cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Party Brands and Partisanship: Theory with Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Argentina

Scholars disagree about the nature of party attachments, viewing partisanship as either a social identity or a rational maximization of expected utility. Empirically, much of this debate centers on the degree of partisan stability: findings of partisan fluctuations are taken as evidence against the social-identity perspective. But drawing such conclusions assumes that the objects of identity—parties—are fixed. If we instead allow party brands to change over time, then partisan instability is consistent with a social-identity conception of partisanship. To demonstrate this, I develop a branding model of partisanship in which voters learn about party brands by observing party behavior over time and base their psychological attachment to a party on these brands. The model suggests that convergence by rival parties, making their brands less distinguishable, should weaken party attachments. I test this implication using a survey experiment in Argentina and find evidence consistent with the model.
How the study of regulation can inform the study of coping

It is advantageous to study regulation and coping and their development at multiple levels of expression and origin simultaneously. We discuss several topics of current interest in the emotion-related regulation literature that are relevant to coping, including conceptual issues related to definitions and types of coping, types of physiological responses deemed to tap emotion regulation that could be pursued in work on coping, and findings on the socialization of self-regulation that have implications for understanding the development of coping.
Immunotherapy decreases antigen-induced eosinophil cell migration into the nasal cavity☆☆☆

We investigated the effect of immunotherapy (IT) on eosinophil (EOS) migration into the nasal cavity after nasal provocation with ragweed antigen and during seasonal exposure. In the first study, three groups of subjects participated: one group with no treatment (N = 19), one group with 10 months of IT, reaching maintenance at 2 micrograms of Amb a I (antigen E) (N = 15), and one group with 22 months of IT, reaching maintenance at 24 micrograms of Amb a I (N = 10). The percent of EOSs in nasal lavages performed during December before and 24 hours after nasal challenge with ragweed extract was determined. No significant difference between groups existed before challenge. The no treatment group demonstrated a significant increase in the percent of EOSs from 26% to 69.5% (p less than 0.008), whereas the treated groups demonstrated no significant change. In the second study, 45 patients were divided into four groups based on maintenance dose in micrograms of Amb a I and duration of treatment: (1) no treatment (N = 15), (2) 1 year at 2 micrograms (N = 13), (3) 2 years at 2 micrograms (N = 11), and (4) 3 years at 24 micrograms (N = 9). Nasal mucosal brushings were done during the ragweed season. A significantly smaller percentage of EOSs in 3-year IT-treated individuals was obtained compared to the control group (18 versus 8.4; p less than 0.04). The smaller dose of IT, regardless of duration, did not reveal a reduction compared to that in the no-treatment group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Hard‐segment domain sizes in MDI/diol polyurethane elastomers

Methodes d'elargissement des raies RX aux grands angles pour determiner la taille des cristallites et le degre de distorsion des domaines rigides cristallins dans ces elastomeres
Improvements in two-dimensional gel electrophoresis by utilizing a low cost "in-house" neutral pH sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system.

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) is widely used for initial protein separation in proteomics. Commercial products using neutral pH sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis ((SDS-PAGE)/(Bis (2-hydroxyethyl) imino-tris (hydroxymethyl) methane-HCl, or Bis-Tris)) have greatly improved this technique, but cost and limited sizes restrict their applications. An in-house system is presented, resulting in better resolution, separation, and new spot visualization and improved resolution when compared to Tris-HCl gels. Their utility is demonstrated using albumin-depleted serum samples, rabbit heart left ventricle, and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1).
Scalable fine-grained call path tracing

Applications must scale well to make efficient use of even medium-scale parallel systems. Because scaling problems are often difficult to diagnose, there is a critical need for scalable tools that guide scientists to the root causes of performance bottlenecks.Although tracing is a powerful performance-analysis technique, tools that employ it can quickly become bottlenecks themselves. Moreover, to obtain actionable performance feedback for modular parallel software systems, it is often necessary to collect and present fine-grained context-sensitive data --- the very thing scalable tools avoid. While existing tracing tools can collect calling contexts, they do so only in a coarse-grained fashion; and no prior tool scalably presents both context- and time-sensitive data.This paper describes how to collect, analyze and present fine-grained call path traces for parallel programs. To scale our measurements, we use asynchronous sampling, whose granularity is controlled by a sampling frequency, and a compact representation.To present traces at multiple levels of abstraction and at arbitrary resolutions, we use sampling to render complementary slices of calling-context-sensitive trace data. Because our techniques are general, they can be used on applications that use different parallel programming models (MPI, OpenMP, PGAS). This work is implemented in HPCToolkit.
TSB: Trusted sensing base for the power grid

To protect large-scale power-grid critical infrastructures, efficient security and intrusion prevention techniques are required to prevent remote adversaries from attacking the computational and data resources. Traditionally, trusted computing base solutions, i.e., a small easy-to-verify software and/or hardware component, act as the trust root for the overall execution. In this paper, we present Trusted Sensing Base (TSB), a new data trust root solution for power grid infrastructures. In particular, TSB is attached to exact data acquisition points, where sensors obtain power measurements. TSB's main responsibility is to encrypt analog power current and voltage signals, and feed the sensors, such as phasor measurement units (PMUs), with encrypted signals. Therefore, the proposed TSB solution prevents remote adversarial parties from accessing or modifying the acquired data on a sensor without being detected even if they succeed in full system penetration and completely compromise of the sensor. We have implemented a complete hardware working prototype of TSB, and evaluated it on a real-world power grid testbed infrastructure. Our experimental results show that TSB significantly improves the power grid security with minimal deployment and performance overhead on the power grid operations.
The oncocytic variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid: A clinicopathologic study of 15 cases

The oncocytic variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid represents an unusual neoplasm whose clinicopathological features and biological behavior have not been thoroughly characterized. We studied 15 cases of thyroid tumors predominantly composed of oncocytic (oxyphilic) cells that were characterized by showing the classical nuclear features of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. Thirteen patients were women, and two were men; their ages ranged from 34 to 86 years. The tumors measured from 1 to 4 cm in diameter and were well circumscribed and confined to the thyroid gland in all cases except for one, in whom there was extrathyroidal local extension. Histologically, all tumors showed, at least focally, the formation of papillary structures; in 13 cases the papillary features were found to predominate or were admixed in equal proportion with a follicular pattern of growth, and in two the follicular growth pattern predominated and only abortive, small papillary structures could be found on extensive search. In all cases, the classical optically clear nuclei of papillary carcinoma were present throughout the lesions. Nuclear grooves and intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions were also a prominent and constant component of these lesions. In 13 cases, the tumors showed the features of Hashimoto's or lymphocytic thyroiditis in the surrounding, uninvolved thyroid parenchyma. Follow-up of 1.2 to 13 years (median, 4.5 years) showed the development of cervical lymph node metastases 9 months after surgery in one case; the remainder of patients were alive and free of disease. Oncocytic papillary carcinoma seems to represent a distinctive morphological variant of carcinoma of the thyroid that in our experience does not appear to behave more aggressively than conventional papillary carcinoma. The frequent association of these tumors with autoimmune thyroiditis raises the possibility that the oncocytic changes may be pathogenetically related with the latter process. These tumors should be distinguished from benign and malignant Hurthle cell tumors and other oncocytic thyroid neoplasms that may follow a different biological behavior.
Level sets and shape models for segmentation of cardiac perfusion MRI

Dynamic MRI perfusion studies have proven to be useful for detecting and characterizing myocardial ischemia. Accurate segmentation of the myocardium in the dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI images is an important step for estimation of regional perfusion. Although a great deal of research has been done for segmenting MRI scans of heart wall motion, relatively little work has been done to segment DCE MRI studies. We propose a new semi-automatic robust level set based segmentation technique that uses both spatial and temporal information. The evolution of level sets is based on a spectral speed function which is a function of the Mahalanobis distance between each pixel's time curve and the time curves of user-determined seed points in the myocardium. A curvature penalty term is included in the evolution of the contours to ensure smoothness of the evolving level sets. We also make use of shape information to constrain the evolution of the level sets. Shape models were created by using signed distance maps from manually segmented images and performing principal component analysis. Thus the algorithm has the qualities of evolving an active contour both locally, based on image values and curvature, and globally to a maximum a posteriori estimate of the left ventricle shape in order to segment the left ventricle myocardium from DCE cardiac MRI images. The algorithm was tested on 16 DCE MRI datasets and compared to manual segmentations. The results matched the manual segmentations.
Fast photoconductors for synchrotron radiation research

Abstract We report on measurements of the response of InP doped with Fe in the energy range 200 eV to 3 keV. The experiments were performed on the lithography beam line at SSRL. The detector had a response time (fwhm) of 180 ps and had an active area of 1 mm × 1 mm. An array of filters (carbon, magnesium and beryllium) was used to unfold the energy response of the detector. Direct measurements of the time structure of the ring bunches were limited by the bandwidth of the real time recording system (400 MHz), but individual ring pulses were easily recorded with a pulse amplitude of 65 mV for the unfiltered beam. With the ring operating in a four bunch mode, the variation of pulse height with ring bunch was also observed.
Structure Analysis of Ni-Silicides Formed in Lateral Diffusion Couples

The microstructures of the silicide Ni5Si2, which formed in self-supporting Ni-Si lateral-diffusion couples has been studied using high-resolution electron microscopy. Two different polymorphs (or polytypes) for Ni5Si2 have been observed. The actual composition of one polytype is confirmed to be Ni31Si12, while the other one has not yet been identified. Variations in the distribution of the two polytypes, as observed in the present study, may account for the composition range of Ni5Si2 in the Ni-Si phase diagram.
Extinction of Perched Faunas

Regression of epicontinental seas could cause extinction of benthic marine organisms simply by destruction of their habitat, but many widespread regressions have occurred without a concomitant event of extinction. Important events of extinction can be shown to correspond to relatively rapid regressions that occurred when epicontinental seas had previously attained large dimensions. Sustained transgression, such as is associated with the formation of a cratonic sequence, allows migration of marine organisms into widespread epicontinental seas, where they adapt and become stenotopic to variable degrees. Thus, these organisms compose perched faunas (new term) in the sense that their supporting environment is destined to disappear. Relatively rapid regressions that occur under these circumstances result in extinction. Relatively slow regressions, such as occur at the end of cratonic sequences, allow speciation and extinction to become diffuse and thus not recognizable as a distinct event.
Archiving metadata forum: Report from the Recordkeeping Metadata Working Meeting, June 2000

Between June 5–8, 2000, the Netherlands Institute for Archival Education and Research hosted and “Archiving Metadata Forum” Working Meeting. Nineteen information professionals from seven countries were invited by the Institute to discuss and analyze the concept on “recordkeeping metadata.” These professionals were drawn from the fields of archives and records management, including eight graduate archival educators, computer science, and librarianship (see Appendix). Over the days of the Working Meeting the participants conducted seven working sessions examining: the meaning and value of recordkeeping metadata; how to export these messages in a manner that resonates with other metadata communities; and, how to enter existing funding streams that do not normally support recordkeeping research efforts.
TDR Single Ended and Differential Measurement Methodology

As the frequency of the high speed interfaces in computer platforms and systems continue to ramp due to architectural advancement and strong market demands, electronic packages have been stretched to its limit to support these interfaces. Furthermore, due to increase in the complexities in the package, signal integrity, manufacturing concern and package size reduced, designers are facing a lot of signal quality issue caused by impedance mismatch. To ensure signal integrity, it is necessary to understand and control impedance in the transmission environment through which the signals travel. Mismatches and variations can cause reflections that decrease signal quality as a whole. TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) is the most common tools for verification and analysis of the transmission properties of high-speed systems and components. It is able to locate signal path discontinuities that cause reflections, verify traces characteristic impedance and estimate traces length. Hence, this paper is to discuss about TDR set up and type of TDR measurement procedure and methodology for single ended and differential pair interface in the package. There are several key elements that determine the precision of TDR measurement such as the edge speed of the stimulus pulse produced by the TDR, bandwidth of the channel used to received the pulse from the DUT, calibration and deskew process. Correlation between measurement data vs simulation data is performed in order to ensure the accuracy of the data collected. The simulation method is done by using Ansoft 3D and 2D simulation tools to characterized package interconnect such as traces, wirebond, VIA/PTH and ball structures. The output file (Spice File, .sp) will be important to Ansoft Designer software for TDR simulations.
The subterranean estuary: a reaction zone of ground water and sea water

Abstract Mixing between meteoric water and sea water produces brackish to saline water in many coastal aquifers. In this mixing zone, chemical reactions of the salty water with aquifer solids modify the composition of the water; much as riverine particles and suspended sediments modify the composition of surface estuarine waters. To emphasize the importance of mixing and chemical reaction in these coastal aquifers, I call them subterranean estuaries. Geochemical studies within subterranean estuaries have preceded studies that attempt to integrate the effect of these systems on the coastal ocean. The mixing zone between fresh ground water and sea water has long been recognized as an important site of carbonate diagenesis and possibly dolomite formation. Biologists have likewise recognized that terrestrial inputs of nutrients to the coastal ocean may occur through subterranean processes. Further evidence of the existence and importance of subterranean estuaries comes from the distribution of chemical tracers in the coastal ocean. These tracers originate within coastal aquifers through chemical reactions of the saline water with aquifer solids. They reach the coastal ocean as the surface and subterranean systems exchange fluids. Exchange between the subterranean estuary and the coastal ocean may be quantified by the tracer distribution in the coastal ocean. Examples from the east and Gulf coasts of the U.S., as well as the Bay of Bengal, will be used to evaluate the importance of these unseen estuaries in supplying not only chemical tracers, but also nutrients, to coastal waters. Anthropogenic effects on subterranean estuaries are causing significant change to these systems. Ground water mining, sea level rise, and channel dredging impact these systems directly. The effects of these changes are only beginning to be realized in this vital component of the coastal ecosystem.
Advances in Switched-Mode Power Conversion Part II

A number of important practical extensions to the basic ?uk converter are presented. They include dc isolation, multiple-output power sources, and a physical realization of the sought for hypothetical dc-to-dc transformer, a device which converts from pure dc (no voltage or current ripple) at one terminal, to pure dc (at a different voltage) at the other terminal. The application of the circuit in a highly efficient amplifier for the servo control of a dc motor or other loads is also presented.
Insoluble particles in polar ice: Identification and measurement of the insoluble background aerosol

We have completed a new series of measurements of the size distribution of insoluble particles in the radius range 0.050–1.31 μm retrieved from Greenland ice cores. Taken together with our previous measurements, our work demonstrates that an insoluble background aerosol with a very distinctive size distribution exists. We also demonstrate that, in looking for evidence of the background aerosol, size distribution is a better indicator than particle concentration.
SiO2/TiO2 double-layer antireflective coating deposited at room temperature for metal/insulator/n-Si/p-Si solar cells

Double-layer antireflective coatings for metal/insulator/n-Si/p-Si solar cells were deposited by the reactive evaporation of Ti2O3. Both the outer layer (SiO2) and the inner layer (TiO2) were formed at room temperature to prevent metal atoms of the ytterbium electrode from diffusing into the bulk silicon. The refractive indices and transmittance of the films were measured and proved to be in a reasonable range. The reflectance was less than 3% in the wavelength range 570–632 nm. After deposition of the antireflective coating, the short-circuit current increment of 44% at air mass 1 and 46% at air mass 0 illumination were obtained without reducing the open-circuit voltage or the fill factor. This represents a low temperature technique which may provide a two-layer antireflective coating on those photovoltaic devices for which the post-heating processes are not suitable, and which gives superior performance in the UV region.
Nanomaterials: Nanotubes reveal their true strength

The mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes have not matched theoretical predictions in the past. New measurements have now confirmed that nanotubes are indeed as strong as theory suggests.
Determination of individual long-chain fatty acyl-CoA esters in heart and skeletal muscle

A method has been developed for determination of individual long-chain fatty acyl-CoA esters from heart and skeletal muscle using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The esters were extracted from freezeclamped tissue of pig and rat hearts and rat skeletal muscle for analysis on a radially compressed C18 5μ reversephase column. Nine peaks in the extract with carbon chain lengths from C12 to C20 that subsequently disappeared on alkaline hydrolysis were identified. The major acyl-CoA peaks were 14∶1, 18∶2, 16∶0 and 18∶1 and additionally in rat heart 18∶0. Total long-chain acyl-CoA esters obtained by summation of the individual molecular species was 11.34±1.48 nmol/g wet wt. pig heart; 14.51±2.11 nmol/g wet wt. in rat heart, and 4.35±0.71 nmol/g wet wt. in rat skeletal muscle. These values were approximately 132% of those obtained using a separate procedure that measured total CoA by HPLC after alkaline hydrolysis of the esters. The described method demonstrates the quantitation of individual acyl-CoA species in muscle tissue. Therefore, it has a number of advantages in that it permits information to be obtained on the individual molecular species under various nutritional and metabolic conditions.
Identification of a putative antioxidant response element in the 5'-flanking region of the human gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase heavy subunit gene.

We have cloned the human γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase heavy subunit gene (GCSh) from a P1 library and isolated a 5.5kb fragment (P1-GCS5′) from the 5′-end of the P1 clone. P1-GCS5′ has been sequenced from −1460 to +547. Multiple transcription start sites were identified by primer extension and S1 nuclease protection. Two start sites were identified by primer extension analysis within 23 bp (+1 and +10) of a consensus TATAAAA box; all sequences were numbered relative to the 5′-most of these two sites. Two additional major start sites were identified at −106 and +398. This latter site was the most prominent of all the initiation sites. In addition to a TATA box, the promoter contains a CCAAT box at −125 and GC boxes up- and down-stream of the TATAAAA. In addition, the first few hundred base pairs of the sequence are highly GC-rich(∼75%). This sequence also contains several Sp-1 binding sites, a consensus AP-1 site and several AP-l-like binding sites, as well as putative AP-2 sites. A consensus metal responsive element (MRE) was identified at position +198. Sequence analysis also identified a putative core (5′-TGACnnnGCA-3′) antioxidant response element (ARE) at −862 to −853. As is typical of other AREs, a second AP-1-like sequence is located adjacent to the core sequence. These results suggest that GCSh gene expression in response to oxidative challenge may be regulated through an antioxidant response element similar to those recently detected in the promoter region of several Phase II enzymes. (The sequence of the 5′-flanking region of the human GCS heavy subunit gene has been assigned accession number L39773.)
Recovery of foraging behavior of atlantic salmon exposed to a simulated commercial application of fenitrothion

Fenitrothion is an organophosphate insecticide, used to control forest pests, that has often been sprayed in areas containing streams inhabited by Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). This study simulated the exposure of Atlantic salmon during operational spraying of fenitrothion to determine if there would be effects on foraging behavior and the length of time required for recovery from any effect. The foraging sequence of the Atlantic salmon exhibited only minor effects of exposure, and the number of ingested prey was not affected. However, the reaction distance of the salmon to prey decreased significantly for those exposed to fenitrothion. The decline in reaction distance was still evident six weeks after exposure.
Canada's Budget Triumph

In the mid-1990s Canada's federal government, concerned about a debt-to-GDP ratio that was approaching 70%, began a decade-long policy of cutting government spending. It also increased taxes, but by only one dollar for about every six dollars of spending cuts. The Canadian government cut subsidies to individuals, corporations, and provincial governments while tightening eligibility for unemployment insurance. The government also sold off its holdings of various state-owned enterprises. One major success was its shifting of air traffic control to NAV Canada, a private, non-profit user cooperative. This step netted the government $1.4 billion at the outset, saved about $200 million a year in subsidies, and resulted in a technological revolution in air traffic control that has put Canada years ahead of the United States. From 1997 to 2008, Canada's government had an unbroken string of annual budget surpluses; and by 2009, Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio had fallen below 30%. Starting in 2000, the government used some of what otherwise would have been surplus to cut taxes on individuals and corporations. The corporate tax rate was cut in stages from 28% in 2000 to 21% by 2004.
AN INVESTIGATION OF THE METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH EXTREME WIND TIDES ON LAKE ERIE

Abstract The dates of incidence of extreme wind tide on Lake Erie have been determined for the 20-year period 1940 through 1959, for all cases in which the difference in lake level between Buffalo and Toledo exceeded 6 feet. A frequency-intensity analysis shows that a set-up in excess of 10 feet may be expected once every 2 years. Extreme wind tides occur mainly in the 6-month period October through March; more than 70 percent of the cases fall in the three months November, December, and January. November is the month of most frequent incidence, having more than one-third of the total number of cases in the period studied. The observed seasonal variation of extreme set-up frequency is interpreted as a reflection of the seasonal variation of storm frequency and of storm-track location. Secondary, but important factors are: seasonal variation of storm intensity and seasonal variation of thermal stability of the atmospheric boundary layer. The tendency for marked temperature stratification to be present in t...
Improved procedures for the determination of oxytetracycline in milk, milk products; chicken muscle, liver; and eggs.

The procedures used to determine residues of anitibotics in many types of commodities, raw or processes are based upon the classical cylinder-plate diffusion techniques (1). Perhaps the most comprehensive summary of procedures for antibiotic residues are those described by the FDA (2). In general, this publication is a compendium of sensitive and reproducible methods for assaying antibiotic residues. The purpose of this manuscript is to report on the evaluation of improved procedures for determining oxytetracycline in milk and dairy products, chicken muscle tissue and livers, and eggs. The procedures used are based upon those developed for chlortetracycline in similar materials (3,4,5) and are compared to the procedures listed in the FDA compendium of methods and protocols.
Large deformations of reconfigurable active membranes: a finite element model

In this paper, a finite element model is used to describe the inhomogeneous deformations of dielectric elastomers (DE). In our previous work, inhomogeneous deformations of the DE with simple boundary conditions represented by a system of highly nonlinear coupled differential equations (ordinary and partial) were solved using numerical approaches [1-3]. To solve for the electromechanical response for complex shapes (asymmetric), nonuniform loading, and complex boundary conditions a finite element scheme is required. This paper describes a finite element implementation of the DE material model proposed in our previous work in a commercial FE code (ABAQUS 6.8-1, PAWTUCKET, R.I, USA). The total stress is postulated as the summation of the elastic stress tensor and the Maxwell stress tensor, or more generally the electrostatic stress tensor. The finite element model is verified by analytical solutions and experimental results for planar membrane extensions subject to mechanical loads and an electric field: (i) equibiaxial extension and (ii) generalized biaxial extension. Specifically, the analytical solutions for equibiaxial extension of the DE is obtained by combining a modified large deformation membrane theory that accounts for the electromechanical coupling effect in actuation commonly referred to as the Maxwell stress [4]. A Mooney-Rivlin strain energy function is employed to describe the constitutive stress strain behavior of the DE. For the finite element implementation, the constitutive relationships from our previously proposed mathematical model [4] are implemented into the finite element code. Experimentally, a 250% equibiaxially prestretched DE sample is attached to a rigid joint frame and inhomogeneous deformations of the reconfigurable DE are observed with respect to mechanical loads and an applied electric field. The computational result for the reconfigurable DE is compared with the test result to validate the accuracy and robustness of the finite element model. The active membrane is being investigated to simulate the deformation response of the plagiopatagium of bat wing skins for a micro-aerial vehicle.
Status of postmastectomy radiotherapy in the United States: a patterns of care study.

Abstract Purpose The Patterns of Care Study performed this first known practice survey to establish a national profile of the delivery of postmastectomy radiotherapy (RT) in operable breast cancer. Methods and materials A Patterns of Care Study research associate collected data from 55 randomly selected institutions. The survey data included 132 items describing the patient, pathologic features, and treatment course for patients with clinical Stage I, II, and IIIA breast cancer undergoing postmastectomy RT in 1998 and 1999. A multivariate analysis was performed to determine the impact of tumor factors and type of treatment facility on the radiation fields used. Results A weighted sample size of 13,720 was obtained from a sampling of 405 patient records. The mean tumor size was 3.5 cm, and the mean number of axillary nodal metastases was 4.55. Lymphatic vascular invasion was noted in 34%, microscopic skin or dermal lymphatic invasion in 16%, positive or close margins in 36%, and extracapsular nodal extension in 23%. Radiotherapy included the chest wall in all cases and the regional nodes in 78%. When nodal RT was delivered, it included a supraclavicular field, supplemental axillary field, and/or an internal mammary field in 98%, 46%, and 23% of cases, respectively. Chest wall and supraclavicular RT was delivered in >90% of instances with 6-MV photons to doses between 45 and 50 Gy. More variation was seen in the delivery of the axillary and internal mammary RT. On multivariate analysis, the presence of four or more positive nodes and treatment at a large-volume facility were the factors most frequently associated with the use of regional radiation fields. Conclusion This Patterns of Care Study survey has demonstrated that breast cancer patients undergoing postmastectomy RT in 1998 and 1999 had a high proportion of factors associated with an increased risk of locoregional failure. The practice patterns established in this study provide a baseline for comparison with future survey results.
Disparate cocaine-induced locomotion as a predictor of choice behavior in rats trained in a delay-discounting task.

Heightened impulsivity and differential sensitivity to a drug’s behavioral effects are traits that, individually, have been associated with chronic drug use and dependence. Here, we used an animal model to test whether individual differences in cocaine-induced activity are predictive of impulsive choice behavior. Adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were given cocaine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and classified into low or high cocaine responders (LCRs or HCRs, respectively) based on their locomotor response in an open-field arena. Rats were then trained in a delay-discounting task that offers a choice between immediately delivered, but smaller reinforcements, or larger reinforcements that are delivered after a delay. We also examined the effects of amphetamine (AMPH; 0.3–1.0 mg/kg) and the 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT (0.3–1.0 mg/kg) on delay-discounting. Lastly, all rats were retested in the open-field to determine if phenotypes were stable. We observed baseline differences in choice behavior between the groups, with HCRs behaving more impulsively (i.e., choosing the small reinforcement) compared to LCRs. AMPH decreased choice of the large reinforcement in LCRs, but did not alter choice in HCRs. Impulsive choice was increased in both phenotypes following 8-OH-DPAT, with LCRs exhibiting changes across a wider range of delays. When cocaine-induced open-field behavior was retested, responses in LCRs were similar whereas HCRs showed evidence of tolerance. Our results suggest that differential sensitivity to cocaine-induced locomotion is predictive of impulsivity and the potential neurobiological differences in LCRs and HCRs may provide insight into mechanisms contributing to vulnerability for chronic drug use and/or dependence. © 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Behavior expectations in cross-sex friendships, same-sex friendships, and romantic relationships

In 2 studies, university students from the United States rated the importance of 43 behavior expectations about their cross-sex friends, same-sex friends and romantic partners. In Study 1, all 399 participants had a current romantic partner, whereas in Study 2, romantic partner status varied across the 165 participants. Participants always rated their expectations for romantic partners higher than for either type of friend, and expectations for behaviors promoting emotional closeness were always rated higher than expectations about behaviors promoting social companionship or relationship positivity. In Study 2, expectations for cross-sex friends were rated lower and more similar to same-sex friends when participants had a current romantic partner than when they did not.
Semiconductor thermochemistry in density functional calculations

The local-density and generalized gradient approximations (LDA and GGA) to density functional theory (DFT) exhibit incomplete error cancellation when energy differences are taken between chemically dissimilar systems. This energy inconsistency is manifested, e.g., in the tendency to underestimate the heat (enthalpy) of formation of semiconducting and insulating compounds in LDA and, even more so, in GGA. Considering a set of 61 compounds that can be formed from 14 elements (cations: Cu, Mg, Ca, Zn, Cd, Al, Ga, and In; anions: N, P, As, O, S, and Se), optimized elemental reference energies are determined by least-squares error minimization of an overdetermined set of linear equations. These elemental energies are ``optimally consistent'' with the DFT energies of the semiconductor compounds and imply corrections of up to 1 eV compared to the respective LDA or GGA energies. While these ``corrections'' are not to be understood to yield the correct absolute total energies of the elements, they are proposed to give appropriate bounds for the chemical potentials for thermodynamic processes in semiconductors and insulators, such as, e.g., defect formation, surface reconstruction, or catalytic processes. The present model allows to evaluate thermodynamic processes using DFT energy differences taken only between systems that are expected to show good error cancellation.
A measurement of the brightness temperature of Saturn's rings at 8-mm wavelength

The brightness temperature of Saturn's rings has been measured at 8-mm wavelength using a millimeter-wavelength interferometer. A ring brightness temperature of 12.7 + or -2 K is obtained with the assumption that the rings are of uniform brightness and the region of emission coincides with the visible A and B rings. This result is higher than comparable results obtained at centimeter wavelengths and may indicate a small increase in the thermal emission from the rings at 8 mm. The low brightness temperature places significant constraints on the nature of the ring particles and implies that they must be either highly metallic or of limited size and composed of a low-loss dielectric material such as water ice.
System oriented design of triquinanes: stereocontrolled synthesis of pentalenic acid and pentalenene

Pentalenic acid, 5, and pentalenene, 4, and their C-9 epimers 5a and 4a, respectively, were synthesized using [4+1] and [2+3] cyclopentene annulation methodology. The key steps involved internal cyc1opropanation of dienes 23 or cyc1opropanation of enone 25 followed by the thermolytic rearrangements of cyclopropanes 24, 39, 42, 45, and 48 to furnish triquinanes 26 and 40. An investigation of electronic effects affecting the diradical cleavage of viny1cyclopropanes was performed. The triquinanes 26 or 40 were transformed to the title compounds by reductive operations at C-9. The equilibration of esters 60 at C-9 was briefly addressed in the context of molecular mechanics predictions regarding the thermodynamic stabilities of conformations at C-9 in the natural vs. the epi series. The stereoselectivities in approaches to natural hydrocarbons and their C-9 epimers were evaluated as better than 9:1 in each series.
A seroepidemiologic study of HPV infection and incident cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions.

ABSTRACT The seroepidemiology of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) and incident cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) was studied in subjects selected from a large cohort monitored for t...
Space-times containing perfect fluids and having a vanishing conformal divergence

The solutions of the Einstein field equations are studied under the assumptions that (1) the source of the gravitational field is a perfect fluid, (2) the divergence of the conformal (Weyl) tensor vanishes, and (3a) either an equation of state exists such thatp=p (w),p being the pressure andw the rest energy density, or (3b) the rest particle density is conserved. Under assumptions (1), (2), and (3a) it is shown that the space-time is conformally flat and the metric is a Robertson-Walker metric. The flow is irrotational, shear-free, and geodesic. Under assumptions (1), (2), and (3b) it is shown that either the line element is static or the fluid has a very special caloric equation of state. Conditions for a static solution to exist are examined, and it is shown that the Schwarzschild interior solution satisfies these conditions as does the Einstein universe. The Schwarzschild interior and the Einstein universe are the only conformally flat, static solutions obeying (1), (2), and (3b).
Design of elastic mode suppression systems for ride quality improvement.

An analytical technique is presented for design of systems to actively control the structural bending modes to improve the ride quality on flexible aircraft. The technique specified a set of requirements for the sensor configuration and filtering for a system which provides corrective control through the conventional aerodynamic control surfaces. Vehicle data are required only in a frequency response format, thus facilitating the inclusion of unsteady aerodynamics. Application of the technique to a large supersonic transport is described. Gust response data on the SST indicated that the lower frequency symmetric structural modes contributed up to 60% of the rms acceleration at the pilot's station. Results of the study showed that a system designed by the synthesis technique essentially achieved the performance objective of a 50% reduction in the rms acceleration level at the pilot's and other critical vehicle stations. This application of the synthesis technique to the SST problem showed it to be an effective design tool.
Minitrack Summary: Wireless Sensor Networks

The field of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is maturing, and this year?s contributions to this minitrack reflect this growing maturity with considerable breadth in the first session and depth in the second session.
TYPHUS FEVER V. THE EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON THE MULTIPLICATION OF RICKETTSIA PROWAZEKI IN TISSUE CULTURE

The temperature at which tissue cultures infected with typhus Rickettsiae are incubated has been shown to exert a marked influence on the intracellular multiplication of Rickettsia prowazeki. At 41 degrees C. the organisms were not found in the cultures histologically on and after the 2nd day in vitro, and the cultures were non-virulent on and after the 3rd day in vitro, in spite of good preservation and growth of the cells. At 37.5 degrees C. organisms were absent from the cultures histologically and the cultures were non-virulent on and after the 11th day in vitro, in spite of good preservation and growth of the cells. At 32 degrees C. good but slow growth of cells occurred and organisms were found in increasing numbers histologically up to about the 21st day in vitro. At this time, 50 to 99 per cent (approximately) of the cytoplasmic volume of the cultures was occupied by Rickettsiae. From the 21st day to the 51st day (the limit to which cultures have been carried successfully) this condition of unrestricted multiplication remained practically unchanged. Inoculation of guinea pigs with single cultures after varying lengths of time in vitro, (up to the 51st day) always resulted in reproduction of typhus in a characteristic manner. At 27 degrees the cell growth was negligible, but many cells remained alive for 10 days or more. Organisms were absent from the cultures histologically and the cultures were non-virulent on and after the 18th day in vitro. The only histological preparations showing unrestricted multiplication of the organisms (infection of the majority of the cells present) were of cultures incubated at 32 degrees C. It is believed that the detrimental effect of the higher temperatures (37.5 degrees and 41 degrees C.) on the multiplication of the organism is exerted indirectly, by stimulation of the defence mechanism of the cells.
Neutron inelastic scattering processes as a background for double-β decay experiments

We investigate several Pb$(n,{n}^{'}\ensuremath{\gamma}$) and Ge$(n,{n}^{'}\ensuremath{\gamma}$) reactions. We measure \ensuremath{\gamma}-ray production from Pb$(n,{n}^{'}\ensuremath{\gamma}$) reactions that can be a significant background for double-\ensuremath{\beta} decay experiments which use lead as a massive inner shield. Particularly worrisome for Ge-based double-\ensuremath{\beta} decay experiments are the 2041-keV and 3062-keV \ensuremath{\gamma} rays produced via Pb$(n,{n}^{'}\ensuremath{\gamma}$). The former is very close to the $^{76}\mathrm{Ge}$ double-\ensuremath{\beta} decay endpoint energy and the latter has a double escape peak energy near the endpoint. We discuss the implications of these \ensuremath{\gamma} rays on past and future double-\ensuremath{\beta} decay experiments and estimate the cross section to excite the level that produces the 3062-keV \ensuremath{\gamma} ray. Excitation \ensuremath{\gamma}-ray lines from Ge$(n,{n}^{'}\ensuremath{\gamma}$) reactions are also observed. We consider the contribution of such backgrounds and their impact on the sensitivity of next-generation searches for neutrinoless double-\ensuremath{\beta} decay using enriched germanium detectors.
The management and control of quality in a process industry

Aims to explore the role of management and control of quality in a process industry. Specifically, focuses on the current practices in the process of making cheese. Develops a survey instrument to measure managers’ perceptions regarding the extent to which various quality management procedures are implemented in the production of cheese. Reveals several interesting observations: for instance, many of the managers believed that implementing more quality control procedures positively contribute towards better quality, increased productivity, and improved exporting capabilities. Moreover, employee training was viewed as a critical factor to the success of TQM initiatives in organizations. Reports other interesting results relating to the different types of tests that are commonly employed during the production of cheese and whether every plant should have a separate quality control department.
The androgen insensitive mouse: absence of intranuclear androgen retention in the kidney.

Summary The in vivo metabolism of testosterone-3H in kidney, lung and blood of female, normal male, and androgen insensitive male mice (Tfm/Y) was studied. Testosterone, rather than dihydrotestosterone 2 or androstandiols, was the major androgen recovered from cytoplasm, nuclei, and plasma. Cytoplasmic and plasma androgen concentrations were similar in all animals. By contrast, nuclear testosterone concentrations in kidney from females and normal males was 10 to 25 times greater than in nuclei from androgen insensitive mice. It is proposed that the androgen insensitivity in Tfm/Y is related to the inability of these animals to concentrate androgens at active sites in the nucleus.
Aging and disease prevention

This article reviews evidence-based recommendations for geriatric prevention disciplines and topics including health behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation, physical activity), metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, immunizations, depression, the promotion of independence,and polypharmacy. Recommendations for both the one-on-one, clinic-based setting and for community-wide initiatives are covered for each topic, as appropriate.
Numerical Evidence for Cutoffs in Chaotic Microfluidic Mixing

Chaotic mixing strategies produce high mixing rates in microfluidic channels and other applications. In prior numerical and experimental work the variance of a tracer field in a chaotic mixer has been observed to decay rapidly after an initial slower transient. We relate this to the cutoff phenomenon observed in finite Markov chains and provide numerical evidence to suggest that chaotic mixing indeed exhibits cutoff. We provide results for a herringbone passive microfluidic mixer and the Standard Map.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
How does the extracellular matrix direct gene expression

Abstract Based on the existing literature, a model is presented that postulates a “dynamic reciprocity” between the extracellular matrix (ECM) on the one hand and the cytoskeleton and the nuclear matrix on the other hand. The ECM is postulated to exert physical and chemical influences on the geometry and the biochemistry of the cell via transmembrane receptors so as to alter the pattern of gene expression by changing the association of the cytoskeleton with the mRNA and the interaction of the chromatin with the nuclear matrix. This, in turn, would affect the ECM, which would affect the cell, which…