This failure was not due to a direct suppressive effect of FIB and could not be corrected by exogenous IL1 or by factors contained in conventional mixed leukocyte culture supernatants.
Meningococcal Vaccine Use in College Students

OBJECTIVE:To discuss the role of meningococcal vaccine in prevention of meningococcal disease.DATA SOURCES:A MEDLINE search (1966–June 2001) was performed to identify key literature. Search terms included, but were not limited to, meningococcal vaccines, meningococcal meningitis, meningococcal infection, and meningococcus. The search was limited to English-language literature and references dealing with humans. The MEDLINE search was supplemented by a hand search of various bibliographies.DATA SYNTHESIS:The impact of meningococcal disease has caused national and regional organizations to develop recommendations for use of meningococcal vaccine. Even though the meningococcal vaccine can provide benefit, limitations exist. The available vaccine does not cover all meningococcal strains and is not useful in all age groups. The appropriate target groups for prevention of disease through vaccination have been difficult to determine; vaccine use in college students is especially controversial.CONCLUSIONS:Althoug...
Restricted water time with dwarf and normal size Single Comb White Leghorn pullets.

Abstract Two experiments with two trials in each experiment for two successive years were conducted to study the effect of varied water treatments on dwarf (Trial 1) and normal size (Trial 2) commercial Single Comb White Leghorn pullets for 10 periods of 28 days each in a positive-pressure, mechanically ventilated house. There were 192 pullets of each strain involved in each trial. In Experiment 1, mean body weight gain and Haugh units in both strains, mean egg specific gravity and percent mortality in dwarfs, and mean egg weights in Babcock (B-300) pullets were not significantly different among the water treatments. In Trial 1, dwarf pullets provided with three 15-min water periods daily at intervals of approximately 6.5 hr (3-15–6.5) during the light period had significantly lower hen-day production and daily feed consumption than pullets provided either eight 15-min water periods spaced at 2-hr intervals (8-15-2) or continuous water (CW). In Trial 2, normal-sized pullets provided with three 15-min water periods at 4-hr intervals (3-15-4) had significantly lower hen-day egg production, daily feed consumption, and better egg specific gravity than either the 3-15-6.5, 8-15-2, or CW treatments. In Experiment 2, dwarf and Shaver (Starcross 288) pullets provided with the 3-15-6.5 water treatment had significantly lower hen-day egg production, daily feed consumption, and mean egg weight than either the 8-15-2, the 60-min a.m. and 105-min p.m. (1–60, 1–105), or two 15-min a.m. and 105-min p.m. (2–15, 1–105) water treatments. From these experiments, it appears that either 3-15-4 or 3-15-6.5 water treatments had a more adverse effect on percent egg production than either CW; 8-15-2; 1–60, 1–105; or 2–15, 1–105 water treatments. Dwarf pullets apparently were more sensitive to infrequent intermittent water periods than were the normal body size commercial layers.
Voltage-gated potassium channel KCNV2 (Kv8.2) contributes to epilepsy susceptibility

Mutations in voltage-gated ion channels are responsible for several types of epilepsy. Genetic epilepsies often exhibit variable severity in individuals with the same mutation, which may be due to variation in genetic modifiers. The Scn2aQ54 transgenic mouse model has a sodium channel mutation and exhibits epilepsy with strain-dependent severity. We previously mapped modifier loci that influence Scn2aQ54 phenotype severity and identified Kcnv2, encoding the voltage-gated potassium channel subunit Kv8.2, as a candidate modifier. In this study, we demonstrate a threefold increase in hippocampal Kcnv2 expression associated with more severe epilepsy. In vivo exacerbation of the phenotype by Kcnv2 transgenes supports its identification as an epilepsy modifier. The contribution of KCNV2 to human epilepsy susceptibility is supported by identification of two nonsynonymous variants in epilepsy patients that alter function of Kv2.1/Kv8.2 heterotetrameric potassium channels. Our results demonstrate that altered potassium subunit function influences epilepsy susceptibility and implicate Kcnv2 as an epilepsy gene.
Lipomata of the uterus

Abstract 1.1. A rare tumor of the uterus, a true lipoma is reported, the fourth in Anglo-American literature. 2.2. Two leiomyomas, polyposis (papillary adenomas) of mucosa and a true lipoma are described as occurring in the one uterus.
Capturing the Dynamics of Second Language Development via Learner Corpus Research: A Very Long Engagement

This introductory paper highlights the promising potential of learner corpora to facilitate investigations of the developmental processes underlying L2 learning. It offers a critical discussion of the aspects in which the disciplines of learner corpus (LC) research and SLA would benefit from closer interdisciplinary engagement and introduces the studies gathered in this special issue with the goal of exploring such mutually informative connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Bending Mechanics and Molecular Organization in Biological Membranes

The underlying structure of cell membranes consists of a highly heterogeneous fluid lipid bilayer. Within this milieu, complexes of proteins transiently assemble and dissolve in the performance of the functions of life. The length scales of these coordinated spatial rearrangements can approach the size of the cell, itself, enabling direct visualization in some cases with tantalizing clarity. There has been much interest in the physical driving forces responsible for the assembly of organized structures in cell membranes. Cholesterol-mediated miscibility phase separation within the lipid bilayer has attracted enormous attention over the past decade. This, however, is not the only ordering principle at play. In the following sections, I review recent experimental observations of bending-mediated force transduction and molecular organization in lipid membranes. These results have emerged largely from new experimental methodologies, which are discussed in parallel.
Protective immunization against visceral leishmaniasis using Leishmania sterol 24-c-methyltransferase formulated in adjuvant

We present here the identification and characterization of Leishmania sterol 24-c-methyltransferase (SMT), as well as data on protection of mice immunized with this Ag formulated in MPL-SE. Serological evaluation revealed that SMT is recognized by VL patients. C57BL/6 mice immunized with this vaccine candidate plus MPL-SE showed Ag-specific Th1 immune responses characterized by robust production of IFN-gamma upon specific Ag re-exposure in vitro. Upon challenge with L. infantum, mice immunized with SMT plus MPL-SE showed significant lower parasite burdens in both spleens and livers compared with non-immunized mice or mice injected with adjuvant alone. The results indicate that SMT/MPL-SE can be an effective vaccine candidate for use against VL.
Apartheid and Politics in South Africa

S INCE 1948 THE POLICY OF "APARTHEID" (literally, apartness) of the South African Government has been one of the most publicized racial policies in the world, albeit that both within and without the Union just what the policy is all about has led to some confusion, mnisunderstanding and acrid controversy. Its proponents-government officials, Afrikaner intellectuals and Dutch Reformed Church ministers and theologians-contend that it is the only equitable solution to South Africa's fundamental problems of a white population, having permanent roots dating back three hundred years in that country, being outnumbered in a 4:1 ratio by non-whites. These advocates of apartheid see the separate development of the two major racial groups (Europeans and Bantu) as the only permanently satisfactory answer. On the other side, the critics of this policy see it as either designed to perpetuate white supremacy and to maintain the political-economic subordination of non-whites, or else as a policy which if fully implemented, will lead to the economic ruin of the Union. Because apartheid has come to be a comprehensive social policy, it touches upon every sphere of social life in South Africa: politics, education, economics, religion, and so forth. A full discussion of apartheid, its antecedents and its consequences would require a whole volume. The present paper will restrict itself to one perspective, one of primary importance in understanding the complex situation existent in the Union: the relation between apartheid and politics.L The major focus of this paper will be the electoral compaign which took place in South Africa during April and May, 1948. There are two reasons for this attention: first, it was during this campaign that the Nationalist policy of apartheid was made public;
Variance-sensitive choice in lemurs: constancy trumps quantity

Numerous studies have demonstrated that ani- mals' tolerance for risk when foraging can be affected by changes in metabolic state. Specifically, animals on a negative energy budget increase their preferences for risk, while animals on a positive energy budget are typically risk-averse. The malleability of these preferences may be evolutionarily advantageous, and important for maximizing chances of survival during brief periods of energetic stress. However, animals adapted to living in unpredictable con- ditions are unlikely to benefit from risk-seeking strategies, and instead are expected to reduce energetic demands while maintaining risk-aversion. We measured risk pref- erences in lemurs, a group of primates restricted to the island of Madagascar. Lemurs have evolved diverse ana- tomical and behavioral traits for survival in a harsh and unpredictable ecology, and these traits have been explained as forms of anatomical and behavioral risk reduction. We therefore predicted that lemurs would also be risk-averse in a behavioral task that offered subjects a choice between a small certain reward, and an uncertain but potentially large reward. In Experiment 1, the average rewards associated with the constant and variable options were equal and lemurs exhibited high levels of risk-aversion, replicating a phenomenon that has been demonstrated in dozens of taxa. In Experiment 2, we gradually increased the average value of the variable option relative to the constant option. Lemurs' preferences tracked these changes and subjects became more risk-seeking as the risk premium increased. However, many subjects maintained high levels of risk- aversion even when the average payout of the variable option yielded double that of the constant option. These results are consistent with the notion that lemur cognition has evolved to minimize risk in an unpredictable island environment.
Variability of particulate matter (PM10) in Santiago, Chile by phase of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO)

Topographical, economical, and meteorological characteristics of Santiago, Chile regularly lead to dangerously high concentrations of particulate matter (PM10) in the city during winter months. Although the city has suffered from poor air quality for at least the past forty years, variability of PM10 in Santiago on the intraseasonal time scale had not been examined prior to this study. The MaddeneJulian Oscillation (MJO), the leading mode of atmospheric intraseasonal variability, modulates precipitation and circulation on a regional and global scale, including in central Chile. In this study, surface PM10 concentrations were found to vary by phase of the MJO. High PM10 concentrations occurred during phases 4, 5 and 7, and low concentrations of PM10 occurred during phases 1 and 2. Precipitation, low-troposphere circulation, and lower-troposphere temperatures supported the observed PM10 variability. For example, during phases 1 and 2 (low PM10), precipitation was above normal, morning and evening temperature inversions were less intense than normal, and 900 hPa winds were anomalously westerly. During phases 4, 5 and 7 (high PM10), precipitation was normal to below normal, morning and evening temperature inversions were stronger than normal, and 900 hPa winds were anomalously easterly. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Calcineurin Inhibition and Cardiac Hypertrophy

Mark A. Sussman et al . ([1][1]) report that the immunosuppressants cyclosporin (CsA) and FK506 prevent the development of hypertrophy in transgenic mouse models of intrinsic cardiomyopathy and, of more general import, in a rat model of extrinsic pressure-overload hypertrophy caused by banding of
Solar wind-magnetosphere interaction as simulated by a 3-D EM particle code

Results are presented for simulating the solar-wind-magnetosphere interaction with a new three-dimensional electromagnetic particle code. Previously, such global simulations were done with MHD codes while lower-dimensional particle or hybrid codes served to account for microscopic processes and such transport parameters as have to be introduced ad hoc in MHD. The kinetic model presented attempts to combine the macroscopic and microscopic tasks. It relies only on the Maxwell curl equations and the Lorentz equation for particles, which are ideally suited for computers. The preliminary results shown are for an unmagnetized solar-wind plasma streaming past a dipolar magnetic field. The results show the formation of a bow shock and a magnetotail, the penetration of energetic particles into cusp and radiation belt regions, and dawn-dusk asymmetries. >
Activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase Iα is required for N-methyl-d-aspartate- or nitric oxide-produced spinal thermal hyperalgesia

The effect of a selective cyclic guanocine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase Ialpha inhibitor, Rp-8-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-cGMPS triethylamine (Rp-8-p-CPT-CGMPS), on either N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)- or N-ethyl-2-(1-ethyl-2-hydroxy-2-nitrosohydrazino)ethanamine (NOC-12, a nitric oxide (NO) donor)-produced thermal hyperalgesia was examined in the rat. Intrathecal administration of NMDA (15 pg/10 microl) or NOC-12 (10, 20 and 30 microg/10 microl) produced a marked curtailment of the tail-flick latency. Maximal NMDA- or NOC-12-produced facilitation of the tail-flick reflex was significantly and dose-dependently blocked by intrathecal pretreatment with Rp-8-p-CPT-CGMPS (7.5, 15 and 30 microg/10 microl). Rp-8-p-CPT-CGMPS given alone did not markedly alter baseline tail-flick latency. These results suggest that the activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase Ialpha is required for NMDA- or NO-produced facilitation of thermal hyperalgesia at the spinal cord level.
SIVB 2003 CONGRESS SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDING:MUTATION- AND TRANSPOSON-BASED APPROACHES FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF GENES FOR PRE-HARVEST SPROUTING IN WHEAT

This article reviews techniques for gene identification and cloning in allohexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Gene identification and cloning in wheat are complicated by the large size and high redundancy of the genome. Both classical mutagenesis and transposon tagging are important tools for the study of grain dormancy and plant hormone signaling in wheat. While classical mutagenesis can be used to identify wheat mutants with altered hormone sensitivity, it can be difficult to clone the corresponding genes. We review the techniques available for gene identification in wheat, and propose that transposon-based activation tagging will be an important tool for wheat genetics.
Evaluation of pT0 prostate cancer in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy

Objective To evaluate the incidence, predictors and oncological outcomes of pT0 prostate cancer (PCa). Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of 20 222 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) for PCa at the Mayo Clinic between 1987 and 2012. Disease recurrence was defined as follow-up PSA >0.4 ng/mL or biopsy-proven local recurrence. Systemic progression was defined as development of metastatic disease on imaging. Comparisons of baseline characteristics between pT0 and non-pT0 groups were carried out using chi-squared tests. Recurrence-free survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Results A total of 62 patients (0.3%) had pT0 disease according to the RP specimen. In univariable analysis, pT0 disease was significantly associated with older age (P = 0.045), lower prostate-specific antigen (PSA; P = 0.002), lower clinical stage (P < 0.001), lower biopsy Gleason score (P = 0.042), and receipt of preoperative transurethral resection, hormonal and radiation therapies (all P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, lower PSA levels, lower Gleason score, and receipt of preoperative treatment were independently associated with pT0 (all P < 0.05). Seven patients (11%) with pT0 PCa developed disease recurrence over a median follow-up of 10.9 years. All seven patients had preoperative treatment(s) and three had recurrence with a PSA doubling time of <9 months. Compared with non-pT0 disease, pT0 disease was associated with longer recurrence-free survival (P < 0.05). Only one (1.6%) patient with pT0 disease developed systemic progression. Conclusions pT0 stage PCa is a rare phenomenon and is associated with receipt of preoperative treatment and features of low-risk PCa. Although pT0 has a very favourable prognosis, some men, especially those who received preoperative treatment, experience a small but non-negligible risk of disease recurrence and systemic progression.
An iterative optimization approach for unified image segmentation and matting

Separating a foreground object from the background in a static image involves determining both full and partial pixel coverages, also known as extracting a matte. Previous approaches require the input image to be presegmented into three regions: foreground, background and unknown, which are called a trimap. Partial opacity values are then computed only for pixels inside the unknown region. This presegmentation based approach fails for images with large portions of semitransparent foreground where the trimap is difficult to create even manually. In this paper, we combine the segmentation and matting problem together and propose a unified optimization approach based on belief propagation. We iteratively estimate the opacity value for every pixel in the image, based on a small sample of foreground and background pixels marked by the user. Experimental results show that compared with previous approaches, our method is more efficient to extract high quality mattes for foregrounds with significant semitransparent regions
Situated Technology as Student Tool for Leadership Instruction.

Technology is becoming a part of students’ lives more every day. How as educators can we use technology as a developmental tool instead of a distraction in the classroom? This paper frames technology in leadership instruction through situated learning, specifically how a video production course assignment provided a developmental opportunity for students in an introductory leadership course. The research reports students’ perception of using technology that extends beyond the specific objective of development of a personal definition of leadership and offers a new perspective for engaging other forms of technology.
Organizational Joint Problem-Solving

To carry out its day-to-day activities an organization will establish an organizational servomechanism. On the other hand, planning and problem-solving must be dealt with differently. Traditional methods, characterized here as the authority approach and the group incremental approach, have significant limitations. On the other hand organizations can and do effectively solve novel and complex tasks by organisational joint problem-solving. This approach is characterized in this paper by a set of propositions formulated to describe how authority and responsibility are distributed and how search and coordination are facilitated. This is done through: the linkage of a set of organizational centers around a mission assignment, the initial search at the overall task level, the search within task components, the broadcast of actions and task laws to all or many centers, the identification and resolution of inconsistencies between components and the conduct of joint search, and the iteration on these steps until an overall consistent set of actions has been established. Where the conditions goal orientation, participant skill, communication facilities for organizational joint problem-solving are not initially met, steps can be taken to aid and encourage the participants to use the procedures.
Metacognition and consumer judgment: fluency is pleasant but disfluency ignites interest

Fluency arising from the ease of identifying a product or understanding the goals it serves is known to evoke positive affective responses that increase liking of products and advertising information. However, recent findings show processing disfluency can also sometimes improve evaluation. In this review, we suggest a novel approach based on the affective properties of processing experiences to integrate these opposing findings. Observing that affective experiences comprise two fundamental dimensions — pleasantness and arousal — we posit that fluency increases pleasantness by reducing uncertainty about products, but disfluency is arousing, and as a result, increases interest and engagement with products. Product evaluation depends on whether the decision is associated more with uncertainty reduction and pleasantness or with arousal and interest.
Role of Na+ Interstitials and Dopants in Enhancing the Na+ Conductivity of the Cubic Na3PS4 Superionic Conductor

In this work, we performed a first-principles investigation of the phase stability, dopant formation energy and Na+ conductivity of pristine and doped cubic Na3PS4 (c-Na3PS4). We show that pristine c-Na3PS4 is an extremely poor Na ionic conductor, and the introduction of Na+ excess is the key to achieving reasonable Na+ conductivities. We studied the effect of aliovalent doping of M4+ for P5+ in c-Na3PS4, yielding Na3+xMxP1–xS4 (M = Si, Ge, and Sn with x = 0.0625; M = Si with x = 0.125). The formation energies in all the doped structures with dopant concentration of x = 0.0625 are found to be relatively low. Using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we predict that 6.25% Si-doped c-Na3PS4 has a Na+ conductivity of 1.66 mS/cm, in excellent agreement with previous experimental results. Remarkably, we find that Sn4+ doping at the same concentration yields a much higher predicted Na+ conductivity of 10.7 mS/cm, though with a higher dopant formation energy. A higher Si4+ doping concentration of x = 0.125...
Triangular Matrices and the Cayley-Hamilton Theorem

(1971). Triangular Matrices and the Cayley-Hamilton Theorem. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 34-36.
ON THE SUGGESTED IONOREGULATORY ROLE OF THE TELEOST CAUDAL NEUROSECRETORY SYSTEM.

SummaryUrophysectomized Tilapia mossambica showed no significant difference in ability to handle a salt load, nor in serum sodium or calcium levels, nor in hematocrit values. Urophysectomized Fundulus kansae revealed no significant difference in serum or urine sodium levels, nor in urine flow. These negative results raise questions concerning the putative ionoregulatory role of the caudal neurosecretory system in fishes.Note added in proof: Fridberg and Nishioka at Berkeley have begun an examination of the terminal spinal cord region in the long-term "depedunculated" (urophysectomized) Tilapia. Ordinary histologic preparations reveal the re-formation of recognizable caudal neurohemal areas, mostly within the tissue of the spinal cord. Electronmicroscope observations indicate reorganization of the normal relationship between caudal neurosecretory axons and capillaries. Accordingly, the possibility must be admitted that urophysial function is restored in Tilapia kept for long periods after urophysectomy, an...
A 260 MW light source with 7 \mu m wavelength as a path to strong field science in the far infrared

We demonstrate a far infrared source (7 \mu m) with pulse duration of < 120 fs and pulse energies of 31 mJ. Additionally, we show a clear path to achieving GW level peak power.
The association of smoking and acute pancreatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives Cigarette smoking is an independent risk factor for chronic pancreatitis. We conducted a systematic review of the literature assessing whether cigarette smoking is a risk factor for acute pancreatitis (AP) and recurrent AP (RAP). Methods MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for studies published from database inception through March 2013. Two investigators independently reviewed articles for eligibility; discordant decisions were resolved by a third investigator's review and consensus. When there were sufficient studies, random-effects meta-analyses were performed by estimating pooled hazards ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Twelve studies met the eligibility criteria: 7 for AP, 5 for RAP. Compared with never smokers, the risk for AP was significantly increased in current smokers (6 studies; HR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.26-2.44) and former smokers (5 studies; HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.18-2.27). Compared with never smokers, ever smokers were at higher risk for developing RAP (5 studies; HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.19-2.12). Conclusions This meta-analysis provides supportive evidence for the association of smoking status and AP. This effect is most pronounced for current smokers, but the risk exists among the former smokers compared with never smokers. There was an increased risk for RAP among ever smokers compared with that among never smokers.
The Drosophila pumilio gene: an unusually long transcription unit and an unusual protein.

Specification of the posterior body plan in Drosophila requires the action of a determinant prelocalized to the posterior pole of the embryo. During embryogenesis this determinant appears to move anteriorly in a process dependent on the pumilio (pum) gene. This report describes the cloning and molecular characterization of a cDNA derived from the pum gene, and the analysis of pum mRNA and protein expression during early Drosophila development. The pum gene is unusually large; comparison of genomic and cDNA sequences reveals that the pum transcription unit is at least 160 kb in length. The pum cDNA encodes a 157 × 10(3) M(r) protein which consists mainly of regions enriched in a single amino acid, usually glycine, alanine, glutamine or serine/threonine. Six tandem repeats of a 36 amino acid repeat unit are also present. Pum protein is cytoplasmic and is concentrated in a subcortical region of the embryo. The distribution of pum protein exhibits no asymmetry along the anteroposterior axis of the embryo.
Analysis on measles monitoring results in Heze city in 2009

Objective The study was conducted to evaluate the situation on measles monitoring system and to find out epidemiological characteristics of measles in Heze City in 2009.Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the epidemiology of measles based on the data collected from the special system report of measles.Results 280 suspected measles cases were reported in 2009 from the special system report.The report rate of the suspected cases was 64.29% after the measles occurred within 7days while the investigating rate 86.07 % within 48 hours after the cases were reported and the completeness rate of investigating was 100%.256 cases were confirmed.sporadic measles was found with the incidence rate of the epidemic of the whole city influenced by the high incidence in individual counties.91.80% of the 256 confirmed cases occurred from January to May.The confirmed cases under 3 years old accounted for 45.70%.69.92% of the 256 confirmed cases had no history of the measles immunization.Conclusion The data in the paper suggests that the routine immunization rates of measles are not high in some counties,which is the important reason why the measles occurred.
Machine Translation Evaluation: N-grams to the Rescue.

Human judges weigh many subtle aspects of translation quality. But human evaluations are very expensive. Developers of Machine Translation systems need to evaluate quality constantly. Automatic methods that approximate human judgment are therefore very useful. The main difficulty in automatic evaluation is that there are many correct translations that differ in choice and order of words. There is no single gold standard to compare a translation with. The closer a machine translation is to professional human translations, the better it is. We borrow precision and recall concepts from Information Retrieval to measure closeness. The precision measure is used on variablelength n-grams. Unigram matches between machine translation and the professional reference translations account for adequacy. Longer n-gram matches account for fluency. The n-gram precisions are aggregated across sentences and averaged. A multiplicative brevity penalty prevents cheating. The resulting metric correlates highly with human judgments of translation quality. This method is tested for robustness across language families and across the spectrum of translation quality. We discuss BLEU, an automatic method to evaluate translation quality that is cheap, fast, and good.
Detection of Apoptotic Cells in the Nervous System

Over the course of an organism's life, cells divide, grow, differentiate, and die. For many years cell death has been recognized as significant in normal neuronal development. More recently, interest has grown in the mechanisms that regulate both cell death and cell survival in neurons during homeostasis and aging. Understanding these mechanisms depends largely on the ability to identify dead or dying cells. Several markers have been identified and developed for the detection of cell death in various tissues. In this chapter, we will present an overview of different approaches used to identify cell death in the nervous system while focusing on a few specific protocols.
An analytical model for ACSR approach to vibration reduction in a helicopter rotor-flexible fuselage system

This paper describes the development of a coupled rotor-flexible fuselage model which is suitable for simulating vibration reduction based on the active control of structural response (ACSR) approach. The rotor is an N b -bladed aeroelastic model, with coupled flap-lagtorsional dynamics for each blade. Moderate blade deflections are included, together with complete coupling between rotor and fuselage dynamics. This aeroelastic response model is combined with a control algorithm based on an internal model principle. The control scheme effectively reduces vibrations to 0.05g levels or lower, using reasonable actuator forces. The baseline vibration levels in the fuselage are relatively high. This is due to the lack of damping modelling in the fuselage. With the actuators engaged, the hub loads remain virtually unchanged and therefore this control approach has no influence on vehicle airworthiness.
An Investigation of an Expanded Police Chaplaincy Model: Police Chaplains’ Communications with Local Citizens in Crisis:

Many people look to public servants such as the police to provide emotional and social support in addition to their traditional responsibilities of protecting citizens from harm and danger. Consequ...
mTOR Inhibitors Induce Apoptosis and Inhibit Growth of Primary Adult Human ALL in Xenograft and Tissue Culture Models.

While children with precursor B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are often cured, adults with ALL usually succumb to their disease. Thus, the development of novel therapeutic agents is paramount. mTOR inhibitors (MTI) are a class of signal transduction inhibitors developed as immunosuppressive agents. We have previously shown the ability of MTI to inhibit growth and induce apoptosis in precursor B ALL cell lines and primary murine pre-B leukemia. To determine if this finding could be translated to clinical therapy, we explored if MTIs would be similarly effective in three primary human adult ALL samples. We have tested the MTIs rapamycin and CCI-779 in these models with similar results, but the results utilizing CCI-779 are presented below. Stromal culture . ALL blasts were maintained in vitro on irradiated bone marrow stromal cells. Cells normally can be maintained for several weeks in these conditions. Cells were either untreated or treated with CCI-779 at 100ng/ml. Long-term cultures were assessed for the effect of MTI on cell proliferation and short term (48hr) cultures were assessed for induction of apoptosis. Treated cells showed a dramatic decrease in cell proliferation (6–24 fold compared to untreated) and a 4–5 fold increase in apoptotic cells as detected by Annexin-V compared to untreated cells. NOD/SCID xenografts . To further evaluate the effect of MTI on ALL cells, patient samples were engrafted into NOD/SCID animals for analysis. Robust engraftment, expansion and repopulation in secondary hosts of ALL cells was seen in 78% of tested samples, demonstrating greater than 70% ALL in peripheral blood, bone marrow, and spleen in the majority of the mice. There was greater than 10 fold expansion of disease within the mouse. Engraftment was detected by flow cytometry for human CD19+/CD45+ cells. Engrafted animals with established disease (>5% peripheral blasts) were either not treated or treated with the MTI CCI-779. Currently we have treated 45 mice engrafted from three separate patient samples. Untreated animals continued to show expansion of human ALL cells. In dramatic contrast, animals treated with CCI-779 as a single agent showed a 4–30 fold decrease in peripheral blood blasts and a decrease in splenomegaly (p Our data show that both in vitro and in an in vivo model of established ALL, MTIs decrease proliferation of lymphoblasts and promote apoptosis of ALL cells. These results suggest that the mTOR signaling pathway is necessary for the survival of ALL cells and that MTIs should be analyzed as therapeutic agents for the therapy of ALL.