cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Breast Cancer Incidence Trends by Estrogen Receptor Status Among Asian American Ethnic Groups, 1990-2014.

Background Westernization and etiologic heterogeneity may play a role in the rising breast cancer incidence in Asian American (AA) women. We report breast cancer incidence in Asian-origin populations. Methods Using a specialized Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-9 Plus API Database (1990-2014), we analyzed breast cancer incidence overall, by estrogen receptor (ER) status, and age group among non-Hispanic white (NHW) and AA women. We used age-period-cohort models to assess time trends and quantify heterogeneity by ER status, race and ethnicity, and age. Results Overall, breast cancer incidence increased for most AA ethnicities (Filipina: estimated annual percentage change [EAPC] = 0.96%/year, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.61% to 1.32%; South Asian: EAPC = 1.68%/year, 95% CI = 0.24% to 3.13%; Chinese: EAPC = 0.65%/year, 95% CI = 0.03% to 1.27%; Korean: EAPC = 2.55%/year, 95% CI = 0.13% to 5.02%; and Vietnamese women: EAPC = 0.88%/year, 95% CI = 0.37% to 1.38%); rates did not change for NHW (EAPC = -0.2%/year, 95% CI = -0.73% to 0.33%) or Japanese women (EAPC = 0.22%/year, 95% CI = -1.26% to 1.72%). For most AA ethnicities, ER-positive rates statistically significantly increased, whereas ER-negative rates statistically significantly decreased. Among older women, ER-positive rates were stable for NHW and Japanese women. ER-negative rates decreased fastest in NHW and Japanese women among both age groups. Conclusions Increasing ER-positive incidence is driving an increase overall for most AA women despite declining ER-negative incidence. The similar trends in NHW and Japanese women (vs other AA ethnic groups) highlight the need to better understand the influences of westernization and other etiologic factors on breast cancer incidence patterns in AA women. Heterogeneous trends among AA ethnicities underscore the importance of disaggregating AA data and studying how breast cancer differentially affects the growing populations of diverse AA ethnic groups.
Squeezing the box: isoreticular contraction of pyrene-based linker in a Zr-based metal-organic framework for Xe/Kr separation.

Isoreticular synthesis is a powerful tool to enhance specific attributes of a metal–organic framework (MOF). While the isoreticular expansion of MOF structure are prevalent in the literature, the compression of a topology holds great promise for separations due to the contracted pore apertures and/or cavities. Herein, we report the synthesis, characterization and Xe/Kr separation capability of a new Zr-based MOF, NU-1106, connected by the tetratopic linker 1,3,6,8-pyrene tetracarboxylate, which exhibits a compressed ftw topology compared to the extended ones reported previously. NU-1106 showed selective uptake of Xenon over Krypton, providing the potential for use for separations.
Association of body mass index on disease activity in axial spondyloarthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives In axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with worse outcomes including response to biologics. Further clarity is needed on whether BMI is associated with disease activity overall, independent of treatment response. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between BMI and disease activity as reported by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) or Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) in axSpA. Methods We systematically searched for studies evaluating BMI and disease activity as the exposure and outcome of interest, respectively, in axSpA. Using random effects models, we estimated summary standardised mean differences (SMDs) and 95% CIs of BASDAI or ASDAS, comparing obese (BMI>30 kg/m2) or overweight/obese (BMI>25 kg/m2) individuals to those with normal BMI (18.5–24.9 kg/m2). Results Twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis. Among all studies reporting the BASDAI at baseline, the pooled SMD of the BASDAI for those with an obese or overweight/obese BMI compared to a normal BMI was 0.38 (95% CI 0.21 to 0.55, I2 =75.2%), indicating a significant association of higher BMI with higher BASDAI score. The pooled SMD of the ASDAS for those with an obese or overweight/obese BMI compared to a normal BMI was 0.40 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.54, I2=0%). Findings were robust across subgroup analyses. Conclusion These results demonstrate an association between an overweight/obese BMI and higher disease activity in studies of axSpA. Future longitudinal studies of BMI and disease activity should assess how this association changes over time.
PONV management in patients with QTc prolongation on the EKG

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a commonly encountered problem in surgical practice. It delays discharge from the post-anesthesia care unit, requires additional resources to treat, and may increase the morbidity in some patients. Many effective drugs are available to treat or prevent PONV, however many of these drugs have the potential to prolong the QTc on the electrocardiogram (EKG) and increase the risk of serious ventricular arrhythmias, in particular, torsade de pointes. The QTc prolongation may be a manifestation of a genetic mutation resulting in abnormal myocyte repolarization or it may be acquired and associated with the use of various medications, electrolyte disorders, and physiological conditions. Patients predisposed to QTc prolongation presenting for surgery constitute a challenging group, since many drugs commonly used for PONV management will put them at risk for perioperative serious arrhythmias. This is an important topic, and our mini-review is an attempt to highlight the problem, summarize the existing experience, and generate recommendations for safe management of PONV for patients, who are at increased risk of QTc prolongation and arrhythmias. Focused prospective studies will help to find definitive answers to the discussed problems and challenges and develop specific guidelines for clinical application.
Success Comes in Many Dimensions: The Critical Role of the Human Capital and Preparing for the Future in Every Organizational Scorecard

Our paper synopsizes our empirical research over the past twenty years on the components of success across the organization.While many articles detailing multi - dimensional models of success have been published, few of these articles have studied successacross all structural levelsthe project, the business unit and the corporate levels. While there are clearly some differences at the v arying levels, somecommon themes have developed.Our framework covers a time spectrum from short -term measures (e.g., financial and efficiency measures) to long -term (e.g., investing for the future). This framework could provide a foundation for many orga nizations to develop success measures throughout its structural levels. We especially note the importance of the role of the human capital and the investment infuture opportunities. Our research provides guidelines for management on each successdimension.
Bernstein graph algebras

A simple graph defines an associated Bernstein superalgebra. Costa and Grishkov showed that graphs with isomorphic algebras are isomorphic using algebraic group techniques. We prove combinatorially that the superalgebra determines the graph for any field of characteristic not 2, and we describe the automorphisms of the superalgebra.
Concepts for an Information Architecture of Time

Our purpose here is to present a structure and a vocabulary for discussing time in relation to information architecture. Designers need a way to look across time to see the shapes of performances in order to design satisfactorily for human activities in relation to systems. We elaborate on what we mean by performance rhythms, and show through examples how these rhythms both arise out of and influence human behavior. We provide a vocabulary of timings, rhythms, and cadences to model the time aspect, and show how these behaviors develop in behavior settings within a domain. This analysis comes from an embodied perspective and a practice perspective, where human behavior is viewed as always being physically embodied in actual practices in the real world. Even online behaviors generate a social sense of embodied presence that captures participants in a collective sense of being in a common setting. While important for current design scenarios, addressing performance rhythms will become critical as information systems expand in intelligence and autonomy. The more automated systems become integrated into human life, the more human rhythms need to find resonance in human-system interactions and uses.
Cell-surface vimentin positive circulating tumor cells as a diagnostic and prognostic indicator in pediatric sarcoma patients.

e15022Background: Despite advances in care, the 5 year overall survival for patients with relapsed and or metastatic sarcoma remains as low as < 35%. Currently, there are no biomarkers available to...
Variations in Sleep Characteristics and Glucose Regulation in Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes.

CONTEXT Short sleep duration and sleep disruptions are associated with impaired glucoregulation in type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, the mechanistic pathways between sleep and glucose variability remain unclear. OBJECTIVE To determine within-and between-person associations between objective sleep-wake characteristics and glucose variability indices. DESIGN/SETTING Multilevel models (MLMs) were used to analyze concurrent sleep and glucose patterns over seven days in 42 young adults with T1D in their natural home environment. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Young adults with T1D (mean age of 22.2 ± 3.0 years, HbA1C 7.2%, 32.6% male) for at least 6 months with no other medical or major psychiatric comorbidity were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Sleep-wake characteristics via wrist actigraphy and glucose variability indices via a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). RESULTS Lower sleep efficiency predicted higher glucose variability (less time in range β= .011 and more time in hyperglycemia β= -.011) within-person. A longer wake after sleep onset and more sleep disruptions were associated with higher glucose variability between persons (β= .28 - .31). Higher glucose variability predicted poorer sleep within-person (delayed bedtime, waketime, mid-sleep time, and lower sleep efficiency), while higher glucose variability was associated with poorer sleep and more sleep disruptions between persons (lower sleep efficiency, longer wake after sleep onset, and a higher sleep fragmentation index). CONCLUSIONS Clinicians can address the reciprocal nature of the sleep-glucose relationship by optimizing sleep and targeting efforts towards a euglycemic range overnight. Sleep habits are a modifiable personal target in diabetes care.
A Distance-Based Method for Inferring Phylogenetic Networks in the Presence of Incomplete Lineage Sorting

Hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) are two evolutionary processes that result in incongruence among gene trees and complicate the identification of the species evolutionary history. Although a wide array of methods have been developed for inference of species phylogeny in the presence of each of these two processes individually, methods that can account for both of them simultaneously have been introduced recently. However, these new methods are based on the optimization of certain criteria, such as parsimony and likelihood, and are thus computationally intensive. In this paper, we present a novel distance-based method for inferring phylogenetic networks in the presence of ILS that makes use of pairwise distances computed from multiple sampled loci across the genome. We show in simulation studies that the method infers accurate networks when the estimated pairwise distances have good accuracy. Furthermore, we devised a heuristic for post-processing the inferred network to remove potential false positive reticulation events. The method is computationally very efficient and is applicable to very large data sets.
Monocotyledons — Towards an Understanding of their Morphology and Anatomy

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the morphology and anatomy of monocotyledons. The ritualistic presentation of a transverse section of the internode of a corn stem to illustrate the “typical monocotyledonous” stem is an exercise that features in most courses of elementary biology and along with it goes the dogma of the “scattered” arrangement of vascular bundles that distinguishes monocotyledons from herbaceous dicotyledons. The common development of aerenchymatous tissues, associated with the marked tendency of monocotyledons to occupy wet habitats, has led to the supposition that monocotyledons are the descendants of aquatic dicotyledonous ancestors. This overlooks the fact that the aquatic monocotyledons are specialized in their vegetative habitat, and it is difficult to derive rhizomatous, woody, and particularly arborescent forms from them. The growth-limiting characteristics of plants without secondary vascular tissues are discussed. These limitations involve a restriction on branching of distal parts, problems of mechanical stability, and methods of maintaining adequate pathways for long-distance transport through the base of a plant that has no secondary method of supplementing its vascular supply. A common arrangement of the stomatal complex in monocotyledons involves a pair of lateral subsidiary cells. The subsidiary cells are recognized by their thin walls. A convenient term to describe this type is “paracytic.”
The effect of sense and antisense expression of the PR-N gene for β-1,3-glucanase on disease resistance of tobacco to fungi and viruses

Abstract Constitutive expression of a β-1,3-glucanase cDNA coding for the PR-N isoform in tobacco plants increased resistance of the foliage of T2 progenies of transgenic regenerated lines to the glucan-containing fungiPeronospora tabacinaandPhytophthora parasiticavar.nicotiana. Resistance was not observed when the T2 progenies were challenged with tobacco mosaic virus, tobacco etch virus or tobacco vein mottling virus. Such plants had higher levels of β-1,3-glucanase activity than the controls. Gel electrophoresis showed the presence of a glucanase band that migrated in the same position as the isoform PR-N in three sense regenerated transgenic lines. Resistance toP. tabacinaandP. parasiticavar.nicotianain the leaves was closely associated with high levels of β-1,3-glucanase activity. Introduction of the antisense cDNA in one of the antisense regenerated lines was associated with lower levels of β-1,3-glucanase activity and decreased resistance toP. tabacinaandP. parasiticavar.nicotianain its progenies after induction with TMV. No increase in susceptibility against any of the viruses tested was observed in the T2 progenies of the antisense lines after induction. At 7 days after challenge withP. tabacina, all plants had high levels of β-1,3-glucanase activity and the same PR-protein pattern. These results suggest that the β-1,3-glucanase isoform N is important for resistance of tobacco plants against the fungi tested but not against viruses.
Symmetric and standard matter neutrino resonances above merging compact objects

Matter neutrino resonances (MNRs) can occur in environments where the flux of electron antineutrinos is greater than the flux of electron neutrinos. These resonances may result in dramatic neutrino flavor transformation. Compact object merger disks are an example of an environment where electron antineutrinos outnumber neutrinos. We study MNR resonances in several such disk configurations and find two qualitatively different types of matter-neutrino resonances: a standard MNR and a symmetric MNR. We examine the transformation that occurs in each type of resonance and explore the consequences for nucleosynthesis.
Building a reliable multicast service based on composite protocols for active networks

Active Networking embodies rapid development and deployment of new services. A network service typically consists of two or more cooperating protocols. In this paper, we describe a case study applying a composite protocol framework to developing a multicast network service. The composite protocol framework provides a rigorous mechanism to check protocol behavior before deployment. Our multicast serviced incorporates protocols for multicast routing, creation of spanning trees, reliable replication of multicast data and joining/leaving multicast groups. These protocols are built from re-usable components and communicate by means of global memory.
Image segmentation with topic random field

Recently, there has been increasing interests in applying aspect models (e.g., PLSA and LDA) in image segmentation. However, these models ignore spatial relationships among local topic labels in an image and suffers from information loss by representing image feature using the index of its closest match in the codebook. In this paper, we propose Topic Random Field (TRF) to tackle these two problems. Specifically, TRF defines a Markov Random Field over hidden labels of an image, to enforce the spatial coherence between topic labels for neighboring regions. Moreover, TRF utilizes a noise channel to model the generation of local image features, and avoids the off-line process of building visual codebook. We provide details of variational inference and parameter learning for TRF. Experimental evaluations on three image data sets show that TRF achieves better segmentation performance.
The role of perlecan and endorepellin in the control of tumor angiogenesis and endothelial cell autophagy

During tumor growth and angiogenesis there is a dynamic remodeling of tissue architecture often accompanied by the release of extracellular matrix constituents full of biological activity. One of the key constituents of the tumor microenvironment is the large heparan sulfate proteoglycan perlecan. This proteoglycan, strategically located at cell surfaces and within basement membranes, is a well-defined pro-angiogenic molecule when intact. However, when partially processed by proteases released during cancer remodeling and invasion, the C-terminal fragment of perlecan, known as endorepellin, has opposite effects than its parent molecule. Endorepellin is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis by exerting a dual receptor antagonism by simultaneously engaging VEGFR2 and α2β1 integrin. Signaling through the α2β1 integrin leads to actin disassembly and block of endothelial cell migration, necessary for capillary morphogenesis. Signaling through the VEGFR2 induces dephosphorylation of the receptor via activation of SHP-1 and suppression of downstream proangiogenic effectors, especially attenuating VEGFA expression. A novel and emerging role of endorepellin is its ability to evoke autophagy by activating Peg3 and various canonical autophagic markers. This effect is specific for endothelial cells as these are the primary cells expressing both VEGFR2 and α2β1 integrin. Thus, an endogenous fragment of a ubiquitous proteoglycan can regulate both angiogenesis and autophagy through a dual receptor antagonism. The biological properties of this natural endogenous protein place endorepellin as a potential therapeutic agent against cancer or diseases where angiogenesis is prominent.
Game Theory in an Age of Terrorism: How Can Statisticians Contribute?

Statistical Methods in Counterterrorism: Game Theory, Modeling, Syndromic Surveillance, and Biometric Authentication, chapter 1, A. Wilson, G. Wilson, and D. Olwell, eds., Springer.
Diabetes incidence is unaltered in glutamate decarboxylase 65-specific TCR retrogenic nonobese diabetic mice: generation by retroviral-mediated stem cell gene transfer.

TCR transgenic mice are valuable tools for dissecting the role of autoantigen-specific T cells in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes but are time-consuming to generate and backcross onto congenic strains. To circumvent these limitations, we developed a new approach to rapidly generate mice expressing TCR using retroviral-mediated stem cell gene transfer and a novel picornavirus-like 2A peptide to link the TCR α- and β-chains in a single retroviral vector. We refer to these as retrogenic (Rg) mice to avoid confusion with conventional transgenic mice. Our approach was validated by demonstrating that Rg nonobese diabetic (NOD)-scid mice expressing the diabetogenic TCRs, BDC2.5 and 4.1, generate clonotype-positive T cells and develop diabetes. We then expressed three TCR specific for either glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) 206–220 or GAD 524–538 or for hen egg lysozyme 11–25 as a control in NOD, NOD-scid, and B6.H2g7 mice. Although T cells from these TCR Rg mice responded to their respective Ag in vitro, the GAD-specific T cells exhibited a naive, resting phenotype in vivo. However, T cells from Rg mice challenged with Ag in vivo became activated and developed into memory cells. Neither of the GAD-reactive TCR accelerated or protected mice from diabetes, nor did activated T cells transfer or protect against diabetes in NOD-scid recipients, suggesting that GAD may not be a primary target for diabetogenic T cells. Generation of autoantigen-specific TCR Rg mice represents a powerful approach for the analysis of a wide variety of autoantigens.
Sex and race determination of crania by calipers and computer: a test of the Giles and Elliot discriminant functions in 52 forensic science cases.

The sex and race of unidentified skeletons must sometimes be determined by medical examiners or crime laboratory personnel who have no formal training in physical anthropology. Their diagnoses, based on a hasty review of the chapter on skeletal identification in a forensic pathology textbook or on old lecture notes from a homicide seminar, are often wrong. Such knowledge cannot always substitute for the skilled eye and practiced judgment of a physical anthropologist who, in the course of his career, may have examined hundreds of skeletons.
TCR Repertoire, Clonal Dominance, and Pulmonary Trafficking of Mycobacterium-Specific CD4 + and CD8 + T Effector Cells in Immunity Against Tuberculosis

Clonal responses of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CD4+ or CD8+ T effector cells producing antituberculosis cytokine IFN-γ in the context of immune protection against tuberculosis remain poorly characterized in humans. Utilizing decade-long TCR expertise, we previously developed a useful method to isolate clonotypic TCR sequences from Ag-specific IFN-γ–producing T cells and to specifically measure clonotypic TCR frequencies in the T cell pool. In this study, we investigated TCR Vβ repertoires/CDR3 usage, clonal expansion or dominance, and pulmonary trafficking or accumulation for purified protein deritative (PPD)-specific T effector cells producing IFN-γ during bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination and subsequent M. tuberculosis challenge of macaques. We found that while PPD-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T effector clones employed diverse TCR Vβ repertoires, 30–33% of IFN-γ+CD4+ T cell clones from three M. tuberculosis-infected macaques expressed TCR bearing a conserved residue leucine in CDR3. Many Ag-specific IFN-γ+ CD4+ and few CD8+ T effector cells emerged as dominant clones during mycobacterial infections and underwent major recall expansion after pulmonary M. tuberculosis infection of BCG-vaccinated macaques. PPD-specific T cell clones readily trafficked to the airway or lung after BCG vaccination or M. tuberculosis infection, and some of them continuously accumulated in lungs during M. tuberculosis infection even after they became undetectable in the circulation. Importantly, remarkable recall expansion and pulmonary accumulation of T effector cells coincided with BCG-induced protection against tuberculosis. Thus, rapid clonal expansion and pulmonary accumulation of Ag-specific T effector cells appear to be one of the immune mechanisms underlying immunity against tuberculosis.
The Case For The Pupil Function

In 1968, those of us at NBS concerned with classical optics, felt it important to resume the testing of optical systems and components and decided to develop a method that was in keeping with the advances being made in lens design and manufacture. The technique previously used at NBS1 was limited to about 200 cycles/mm by considerations of partial coherence, and could measure phase shifts only with great difficulty and low precision. The forthcoming high-quality optics indicated by activity in the design community were clearly beyond the capability of this testing system. Further, the increasing use of microscope optics in such devices as microdensitometers, reduction cameras and other specialized equipment showed the need for an accurate testing technique that would include these kinds of optical components. Our intent was to concentrate on the test and evaluation of high-quality optics such as might be used in microdensitometry, microelectric circuit applications, and high resolution aerial cameras, to develop an inexpensive and accurate measurement technique, and to provide a modest NBS measurement service that would be used by commerical firms and other government agencies when it was necessary (for contractual reasons) to have the NBS imprimatur on the results or when it was impractical for the requestor to have his own test equipment.
Wheat Germ Agglutinin Functionalized Complexation Hydrogels for Oral Insulin Delivery

Insulin was loaded into hydrogel microparticles after two hours with loading efficiencies greater than 70% for both poly(methacrylic acid-grafted-ethylene glycol) (P(MAA-g-EG)) and poly(methacrylic acid-grafted-ethylene glycol) functionalized with wheat germ agglutinin (P(MAA-g-EG) WGA). The pH-responsive release results demonstrated that the pH shift from the stomach to the small intestine can be used as a physiologic trigger to release insulin from P(MAA-g-EG) and P(MAA-g-EG) WGA microparticles, thus limiting release of insulin into the acidic environment of the stomach. Microplates were successfully treated with PGM to create a surface that allowed for specific binding between mucins and lectins. The 1% PGM treatment followed by a 2 h BSA blocking step gave the most consistent results when incubated with F-WGA. In addition, the PGM-treated microplates were shown to create specific interactions between F-WGA and the PGM by use of a competitive carbohydrate. The 1% PGM treated microplates were also used to show that adhesion was improved in the P(MAA-g-EG) WGA microparticles over the P(MAA-g-EG) microparticles. The interaction between the PGM-treated microplate and P(MAA-g-EG) WGA was again shown to be specific by adding a competitive carbohydrate, while the interaction between P(MAA-g-EG) and the PGM-treated microplate was nonspecific. Cellular monolayers were used as another method for demonstrating that the functionalized microparticles increase adhesion over the nonfunctionalized microparticles. This work has focused on improving the mucoadhesive nature of P(MAA-g-EG) by functionalizing these hydrogel carriers with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) to create a specific mucosal interaction and then evaluating the potential of these carriers as oral insulin delivery systems by in vitro methods. From these studies, it is concluded that the addition of the WGA on the microparticles produces a specific adhesion to carbohydrate-containing surfaces and that P(MAA-g-EG) WGA shows great promise as an oral insulin delivery system.
Indefinite Detention of Mega-terrorists in the War on Terror

In the war on terrorism, the imprisonment of suspected terrorists by the United States has raised a host of issues,1 among them that of indefinite detention. Over the years, there has been a great ...
Wind-Tunnel Test of Flow Through Mars Pathfinder Lander

The Pathe nder Lander, launched in December 1996, is scheduled to land on Mars July 4, 1997. The Lander is a tetrahedron with open edges and corners, permitting a moderate e ow through the interior during parachute descent. One of its scientie c experiments isintended to measureambient temperatureand pressureduring parachute descent by use of sensors inside the Lander envelope. This location was required by safe landing considerations. Wind-tunnel and computational e uid dynamics studies were undertaken to determine whether valid atmospheric data could be obtained by sensors so constrained. Internal e ows through the window openings at the apex corners of the Lander were measured and computed. Internal e ow was found to be complex, recirculating, and highly turbulent with velocities as small as 0.1 that of the freestream. The temperature sensoris in a region of e uctuating, negative (upstream) velocity. This environment is clearly not optimum for atmospheric measurements, and temperatures measured in parachute descent are likely to be thermally contaminated. The data reported here will be ofvalueforevaluating themeasurements and identifying requirements for meaningful atmosphericmeasurements on future missions. They are also an interesting example of secondary e ow through a vented spacecraft. Nomenclature l = characteristic length, slant height of Lander vehicle side petal, equal to 1.14 m in full scale (the full-scale length of the edge of the tetrahedron inscribed in the Lander is 1.73 m ) p = freestream static pressure pt
Scoria cone construction mechanisms, Lathrop Wells volcano, southern Nevada, USA

Scoria cones are commonly assumed to have been constructed by the accumulation of ballistically ejected clasts from discrete, relatively coarse-grained Strombolian bursts and subsequent avalanching such that the cone slopes are at or near the angle of repose for loose scoria. The cone at the hawaiitic Lathrop Wells volcano, southern Nevada, contains deposits that are consistent with these processes during early cone-building phases; these early deposits are composed mainly of coarse lapilli and fluidal bombs and are partially welded, indicating relatively little cooling during flight. However, the bulk of the cone is composed of relatively fine-grained (ash and lapilli) planar beds with no welding, even within a few tens of meters of the vent. This facies is consistent with deposition by direct fallout from sustained eruption columns of relatively well-fragmented material, primarily mantling cone slopes and with a lesser degree of avalanching than is commonly assumed. A laterally extensive fallout deposit (as much as 20 km from the vent) is inferred to have formed contemporaneously with these later cone deposits. This additional mechanism for construction of scoria cones may also be important at other locations, particularly where the magmas are relatively high in volatile content and where conditions promote the formation of abundant microlites in the rising mafic magma.
Demodulator Statistics for Enhanced Soft-Decision Decoding in CDMA Packet Radio Systems

Next generation packet radio networks will have far greater processing capabilities than current radio systems. We propose and evaluate decoding techniques that make use of such capabilities to increase the probability of successful decoding. We propose a metric derived from statistics collected during demodulation in a binary CDMA receiver. We investigate several methods to apply the proposed metric to the demodulator's soft-decision outputs prior to decoding. Our soft-decision decoding techniques are designed to mitigate the effects of interference from other signals in the frequency band. We compare the performance of our proposed metric to the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) metric, which requires that the mean signal level and noise variance are known for each bit position. Rather than attempt to estimate these parameters directly, our metric uses demodulator statistics and thus does not require pilot symbols or training sequences typically required by an LLR-based metric.
Nuclear Data Sheets for A=232

The available experimental data pertaining to the nuclear structure of nuclei with A=232 are compiled; the results from various decay and reaction measurements are compared and evaluated. Adopted values, comparison with theory, arguments for assignment of Jπ and Nilsson quantum numbers, and explanations of adopted decay schemes are given. Inconsistencies and discrepancies in the level schemes are discussed. The adopted level and decay properties are based on data received before August 1970. Data received between April and July have been added in proof.
Effect of Beclomethasone Therapy on Tracheal Aspirate Interleukin-8 and Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist in Preterm Ventilated Infants at Risk for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD)

Effect of Beclomethasone Therapy on Tracheal Aspirate Interleukin-8 and Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist in Preterm Ventilated Infants at Risk for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD)
Subsurface characteristics of the Rayleigh wave

Abstract An isotropic elastic half-plane is used as a model for studying theoretically and experimentally the transmission of stresses associated with Rayleigh waves. Solutions of the equations of motion of plane elastodynamics which represent arbitrary progressing Rayleigh waves are derived and then associated with Rayleigh waves produced by a concentrated line load on the boundary of the half-plane through previously established results for the tangential normal stress at the boundary. Mathematically, the problem of establishing the complete Rayleigh wave field is analogous to a well known problem in potential theory. Dynamic photoelastic fringe patterns, associated with the Rayleigh wave generated by a surface charge on a two-dimension model were also obtained as an experimental solution to the problem. The two sets of results compare very favorably. Where discrepancies do occur, explanations are given. In both studies, the maximum stress is found to occur at the boundary, but the stress field below the surface is still significant. For example, the maximum subsurface value of the principal stress difference, which occurs at a fixed depth, is about 75 per cent of the maximum boundary value.
Mixed Element Type Unstructured Grid Generation for Viscous Flow Applications

A procedure is presented for efficient generation of high-quality unstructured grids suitable for CFD simulation of high Reynolds number viscous flow fields. Layers of anisotropic elements are generated by advancing along prescribed normals from solid boundaries. The points are generated such that either pentahedral or tetrahedral elements with an implied connectivity can be be directly recovered. As points are generated they are temporarily attached to a volume triangulation of the boundary points. This triangulation allows efficient local search algorithms to be used when checking merging layers, The existing advancing-front/local-reconnection procedure is used to generate isotropic elements outside of the anisotropic region. Results are presented for a variety of applications. The results demonstrate that high-quality anisotropic unstructured grids can be efficiently and consistently generated for complex configurations.
Effects of isradipine, a dihydropyridine-class calcium channel antagonist, on d-methamphetamine-induced reduction in hunger.

Abstract 1. 1. The authors studied the effects of isradipine, a dihydropyridine-class calcium channel antagonist, on d-methamphetamine-induced changes in somatic and psychological perceptions of hunger state using a placebo-controlled, double-blind, Latin Square, cross-over design in 18 healthy volunteers. 2. 2. D-methamphetamine significantly decreased these subjective ratings of hunger, presumably by increasing monoaminergic turnover. 3. 3. Effects on hunger are hypothesized to be mediated by norepinephrine primarily, while dopamine plays only a modest role. Isradipine alone, an inhibitor of dopamine release, had no significant effect on the hunger measures. Additionally, isradipine pretreatment did not significantly alter d-methamphetamine's anorexic effects. 4. 4. Isradipine may, therefore, not significantly modify the control of hunger in humans.
High and low affinity binding sites for Concanavalin A on normal human fibroblasts in vitro

Abstract The binding of high specific activity, radioactive Concanavalin A to cultured normal human fibroblasts was investigated. We report the presence of two classes of Concanavalin A binding sites on the plasma membranes of these cells. These classes of binding sites are distinguished by their affinities for the lectin. Scatchard analysis of the binding data indicates the presence of a class of high affinity sites which are saturated at about 0.25 μg/ml of Concanavalin A. The other, lower affinity binding sites are not saturated until 50–100 μg/ml Concanavalin A levels are achieved. At 4°C the K a for the high affinity sites varies between 1.5 – 5 × 10 9 M −1 depending on the method used to label the Concanavalin A. For the lower affinity sites K a varies between 1 – 4 × 10 6 M −1 . The average number of high affinity sites per cell is 8 × 10 5 representing less than 1% of the total receptor sites for the lectin.
URBAN TRAVEL ALTERNATIVES: MODELS FOR INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE PREFERENCES

Abstract A method of estimating preference functions for alternative urban travel modes using non-metric scaling and conjoint measurement is introduced. The method treats travel alternatives as alternative collections of generic attributes and disaggregates preference orderings for alternative modes into components associated with the generic attributes. Preference functions are fitted for individual respondents and alternative methods of estimating collective preference functions for the group of respondents are examined. Particular attention is given to the error associated with aggregating individual responses. The methods are designed to be effective with relatively modest quantities of survey data.
The evolution of cellulose digestion in insects

Despite the abundance and diversity of species that include living or dead plant tissue in their diets, the ability to digest cellulose is rare in insects and is restricted to a small number of orders and families. In this paper it is argued that cellulolytic capacity is uncommon in insects simply because it is a trait that is rarely advantageous to possess. Although there is a growing body of evidence for the occurrence of symbiont-independent cellulose digestion in cockroaches and in higher termites from the subfamily Nasutitermitinae, cellulose digestion in insects is usually mediated by microorganisms. It is proposed that non-cellulolytic omnivorous scavengers and detritivores may be preadapted to evolve symbiont-mediated cellulolytic mechanisms because of the prevalence of mutualistic associations between such species and the microorganisms that normally reside in their hindguts. A scenario is proposed for the evolution of symbiont-mediated cellulolytic capacity in roaches and lower termites. Finally, it is suggested that biochemical studies of insect cellulases might provide crucial insights that would greatly advance our understanding of the evolution of cellulose digestion in insects.
Multilayer colloid formation in soda lime silica glass

Silver and copper colloids are formed on the tin-rich surface of float glass at elevated temperatures via reaction with the tin present from the float process. Optical absorption measurements of samples initially stained with copper and then subsequently stained with silver indicate that the second treatment with silver eliminates the optical absorption due to the copper colloids formed during the first treatment. If silver is applied before copper, both silver and copper colloid absorption bands increase in intensity for initial heat treatments at lower temperatures and shorter times, but no copper colloids are formed if the initial heat treatment produces a very large amount of silver colloids. It is proposed that copper colloids formed during the initial heat treatment serve as nuclei for the subsequent growth of a layer of silver, eventually covering the nuclei of copper with a layer of silver which is thick enough to mask the optical absorption of the original colloids. The reverse does not occur if silver colloids are formed before copper colloids.
Analysis of Factors Affecting U.S. Emergency Physician Workforce Projections

Objectives: To use existing data sources to refine prior estimates of the U.S. emergency medicine (EM) workforce and to estimate effects of proposed changes in the U.S. health care system on the EM workforce. Methods: Relevant data were extracted from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) 1995 Membership Activity Report, the American Medical Association (AMA) publication “1995/96 Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the U.S.,” the American Hospital Association (AHA) 1994 hospital directory, a written survey of each state's medical licensing board and state medical society, and the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) annual activity report for 1995. These data were used to project workforce supply and demand estimates applicable to workforce models. Results: None of the available information sources had complete data on the number and distribution of emergency physicians (EPs) currently practicing in the United States. Extrapolating the limited reliable statewide EP numbers to make nationwide projections reveals a shortage of EPs needed to fully staff the nation's existing EDs. At least 22 states had an average ratio of <5 EPs per existing ED. Additional national projections incorporating a decreasing number of U.S. EDs indicate that the current annual number of EM residency graduates will not eliminate the deficit of EPs for at least several decades, given that projected numbers of retiring EPs annually will soon equal the total annual EM residency graduate production. Conclusions: Although the current data on EPs in practice in the United States are incomplete, the authors project a relative shortage of EPs. More accurate and complete information on the numbers and distribution of EPs in America is needed to improve workforce projections.
Uptake and phytotransformation of organophosphorus pesticides by axenically cultivated aquatic plants.

The uptake and phytotransformation of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides (malathion, demeton-S-methyl, and crufomate) was investigated in vitro using the axenically aquatic cultivated plants parrot feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum), duckweed (Spirodela oligorrhiza L.), and elodea (Elodea canadensis). The decay profile of these OP pesticides from the aqueous medium adhered to first-order kinetics. However, extent of decay and rate constants depended on both the physicochemical properties of the OP compounds and the nature of the plant species. Malathion and demeton-S-methyl exhibited similar transformation patterns in all three plants: 29−48 and 83−95% phytotransformation, respectively, when calculated by mass recovery balance during an 8-day incubation. No significant disappearance and phytotransformation of crufomate occurred in elodea over 14 days, whereas 17−24% degraded in the other plants over the same incubation period. Using enzyme extracts derived from duckweed, 15−25% of the three pesticides were t...
Diffraction in a nutshell

A phenomenological model is presented in which differential cross sections for diffractive processes in p ¯ p interactions are derived from the underlying inclusive parton distribution functions of the nucleon. In this model, diffractive production occurs through the exchange of low-x partons from the quark/gluon sea of the interacting nucleons subject to QCD color constraints.
Computational methods in process optimization: I. Recycle plant with bounded controls

Computational methods for optimal cooling jacket design on a tubular reactor with recycle of unconverted reactant were studied. A successful procedure employed a gradient technique for control-vector iteration, followed by a two-dimensional search to locate the optimal switching points. On the other hand, boundary condition iteration was notably unsuccessful for this “bang-bang” control problem. On a fait l'etude de methodes de calcul pour realiser la meilleure conception d'un serpentin de refroidissement employe dans un reacteur tubulaire ou l'on recycle le produit de reaction qui n'a pas subi de transformation. Un procede satisfaisant a consiste a utiliser un gradient pour l'iteration du vecteur de reglage, puis a faire une recherche a deux dimensions pour trouver les meilleurs points de transition. D'un autre cǒte, l'iteration de la condition-limite n'a pu resoudre ce probleme de reglage par tout ou rien.
Geochemical Changes in Ground Water Due to Landfill Gas Effects

Concentrations of dissolved inorganic constituents commonly monitored in ground waters at landfills were evaluated during and after a period of landfill gas effects on the ground water. Landfill gas can potentially act as an acid or as a reducing agent (Lewis base) due to its carbon dioxide and methane content, respectively. Ground water data from a single landfill gas-affected well were used to evaluate the correlation of the total volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration (as a general measure of landfill gas effects) with bicarbonate alkalinity, ammonia, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, sodium, chloride, and sulfate concentrations. Bicarbonate alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium concentrations were correlated with total VOC concentrations. The correlation with calcium and magnesium concentrations is attributed to increased dissolution of carbonate minerals by carbonic acid from the landfill gas carbon dioxide. Total manganese concentrations also increased with increasing VOC content. This is attributed to reduction of manganese (IV) in aquifer minerals by methane in the landfill gas. No detectable iron was observed during the landfill gas effects or after successful corrective action, suggesting that the redox potential of the ground water was not sufficiently low to reduce iron (III) minerals. There was no correlation observed between total VOC concentrations and chloride, sodium, or sulfate concentrations, and there were insufficient ammonia detections to evaluate. The observed effects of landfill gas are expected to depend on the particular mineralogy and ground water quality of a site. These results and basic chemical principles, however, suggest that landfill gas effects on ground water could cause an increase in bicarbonate alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium concentrations, without increases in sodium or chloride concentrations at many sites. Because municipal solid waste landfill leachate is typically characterized by concentrations of chloride and sodium that are significantly elevated relative to background ground water concentrations, landfill gas effects on ground water could potentially be differentiated from leachate effects by a lack of increases in sodium or chloride concentrations accompanying VOC detections.
Regulation of the diurnal rhythm of rat liver beta-hydroxy-beta-methylglutaryl coenzmye A reductase activity by insulin, glucagon, cyclic AMP and hydrocortisone.

Abstract Rat liver β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity and the amplitude of the diurnal variation of this enzyme are progressively reduced to very low levels within 1 week after the onset of diabetes induced by streptozotocin. Daily insulin therapy to 7-day diabetic rats restores the activity and the amplitude of this diurnal variation in enzyme activity to near-normal levels within 4 days. Insulin also produces a rapid 2-hr stimulation of the reductase activity in diabetic rats to the level found in normal animals at that time of day regardless of the duration of diabetes. Hence, insulin is required for the diurnal rise of reductase activity in rat liver. Glucagon, dibutyryl cyclic AMP, and hydrocortisone, in contrast, markedly inhibit the diurnal rise of reductase activity in normal rats. Therefore, the relative concentrations of insulin, glucagon, and glucocorticoids are important in the regulation of the diurnal variation of hepatic reductase activity.