cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collecting Colonialism: Material Culture and Colonial Change

Collecting Colonialism: Material Culture and Colonial Change. Chris Gosden and Chantal Knowles. Oxford: Berg, 2001. xxi. 234 pages, illustrations, appendix, bibliography, index.
Assessing sublethal neurotoxicity effects in the freshwater oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus

Abstract The sublethal neurotoxic and behavioral effects of five chemicals (4-aminopyridine, cadmium chloride, carbofuran, chloroform and diazinon) were examined in the freshwater oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus (Family Lumbriculidae), following short-term exposure by immersion. Noninvasive electrophysiological recordings of touch-evoked medial giant nerve fiber (MGF) spikes were obtained, before and after exposure, using printed circuit board recording grids. Neurotoxic effects included substantial, and reversible, decreases in MGF conduction velocity following exposure to all chemicals, except CdCl 2 . Reversible losses of MGF touch sensitivity occurred with exposure to chloroform and CdCl 2 . Hypersensitivity of the MGF to touch, accompanied by high-frequency spike trains and rebound spikes, occurred with exposure to 4-aminopyridine. Our approach provides a rapid and sensitive means of detecting and differentiating sublethal neurotoxic effects, in vivo, in this cosmopolitan benthic oligochaete.
Influence of metal stress on RF MEMS capacitive switches

The electrical and mechanical response of radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches depends critically on the profile of the released structure. Stress gradients within the material can significantly alter the structural profile thereby changing the spring constant and the resulting switch release times. To investigate the influence of metal stress on spring constant and release time, a series of RF MEMS electrostatically actuated capacitive microswitches was fabricated with varying beam metallizations. The total thickness of the beam was fixed at 700 nm consisting primarily of Au while thin (5 nm or 20 nm thick) Ti layers were inserted at different positions within the beam. Changes in the location of the Ti layer within the bridge thickness resulted in distinct structural profiles across both the width and length of the released microswitches. Profile differences were quantified using white light interferometric microscopy. As the Ti layer moved toward the bottom of the tri-layer stack, beam deformation increased, spring constants increased, and release times decreased. Results demonstrated that release times could be reduced by an order of magnitude when compared to all Au switches.
An analysis of the operative experience of North American pediatric surgical training programs and residents

There has been a rapid increase in the number of pediatric surgical training programs. To meet the goals of quality patient care and surgical education, training and practice activities must be objectively monitored. The aim of this study was to collect and analyze the experience of American and Canadian Pediatric Surgical training centers and residents. The authors collected the 1-year operative experience of 31 American and six Canadian training programs and the 2-year operative experience of the 25 most recently graduated residents. Categories analyzed included total cases, defined categories (neonatal, important, and tumor cases), routine cases, thoracic, cardiac, urologic reconstructive, head and neck, endoscopy, vascular, plastics and burn procedures. From these data six assumptions about the training in pediatric surgery were addressed. (1) The operative activity of the United States and Canadian training programs and residents are comparable. The results show that there are few major differences in operative experience. (2) There should be variability in operative experience between programs but little variability between residents. The North American operative experience for both residents and institutions are marked by high variability and leftward shift in the frequency distributions. (3) A resident's training should consist of a significant portion of "index cases" and fewer routine cases. The residents perform 28% of their total cases in the three defined categories (index cases) and 26% as routine cases. (4) Pediatric surgeons are the true general surgeons, performing operations in areas such as cardiac, reconstructive genitourinary, plastic, and burn surgery. Examination of the data shows that most programs and residents perform few cases in these four areas. (5) Certain procedures such as thoracic, genitourinary, vascular, head and neck, and endoscopy remain within the domain of pediatric surgery. The results show that this assumption is true for thoracic, vascular, head and neck, and endoscopy but not for genitourinary, and there is wide variability between institutions and between residents. (6) "Core" pediatric surgical conditions such as esophageal atresia, biliary atresia, and intersex are still available in significant numbers to train residents. The data show that a surprising number of programs and residents perform few or none of the core operations. This analysis is the first step toward monitoring of pediatric surgical resident education. A future study is underway to evaluate the current experience of practicing pediatric surgeons who have taken the recertification examination.
Employment and Income Effects of Multinational Production by U.S. Computer Firms

This paper considers the hypothesis that the expansion of multinational corporations has led to decreasing relative demand for production workers in the U.S. and increasing demand for white-collar employees, especially engineers and managers. The development of the multinational corporation affects factor demand by allowing for the direct export of services created by professional-technical labor. It is shown that between 1967 and 1984 real wages of semi-skilled production workers in the U.S. computing equipment industry fell substantially, both absolutely and relative to earnings of white-collar occupations. At the same time, employment of production workers relative to other type of labor also declined significantly. [440]
Alopecia Areata Registry: An Overview

The National Alopecia Areata Registry was awarded as a five-year contract by NIAMS to promote research on the genetic basis of alopecia areata. The registry is Web based and can be accessed online at http://www.AlopeciaAreataRegistry.org. Samples of DNA, lymphoblast lines, and sera, as well as epidemiology and quality-of-life data, are being collected from well-characterized individuals, multiplex families, and sib pairs for future research studies and investigators.
Temporal processing dysfunction in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia may be associated with a fundamental disturbance in the temporal coordination of information processing in the brain, leading to classic symptoms of schizophrenia such as thought disorder and disorganized and contextually inappropriate behavior. Despite the growing interest and centrality of time-dependent conceptualizations of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, there remains a paucity of research directly examining overt timing performance in the disorder. Accordingly, the present study investigated timing in schizophrenia using a well-established task of time perception. Twenty-three individuals with schizophrenia and 22 non-psychiatric control participants completed a temporal bisection task, which required participants to make temporal judgments about auditory and visually presented durations ranging from 300 to 600 ms. Both schizophrenia and control groups displayed greater visual compared to auditory timing variability, with no difference between groups in the visual modality. However, individuals with schizophrenia exhibited less temporal precision than controls in the perception of auditory durations. These findings correlated with parameter estimates obtained from a quantitative model of time estimation, and provide evidence of a fundamental deficit in temporal auditory precision in schizophrenia.
Signal flow graph theory for linear time-variable systems

Techniques here presented for the analysis of linear, time-variable systems through signal flow graph concepts are based on the combinatorial properties of linear differential equations. The concepts of stability and sensitivity of linear, time-variable systems, which are described by linear differential equations, are discussed. A linear, time-variable feedback system is analyzed to aid in clarification.
An investigation into knowledge acquisition using a group decision support system

Abstract Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) previously have been used to facilitate a variety of group activities. This study explores the use of a GDSS to facilitate knowledge acquisition from multiple experts to build a help-service expert system for an information center. Observations from this study indicate that a GDSS can facilitate knowledge acquisition from a group of experts by documenting knowledge electronically, supporting parallel knowledge extraction from several experts, offering a structured process, and providing a collaborative atmosphere which facilitates group interactions, resolves conflicts, and enriches the domain of expertise. The findings show that structured analysis techniques are useful in planning for knowledge acquisition, the participation of end users is important, and that a designated primary expert is helpful when multiple experts are involved.
Anti-TANKyrase weapons promote myelination.

A study identifies mechanisms responsible for the inability to form new myelin after neonatal hypoxia. It identifies Axin2 as a potential therapeutic target for reversing the 'differentiation block' of oligodendrocyte-lineage cells.
Widths of the 6.92 MeV and 7.12 MeV levels of 16O

Abstract The radiative widths of the 6.92 MeV 2 + and 7.12 MeV 1 − levels of 16 O have been measured by the resonance fluorescence technique using a 30 cm 3 Ge(Li) diode. The source of exciting radiation was the Doppler-broadened gamma rays from the 19 F(p, αγ) 16 O reaction. Widths of 110 ± 5 meV and 62 ± 5 meV were obtained for the 6.92 MeV and 7.12 MeV levels respectively. By comparison with the accurately known energy of the upper line the energy of the lower line was measured to be 6.9172 ± 0.0008 MeV.
Quantitation of IL-4 expression in small numbers of cells from mice

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is an important T cell and mast cell product that participates in allergic and cytotoxic responses, as well as functions as a growth factor for B, T, and inflammatory cells. Studies of the expression of IL-4 by T cells present in inflammatory reactions would be facilitated by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coupled to reverse transcription of mRNA to amplify the small quantity of mRNA present in these cells. In order to use this method in a quantitative manner, a plasmid was constructed that contained a modified form of mouse IL-4 cDNA. This plasmid was transcribed to produce cRNA for this modified sequence. The cRNA was used as an internal standard for the reverse transcription and amplification of IL-4 transcripts in RNA samples from mouse thymocytes. Amplification of reverse-transcribed native IL-4 mRNA produced a 286 bp PCR product. Amplification of the reverse-transcribed standard RNA produced a 155 bp product, which reflected a deletion introduced into the original IL-4 cDNA sequence. Comparison of the amount of the 286 bp native product to the amount of 155 bp standard product enabled the quantitative determination of IL-4 expression in each sample. This method was used to demonstrate that platelet activating factor increases the expression of IL-4 in mouse thymocytes and in a mouse T cell line. The expression of IL-4 by thymocytes exposed to platelet-activating factor (PAF) may reveal an important link between inflammation and the maturation of T cells in the thymus.
Standardizing the free energy change of transmembrane helix-helix interactions.

Abstract Side-to-side associations of transmembrane α-helices are integral components of the structure and function of helical membrane proteins. A fundamental unknown in the understanding of the chemical principles driving the lateral interactions between transmembrane α-helices is the balance of forces arising from the polypeptide sequence versus the hydrophobic solvent. To begin to address this question, a consideration of basic thermodynamic principles has been applied to assess the experimental free energy change associated with transmembrane helix dimerization in micelles. This analysis demonstrates the ability to partition the apparent free energy of transmembrane helix–helix association into two components. The first component is a statistical energy term, which arises from the fact that there are an unequal number of reactants and products. The second component is a standard state free energy change, which informs on the molecular details of the transmembrane helix self-association reaction. The advantage of separating these two energy terms arises from the fact that extrapolation to the standard state free energy change normalizes the statistical energy term so that it applies equivalently in all experimental systems. Accompanying experimental results for the glycophorin A transmembrane α-helix dimer measured in micelles are well described by these theoretical components assuming an ideal-dilute solution.
Symbolic Politics or Rational Choice? Testing Theories of Extreme Ethnic Violence

Rational choice theories claim that extreme ethnic violence (war and genocide) can be explained either as the result of information failures and commitment problems or as the utility-maximizing strategy of predatory elites. Symbolic politics theory asserts that such violence is driven by hostile ethnic myths and an emotionally driven symbolic politics based on those myths that popularizes predatory policies. Tests of these models in the cases of Sudan's civil war and Rwanda's genocide show that the rationalist models are incorrect: neither case can be understood as resulting from information failures, commitment problems, or rational power-conserving elite strategies. Rather, in both cases ethnic mythologies and fears made predatory policies so popular that leaders had little choice but to embrace them by playing up associated ethnic symbols, even though these policies led to the leaders' downfalls. Ethnic security dilemmas in such cases are driven not by uncertainty but by predatory leaders engaged in sy...
Race Segregation Across the Academic Workforce Exploring Factors That May Contribute to the Disparate Representation of African American Men

In terms of income and employment opportunities, previous studies have indicated that African American men fare less well than their White counterparts in the academic workforce, including a recent study by the author that found the hiring practices in higher education had a disparate effect on African American men. On the grounds that human capital and merit-based performance measures have proven to be critical criteria for decision making within the overall hiring practices in higher education, this study examined the extent to which these factors influence the observed representation of African American and White men in the academic workforce. This study found that both human capital and merit-based performance measures were good employment predictors for White men and, in contrast, were not good employment predictors for African American men in the academic workforce.
Evaluation of seven PCR-based assays for the analysis of microchimerism.

Abstract Objective: The presence of small numbers of cells of donor origin in the circulation of recipients of organ transplants (microchimerism) may correlate with immunologic tolerance. As part of our ongoing studies on microchimerism, we evaluated the utility of seven PCR-based assays for the detection of the less abundant DNA in paired mixtures (100 ng total DNA). Design and methods: DNA samples were screened to identify pairs informative for one or more PCR assays. DNA mixtures from the informative pairs were then analyzed using at least one assay. The assays were based on the X-Y homologous region; a Y chromosome microsatellite locus; three autosomal microsatellite loci; the D1S80 minisatellite locus; and sequence specific oligonucleotide probe (SSOP) analysis of the HLA DRB1 locus. Results: About 0.1% of male DNA against a background of female DNA was detectable using primers for the X-Y homologous region, but the sensitivity was increased to 0.0001% using nested primers for the Y chromosome microsatellite marker. Analysis of the minor DNA component was difficult with the three autosomal microsatellite assays because of the presence of shadow bands. Similar problems with the D1S80 assay were resolved using more stringent PCR conditions, and the sensitivity was 0.1%. Using the DRB1 locus, we were able to detect 1% DNA in the mixed samples. Conclusions: These studies show that: (a) nested PCR for the Y chromosome is the most sensitive assay for the detection of microchimerism; (b) D1S80 is a useful marker for microchimerism; (c) additional optimization of analytical conditions is required if autosomal microsatellite markers and the SSOP assay are to be used for microchimerism analysis.
An integrated system for automatic road mapping from high-resolution multi-spectral satellite imagery by information fusion

Abstract Here we present an integrated system for automatic mapping of urban and suburban roads from high-resolution satellite imagery. Road extraction strategies can be enriched and improved by multi-source data fusion. Fusion can occur by combining road extraction results from different image sources, or by applying multiple detectors to a single source image and then fusing the multi-detector road extraction results. Our proposed system models roads differently for urban vs. suburban environments. In suburban areas, roads are modeled as curvilinear and homogeneous regions with nearly constant width. Roads are extracted by integrating the output of two road detectors followed by a road tracker. The first detector is based on fine-scale image segmentation and grouping where road centerlines are identified and extracted using shape and structure information from the segments. This detector generates a very reliable road extraction but is incomplete as many road segments are not captured. A multi-scale curvilinear structure detector based on differential geometry is used as a complementary detector. This detector utilizes a fuzzy decision algorithm based on a 1D road profile model. The final suburban road centerlines are generated by integrating the results from the two detectors using an optimum path search algorithm. In many dense urban areas in the US, road networks are composed primarily of straight lines that form a grid structure. Here we use directional morphological filtering to mask out dark and bright structures shorter than a city block. We then use a spatial signature weighted Hough transform to generate a road grid hypothesis. The modified Hough transform incorporates spatial information derived from surrounding image pixels and can be applied to multi-spectral images. Each piece of the hypothesized road grid is then verified using homogeneity, shape, and vegetation information from the local surrounding area. Missing pieces of the road network are added using a road tracker based on profile matching. The integrated road extraction system based on the fusion of multi-detector results is tested using IKONOS multi-spectral imagery of the City of Columbia, Missouri. Evaluation of the extracted road networks using representative test sites show completeness values that range between 70% and 86% and correctness values that range between 70% and 92%.
Effects of framing, perspective taking, and perspective (affective focus) on choice

Abstract Two studies explored individual differences in perspective taking and perspective as moderators of risky choice framing effects. Study 1 (N = 230) showed perspective taking moderates framing among women. Study 2 (N = 256) experimentally manipulated two perspectives: a focus on feelings was expected to increase the framing effect; a focus on thoughts was expected to decrease it. Given men’s lower emotional reactivity, we expected the affective focus would magnify framing effects among men, as they appear less likely to spontaneously consider how they would feel. This was supported in follow-up analyses of the five-way interaction of frame, gender, feel, cognitive and affective perspective taking. Findings suggest that larger framing effects seen for women in previous research may be due to differences in whether one spontaneously considers how one would feel, that is, to individual differences in affective perspective taking.
Post-fire response of riparian vegetation in a heavily browsed environment

Abstract Severe wildfires infrequently occur in large heterogeneous riparian valleys. Riparian areas may affect fire behavior and the pattern of burning due to saturated soils and patchy fuels that may have high moisture content in live and dead stems. We examined the effects of a severe fire on the dominant riparian vegetation: thin-leaf alder, river birch and willow, in a broad riparian valley in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, USA. We mapped the canopy stem mortality and basal resprouting of 4507 first year post fire and 643 second year post fire individuals that had been the dominant woody canopy. To examine the effect of herbivory on resprouting willow stems, we established a paired experiment with 22 willows exclosed in cages to prevent browsing and 22 uncaged control plants. Aerial seed rain sticky traps were established on transects throughout the study area and pre-fire seed rain density was compared with post-fire seed rain densities. Fire effects on willow were severe, with 91% of individuals having complete canopy loss. Fifty-one percent of thin-leaf alder individuals and 71% of river birch individuals also had complete canopy loss. Seventy-four percent of river birch, 45% of willow and 35% of thin-leaf alder resprouted from the base in the first summer post fire. In the second year post fire, 84% of river birch, 62% of thin-leaf alder and 55% of willow had resprouted. Willows inside exclosures had greater biomass at the end of the growing season compared with willows outside exclosures. Summer browsing resulted in significantly lower willow biomass compared with exclosed plants and the additive effect of summer and winter browsing resulted in control plants having 64% reduction in biomass. Post-fire aerial seed rain was 90% lower than pre-fire densities. Fire dramatically altered the riparian vegetation. Willow seed rain was nearly eliminated because most stems were killed by fire. Resprouting woody riparian vegetation was prevalent however, ungulate browsing of the resprouting willow stems could limit the regrowth of a tall willow riparian overstory.
The performance of a light-pulser-operated digital stabilizer☆

Abstract This note describes the performance of several similar stabilizer systems intended for scintillation counting channels. In neutron time-of-flight spectrometry, the absence of strong and permanent features in the pulse height spectrum necessitates use of a light pulser for stabilization reference purposes. Such a system lends itself to a description in terms of random walk theory, which is used here to derive the response to a step excursion in gain and the natural gain fluctuation as a function of several adjustable parameters.
Partitioning and Transport of Total and Methyl Mercury in the Lower Fox River, Wisconsin

To investigate transport and partitioning processes of HgT in the Fox River, we coupled detailed time series data of total mercury (HgT) at the river mouth with transect sampling in the Lower Fox R...
Efficacy of an educational Web site for educating physicians about bioterrorism.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a Web-based educational intervention improves emergency physicians' knowledge about bioterrorism and to survey physicians' knowledge and sources of information on bioterrorism. METHODS: Prospective randomized controlled trial using pre- and postintervention testing in hospitals. Participants were general and pediatric emergency medicine attending physicians, fellows, and fourth-year emergency medicine residents. All participants completed a pretest and attended a lecture on bioterrorism. Participants were then randomized to the Web intervention group that received continuous access to a bioterrorism educational Web site with weekly exposure to case scenarios of diseases due to biological agents, or the control group. Participants were retested after one and six months and surveyed to identify their sources of information and assess their knowledge. RESULTS: Sixty-three physicians completed the pretest. There was no difference in mean +/- standard deviation (SD) pretest scores between Web intervention (45% +/- 10%) and control (44% +/- 10%) groups (mean difference: 1.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -6.7% to 2.9%). There was no significant difference between pre- and posttest scores among groups at one month (Web intervention 48% +/- 10% vs. control 45% +/- 10%; mean difference: 3.3%; 95% CI = -8.5% to 2.0%) and six months (Web intervention 51% +/- 8% vs. control 47% +/- 9%; mean difference: 3.8%; 95% CI = -8.8% to 1.2%). More than 60% of physicians cited media reports as their primary source of information on bioterrorism and believed that their knowledge of bioterrorism was limited after one month. CONCLUSIONS: Providing physicians information on bioterrorism through simulated cases and continuous access to an educational Web site does not increase knowledge of bioterrorism. Physicians are more likely to use media reports for their primary source of information. Language: en
Increased adipose tissue secretion of Fetuin-A, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein and high-mobility group box protein 1 in metabolic syndrome

Abstract Objective Adipose Tissue (AT) dysregulation contributes to the pro-inflammatory state and insulin resistance of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). We examined AT secretion of the hepatokine, Fetuin-A, LBP, sCD14 and HMGB-1, and toll-like receptor 2 and 4 protein levels in MetS and controls. Design and methods Secreted levels of Fetuin-A, LBP, HMGB-1 and sCD14 and TLR2 and TLR4 protein in AT of controls and MetS patients were assayed. Also mRNA and protein for Fetuin-A, LBP, sCD14 and HMGB-1 were studied in subcutaneous fat depot of mice and during adipocyte differentiation. Results Secretion of Fetuin-A, LBP and HMGB-1 from AT were significantly increased in MetS (n = 28) compared to controls (n = 25), even after adjustment for adiposity. There were no significant differences in sCD14. Both LBP and Fetuin-A correlated significantly with HOMA-IR and increased significantly with increasing features of MetS. There was a significant increase in AT TLR2 and TLR4 protein in MetS compared to controls. Expression of Fetuin-A and LBP were significantly higher in subcutaneous white adipose tissue of HFD fed mice as well as in ob/ob mice compared to C57BL6/J control mice (n = 6 per group). Additionally mRNA and protein levels of FetA , LBP and HMGB-1 increased during differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Conclusions We make the novel observation of increased secretion of Fetuin A, LBP and HMGB-1 from AT and hypothesize that these engage TLRs in AT and other tissues contributing to the pro-inflammatory state and insulin resistance of MetS.
Productive Vocabulary among Three Groups of Bilingual American Children: Comparison and Prediction.

The importance of input factors for bilingual children’s vocabulary development was investigated. Forty-seven Argentine, 42 South Korean, 51 European American, 29 Latino immigrant, 26 Japanese immigrant, and 35 Korean immigrant mothers completed checklists of their 20-month-old children’s productive vocabularies. Bilingual children’s vocabulary sizes in each language separately were consistently smaller than their monolingual peers but only Latino bilingual children had smaller total vocabularies than monolingual children. Bilingual children’s vocabulary sizes were similar to each other. Maternal acculturation predicted the amount of input in each language, which then predicted children’s vocabulary size in each language. Maternal acculturation also predicted children’s English-language vocabulary size directly.
Interaction of kindlin-2 with integrin β3 promotes outside-in signaling responses by the αVβ3 vitronectin receptor.

The bidirectional signaling and hemostatic functions of platelet αIIbβ3 are regulated by kindlin-3 through interactions with the β3 cytoplasmic tail. Little is known about kindlin regulation of the related “vitronectin receptor,” αVβ3. These relationships were investigated in endothelial cells, which express αVβ3 and kindlin-2 endogenously. “β3ΔRGT” knock-in mice lack the 3 C-terminal β3 tail residues, whereas in “β3/β1(EGK)” mice, RGT is replaced by the corresponding residues of β1. The wild-type β3 tail pulled down kindlin-2 and c-Src in vitro, whereas β3ΔRGT bound neither protein and β3/β1(EGK) bound kindlin-2, but not c-Src. β3ΔRGT endothelial cells, but not β3/β1(EGK) endothelial cells, exhibited migration and spreading defects on vitronectin and reduced sprouting in 3-dimensional fibrin. Short hairpin RNA silencing of kindlin-2, but not c-Src, blocked sprouting by β3 wild-type endothelial cells. Moreover, defective sprouting by β3ΔRGT endothelial cells could be rescued by conditional, forced interaction of αVβ3ΔRGT with kindlin-2. Stimulation of β3ΔRGT endothelial cells led to normal extracellular ligand binding to αVβ3, pin-pointing their defect to one of outside-in αVβ3 signaling. β3ΔRGT mice, but not β3/β1(EGK) mice, exhibited defects in both developmental and tumor angiogenesis, responses that require endothelial cell function. Thus, the β3/kindlin-2 interaction promotes outside-in αVβ3 signaling selectively, with biological consequences in vivo.
Strategy for repeat biopsy in patients with high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia.

Purpose: The finding of high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia in a biopsy specimen without prostate cancer warrants repeat biopsy because of the risk of concurrent cancer. However, to our knowledge the optimal repeat biopsy technique has not yet been defined. We determined the optimal subsequent biopsy strategy for detecting concurrent cancer in patients diagnosed with high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Materials and Methods: Of 63 men with isolated high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia on initial biopsy 45 underwent repeat biopsy within 1 year. Certain biopsy patterns were used for repeat biopsy, including only the neoplasia site in 8 men, sextant in 12, sextant plus bilateral transition zone in 13 and 11 core multisite directed (sextant, bilateral transition zone, bilateral anterior horn of the peripheral zone and midline peripheral zone) in 12. We compared the location of high grade disease on the initial biopsy with the cancer site on repeat biopsy. Results: Repeat biopsy revealed cancer in 10 of the 45 men (22%), and the sites of high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer correlated in 6. Cancer was detected at the sextant locations in 9 men. Of the 15 cores positive for cancer 8 were at the original high grade neoplasia site, 6 at a random sextant biopsy site and 1 in the transition zone. High grade disease was discovered bilaterally in 1 man, while prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer were detected on the same side in the remaining 9. Conclusions: The optimal repeat biopsy strategy for patients with high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia has not yet been determined but at a minimum it should include targeting the area of known high grade disease and the ipsilateral sextants.
Elevated RhoA/Rho-kinase activity in the aged rat penis: mechanism for age-associated erectile dysfunction

SPECIFIC AIMSEpidemiologic studies have shown that aging accounts significantly for the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED). The pathophysiology of ED during aging and its underlying molecular ...
Asymptotic properties of an adaptive beam former algorithm

The asymptotic properties of a recursive adaptive beam former algorithm are studied. Both decreasing-gain and constant-gain cases are treated. For the case of decreasing gain the mean square convergence result is obtained, whereas for constant gain a sharp bound is derived, and asymptotic analysis for the normalized error is carried out. The analysis provides a clear picture of the local behaviour of the iterates near the optimal value. A sequence of scale deviations or normalized errors is shown to converge to a Gauss-Markov diffusion process which satisfies a stochastic differential equation. >
Nursing Home Litigation and Quality of Care

The debate on medical malpractice litigation is high on the US national health policy agenda. While nursing home quality has long been of concern to policymakers, little research has been conducted on litigation in the nursing home sector and its effect on quality, despite dramatically increasing numbers of claims. The number of claims filed per 1,000 nursing home beds has more than tripled in the last decade. In response, several states have passed tort reform measures that included or focused on nursing homes; others continue to debate such measures. Industry representatives complain that the costs of litigation and liability insurance threaten the financial viability of nursing facilities and divert resources from quality of care. Consumer groups, on the other hand, laud the increased litigation as a vehicle for compensating victims of bad care and as a deterrent that encourages facilities to provide better quality care. Little research is available to support or refute these arguments other than limited survey research and expert opinion. This research is designed to assess the effects of deterrence and the financial consequences of litigation on nursing home staffing ratios, a commonly used measure of quality in nursing homes that has shown to be correlated with the probability of being sued in the future. Market-level numbers of claims, weighted by amounts of damage awards in some specifications, are used to represent the threat of litigation. We have compiled a ten-year panel of data on malpractice claims against nursing homes in six states and have merged the data with facility-level staffing data. We use facility fixed-effects models in a lagged longitudinal design to test the effects of market claim rates and individual claims on nursing home staffing. The results will provide an estimate for the magnitude of any deterrence effect to inform the policy debate on tort reform.
Object voxelization by filtering

The authors analyze different filters used for the voxelization of analytically described objects. They show that, when the voxel model is used for visualization, the filter design is related to the subsequent rendering phase, namely the gradient estimation technique. The theoretical and experimental analyses show that, in order to avoid a systematic error in normal estimation, the density profile near the surface should be linearly proportional to the distance from the surface. Optimal thickness of this transient region has been estimated to be about 3 voxel units. Based on these results, they propose a technique for voxelization of arbitrary parametric surfaces, using a hierarchical subdivision of the 2D surface domain.
Identification of Niemann-Pick C1 disease biomarkers through sphingolipid profiling

Niemann-Pick type C (NPC)1 is a rare neurodegenerative disease for which treatment options are limited. A major barrier to development of effective treatments has been the lack of validated biomarkers to monitor disease progression or serve as outcome measures in clinical trials. Using targeted metabolomics to exploit the complex lipid storage phenotype that is the hallmark of NPC1 disease, we broadly surveyed Npc1(-/-) mouse tissues and identified elevated species across multiple sphingolipid classes that increased with disease progression. There was a striking accumulation of sphingoid bases, monohexosylceramides (MCs), and GM2 gangliosides in liver, and sphingoid bases and GM2 and GM3 gangliosides in brain. These lipids were modestly decreased following miglustat treatment, but markedly decreased in response to treatment with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD), two drugs that have shown efficacy in NPC1 animal models. Extending these studies to human subjects led to identification of sphingolipid classes that were significantly altered in the plasma of NPC1 patients. Plasma MCs and ceramides were elevated, whereas sphingoid bases were reduced in NPC1 subjects. Intervention with miglustat in NPC1 patients was accompanied by striking alterations in plasma (reductions in GM1 and GM3 gangliosides) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (increased MCs) sphingolipids. Similar alterations were observed in the CSF from the NPC1 feline model following HP-β-CD treatment. Our findings suggest that these lipid biomarkers may prove useful as outcome measures for monitoring efficacy of therapy in clinical trials.
A novel approach to dual damascene patterning

In this paper, we present and discuss a novel approach to dual damascene patterning based on the invention of SLAM (Sacrificial Light Absorbing Material). We will focus on dual damascene patterning problems that led to the invention of SLAM, and present a side-by-side comparison of the patterning performance of SLAM-assisted dual damascene patterning and a Bottom Anti-Reflective Coating (BARC), the industry's primary approach. SLAM-assisted dual damascene patterning is an enabling technology for Intel's 130 nm technology and beyond.
Probabilistic ecological hazard assessment of microcystin-LR allelopathy to Prymnesium parvum

The harmful algal species Prymnesium parvum, a toxin-producing mixotrophic haptophyte, has caused massive fish kills in select inland Texas water bodies. Though P. parvum is present in a number of water bodies and Gulf of Mexico estuaries, it does not develop harmful blooms in all of them. A previous study by our team identified dissolved constituents from a cyanobacterial-dominated lake to exhibit concentration-dependent growth inhibition of P. parvum. Here we employed a probabilistic ecological risk assessment approach to examine the potential allelopathy of the cyanotoxin microcystin-LR (MC-LR) to P. parvum under laboratory conditions representative of Texas water bodies when blooms form. An environmental exposure distribution was constructed utilizing MC-LR concentrations detected in the environment and compared with experimental acute median lethal values reported in the literature. In a laboratory experiment, P. parvum cells were grown in media containing different MC-LR concentrations and cell density was determined daily. A concentration of 4392.8 μg L ―1 significantly inhibited P. parvum growth over a portion of the study. Such a concentration was predicted to be detected or exceeded 9% of the time when microcystin producers are likely to occur. However, when a concentration this high occurs in the environment to affect P. parvum growth, a number of aquatic organisms may be expected to experience acute mortality from MC-LR. Further studies are warranted to define the effects of other compounds released by cyanobacteria on P. parvum populations.
Entropy of a correlated system of nucleons

Abstract The self-consistent Green's function method within the ladder approximation allows for a realistic description of strongly interacting quantum many-body systems. At the microscopic level, the single-particle properties of the system are described in terms of finite-width spectral functions. The connection with the bulk properties at finite temperatures can be established via the Luttinger–Ward formalism. An expression for the entropy that includes the effects of the fragmentation of the quasi-particle peak will be presented. The properties of this dynamical quasi-particle entropy will be discussed and the corresponding results will be compared to other approximations. Even though we shall restrict our discussion to nuclear matter, this formalism can be used to study the thermodynamical properties of other fermionic systems.
A Landscape Similarity Index: Multitemporal Remote Sensing to Track Changes in Big Sagebrush Ecological Sites

A similarity index for big sagebrush ecological sites was developed in northern Utah. In contrast to field measurements used to calculate similarity to reference states, our approach relies on the utilization of historic archives of satellite imagery to measure the ecological distance to benchmarks of undesired conditions such as invasion by exotic annuals and woodland encroachment. Our benchmarks consisted of locations for which there are field data collected for monitoring and evaluation purposes for several time periods. We utilized a temporal series of Landsat thematic mapper (TM) imagery that spanned 1984 to 2008 from which the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) and other transformations were extracted. Topographic and climatic variables were also included as ancillary data. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) was used to obtain scores in reduced ordination space for two periods of interest: 1984–1996 and 1997–2008. Interannual SAVI mean-variance plots provided evidence that the benchmarks and ecological sites have a distinct temporal response that allows an objective comparison. Our MDS results also show that natural clusters can be identified in the reduced statistical space for ecological sites that are a dominant component of a soil map unit. The two MDS solutions allowed the ordination of ecological sites in two gradients of productivity and bare ground. Interpretations of the transitions and trajectories of mountain, Wyoming, and basin big sagebrush sites correlated well with the ecological expectation. We anticipate that range conservationists and others actively working in rangeland evaluation can use this application to develop and update ecological site descriptions and state-and-transition models from a remotely sensed perspective.
Criteria for Evaluation of Theory

This column presents criteria for evaluation of nursing theories specified by Jacqueline Fawcett and Rosemarie Rizzo Parse. Fawcett's criteria are significance, internal consistency, parsimony, testability, empirical adequacy, and pragmatic adequacy. Some of those criteria are differentiated for grand theories and middle-range theories but are not differentiated by type of data-qualitative or quantitative-used to develop the theory. Parse's criteria are structure and process. Structure encompasses historical evolution, foundational elements, and relational statements. Process encompasses correspondence, coherence, and pragmatics. Parse's criteria are appropriate for the critical appraisal of all frameworks and theories, regardless of level of abstraction. Parse also presents a comparison of her own and Fawcett's criteria.
Rational Speculators and Exchange Rate Volatility

This paper examines whether rational, fully informed speculators will smooth exchange rates. Friedman's (1953) claim that they must do so is challenged, based on the exclusion of interest rate differentials from his interpretation of speculator behavior. Once one recognizes that interest rates matter to speculators, it becomes apparent that rational speculators could sometimes violate Friedman's description of their behavior, and buy currency when its value is relatively high or sell currency when its value is low. For this reason the presence of rational, fully informed speculators may increase exchange rate volatility under floating exchange rates. Whether or not speculators increase exchange rate volatility depends on the extent of speculative activity and the types of economic shocks that dominate. At low levels of speculative activity, speculation will be stabilizing when the dominant shocks to exchange rates are associated exclusively with real economic activity, such as international trade in goods and services. It becomes destabilizing when the dominant shocks are changes in interest rates, perceived risk, or transactions costsfactors whose influence on exchange rates derives in part from their direct effect on speculators' positions.
Anatomical correlates of early mutism in progressive nonfluent aphasia

Patients with progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA) can become mute early in the course of the disease. Voxel-based morphometry showed that PNFA is associated with left anterior insula and inferior frontal atrophy. In PNFA with early mutism, volume loss was more prominent in the pars opercularis and extended into the left basal ganglia. Damage to the network of brain regions involved in both coordination and execution of speech causes mutism in PNFA.
Part 1: Pertinent Food Allergy Education in a Pediatric Ambulatory Care Setting for the Newly Diagnosed Patient

Management of food allergy on a daily basis is multifaceted, time consuming, costly, and becomes compounded when multiple food allergies are involved. Families must devise risk reduction techniques...
Apnea and periodic breathing in bed-sharing and solitary sleeping infants

Mother-infant bed sharing, compared with the solitary sleeping condition, has recently been associated with several physiological and behavioral effects. Because the physiological effects of bed sharing may also include respiratory changes, we compared the incidence of central and obstructive apneas and periodic breathing in bed-sharing and solitary sleeping infants. Twenty routinely bed-sharing mother-infant pairs and fifteen routinely solitary sleeping pairs slept for 3 nights in a sleep laboratory. After an initial adaptation night, each pair spent 1 night bed sharing and 1 night in solitary sleep in random order. Apnea and periodic breathing were scored from polysomnographic recordings. The frequency of central apnea was significantly increased on the bed-sharing night, compared with the solitary night, regardless of routine sleeping arrangement. There were significantly fewer obstructive apneas on the bed-sharing night than on the solitary night, but only in routinely solitary sleeping infants. In both groups, there was a significantly higher frequency of periodic breathing events on the bed-sharing night than on the solitary night. These findings demonstrate that the bed-sharing environment can have a significant impact on respiratory control in the infant. Evidence is also presented to suggest that routine bed sharing may result in subtle neurophysiological and/or developmental differences in infants.
Microstructural development in PWA-1480 electron beam welds — an atom probe field ion microscopy study

Abstract The microstructural development in PWA-1480 superalloy electron beam welds (Ni11.0at%Al11.5%Cr1.9%Ti5.1%Co4.0%Ta1.3%W) was characterized. Optical microscopy revealed a branched dendritic structure in the weld metal. Transmission electron microscopy of these welds, in the as-welded condition, showed fine cuboidal (0.05-0.5 μm) L12-ordered γ′ precipitates within the γ grains. The average volume percentage of the γ′ precipitates was found to be ∼ 75%. Atom probe analyses revealed that the composition of the γ matrix was Ni24.6at%Al25.5%Cr0.4%Ti9.4%Co0.8%Ta2.9%W and that of the γ′ precipitates was Ni18.2at%Al2.6%Cr2.4%Ti2.8%Co7.1%Ta1.5%W. These compositions were compared with the previous APFIM analyses of commercial PWA-1480 single crystals that had received conventional heat treatments. Small differences were found in the chromium and aluminum levels and these may be due to the nonequilibrium nature of phase transformations that occur during weld cooling. No solute segregation was detected at the γ-γ′ interface. The APFIM results were also compared with the thermodynamic calculations of alloying element partitioning between the γ and γ′ phases using the ThermoCalc™ program.