cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU‐E‐J‐176: Clinical Evaluations of a Novel Metal Artifact Reduction Technique for Treatment Planning in Radiation Therapy

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of a CT on‐board commercially available metal artifact reduction (MAR) algorithm for the use in radiation therapytreatment planning.Methods: Phantom and clinical data were used for evaluation. A CIRS electron density phantom (Model 062) was scanned with Philips Brilliance BigBore 16‐slice CT simulator to establish ground truth for CT Hounsfield numbers. Titanium hip prostheses were subsequently inserted into the phantom to mimic single or double hip implants. The phantom were scanned, CTimages were reconstructed with and without MAR correction. Dose distributions for a 6X or an 18X beam were calculated using the three datasets and compared. CT Hounsfield number and variations were evaluated on both MAR‐corrected and uncorrected images of ten clinical cases with hip implants. Dose distributions for three patients based on MAR‐corrected images were compared to those of the uncorrected datasets with artifact regions density‐overridden to 1.0g/cc. Results: Metal artifacts were reduced dramatically on MAR corrected images for all phantom and patient cases. The phantom study indicated a remarkable improvement of Hounsfield number accuracy with maximum percentage difference reduction of 45% compared to the ground truth. CT number standard variations of the critical organs for the clinical cases were reduced from 30% to 66.7%. The image geometries were not affected by the MAR algorithm. Both critical structures and targets on clinical cases went from invisible to clearly visible. For all examined phantom and clinical cases, dosimetry difference was within 3% (mostly within 1% of the target volume) of the prescription dose and was not clinical significant for dose calculations based on different image datasets. Conclusions: The MAR algorithm can be safely utilized in the radiation therapytreatment planning process with remarkable improvements in CT number accuracy and structure conspicuity. Dosimetry is not highly dependent on the datasets utilized for dose calculations.
Earmarking lottery proceeds for public goods: Empirical evidence from U.S. lotto expenditures ☆

This study examines motives for lottery play using a state-level panel of lottery expenditures. We find that expenditures per capita are greater in states that earmark proceeds for public goods. Further, we find that casino gambling only impacts lotto play in general fund states.
Morphological side effects of using gibberellic acid to induce germination: consequences for the study of seed dormancy

To assess the evolutionary significance of persistent seed banks, phenotypes of naturally germinating seeds must be compared with those that remain dormant under the same environmental conditions. Dormant seeds can often be induced to germinate by application of gibberellic acid (GA). However, this method is valid only if there are no phenotypic "side effects" of GA that could confound comparisons between dormant and naturally germinating seeds. We examined this assumption in Lesquerella fendleri, a short-lived perennial mustard of the desert Southwest. We exposed 3840 seeds from 16 maternal sibships to two different GA treatments (0 or 1 g/L GA) in two different germination environments (greenhouse and growth chamber), and measured germination and postgermination traits. As expected, application of GA increased germination. GA also had strong and long-lasting effects on seedling morphology. Seeds that received GA developed into seedlings that were taller, with fewer but longer leaves, than seeds that did not receive GA. Effects of GA on both dormancy and postgermination traits varied among maternal sibships. Our results indicate that for this species and this concentration of GA, morphological effects can be substantial. Further study is required to determine whether such side effects are found for lower concentrations of GA, or under conditions that encourage faster seedling growth. Nonetheless, the present results illustrate the importance of testing potential confounding effects of GA in studies of the evolution of seed dormancy and its influence on postgermination traits.
External ventricular drains: is there a time limit in children?

The time limit for the use of external ventricular drains (EVDs) has always been controversial. The purpose of this study is to find out if there is a time limit with regard to infection of EVDs and their duration of use in children. The records of 28 patients who had a total of 46 EVDs over a 4-year period at the Regional Paediatric Neurosurgical Centre at the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital, Alder Hey, Liverpool, UK, were retrieved. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white cell counts, CSF Gram stains and the CSF culture results were analysed. There is no time limit for EVDs in children. They can be left as long as clinically indicated provided strict protocols are followed in the handling of the set.
Capture and 3D culture of colonic crypts and colonoids in a microarray platform

Crypts are the basic structural and functional units of colonic epithelium and can be isolated from the colon and cultured in vitro into multi-cell spheroids termed “colonoids”. Both crypts and colonoids are ideal building blocks for construction of an in vitro tissue model of the colon. Here we proposed and tested a microengineered platform for capture and in vitro 3D culture of colonic crypts and colonoids. An integrated platform was fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane which contained two fluidic layers separated by an array of cylindrical microwells (150 μm diameter, 150 μm depth) with perforated bottoms (30 μm opening, 10 μm depth) termed “microstrainers”. As fluid moved through the array, crypts or colonoids were retained in the microstrainers with a >90% array-filling efficiency. Matrigel as an extracellular matrix was then applied to the microstrainers to generate isolated Matrigel pockets encapsulating the crypts or colonoids. After supplying the essential growth factors, epidermal growth factor, Wnt-3A, R-spondin 2 and noggin, 63 ± 13% of the crypts and 77 ± 8% of the colonoids cultured in the microstrainers over a 48–72 h period formed viable 3D colonoids. Thus colonoid growth on the array was similar to that under standard culture conditions (78 ± 5%). Additionally the colonoids displayed the same morphology and similar numbers of stem and progenitor cells as those under standard culture conditions. Immunofluorescence staining confirmed that the differentiated cell-types of the colon, goblet cells, enteroendocrine cells and absorptive enterocytes, formed on the array. To demonstrating the utility of the array in tracking the colonoid fate, quantitative fluorescence analysis was performed on the arrayed colonoids exposed to reagents such as Wnt-3A and the γ-secretase inhibitor LY-411575. The successful formation of viable, multi-cell type colonic tissue on the microengineered platform represents a first step in the building of a “colon-on-a-chip” with the goal of producing the physiologic structure and organ-level function of the colon for controlled experiments.
Intramedullary spinal cord lipomas.

✓ Spinal cord lipomas are rare lesions, accounting for approximately 1% of all spinal cord tumors. True intramedullary spinal cord lipomas are extremely rare and are represented in the literature as scattered, single case reports. The authors present a series of six patients with intramedullary spinal cord lipomas managed at our institution from July, 1985 to July, 1993. The patients' ages ranged from 8 to 45 years. Four patients presented with newly diagnosed tumors and two had undergone previous surgery. Patients usually presented with long histories of disability followed by rapid progression of their symptoms. Most patients were in poor neurological condition on presentation. Presenting symptoms included spinal pain, dysesthetic sensory changes, gait difficulties, weakness, and incontinence. Three patients had cervical tumors, two had cervicothoracic tumors, and one patient had a thoracic tumor. Diagnostic studies, including magnetic resonance imaging, were obtained in all patients. No patient exhibit...
Synthesis and In Vitro Characterization of Novel Dextran- Methylprednisolone Conjugates with Peptide Linkers: Effects of Linker Length on Hydrolytic and Enzymatic Release of Methylprednisolone and Its Peptidyl Intermediates

To control the rate of release of methylprednisolone (MP) in lysosomes, new dextran-MP conjugates with peptide linkers were synthesized and characterized. Methylprednisolone succinate (MPS) was attached to dextran 25 kDa using linkers with 1–5 Gly residues. The release characteristics of the conjugates in pH 4.0 and 7.4 buffers, blood, liver lysosomes, and various lysosomal proteinases were determined using a size-exclusion and/or a newly-developed reversed-phase HPLC method capable of simultaneous quantitation of MP, MPS, and all five possible MPS-peptidyl intermediates. We synthesized conjugates with ≥ 90% purity and 6.9–9.5% (w/w) degree of MP substitution. The conjugates were stable at pH 4.0, but released MP and intact MPS-peptidyl intermediates in the pH 7.4 buffer and rat blood, with faster degradation rates for longer linkers. Rat lysosomal fractions degraded the conjugates to MP and all the possible intermediates also at a rate directly proportional to the length of the peptide. Whereas the degradation of the conjugates by cysteine peptidases (papain or cathepsin B) was relatively substantial, no degradation was observed in the presence of aspartic (cathepsin D) or serine (trypsin) proteinases, which do not cleave peptide bonds with Gly. These newly-developed dextran conjugates of MP show promise for controlled delivery of MP in lysosomes.
Mice Reared with Rats: Effects of Mother on Adult Behavior Patterns

Litters of four male and two female mice were fostered, at four days of age, to lactating rat mothers whose own litters (two to six days of age) were removed at the time of fostering. Control mouse litters (four males, two females) remained with their natural mothers. Rat-reared mice had a higher mortality rate between birth and weaning but the survivors weighed more at weaning than did mouse-reared mice. Rat-reared mice were less active in an open field on the first day of testing and were less aggressive than mice reared by mouse mothers. The data definitely implicate the mother as a critical determiner of adult behavioral patterns.
Rhabdomyolysis in a patient receiving ranolazine and simvastatin

Purpose A case of rhabdomyolysis occurring shortly after the addition of ranolazine to a stable simvastatin regimen is reported. Summary A 63-year-old Caucasian man with a history of hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease arrived at an urgent care center with complaints of worsening bilateral lower-extremity weakness over three days. He was admitted to a hospital within 24 hours. His other underlying medical conditions included congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, degenerative joint disease, and a history of stroke. Oral medications at the time of admission included furosemide 40 mg daily, clopidogrel 75 mg daily, hydralazine 50 mg three times daily, metoprolol 50 mg twice daily, isosorbide mononitrate 120 mg daily, omeprazole 20 mg daily, nitroglycerin tablets as needed for chest pain, simvastatin 80 mg daily, and the recent addition of ranolazine 500 mg daily. Laboratory tests revealed that the patient’s serum creatinine (SCr) concentration was 3.9 mg/dL and his creatine kinase (CK) concentration was 31,989 units/L. Ranolazine and simvastatin were discontinued, and metoprolol, hydralazine, isosorbide mono-nitrate, and furosemide were continued via nasogastric tube, along with amlodipine 10 mg daily and omeprazole 40 mg daily. The patient’s serum CK concentration remained above 10,400 units/L for four days. By day 7 of hospitalization, the patient’s serum CK concentration was 715 units/L, and it was almost undetectable by hospital day 18 (24 units/L). The patient’s SCr concentration remained at his baseline value of 2.2 mg/dL. Conclusion A 63-year-old man with a history of chronic renal impairment on a stable dosage of simvastatin developed rhabdomyolysis after the addition of ranolazine to his medication regimen.
Unbiased Componentwise Ratio Estimation

Abstract If the variates x and y are linearly related by a regression through the origin and if the population mean for the variate x is known, then a ratio estimator such as is generally more efficient than the sample mean as an estimator of the population mean . The efficiency of ratio type estimation can sometimes be improved if the correlated variates x and y can be expressed as the sum of k corresponding components, x = x 1 + ··· + x k and y = y 1 + ··· + y k . When the individual components x 1 and y i are more highly correlated than x and y, a componentwise ratio estimator such as is generally more efficient than . This increased efficiency is retained when such estimators are adjusted to eliminate bias.
The temporal effect with notched-noise maskers: Analysis in terms of input–output functions

This study examines whether a temporal masking effect may be consistent with a decrease in gain at the masker frequency during the course of the masker. Threshold level of a long-duration notched-noise masker needed to mask a 1- or 4-kHz signal was measured for three conditions: a short-duration signal with a short delay or a long delay from masker onset, and a long-duration signal. The difference between threshold for the long-delay signal and the short-delay signal was defined as the temporal effect. The size of the temporal effect depended on signal frequency, signal level, and masker notch width. Filters estimated from the data had narrower bandwidths for the long-delay condition than for the short-delay condition or the long-duration condition, which seems inconsistent with the hypothesis of a decrease in gain. However, modeling of the data in terms of basilar-membrane input-output functions is consistent with a decrease in gain in the masker frequency region during the course of the masker. For a notch width of 0.0 the results are consistent with a decrease in gain at the signal frequency. For a relative notch width of 0.4, the decrease in gain at the masker frequency may cause a decrease in the suppression of the signal. This decrease in suppression could explain the decrease in filter bandwidth with signal delay.
Temporal and environmental influences on the variation in Atlantic salmon smolt migration in the Burrishoole system 1970-2000

The relationships between a number of environmental variables and the number of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts migrating in the Burrishoole system, western Ireland, were examined over a 30 year period from 1970 to 2000. The number of Atlantic salmon smolts recorded migrating downstream decreased significantly from an annual mean of 11 579 in the 1970s to a mean of 6272 in the 1990s. The primary factor in the decline in Atlantic salmon numbers was a consistent decline in the number of returning adults from the 1970s until the mid 1990s. Timing of the smolt migrations (runs) was consistent throughout the three decades. The mean durations of the smolt runs were 102.1, 92.6 and 103.2 days for the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s respectively. Mean surface water temperatures at key points in the smolt run for the three decades were also similar. Mean water temperature values were 5.4. 5.1 and 5.3° C at the start of the smolt runs and 15.2, 14.9 and 15.3° C at the end of the smolt runs in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s respectively. Multivariate analysis identified two groups of environmental variables which had a significant influence on the daily smolt catch. One group of variables dominated by photoperiod and temperature operated prior to the smolt run and was considered to regulate the development of smoltification. The second group of variables dominated by total light and water level operated within the smolt run and was considered to control daily smolt migration.
There Is Life After College: Learning Must Go On

You’ve likely experienced a number of similar emotions—from excitement and relief to uncertainty and terror—at the prospect of entering the real world. Granted, we all feel a little burned out when we are ready to leave school and apply what we have learned to meet real-world problems. The thought of taking another course or learning another methodology is probably the furthest from one’s mind when on the verge of graduation. Studying engineering can sometimes make one feel confined to the formalisms of academic life, and there is nothing wrong with that feeling from time to time. After all, a college education is meant to discipline our thinking, to teach us how to learn, and to prepare us for further learning. Highereducation institutions and their faculty Although more than 40 years ago, I vividly remember entering the classroom to take my last final before graduating from college. I was happy it would be my last exam and nobody would test my knowledge again. No more sleepless nights to complete term projects, no more homework or studying for exams. Now with good academic credentials, I was almost certain I was armed with all the fundamental knowledge and current with the most recent technological advancements I would need to solve every engineering problem I would face in the “real world.” Was I wrong? You bet I was. There Is Life After College: Learning Must Go On
Positive Affect Facilitates Integration of Information and Decreases Anchoring in Reasoning among Physicians

The present study investigated the influence of positive affect on clinical reasoning among practicing physicians using a simulated patient protocol. Forty-four internists were randomized to one of three groups; a control group, an affect-induction group, in which they received a small package of candy, or a group that was asked to read humanistic statements regarding the practice of medicine. Physicians “thought aloud” while they solved a case of a patient with liver disease. Two raters reviewed the transcripts to determine how soon the liver disease domain was considered, or at what point it was established, and the degree of anchoring displayed (distortion or inflexibility in thinking). The Affect group initially considered the diagnosis of liver disease significantly earlier in the protocol (20 vs 39%, or 19% earlier; 95% confidence interval; 6 to 32%,p= .008) and showed significantly less anchoring than did controls (means of 1.5 vs 3.9, or a difference of 2.4 in a scale of 1 to 10; 95% confidence interval; 0.3 to 4.5,p= .031). The Affect and Control groups established the diagnosis at similar points in the protocol. Ancillary analyses examined questions relevant to the amounts of heuristic processing, premature closure, jumping to a diagnosis without sufficient evidence, or other evidence of superficial or flawed processing. No other differences were found. Physicians in whom positive affect had been induced integrated information earlier (considered liver) and demonstrated less anchoring, but did not show evidence of premature closure or other superficial processing.
First to the Party: The Group Origins of the Partisan Transformation on Civil Rights, 1940–1960

One of the most momentous shifts in twentieth-century party politics was the Democratic Party's embrace of civil rights. Recent scholarship finds that this realignment began as early as the 1940s and traces it to pressure groups, especially organized labor. But such scholarship does not explain why labor, which was traditionally hostile to African Americans, began to work with them. Nor does it ascribe agency to the efforts of African American pressure groups. Focusing on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), this article attempts to fill these gaps in the literature. It explains why civil rights and labor leaders reassessed their traditional animosities and began to work as allies in the Democratic Party. It further shows how pressure from the new black-blue alliance forced the national Democratic Party to stop straddling civil rights issues and to become instead the vehicle for promoting civil rights. NAACP and CIO leaders consciously sought to remake the Democratic Party by marginalizing conservative Southerners, and eventually succeeded.
Visual processing in the split-brain cat: analysis of the single-hemisphere deficit.

Abstract The self-sufficiency of the single hemisphere in the split-brain animal has been called into question in recent studies making direct comparisons of single- versus bihemispheric task mediation. Such comparisons seem to show that separation of the hemispheres reduces the cognitive capacity of the individual brain half significantly. When the brain is split with respect to the visual modality (as in the case of the subjects in this report) a sensory interpretation of unilateral behavioral loss offers itself, since sectioning the optic chiasm destroys crossed visual fibers, eliminating the temporal visual half-fields. Detailed analysis shows, however, that our subjects' unilateral performance is not consistent with a sensory interpretation of monocular loss. First, there is no unilateral loss preoperatively when vision is reduced 50% by eye occlusion; also there is no unilateral loss after optic chiasm section but before corpus callosum section; and finally, after both structures are sectioned there is a significant unilateral loss (as compared with binocular performance), but with asymptotic accuracy about the same for cue stimuli in nasal and temporal visual fields (i.e., for stimuli projecting to intact and denervated retina respectively). These data suggest, not a sensory loss, but the kind of single-hemisphere cognitive deficit obtained in studies in which task information (auditory or somesthetic cues) is experimentally confined to one brain half without any interference with receptor processes.
Fools Rush in? The Institutional Context of Industry Creation

Now organizations are always vulnerable to the liabilities of newness, but such pressures are especially severe when an industry is in its formative years. We focus on one set of constraints facing entrepreneurs in emerging industries-their relative lack of cognitive and sociopolitical legitimacy. We examine the strategies that founders can pursue, suggesting how their successful pursuit of legitimacy may evolve from innovative ventures to broader contexts, collectively reshaping industry and institutional environments.
Advances in critical buckling load assessment for tubulars inside wellbores

Abstract Prediction of drill strings buckling load has been a challenge to the drilling industry. This work attempts to review most of the research performed in the previous years. First analytical, numerical and experimental researches on buckling in different wellbore geometries such as vertical, inclined, curved and general real world cases are studied. Then effects of torque, boundary conditions, friction, flow rate, and tool joints on the sinusoidal and helical critical buckling loads are reviewed. A bibliography of 118 references is provided.
Cotton Subsurface Drip and Overhead Irrigation Efficiency, Maturity, Yield, and Quality

Subsurface drip (SSD) is used as a water-efficient alternative to overhead irrigation in many crops. This study compared soil water, water use, crop maturity, lint yield, and fiber quality of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) grown with SSD to cotton grown with overhead irrigation. Three experiments were conducted at two Georgia locations in 2004 and 2005. Treatments consisted of overhead irrigated, nonirrigated, SSD matched to overhead irrigation rates (SSD Matched), and SSD based on soil water (SSD Fed). Cotton maturity was affected by irrigation treatment as nonirrigated cotton matured earliest, whereas overhead irrigated cotton matured latest. Subsurface drip irrigated cotton produced similar or higher lint yields than overhead irrigated cotton. Subsurface drip provided adequate soil water and irrigation amounts were 4.4, 8.2, and 0.5 cm less than overhead irrigation at the three locations. Water use efficiency (WUE) of cotton SSD irrigated was 23 and 15% higher than overhead-irrigated cotton in two experiments. Irrigation method did not substantially affect fiber quality; however, micronaire was higher in cotton from the SSD Fed treatment than cotton in the Overhead treatment in two locations. We conclude that SSD irrigation provides the same positive effects as overhead irrigation in cotton production while reducing irrigation water use and may allow for improved irrigation efficiency.
Unscheduled Admissions and AMA Discharges from a Substance Abuse Unit

On the inpatient substance abuse service of the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Hospital, we found that patients who were admitted to the hospital “unscheduled” had a disproportionately higher...
High energy plasmas, general relativity and collective modes in the surroundings of black holes

The theoretical finding of composite disk structures around compact objects (e.g. black holes) and recent experimental observations indicate that highly coherent and dynamically important magnetic field configurations exist in the core of these plasma structures. Coherent configurations involving closed magnetic surfaces provide a means to resolve the 'accretion paradox' for a magnetized disk while the formation of jets emitted in the close vicinity of the compact object is related to these configurations. The absence of vigorous accretion activity in the presence of black holes in old galaxies can be attributed to the loss of the surrounding coherent magnetic configurations during their history. The relevant dynamics include axisymmetric (ballooning) modes as well as tridimensional spirals which can be excited from disks with a 'seed' magnetic field, under the effects of differential rotation and of the vertical plasma pressure gradient. The properties of these spirals are strongly dependent on their vertical structure. Axisymmetric modes can produce vertical flows of thermal energy and particles in opposing directions that can be connected to the winds emanating from disks in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). A similarity to the effects of temperature gradient driven modes in magnetically confined laboratory plasmas is pointed out. Spiral modes that are oscillatory in time and in the radial direction can produce transport of angular momentum toward the outer region of the disk structure, a necessary process for the occurrence of accretion. The excitation of radially localized density spirals co-rotating with the plasma, at a distance related to the Schwartzchild radius RS = 2GM*/c2, is proposed as the explanation for high frequency quasiperiodic oscillations (HFQPOs) of non-thermal x-ray emission from compact objects.
Heavy-section steel technology program: Intermediate-scale pressure vessel tests☆

Abstract Eight flawed 990-mm-OD, 152-mm-thick vessels of ASTM A508 class 2 forging steel or A533, grade B, class 1 steel plate have been pressurized hydraulically to burst or rupture. The rupture test of one vessel (V-7) was repeated pneumatically to study the effects of the sustained load thus attainable. Test temperatures ranged from 0 to 91°C so that transitional to upper shelf fracture toughness behavior was observed. Pretest predictions of failure pressure were based on tensile and toughness properties determined from Charpy-size to 102-mm-thick specimens representative of the test vessels. Linear elastic fracture mechanics based on strain and plastic instability analyses were generally adequate for determining the failure pressure, which ranged from 2.15 to 3.28 times design pressure.
WISE NMR Characterization of Nanoscale Heterogeneity and Mobility in Supercontracted Nephila clavipes Spider Dragline Silk

The addition of water to spider dragline silk results in fiber contraction to 50% its initial length and significant changes to the mechanical properties of the silk. This event has been termed supercontraction. A decrease in strength and increase in elasticity have been reported when the silk is in contact with water. Two-dimensional wide-line separation (WISE) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is implemented to correlate 13C chemical shifts with mobility by observing the corresponding 1H line widths and line shapes in water-saturated spider dragline silk. The WISE NMR spectrum of the native silk exhibits 1H line widths that are ∼40 kHz for all carbon environments characteristic of a rigid organic system. In contrast, the water-saturated case displays a component of the 1H line that is narrowed to ∼5 kHz for the glycine Cα and a newly resolved alanine helical environment while the alanine Cβ corresponding to the β-sheet conformation remains broad. These results indicate that water permeates the amorphous,...
A simulated passive intervertebral motion task: observations of performance in a cross-sectional study.

AbstractIntroduction: Passive motion palpation is an integral component in examination, diagnosis or classification, and treatment of persons with mechanical disorders of the cervical spine. If the magnitude of force application during passive movement assessment is associated with greater palpatory accuracy has not been established.Methods: This investigation used a novel mechanical model as a basis for assessing the palpatory force of students and clinicians. The model included multiple palpable resistance and displacement levels similar to that observed in humans. The ability of the subjects to discriminate the various levels of resistance and displacement offered by the model was concurrently measured.Results: Large variability occurred in the amount of force applied by the subjects in completing the palpatory examination. The data indicated no major differences in palpatory accuracy across the student and clinician groups with different training and experience levels beyond basic competency. Those su...
Stimuli response of cationic polymer brush prepared by ATRP: Application in peptide fractionation

Abstract Random cationic copolymer brushes composed of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and N -isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) were synthesized using the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. The effects of varying the monomer feed ratios (30:70 and 70:30 DMAEMA:NIPAAm) and polymerization times on the film height, morphology and stimuli response to pH of the brush were evaluated. While the polymerization time was found to have little influence on the properties of the brushes, the monomer feed ratios had a great impact. The 70% DMAEMA polymer brush had similar height as the 30% DMAEMA brush after 45 min; however, it had a greater response to pH and morphological change compared to the 30% DMAEMA. The 70% DMAEMA brush was used to demonstrate an efficient approach to alleviate the ion suppression effect in MALDI analysis of complex mixtures by effectively fractionating a binary mixture of peptides prior to MALDI-MS analysis.
Planning for Active Living: Should We Support a New Moral Environmentalism?

In recent years, planning and public health have rebuilt interdisciplinary linkages. Programs to promote physical activity and fight obesity by modifying the built environment are now emerging throughout the US and Europe. This article seeks to engage the planning profession in a collective reflection about the ethical meaning and implications of the ‘active living’ agenda. It builds on a historical comparison between the American 19th century sanitation movement and this new agenda. Striking similarities emerge. While they both represent genuine efforts to foster health-supportive environments, they also rely on similar and problematic environmental determinism and positive modernism assumptions, and imply moral and disciplinary control goals. It is argued that environmental and sustainability arguments are ethically superior and more compatible with the American planners' code of ethics than the public health rationale for planning for physically active lifestyles.
Toward the design of an intelligent DSS for forecasting

Abstract The emergence of decision support systems (DSS), artificial intelligence (AI), and microcomputers in the information systems arena provides managers with some new insights to the planning and control of a productive system. This paper illustrates how an intelligent microcomputer-based decision support system (MDSS) was developed to support demand forecasting.
Comparison of two independent cDNA clones reported to encode β1,4 galactosyltransferase

The identity of cDNA encoding β1,4 galactosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.38) has been controversial, since two independent and unrelated cDNAs have been cloned (GTcDNA-1 and -2), both of which are thought to encode β1,4 galactosyltransferase. We have resolved this issue by examining the expression of the corresponding mRNAs in tissues possessing varying levels of galactosyltransferase activity. The expression of GTcDNA-1 parallels the level of galactosyltransferase activity assayed enzymatically, while the expression of GTcDNA-2 is unrelated to the level of enzyme activity, being virtually undetectable in tissues with abundant galactosyltransferase activity. GTcDNA-2, therefore, does not likely encode β1,4 galactosyltransferase, but rather, encodes a product that indirectly influences enzyme activity following cellular transfection.
Acceleration of nucleophilic CH activation by strongly basic solvents.

(IPI)Ru(II)(OH)_n(H_2O)_m, 2, where IPI is the NNN-pincer ligand, 2,6-diimidizoylpyridine, is shown to catalyze H/D exchange between hydrocarbons and strongly basic solvents at higher rates than in the case of the solvent alone. Significantly, catalysis by 2 is accelerated rather than inhibited by increasing solvent basicity. The evidence is consistent with the reaction proceeding by base modulated nucleophilic CH activation.
Conversation: From Description to Pedagogy by THORNBURY, SCOTT, & DIANA SLADE.

The article reviews the book "Conversation: From Description to Pedagogy," by Scott Thornbury and Diana Slade.
Interaction between zinc and calcium in skeletal muscle in young growing rats

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether zinc and calcium could interact at the tissue level. In the first part of the study, adult rats were injected with ZnCl2 dissolved in a physiological saline solution to determine the effects of Zn on Ca levels in various tissues. In the second part of the study, weaned rats (at day 22 postnatally) were fed a diet supplemented with Zn until day 50 and were then sacrificed. In both instances, blood, brain, heart, liver, and skeletal muscle were taken and analyzed. In the Zn-injected group, the brain, heart, and liver showed no interaction between Zn and Ca. The skeletal muscle, in contrast, showed a decrease in Ca in the homogenate, whereas Zn contents showed a significant increase at the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Likewise, in the Zn-supplemented group, the Zn content of the SR vesicle of the skeletal muscle showed an increase, whereas Ca content of the pellet (14,000 g), which contains cell debris, nucleus, mitochondria, and SR vesicles of this group, showed a decrease. Current findings suggest antagonistic effects between Zn and Ca on this tissue. Zn may play a critical role in cellular function through the alteration of intracellular distribution of Ca in skeletal muscle.
The effects of radio-frequency lesions of the nucleus accumbens on d-amphetamine-induced locomotor and rearing behavior in rats.

A large body of evidence supports the conclusion that mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons, particularly those that innervate the nucleus accumbens (n. ACC), are important for the expression of amphetamine-stimulated locomotor behavior (ASLB). However, a contradictory report (Wirtshafter et al. 1978), stating that bilateral lesions of the n. ACC fail to block ASLB, was based on a general measure of activity that did not distinguish between locomotion and rearing. In the present study, observer ratings of videotaped responses were used to determine the separate effects of 2.0 mg/kg d-amphetamine (d-AMP) on locomotion and rearing in rats with either sham or radio-frequency lesions of the n. ACC. The n.ACC lesions blocked the locomotor stimulation, but not the increased rearing that follows d-AMP administration. These results support the general conclusion that dopaminergic terminals in the n. ACC are important for the expression of ASLB, and further suggest that d-AMP-stimulated locomotion and rearing are mediated through different neural substrates.
Separation of small molecules using novel rolltruded membranes. I. Apparatus and preliminary results

A novel membrane production technique, rolltrusion, has been developed for the preparation of permselective polymeric membranes for both gas and vapor separations and pervaporation applications. Pinhole-free thin films with a regulated three-dimensional morphology comprising crystalline and amorphous regions have been produced with improved mechanical properties in three dimensions. Because rolltrusion is a solid-state processing technique, it is not restricted by solubility constraints inherent in the common solvent-based thinfilm production techniques. Consequently it can be extended to include commercially available engineering plastics that have not been used as membranes previously because of their limited solvent solubility. These polymers are interesting because of their applicability to temperatures in excess of 200 to 300°C in harsh chemical environments, compared with the ca. 150°C ceiling usually encountered in the most rugged of solvent-cast polymers. In the first part of this series we detail an automated experimental permeation apparatus that permits testing of both single-component and multicomponent gases and vapors over a temperature range of −73 to 273°C. Currently, modifications to the permeation cell are underway to permit pervaporation studies in the apparatus. To illustrate the operation of the apparatus, and to some degree the effect of rolltrusion processing, experimental permeability, diffusivity, solubility, and actual gas separation factors (via gas chromatography) are detailed for several light gases in rolltruded isotactic poly(propylene) (iPP) and in the thermally and chemically resistant thermoplastic, poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK). Permeation temperatures to at least 225°C have been studied using PEEK, representing the first published experimental permeability and gas-separation results for such engineering polymers at temperatures above 200 °C. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The partial reinforcement acquisition effect in preweanling and juvenile rats

Evidence of the partial reinforcement acquisition effect (PRAE), faster running after partial reinforcement than after continuous reinforcement in the start and run segments coupled with slower running in the goal segment of a straight-alley runway, was obtained in preweanling (18-20 days of age) and young adult (52-54 days of age) rats. While present at both ages, the PRAE appears to increase with age. The results are discussed in relation to previous studies of this and other paradoxical reinforcement effects.
Decision making in mergers: An application of the analytic hierarchy process

A critical element in the success or failure of an acquisition outcome is the ability to identify compatible acquisitions. This study focuses on the operational problem of effectively ranking a set of potential acquisition candidates against a multivariate set of attributes. The paper illustrates the usefulness of the Analytic Hierarchy Process methodology in this regard. The model is fairly easy to use and is flexible enough to permit the decision maker to consider multiple viewpoints and multiple attributes that may be qualitative or quantitative in nature. The suitability of the model is illustrated by applying it to a hypothetical example.
Modeling of Gas-Liquid Flow in Pressure Swirl Atomizers

Pressure swirl or simplex atomizers are commonly used in a number of industrial applications for liquid atomization, including fuel injection systems for gas turbine engines, spray drying, and paint sprays. Computational modeling of the two-phase flow in the atomizer coupled with a non-linear analysis of instability of liquid sheet exiting from the atomizer has been carried out. The Volume-of-Fluid method is employed to determine the two-phase gas-liquid flow inside the atomizer. Results are validated using available experimental data for film thickness at exit, spray angle, and discharge coefficient. The predictions of breakup length using the non-linear model are compared with available experimental measurements which show excellent agreement. The effect of flow conditions and nozzle geometry on the flow field and sheet breakup are investigated. The coupled internal flow simulation and sheet instability analysis provides a comprehensive approach to modeling atomization from a pressure-swirl atomizer.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Industry growth accounts and production functions when techniques are idiosyncratic

Abstract The standard interpretations of sectoral level growth accounts and fitted production functions presume, explicitly or implicitly, that the industry or sector is the representative firm writ large, and that the sector is in moving competitive equilibrium. In fact it is well known that within an industry where technological advance is rapid, firms differ significantly and the situation is one of continuing disequilibrium. This paper provides an interpretation of growth accounts and fitted production functions that acknowledges firm diversity and disequilibrium.
A comparison study of biomedical short form definition detection algorithms

With more and more research dedicated to literature mining in the biomedical domain, more and more systems are available for people to choose from to build literature mining applications. In this study, we focus on one specific kind of task, i.e., detecting definitions of acronyms/abbreviations/symbols in biomedical text. The study was designed to answer the following questions; i) how well a system performs in detecting definitions when provided with a large set of documents recently published in the biomedical domain, ii) what the coverage is for various knowledge bases in including acronyms/abbreviations/symbols as synonyms of their definitions, and iii) how to combine results from various systems. We evaluated three publicly available systems, namely, ALICE (a handcrafted pattern/rule based system), a system by Chang et al. (a machine-learning system), and an algorithm by Schwartz and Hearst (a simple alignment-based program), in detecting definitions for acronyms/abbreviations/symbols as well as the conceptual coverage of existing thesauri, namely, the UMLS (the Unified Medical Language System) and the BioThesaurus (a thesaurus of names for all UniProt protein records). We found that all three systems agreed on a large portion of the results (over 94% of all definitions detected) mainly due to the fact that most acronyms/abbreviations/symbols were formed through various initializations from their definitions. The precisions and recalls of the three systems are comparable. However, based on manual investigation of the results, we found that most systems have some difficulty in detecting definitions for chemical/gene/protein symbols where ALICE has relatively better performance of chemical/gene/protein symbols comparing to the other two possibly due to fine tuning of the system for those symbols. We also found existing knowledge bases have a good coverage of definitions for those frequently defined acronyms/abbreviations/symbols. Potential combinations of the three systems were also discussed and implemented.
A social science review of evidence cited in litigation on corporal punishment in the schools 1

Abstract In the case of Ingraham vs. Wright, the United States Supreme Court ruled that school children do not have constitutional protection under the eighth amendment from the use of corporal punishment. The majority decision relies heavily on assumptions concerning the tradition and effectiveness of the use of corporal punishment in education. In an initial series of investigations, this article demonstrates the fallaciousness of the majority's assumptions. Corporal punishment is not “rarely abused”;. It does not serve “important educational interests”; and its elimination does not result in a lack of “responsibility and decorum.”; Other assumptions are discussed in this paper.
Conceptualization of a meaning-based research approach for tourism service experiences

Abstract The purpose of this article is to explain the meaning-based research approach to improve quality of tourism services. The article includes a discussion on tourism quality, information-processing approach (IPA), meaning-based approach (MBA) as an alternative to the IPA, and a case study to illustrate the MBA and strategies to improve service quality design. The MBA is based on an alternative set of assumptions about the tourist that enables managers and researchers to gather in-depth customers’ perceptions of the service environment and improve service quality design. According to the evidence gathered in the case study, the three narrative themes for the backpackers were social interaction with other backpackers including differences between solitary and travel partners, independence, and the symbols of a distinctive backpacker's accommodation. Various management strategies are suggested based on the three themes. Three limitations are noted for the MBA to improve service quality for tourism service experiences.
A theoretical estimation of viscous-interaction effects with a torsional (knife-edge) surface viscometer

Abstract An improved analysis of a typical “knife-edge” torsional viscometer is presented which estimates the additional torque due to the viscous interaction between the flowing monolayer and the substrate. Calculations based on this analysis indicate that surface viscosities reported from current torsional formulae—all of which assume that the film slips over the substrate—may be in serious error. Examples are also presented that illustrate how comparative torque measurements can lead to anomalous results when the effects of temperature on surface viscosity are being considered.
Global Ecosystems: Creating Options through Anthropological Perspectives, NAPA Bulletin 15

Global Ecosystems: Creating Options through Anthropological Perspectives, NAPA Bulletin 15. Pamela J. Puntenney. ed. Arlington, VA: American Anthropological Association, 1995. iv. 98 pp., notes, references, contributors.
Distributed policy specification and enforcement in service-oriented business systems

Service-oriented computing (SOC) and Web services (WS) provide a flexible computing platform for electronic business and commerce. Introducing policy-based computing to service-oriented business systems adds another dimension of flexibility and security. While service composition and re-composition in service-oriented business systems allow major system reconstruction, policy-based computing can better deal with the small and routine changes of business processing. This paper reports our latest research on integrating policy-based computing into service-oriented business system and discusses its feasibility, benefits and cost. Under this research, we designed a policy specification and enforcement language PSEL for specifying system constraints and business rules. We implemented a runtime environment in which a service-oriented business system can be modeled, analyzed, deployed, and executed with policy enforcement. Automated tools have been developed to facilitate the entire development process. The cost of policy-based computing is experimentally evaluated