cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polymeric barrier coatings via initiated chemical vapor deposition

Abstract Initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) enables micron sized particles to be coated with conformal polymeric films. Unlike wet chemistries, particle agglomeration is mitigated due to the vapor phase deposition. A custom built iCVD with a rotary evaporator was used to coat a variety of particles with poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA). Glass beads with average diameters of 355 μm were coated with a ~ 1 μm PGMA film. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to assess if the beads were coated with PGMA and to estimate the PGMA thickness. The TGA testing showed a 0.7% mass loss at ~ 275 °C, which corresponds to the decomposition temperature of PGMA and a PGMA thickness of ~ 1 μm. In addition sodium chloride (~ 355 μm) particles were coated in the iCVD system again with PGMA. The dissolution rate of these particles in an aqueous solution was found to be reduced by an order of magnitude (versus uncoated NaCl). Finally, NaCl particles with metallic coatings were coated with PGMA and showed a dissolution rate two orders of magnitude slower than the bare NaCl.
Comparison of the patterns of callosal connections in lateral parietal cortex of the rat, mouse and hamster

In a recent study of the second somatosensory area (SmII) in the rat it was reported that the somatotopic map in the cortex lateral to the primary somatosensory area (SmI) is closely related to local features of the callosal pattern. The existence of this relationship suggests that knowledge of the overall pattern of callosal connections in the cortex lateral to SmI may facilitate the description of the somatotopic organization of lateral parietal cortex in other rodents. We tested this suggestion by comparing the callosal patterns in lateral parietal cortex in the rat, mouse and hamster. Our finding that the callosal pattern in the mouse closely resembles that in the rat supports the idea that the callosal pattern reflects the underlying somatotopy because the maps of SmII described previously in the mouse and rat are very similar to each other. In addition, on the basis of our observation that the callosal pattern in the hamster is very similar to that in the rat and mouse, we predict that these three rodent species share a common somatotopic plan in lateral parietal cortex.
Stochastic Resonance Reveals “Pilot Light” Expression in Mammalian Genes

Background Microarrays are widely used for estimation of expression of thousands of genes in a biological sample. The resolution ability of this method is limited by the background noise. Low expressed genes are detected with insufficient reliability and expression of many genes is never detected at all. Methodology/Principal Findings We have applied the principles of stochastic resonance to detect expression of genes from microarray signals below the background noise level. We report the periodic pattern detected in genes called “Absent” by traditional analysis. The pattern is consistent with expression of the conventionally detected genes and specific to the tissue of origin. This effect is corroborated by the analysis of oscillating gene expression in mouse (M.musculus) and yeast (S. cerevisae). Conclusion/Significance Most genes usually considered silent are in fact expressed at a very low level. Stochastic resonance can be applied to detect changes in expression pattern of low-expressed genes as well as for the validation of the probe performance in microarrays.
FBR murine osteosarcoma virus. II. Nucleotide sequence of the provirus reveals that the genome contains sequences acquired from two cellular genes.

Abstract The complete nucleotide sequence of the FBR proviral DNA has been determined. The provirus of 3791 nucleotides (specifying a genome of 3284 bases) encodes a single gag-fos fusion product of 554 amino acids. The fos portion of the gene lacks the sequences which code for the first 24 and the last 98 amino acids of the 380-amino acid mouse c-fos gene product. In addition, the coding region has sustained three in-frame deletions, one in the p30gag portion, and two in the fos region, as compared to the sequences of AKR-MLV and the c-fos gene, respectively. The gene product terminates in sequences, termed v-fox, that are present in uninfected mouse DNA at loci unrelated to the c-fos gene. The c-fox gene(s) is expressed as an abundant class of polyadenylated RNA in normal mouse tissues.
Pitx2 distinguishes subtypes of terminally differentiated neurons in the developing mouse neuroepithelium.

Abstract Pitx2 , a homeodomain transcription factor, is essential for normal development of pituitary, eyes, heart, and teeth. In the developing mouse brain, Pitx2 ( Rieg , Ptx2 , Otlx2 , Brx1 ) mRNA is expressed in discrete regions of the diencephalon, mesencephalon, and rhombencephalon. While prior reports have provided an overview of the temporal and regional specificity of Pitx2 mRNA expression in the brain, the precise cell types that express PITX2 are not known. In this study, we analyzed Pitx2 mRNA and PITX2 protein expression in individual cells of the developing e10.5–e14.5 mouse CNS using multiple markers of cellular proliferation and differentiation. We identified Pitx2 expression in nestin-positive neural progenitors and in postmitotic, developing neurons. In the diencephalon, PITX2 is expressed in neurons of the zona limitans intrathalamica and mammillary region and in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-producing neurons of the zona incerta. In the mesencephalon, PITX2-labeled nuclei also appear in differentiated neurons, some of which are GABAergic and destined to occupy superior colliculus. Our results suggest that PITX2 expression in postmitotic neurons may contribute to development of GABAergic and other differentiated neuronal phenotypes.
Toward Cooperative Team-diagnosis in Multi-robot Systems

Research in man-made systems capable of self-diagnosis and self-repair is becoming increasingly relevant in a range of scenarios in which in situ repair/diagnosis by a human operator is infeasible within an appropriate time frame. In this paper, we present an approach to the multi-robot team diagnosis problem that utilizes gradient-based training of multivariate Gaussian distributions. We then evaluate this approach using a testbed involving modular mobile robots, each assembled from four electromechanically separable modules. The diagnosis algorithm is trained on data obtained from two sources: (1) a computer model of the system dynamics and (2) experimental runs of the physical prototypes. Tests were then performed in which a fault was introduced in one robot in the testbed and the diagnostic algorithm was queried. The results show that the state predicted by the diagnostic algorithm performed well in identifying the fault state in the case when the model was trained using the experimental data. Limited convergence was also demonstrated using training data from an imperfect dynamic model and low data sampling frequencies.
Factors contributing to the adaptive increase in ethanol metabolism due to chronic consumption of ethanol.

SUMMARY Chronic ethanol consumption, in a diet which leads to a fatty liver, results in an increase in the rate of ethanol oxidation in isolated rat hepatocytes. The percent increase (30%-40%) is similar to that previously found in vivo, in the same model system.1,11 This increase does not correlate with the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase, which was slightly decreased after chronic ethanol consumption.1,16 The increase in ethanol oxidation is not associated with a hypermetabolic state of the liver since oxygen consumption with a variety of substrates was not enhanced after chronic ethanol consumption. Approximately 40%-50% of this increase persists in the presence of an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase, inhibitors of mitochondrial oxygen consumption and inhibitors of the malate-aspartate shuttle. The increase persists in the presence of ouabain, dinitrophenol and various shuttle metabolites (in the presence and absence of dinitrophenol). Chronic consumption of ethanol results in hypertrophy of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and an adaptive increase in the ability of microsomal preparations to oxidize ethanol to acetaldehyde.1,11 The fact that part of the increase in ethanol oxidation which occurs after chronic ethanol administration persists in the presence of the various additives discussed above, indicates that pathways that are independent of alcohol dehydrogenase contribute to this metabolic adaptation. These data extend the observation that the metabolic adaptation found after chronic ethanol consumption was not abolished by 2mM pyrazole.1,26
Meteorological aspects of wind energy: Assessing the resource and selecting the sites

Abstract Research on wind characteristics within the United States' wind energy program is addressing problems of resource assessment, site selection, design and performance evaluation of wind machines, and day-to-day operations of wind energy conversion systems (WECS) in utility grids. In this paper, work designed to improve our understanding of the wind energy resource within the United States is discussed. The techniques and procedures that have been developed for finding wind machine sites are also examined.
Art loop open: designing for the intersection of art and technology in an urban public exhibition

In this case study, we explore the design and implementation of Art Loop Open, a city-wide art exhibition with a cutting edge technologically mediated experience. The case study will enumerate the design process, the collaboration between different decision making entities, as well as the technology layer and the experience design of the exhibition.
Constraints on Microcontact Printing Imposed by Stamp Deformation

Stamp deformation can affect the dimensional stability of the microcontact printing process. We consider limitations imposed due to reversible deformation of a single stamp. Detailed analyses of several modes of stamp deformation have been carried out. Stability criteria have been obtained for both vertical and lateral collapse of surface relief features, including buckling. The shape change of surface features imposed by surface tension has been analyzed, and the corresponding internal stresses are given in closed form. The residual stresses induced by chemical and thermal shrinkage when the elastomeric stamp is bonded to a stiff substrate are analyzed. In addition, the relation between applied load and displacement of a stamp supported by a stiff substrate is given in closed form. Contact stresses between the stamp and substrate have been analyzed both analytically and numerically by a finite element method. The role of adhesion in determining the contact area is clarified. The effect of surface roughne...
Automatic cell segmentation in fluorescence images of confluent cell monolayers using multi-object geometric deformable model

With the rapid development of microscopy for cell imaging, there is a strong and growing demand for image analysis software to quantitatively study cell morphology. Automatic cell segmentation is an important step in image analysis. Despite substantial progress, there is still a need to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and adaptability to different cell morphologies. In this paper, we propose a fully automatic method for segmenting cells in uorescence images of conuent cell monolayers. This method addresses several challenges through a combination of ideas. 1) It realizes a fully automatic segmentation process by first detecting the cell nuclei as initial seeds and then using a multi-object geometric deformable model (MGDM) for final segmentation. 2) To deal with different defects in the uorescence images, the cell junctions are enhanced by applying an orderstatistic filter and principal curvature based image operator. 3) The final segmentation using MGDM promotes robust and accurate segmentation results, and guarantees no overlaps and gaps between neighboring cells. The automatic segmentation results are compared with manually delineated cells, and the average Dice coefficient over all distinguishable cells is 0:88.
Online Learning of Safe Patient Transfers in Occupational Therapy Education

Online higher education is steadily increasing. For programs in allied health to be offered effectively in an elearning format, clinical psychomotor skills need to be addressed. The aim of this research was to design, implement, and evaluate an online safe patient transfers module for occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students. The efficacy of teaching safe patient transfers in an e-learning environment was appraised using both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The applied research project was completed at a Tennessee community college. A convenience sample of eighteen students participated in the pilot study. Twenty-five students participated in the subsequent study. The instructional design of the course was based on Mager’s Criterion Referenced Instruction model. Streaming video was used as the delivery method for course material. A pretest/posttest evaluated the students’ cognitive knowledge of safe patient transfers. A behavioral transfers competency checklist was used to rate videotapes of students’ performance of assisted stand pivot and dependent sliding board transfers. Research findings indicated students were able to learn this psychomotor clinical skill online with beginning proficiency. A paired t-test showed marked improvement of cognitive knowledge. A student learning survey revealed the majority of students preferred at least one hands-on classroom session where instructor feedback and interaction with classmates confirmed safe and effective clinical technique.
Various mycorrhizal fungi enhance dry weights, P and Zn uptake of four Pistacia species.

ABSTRACT Pistacia is a common wild plant in the Southeast Anatolia part of Turkey. The experiment was planned to screen and select the most suitable arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) for enhancing Pistacia species seedling growth by improving phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) uptake. This study was carried out under greenhouse condition at the Department of Soil Science, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey. Two genotypes from each of P. vera (cvs ‘Siirt’ and ‘Kirmizi’), P. eurycarpa, P. atlantica, and P. terebinthus species were tested with ten different mycorrhizal species. Plants were grown in a growth medium with a mixture of sand, soil and compost with 6:3:1 ratio, respectively. Seedling plants were harvested after eight months and transplanted to pots. There were significant differences between Pistacia species in growth, nutrient uptake and the percentage of mycorrhizal infection. Also mycorrhizal species were different in terms of enhancing plant growth and nutrient uptake. The results were that Siirt, Genotyp...
The human erythrocyte insulin-like growth factor I receptor: characterization and demonstration of ligand-stimulated autophosphorylation

To characterize the insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) receptor on human erythrocytes, cells were purified from peripheral blood by Ficoll-Hypaque gradient centrifugation and incubated with [125I]IGF-I. Specific binding was maximal at pH 8.0 after 24 h at 4 C and increased linearly with cell number to 3.9 ± 0.2% (±SEM) for 3.0 × 10(9)cells/ml. The Scatchard plot of the binding data was linear, with 7 fmol [125I]IGF-I bound/109cells and an affinity constant (K) of 1.8 × 109 M−1.Unlabele d IGF-I inhibited tracer binding half-maximally at 6 ng/ml. Multiplication-stimulating activity (or rat IGF-II) was 40% as potent (ED50, 15 ng/ml), whereas insulin and proinsulin were 30- to 500-fold less potent. A monoclonal antibody to the IGF-I receptor (αIR-3) inhibited IGF-I binding by 50% at a 1:1000 dilution and by 80% at a 1:250 dilution. Insulin binding was unaffected by the same dilutions. IGF-I receptor phosphorylation was studied in erythrocyteghosts prepared by hypotonic lysis and solubilized in 1% Triton. Th...
Southern Green Stink Bug, Nezara viridula (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), Feeding in Corn

Field experiments were conducted during 1983 and 1984 to evaluate effects of Nezara viridula (L.) feeding damage to field corn. Two adult N. viridula per plant feeding on V15-stage plants caused significant reductions in ear weight and ear length. No significant reductions in seed weight were observed at any N. viridula infestation level evaluated. Results indicated that feeding damage is most intense in younger plants and that reductions in yield can be attributed to total ear loss rather than reductions in kernel weight.
A Statistical Analysis of Corrosion Wastage of Transverse Members in Single Hull Tankers

Corrosion wastage of structural members in oil tankers over the time causes variability in structural properties. Corrosion is a function of many variables and uncertainties, such as the types of corrosion protection systems used, types of cargo, temperature, humidity, etc. The traditional engineering and analysis, which uses simplified deterministic approaches to account for this time-dependent reliability or risk of aging ship structure, is not suitable. This investigation explores the use of statistical analysis approaches to predict corrosion wastage in oil carrying tankers. Corrosion wastage measurements from transverse members of 115 oil tankers were collected to add to an extensive corrosion wastage database. Lognormal function was found to best fit the collected data when compared to other methods, such as the Weibull function. Linear regression in the form of three mathematical models of corrosion wastage, developed by considering age of ship, coating life, and the location of the transverse members, is used to indicate the relationship between corrosion wastage and age of ship. Corrosion rates were determined by the derivatives of the corrosion wastage. The results show that corrosion wastage may accelerate after twenty years of service. It is expected that the study will help identify which structural members may be more susceptible to corrosion wastage and require more frequent inspection.© 2006 ASME
Squirrel on the Campus

The article titled “Squirrel on the Campus” is the first fiction piece to be included in the section called “Fiction and Poetry.” This piece has been included in the same spirit in which poetry has been included as a part of this professional journal. Ways of knowing and learning are varied as are the ways of sharing knowledge. The editor believes that this article speaks to issues that may have meaning for our readers, counselors, and educators in the real world. Although the language and style may not be appropriate for an article in other sections of this journal, as is the case of poetry, if seems appropriate here. For instance, the article contains some sex-role stereotypic language and perhaps portrays stereotypic behavior. These qualities have been left not to offend or promote but rather to reflect a part of our world that does exist, which is important to the intent of the author in looking at our world and finding meaning in it. The Editorial Board is most interested in receiving your comments about this article and about the concept of including fiction in this journal.
Experimental review of charmonium spectroscopy

Charmonium spectroscopy is one of the best means of making precision study of QCD, the strong-interaction component of the Standard Model of particle physics. Recent progress in the study of charmonium, the need for additional precision data, and the opportunities that the new facilities offer, are discussed.
Multiple-mode nonlinear free and forced vibrations of beams using finite element method

Multiple-mode nonlinear free and forced vibration of a beam is analyzed by the finite element method. The geometric nonlinearity is investigated. Inplane displacement and inertia (IDI) are also considered in the formulation. Harmonic force matrix is derived and explained. Nonlinear free vibration can be simply treated as a special case of the general forced vibration by setting the harmonic force matrix equal to zero. The effect of the higher modes is more pronouced for the clamped supported beam than the simply supported one. Beams without IDI yield more effect of the higher modes than the one with IDI. The effects of IDI are to reduce nonlinearity. For beams with end supports restrained from axial movement (immovable cases), only the hardening type nonlinearity is observed. However, beams of small slenderness ratio (L/R = 20) with movable end supports, the softening type nonlinearity is found. The concentrated force case yields a more severe response than the uniformly distributed force case. Finite element results are in good agreement with the solution of simple elliptic response, harmonic balance method, and Runge-Kutte method and experiment.
The misbehaviour of a metacognitive monkey.

Metacognition, the monitoring of one’s own mental states, is a fundamental aspect of human intellect. Despite tests in nonhuman animals suggestive of uncertainty monitoring, some authors interpret these results solely in terms of primitive psychological mechanisms and reinforcement regimes, where ‘reinforcement’ is invariably considered to be the delivery and consumption of earned food rewards. Surprisingly, few studies have detailed the trial-by-trial behaviour of animals engaged in such tasks. Here we report ethology-based observations on a rhesus monkey completing sparse-dense discrimination problems, and given the option of escaping trials (i.e., responding ‘uncertain’) at its own choosing. Uncertainty responses were generally made on trials of high objective difficulty, and were characterized by long latencies before beginning visible trials, long times taken for response, and, even after controlling for difficulty, high degrees of wavering during response. Incorrect responses were also common in trials of high objective difficulty, but were characterized by low degrees of wavering. This speaks to the likely adaptive nature of ‘hesitation’, and is inconsistent with models which argue or predict implicit, inflexible information-seeking or ‘alternative option’ behaviours whenever challenging problems present themselves. Confounding models which suggest that nonhuman behaviour in metacognition tasks is driven solely by food delivery/consumption, the monkey was also observed allowing pellets to accumulate and consuming them during and after trials of all response/outcome categories (i.e., whether correct, incorrect, or escaped). This study thus bolsters previous findings that rhesus monkey behaviour in metacognition tasks is in some respects disassociated from mere food delivery/consumption, or even the avoidance of punishment. These and other observations fit well with the evolutionary status and natural proclivities of rhesus monkeys, but weaken arguments that responses in such tests are solely associated with associative mechanisms, and instead suggest more derived and controlled cognitive processing. The latter interpretation appears particularly parsimonious given the neurological adaptations of primates, as well as their highly flexible social and ecological behaviour.
DISTRIBUTION‐FREE CONFIDENCE PROCEDURE FOR UMBRELLA ORDERINGS

Summary Responses in a one-factor experiment with A; ordered treatments follow an umbrella, ordering if they consist of two piecewise monotone segments, i.e. increasing and then decreasing, or the converse. This paper proposes a non-parametric distribution-free confidence procedure for umbrella orderings, the aim being to identify the treatments that correspond to the optimal effects. It uses a method that joins the seemingly unrelated theories of U-statistics and isotonic regression. A random confidence subset of the ordered treatments is constructed, such that it contains all the unknown peaks (optimal treatments) of an umbrella ordering with any prespecified confidence level. The paper demonstrates that the proposed confidence procedure is nonparametric distribution-free and, further, that the proposed procedure naturally implies a test for umbrella alternatives. Since the proposed confidence procedure is always more informative than tests for umbrella alternatives, it should be used in their place in practice. An example illustrates the proposed procedure.
A string model of mesons

Abstract A string-type meson model with two massive quarks is presented. It is solved exactly by means of almost periodic functions in 3 + 1 space-time dimensions. The solutions, Poincare generators, and Hamiltonian bear formal resemblance to the corresponding free string quantities. The leading (rising) Regge trajectory is linear but has negative intercept. The degeneracy of the spectrum is greatly reduced and the breaking of reparametization invariance by the non-zero quark masses requires an asymptotic application of the gauge conditions of Virasoro in order that the physical subspace of the usual Nambu string be obtained in the massless limit. Modifications necessary to construct more realistic models and their extensions to baryons are indicated.
Assessment of Adult Psychopathology: Meta-Analyses and Implications of Cross-Informant Correlations

Assessment of adult psychopathology relies heavily on self-reports. To determine how well self-reports agree with reports by "informants" who know the person being assessed, the authors examined 51,000 articles published over 10 years in 52 peer-reviewed journals for correlations between self-reports and "informants" reports. Qualifying correlations were found in 108 (0.2%) of the articles. When self-reports and informant reports were obtained with parallel instruments, mean cross-informant correlations were .681 for substance use, .428 for internalizing, and .438 for externalizing problems. When based on different instruments, the mean cross-informant correlation was .304. The moderate sizes of the correlations argue for systematically obtaining multi-informant data. National survey findings were used to illustrate practical ways to obtain and use such data.
Dueling contexts: A dynamic model of meaning

Abstract This paper focuses on the role of context in meaning construction. My starting point is the assumption that context is a dynamic construct that appears in different formats in language use both as a repository and/or trigger of knowledge. Consequently, context has both a selective and a constitutive role. Unlike several current theories of meaning (e.g. Barsalou, 1993 , Coulson, 2000 , Croft, 2000 , Evans, 2006 ) claiming that meaning construction is mostly dependent on situational context, I will argue that meaning values of words encoding prior contexts of experience play as important a role in meaning construction as situational context. These two sides of world knowledge (encoded and current) exist dialectically and relationally. Actual situation context is viewed through prior context, and their encounter creates a third space. According to this approach meaning is the result of the interplay of prior experience and current experience, which are both socio-cultural in nature. Prior experience is encapsulated in the meaning values of lexical items that make up the utterances used by the interlocutors, and current experience is represented in the actual situation context in which communication takes place, and which is interpreted (often differently) by the interlocutors. Meaning formally expressed in the linguistic interactional context is created on-the-spot, and is the result of the interaction and mutual influence of the private contexts represented in the language of the interlocutors and the actual situational context interpreted by the interlocutors. In speech communication people attempt to fit their language to a situational context that their language, in turn, helped to create in the first place. This reciprocity means that language both creates context and is created by it (cf. Goodwin and Duranti, 1992; Gee, 1999). The dynamic model of meaning (DMM) is put forward as an attempt to give equal importance to message and actual situational context in meaning construction as described above, and blend the external and internal approaches to context. The model considers the communicative process as a structured whole, as something viewed from different perspectives. It applies Sciabarra's understanding of dialectics to context according to which dialectics is “the ‘art of context-keeping,’ because it counsels us to grasp the full context of any object through techniques of abstraction and integration. By examining an object from different vantage points and on different levels of generality, we achieve a more comprehensive grasp of its antecedent conditions, interrelationships, and tendencies ( Sciabarra, 2002:381 )”. The paper starts with a brief introduction to the cognitive approach followed by a discussion of different ways of understanding context. Then the DMM is presented, and it is demonstrated how the model can be used to explain the dialectics of context, word meaning, and utterance meaning. The paper ends with a section that discusses how the application of the DMM may affect our understanding of some major issues in pragmatics.
From CSD to headache: a long and winding road.

Migraine sufferers experience pounding headaches, which sometimes are preceded by a visual aura. Now Bolay et al. show that cortical-spreading depression, the cause of the aura, activates trigeminal afferents, which act to cause inflammation of the pain-sensitive meninges, generating the headache. ( pages 136–142 )
Surface Sulfur Detection via Remote Sensing and Onboard Classification

Orbital remote sensing provides a powerful way to efficiently survey targets such as the Earth and other planets and moons for features of interest. One such feature of astrobiological relevance is the presence of surface sulfur deposits. These deposits have been observed to be associated with microbial activity at the Borup Fiord glacial springs in Canada, a location that may provide an analogue to other icy environments such as Europa.This article evaluates automated classifiers for detecting sulfur in remote sensing observations by the hyperion spectrometer on the EO-1 spacecraft. We determined that a data-driven machine learning solution was needed because the sulfur could not be detected by simply matching observations to sulfur lab spectra. We also evaluated several methods (manual and automated) for identifying the most relevant attributes (spectral wavelengths) needed for successful sulfur detection. Our findings include (1) the Borup Fiord sulfur deposits were best modeled as containing two sub-populations: sulfur on ice and sulfur on rock; (2) as expected, classifiers using Gaussian kernels outperformed those based on linear kernels, and should be adopted when onboard computational constraints permit; and (3) Recursive Feature Elimination selected sensible and effective features for use in the computationally constrained environment onboard EO-1. This study helped guide the selection of algorithm parameters and configuration for the classification system currently operational on EO-1. Finally, we discuss implications for a similar onboard classification system for a future Europa orbiter.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen in the Staging and Follow-up of Patients with Colorectal Cancer

CEA is a complex glycoprotein produced by 90% of colorectal cancers and contributes to the malignant characteristics of a tumor. It can be measured in serum quantitatively, and its level in plasma can be useful as a marker of disease. Because of its lack of sensitivity in the early stages of colorectal cancer, CEA measurement is an unsuitable modality for population screening. An elevated preoperative CEA is a poor prognostic sign and correlates with reduced overall survival after surgical resection of colorectal carcinoma. A failure of the CEA to return to normal levels after surgical resection is indicative of inadequate resection of occult systemic disease. Frequent monitoring of CEA postoperatively may allow identification of patients with metastatic disease for whom surgical resection or other localized therapy might be potentially beneficial. To identify this group, serial CEA measurement appears to be more effective than clinical evaluation or any other diagnostic modality, although its sensitivity for detecting recurrent disease is not as high for locoregional or pulmonary metastases as it is for liver metastases. Several studies have shown that a small percentage of patients followed postoperatively with CEA monitoring and who undergo CEA-directed salvage surgery for metastatic disease will be alive and disease-free 5 years after surgery. Furthermore, CEA levels after salvage surgery do appear to predict survival in patients undergoing resection of liver or pulmonary metastases. However, several authors argue that CEA surveillance is not cost-effective in terms of lives saved. In support of this argument, there is no clear difference in survival after resection of metastatic disease with curative intent between patients in whom the second-look surgery was performed on the basis of elevated CEA levels and those with other laboratory or imaging abnormalities. There is also no clear consensus on the frequency or duration of CEA monitoring, although the ASCO guidelines currently recommend every 2-3 months for at least 2 years after diagnosis. In the follow-up of patients undergoing palliative therapy, the CEA level correlates well with response, and CEA is indicative of not only response but may also identify patients with stable disease for whom there is also a demonstrated benefit in survival and symptom relief with combination chemotherapy. More recently, scintigraphic imaging after administration of radiolabeled antibodies afforded an important radionuclide technique that adds clinically significant information in assessing the extent and location of disease in patients with colorectal cancer above and beyond or complementary to conventional imaging modalities. Immunotherapy based on CEA is a rapidly advancing area of clinical research demonstrating antibody and T-cell responses.
Plant Development, Water Relations, and Carbon Allocation of Heart-Podded Hoary Cress

Attempts to control the noxious weed heart-podded hoary cress [Cardaria draba (L.) Desv.] in the Pacific Northwest have been relatively ineffective, and this species has expanded its distribution from irrigated hayland onto adjacent semiarid rangelands. The objective of this study was to define the seasonal pattern of development and biological activity of heart-podded hoary cress growing on semiarid rangeland. The study was conducted in the field over a 2-yr period on a terrace site that has deep Cumulic Haploxeroll soil and an adjacent upland site that has a shallow Lithic Argixeroll soil. Soil water content, phenology, xylem pressure potential and leaf conductance were measured at both sites. Aboveand belowground biomass and spring C allocation pattern, determined by labeling plants with 13 C, were measured at the terrace location [...]
Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacterial Chronic Sinusitis

Recent reports describe the emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in acute sinusitis and an increased incidence of enteric gram negative bacilli in chronic sinusitis. The objective of this ...
Passively damped structural composite materials using resistively shunted piezoceramic fibers

The development of damped structural materials is an area of current research with potential for high rewards. Resistively shunted piezoceramic fibers used as reinforcement in a structural composite mate-rial offer the potential to significantly increase vibration damping capability. Available data indicate the predictable nature of this electroelastic damping mechanism, an important concern in design. This arti-cle addresses the current status of an effort to develop damped composites using resistively shunted pie-zoceramic fibers, including modeling aspects, performance limits, design guidelines, and fabrication issues. Initial design guidelines take the form of a modified modal strain energy method. With longitudi-nally poled fibers, peak damping loss factors of 12% are attainable in principle, even at relatively low (30%) piezoceramic fiber volume fractions. Some 30-μm diameter piezoelectric fibers have been pro-duced using a solgel method, and details of poling and shunting are under investigation.
Appraising Emotion Work: Determining Whether Emotional Labor Is Valued in Government Jobs

In an era when greater responsiveness is required of government workers, the authors test whether there is a blind spot in employee performance appraisals that prevents rewarding the most effective workers. Emotional labor?work that is relational and involves the manipulation and expression of emotions?is labor intensive and is required of many public service workers if they are to perform their jobs well. The authors hypothesize that rationality, or "left brain" work, remains privileged whereas relational work remains marginalized and unrewarded. To investigate whether there is a disconnect between the required performance of emotional labor and annual appraisals that acknowledge its performance, the authors review appraisal instruments used by public agencies in Illinois. Results confirm that 86% of the instruments identify the performance of emotion work at only a perfunctory level or lower. The lack of acknowledgement renders such labor invisible and contributes to depressed wages of those whose jobs require it.
The Propaganda Society: Promotional Culture and Politics in Global Context, edited by Gerald Sussman. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, 2011. 332 pp. $139.95, ISBN 978-1433109973 hardcover. $35.17, ISBN 978-1433109966 paperback.

The Propaganda Society opens with an introduction written by the book's editor, Gerald Sussman. Chapters in the edited volume, which is part of Peter Lang Publishing's “Frontiers in Political Commu...
The potential for bioresorbable implants in paediatric fractures.

Fractures in childhood are increasingly being treated by operative intervention. The reasons for this are the availability of suitable, child-specific implants, treatment approaches adapted to children's needs, and economic. Since fractures in children heal extremely quickly, the material-specific demands on the implant play a subordinate role. This may mean that resorbable implants (the strength of which is know to be much lower than for metal implants) would be especially suitable for application in the treatment of paediatric patients [1]. However, there are two major problems to be addressed. Firstly, operative treatment in children is generally performed in a closed and indirect procedure and, secondly, the implants are sometimes used as instruments (drilling, reduction, etc.), a need which cannot yet be met by resorbable implants. This article can only outline the situation in an emerging field, based on the author's experience and can draw attention to the need to research and develop resorbable implants for application in paediatric traumatology, paediatric orthopaedics, and paediatric surgery, especially because of their potential with regard to the biological properties of the juvenile skeleton as mentioned above.
Biodenitrification of uranium refinery wastewaters

Design verification studies and process development work were conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in support of the new fluidized-bed biodenitrification system under construction at the Feed Materials Production Center (FMPC) in Fernald, Ohio. Two bioreactors in series, each 6-m tall, and one 12-m-tall bioreactor were operated for approximately 9 months using synthetic and actual wastewaters from the FMPC. The results indicate that satisfactory reaction rates can be achieved and maintained; however, some degree of water softening, pH adjustment within the bioreactors, and temperature control may be necessary.
Acoustic tracking of adult white grunt, Haemulon plumieri, in Puerto Rico and Florida

Abstract Fourteen adult white grunt, Haemulon plumieri, were intermittently tracked, principally around dusk and dawn, using acoustic telemetry. Nine fish were tracked on coral reef habitats off La Parguera, Puerto Rico, April–May 1989. Combined distances traversed and acoustic contact time for all nine were 3.6 km and 117.5 h, respectively. Total contact times ranged from 8–20 h per individual; two fish exhibited behaviours considered to be dusk/dawn migrations in three episodes for distances of 100–530 m; two episodes were probably associated with nocturnal foraging. One fish transferred 1 km from one reef to another and did not return across deep water to its home reef. Five fish were tracked on patch reef habitats surrounded by seagrass meadows in the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary, Florida, May–June 1990. Combined distances and contact time were 2.8 km and 71.5 h, respectively. Total contact times ranged from 6.5 to 17.5 h per individual; three fish exhibited behaviours considered to be dusk/dawn migrations in seven episodes for distances of 130–560 m; five of these episodes were probably related to nocturnal foraging and two were between patch reefs. One individual displaced to seagrass meadow 290 m from its daytime resting patch reef, ‘homed’ directly back to its capture site within 30 min of release. In Puerto Rico and Florida the majority of contacts were categorized as sedentary or roaming, the latter being meandering movements usually within 100 m of the animal's apparent home within each reef complex. Movements of adult white grunt differed from published accounts of juveniles with respect to timing and frequency; off-reef migrations were initiated at irregular times and did not occur as regularly as those in younger fish, yet the essential character of nocturnal or crepuscular migration was maintained, suggesting that a significant behavioural change takes place with increasing size or maturity. The scales and swimming speeds of nocturnal foraging migrations were of the same orders of magnitude as in juveniles. Implications for fishery stock assessments are discussed.
Evidence for Consciousness-Related Anomalies in Random Physical Systems

Speculations about the role of consciousness in physical systems are frequently observed in the literature concerned with the interpretation of quantum mechanics. While only three experimental investigations can be found on this topic in physics journals, more than 800 relevant experiments have been reported in the literature of parapsychology. A well-defined body of empirical evidence from this domain was reviewed using meta-analytic techniques to assess methodological quality and overall effect size. Results showed effects conforming to chance expectation in control conditions and unequivocal non-chance effects in experimental conditions. This quantitative literature review agrees with the findings of two earlier reviews, suggesting the existence of some form of consciousness-related anomaly in random physical systems.
DETECTION THEORY AND MEMORY PROCESSES: ARE THEY COMPATIBLE?

Summary.-Recent retention research has applied the concepts of the Tanner and Swets signal detection model to recognition and recall measures. While the literature is not extensive, the evidence tentatively suggests that d' and criterion changes are potentially useful descriptive constructs. Several methodological problems were noted in the literature reviewed. Specifically, comparative analyses of the data are difficult since different detection procedures were employed to estimate d' and criterion changes as a function of the same retention variables. In addition, an empirical relationship needs ro be established between memory system output (e.g., response strength, familiarity, etc.) and the rating scale values which are fundamental to a retention detection analysis. Finally, a clear framework is needed for d' and criterion changes in memory. Recent retention research has employed the general constructs of the signal detection model of Tanner and Swets (1954). While the literature is not extensive, the implication of these studies is that changes in the trace strength of an item and in subject's response criterion (or biases) affect response probability. As a result, the rather traditional views of response competition and trace decay can in principle be clarified using signal detection methods. Because of the potential impact that detection concepts may have on retention theory, an examination of the current evidence is needed. The purpose of this paper is to look critically at representative studies employing the detection model and to assess whether sufficient logical and empirical evidence exists to justfiy its use in an analysis of memory processes. First, however, in order to enhance further discussion, a brief description of the model's construcrs will be presented from both a psychophysical and retention viewpoint. Basic Signal Detection Concepts.-Signal detection theory was developed in psychophysical research and postulates that both a sensory system and a decision process are involved in subject's making a response. A typical experiment involves two classes of stimuli (e.g., a tone which may be present or absent on a given trial) which have fixed a priori probabilities of occurrence over trials. The subject's task is to decide which stimulus event occurred. For example, a "signal" or "no signal" may have appeared on a particular trial and the subject must respond either "yes" or "no." The 2 X 2 matrix which follows from this description along with the names given to each stimulus response contingency appear in Table 1. 'This paper is based in part on a literature review for the author's doctoral dissertarion. 'Now with Militam Assistance Command. Vietnam. Mailing address: 231 Race Street. Pittsburgh, ~ennsyliania 15218.
The source and specificity of trail pheromones in Termitopone, Monomorium and Huberia, and their relation to those of some other ants

SYNOPSIS The sources and specificity of the odour trail pheromones in the ponerine Termitopone laevigata, three species of Monomorium, and Huberia striata, have been determined. The lack of specificity of trail pheromones produced in the poison gland is discussed in terms of trace constituents which are common to myrmicine venoms. The chemistry of the poison gland secretions produced by the major formicid subfamilies is discussed.
Study structure of first and second row transition metal sulfides using SCF-SW-Xα cluster calculations

Abstract Energy levels and charge distributions for MS 6 − clusters M = TiNi and ZrPd) have been calculated using the SCF-SW-Xα method. Calculated binding energies for the clusters are compared with corresponding features in the XPS spectra of the metal sulfides. Trends in the energy levels and charge distributions indicate that the bonding in the second row transition metal sulfides is more covalent than in the first row sulfides. This results largely from the increased metal-sulfur d-pπ interactions which occur for the second row transition metals. Trends in the bonding in the metal sulfides are discussed in light of the activity of these materials as hydrodesulfurization catalysts.
Designing Wonder: Complexity Made Simple or the Wii-Mote’s Galilean Edge

This article considers the Nintendo Wii console’s negotiation of tensions accruing in contemporary developments around “nice work,” “affective labor,” and “hyperindustrialism.” Learning and play have long been considered to “begin in wonder.” Observing that appliances made for us to “enjoy labor,” as one adversary in a recent Nintendo Wii title puts it, have a history, I show that hyperindustrial recreational appliances like the Wii design wonder for learning and play by deploying gestural-technical stylistics first prototyped in human-computer interaction design research. I apply ten stylistics of gestural interaction design to the Wii in order to articulate its differences from other interactive educational, recreational, and health devices. I conclude that the Wii increases bandwidth for player action with two distinct effects. First, it orients “wonder” as gestural-technical conduct, making an ethical claim to differentiate contemporary play and work, while, second, projecting an unprogrammed “signatu...