cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for prediction of breast cancer chemotherapy response: a pilot study

Purpose: To determine whether a simple noninvasive method of assessing tumor oxygenation is feasible in the clinical setting and can provide useful, potentially predictive information. Tumor microcirculation and oxygenation play critical roles in tumor growth and responsiveness to cytotoxic treatment and may provide prognostic indicators for cancer therapy. Deoxyhemoglobin is paramagnetic and can serve as an endogenous contrast agent causing signal loss in echo planar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (blood oxygenation level-dependent [BOLD]-MRI). We used BOLD-MRI to provide early evaluation of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. Materials and Methods: MRI was performed on 11 patients with biopsy-proven malignancy. MRI exams were scheduled before, during, and after chemotherapy. The BOLD study applied a 6-minute oxygen breathing challenge. Results: Seven patients successfully completed the exams. Before chemotherapy, BOLD contrast enhancement was observed in all tumors, but the patients, who ultimately had complete pathological response, exhibited a significantly higher BOLD response to oxygen breathing. Conclusion: We have successfully implemented an oxygen-breathing challenge BOLD contrast technique as part of the standard breast MRI exam in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. The preliminary observation that a large BOLD response correlated with better treatment response suggests a predictive capability for BOLD MRI. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;37:1083–1092. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
CSR corpus collection

The objective of the CSR Corpus Development is to collect and deliver a large corpus of continuous speech data to support DARPA research efforts in continuous speech recognition (CSR). SRI's current goal is the completion of Phase 2, Part 1 of the planned CSR Corpus. This consists of 86,000 sentences from 275 speakers, including 8000 spontaneous sentences from 40 journalists.
Methylglyoxal Bis(guanylhydrazone) Analogs VI. Methylglyoxal Bis(guanylhydrazone) Pamoate

The pamoate of methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) was prepared. This compound, on a molar basis, is more active and less toxic than the corresponding dihydrochloride salt against leukemia L-1210.
COMPENDIUM OF IMAGE ERRORS IN ANALOGUE VIDEO

COMPENDIUM OF IMAGE ERRORS IN ANALOGUE VIDEO. Johannes Gfeller, Agathe Jarczyk, Joanna Phillips. Zurich: Swiss Institute for Art Research, 2013. 272 pages, 171 color and 34 b/w illustrations, 1 DVD...
Complexation of methylparathion and bis(2‐hydroxyethyl)sulfide by the tridentate lewis acid [(o‐C6F4Hg)3]

The interaction of trimeric perflu- oro-ortho-phenylene mercury (1) with bis(2-hydroxy- ethyl)sulfide (S((CH2)2OH)2) in dichloromethane and methylparathion (SP(OMe)2(p-C6H4NO2)) in 1,2-dichloroethane leads to the crystallization of [1 ⋅ (S((CH2)2OH)2)] and [1 ⋅ (μ3-SP(OMe)2(p-C6H4- NO2))2], respectively. These two adducts have been characterized by elemental analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The structure of [1 ⋅ S((CH2)2OH)2] shows that the bis(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfide molecule interacts with the mercury centers of 1 by formation of a Hg–S interaction of 3.138(4) A. Association of the two components is further strengthened by the coordination of one of the oxygen atoms of the bis(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfide molecule. This oxygen atom interacts simultaneously with three mercury centers of 1 with Hg–O distances ranging from 2.889(8) to 3.142(9) A. In the lattice, molecules of [1 ⋅ (S((CH2)2OH)2)] associate with compact cofacial dimers with Hg–Hg metallophilic contacts of 3.794 A and 4.076 A. The structure of [1 ⋅ (μ3-SP(OMe)2(p-C6H4NO2))2] is that of a 2:1 complex in which two molecules of methylparathion are triply coordinated via their sulfur atom to the mercury centers of 1 on either side of the molecular plane. The Hg–S contacts fall within the range of 3.278 and 3.651 A. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 16:292–297, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20125
Binding of 3H-cortisol to cytosol and nuclear proteins in liver and thymus of pigs ☆

Abstract The binding of 3 H-cortisol in vitro to protein molecules in the cytosol and nucleus of pig liver and thymus was determined. A comparison of the in vitro binding to previous in vivo binding was made. Also, some comparisons were made between the steroid-protein complexes of the liver, with those in the thymus. The liver and thymus were quickly removed from pigs treated with metyrapone ditartrate and perfused with saline. Tissue minces were prepared and incubated with either 10 −7 M cortisol (125 μCi/μg) or 10 −4 M cortisol (0.125 μCi/μg). After incubation, the tissues were removed, washed, and a nuclear extract and cytosol fraction were obtained. Aliquots of each were fractionated by gel filtration. Radioactivity and protein were determined in each fraction. The binding of cortisol in vitro to protein in the cytosol of the liver and the thymus was similar to results previously reported for in vivo experiments. Therefore, it seems likely that the cytosol macromolecules are able to bind 3 H-cortisol in vitro in a way similar to that found in vivo . The elution volumes and specific activities of the cytosol steroid-protein complexes in liver are different from those observed in the thymus cytosol. This indicates that the cytosol proteins which bind cortisol in these two tissues are different, and this may account for the different actions of the steroid in these tissues. The steroid-protein complexes from the nuclei of each tissue had similar elution volumes and similar binding characteristics. Such interaction between the steroid and nuclear macromolecules may be involved in the mechanism of action of cortisol.
Interaction of multiply charged ions with solid surfaces

Abstract The observation of the decay of inner-shell vacancies can serve as an excellent probe of the neutralization of multicharged ions during their approach to a metal surface. Several recent experiments that have measured electrons emitted during this neutralization are discussed. Measurements of the total electron yield for incident ions with inner-shell vacancies first showed marked differences from the yield observed for lower charge states and indicated the need for further investigations. Measurements of the emitted electron energy distributions have led to a qualitative understanding of the timescales of the neutralization process. For incident ions with high enough energies, projectile inner-shell vacancies have been observed to survive the neutralization process above the surface and then to be transferred to target atoms in close collisions. The inner-shell reactions occuring in such close collisions are analogous to those that have been observed in ion-atom and ion-foil collisions. Recent me...
Treating Patients With Heart Disease: The Impact of Individual and Family Dynamics:

Heart disease is an increasingly common chronic medical condition that affects not only patients but their families. Because this condition has significant psychosocial impact, effective treatment requires an integration of psychosocial treatment—including individual, couples, and family counseling—with conventional medical treatment. Individual psychological dynamics as well as couple and family dynamics that influence the treatment process are described along with implications for family counseling. An illustrative case example is included.
Niche Shape and Genetic Aspects of Character Displacement

Character displacement involving a single, diallelic locus in each of two competing species is investigated via computer simulation. The niche, as the sum of the utilization efficiencies of the population for combinations of environmental variables, is distinguished from the resource peak, which is a set of combinations of environmental variables actually present at exploitable frequencies in the environment. The two populations compete for a single resource peak made up of five subunits. Each genotype in each species has an optimum peak subunit, but survives in all of them. The intermediate subunit is optimal for a genotype in each species. Movement is restricted between subunits, which are thus treated here as microhabitats. The simulation covers a geographical range with each species occurring alone where its birth rate is high, with the birth rate declining as the range of the other species is approached; sympatry occurs in a region of intermediate birth rates for both species. The character displacement involves characters determined by the genotypes at the competition locus. The shape of the resource peak has a profund effect on the form taken by character displacement. A “steep” peak (one with the intermediate subunit much more frequent than the rest) results in a sharp step in the morphoclines, with two stable equilibrium points at the point of equal birth rates. A “bimodal” peak (one with equally frequent subunits, each optimum for a genotype for one species only) leads to a gradual change. Other peak types also have characteristic effects, showing that ecological inferences can be drawn from the form taken by character displacement.
EVALUATING THE COMPATABILITY OF SIMULATION MODEL OUTPUT AND OBSERVED DATA

With the increasing popularity of computer simulation models as tools for environmental management and assessment, there is often a need to consider how well the output from such models represent reality. Statisticians evaluate the basic assumptions of least‐squares regression models by either computing statistics from or graphically evaluating residuals (observed minus predicted values). Even though there are usually a priori assumptions about residuals from simulation models we have found that their graphical or statistical evaluation can suggest model deficiencies. In this paper residuals from three simulation models were examined with the objective of suggesting limitations or desirable changes. The ability of simulation models to mimic observed data were used to provide support for visual appraisals.
Limits on the computing power of biological systems

The theory of computational complexity and certain explicitly-stated hypotheses imply limitations on the information processing power of biological systems. Parallelism, special purpose organization, and analog mechanisms may provide speedup critical for life processes, but have little power in the face of exponential growth. We show that “polynomially simulatable” biological systems cannot exhibit dynamic behavior which produces the solution of an intractable problem. The argument implies that parallelism does not allow biological systems to defeat the exponential explosion, but rather is important because it allows polynomial time algorithms to be used more efficiently.
Analysis of electrochemical impedance and noise data for polymer coated metals

Electrochemical impedance and noise data have been collected for three coating systems applied on steel during exposure to natural seawater at Key West, Florida for 9 months. Potential and current noise data have been determined simultaneously by remote control via modem from CEEL. Analyses of the electrochemical noise data have been performed in the time and in the frequency domains. The mean potential Ecoup and the mean coupling current Icoup between two coupled electrodes of the same material, the standard deviations of potential σ{V(t)} and current noise σ{I(t)} fluctuations and the noise resistance Rn obtained as the ratio of these two values have been calculated for each measurement which was carried out twice per week. The current index Id = σ{I(t)}rms{I(t)} has also been determined. After Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the experimental data into the frequency domain, spectral noise plots have been obtained in a frequency range between 1 Hz and 1 mHz from which the slope m at the highest frequencies, the intercept B at 1 Hz and the spectral noise resistance Rsn∘ defined as the DC limit of spectral noise plots have been determined. Significant chances of Icoup, σ{I(t)}, Rn and Rsn° were observed when coating deterioration had occurred on both electrodes as indicated by changes of the impedance spectra due to increasing contributions from charge transfer and mass transport reactions occurring in pores filled with corrosion products and at delaminated areas of the coating. Spectral noise plots have been compared to impedance spectra and certain limitations of the electrochemical noise analysis (ENA) technique due to instrumental problems have been noted. A unique relationship of Rn with protective properties of polymer coatings remains questionable.
Faraday rotation effects for diagnosing magnetism in bubble environments

Faraday rotation is a process by which the position angle (PA) of background linearly polarized light is rotated when passing through an ionized and magnetized medium. The effect is sensitive to the line-of-sight magnetic field in conjunction with the electron density. This contribution highlights diagnostic possibilities of inferring the magnetic field (or absence thereof) in and around wind-blown bubbles from the Faraday effect. Three cases are described as illustrations: a stellar toroidal magnetic field, a shocked interstellar magnetic field, and an interstellar magnetic field within an ionized bubble.
The prism-taper coupler for the excitation of single modes in optical transmission fibres

A coupler is described which allows the excitation of pure single guided fibre modes with a single mode laser. The coupler uses a prism and precision taper fibre end to access any of the fibre modes. The conditions for obtaining excitation of single modes are discussed and the technique for producing the tapers is described. In the first tests, an excitation efficiency of approximately −16 dB has been obtained.
Relative dating of moraines based on landform degradation, Lee Vining Canyon, California

Cross-sectional topographic profiles of lateral moraines formed during different glaciations were measured at Lee Vining Canyon, California, to determine whether the degree of moraine degradation could be quantified and used for relative dating. Logarithmic plots of the value of a slope parameter against cross-sectional area show distinct linear trends for moraines of different relative ages. The slopes of these trends suggest that the degradation processes are not among those that can be modeled with the linear diffusion equation.
Malignant Melanoma in World War II Veterans

In a consecutive series of 1,067 patients entered into the data base of the Melanoma Cooperative Group at New York University School of Medicine between 1972 and 1980, 120 men were of draft age (18-31 years) during World War II (1941-1945). Questionnaires were sent to these 120 individuals; 89 responded. Simultaneously, a control (nonmelanoma) population of 65 men of similar age was queried. Each subject in both groups was asked whether he had served in the armed forces during World War II and, if so, what were his theaters of operation. Based on the response, 83% (74 of 89) of the melanoma group compared with 76% (49 of 65) of the control group had served in the armed forces during World War II; however, a significantly (p = 0.0002) greater percent of the melanoma patients (34%) served in the tropics than did the control subjects (6%). Further, overrepresented in the melanoma group that served in the tropics (compared with the melanoma group who served in the armed forces in nontropical theaters) were malignant melanomas that had their origin in nevocytic nevi. The findings suggest that Caucasian individuals heavily exposed to sunlight in the tropics for several years during early life may be at higher risk to the subsequent development of cutaneous malignant melanoma. In some individuals this may be a two-step phenomenon, in which the first step is the solar induction of nevocytic nevi and the second is malignant transformation within them.
The Nuclear and Radiochemistry in Chemistry Education Curriculum Project

We present the outline of a comprehensive website based offering of a basic graduate level or senior undergraduate level course in nuclear and radiochemistry. This password protected course follows classical pedagogical treatment of the subject. However, it has been augmented by the implementation of Flash animations to better teach basic nuclear and radiochemistry concepts. As well, the website is linked to many Internet related resources. All lectures and problems are presented in Microsoft Power Point format with Flash animations incorporated. A series of six experiments in radiochemistry, also offered in the course is available in a downloadable Microsoft Word format.
Optimized image acquisition for breast tomosynthesis in projection and reconstruction space

Breast tomosynthesis has been an exciting new development in the field of breast imaging. While the diagnostic improvement via tomosynthesis is notable, the full potential of tomosynthesis has not yet been realized. This may be attributed to the dependency of the diagnostic quality of tomosynthesis on multiple variables, each of which needs to be optimized. Those include dose, number of angular projections, and the total angular span of those projections. In this study, the authors investigated the effects of these acquisition parameters on the overall diagnostic image quality of breast tomosynthesis in both the projection and reconstruction space. Five mastectomy specimens were imaged using a prototype tomosynthesis system. 25 angular projections of each specimen were acquired at 6.2 times typical single-view clinical dose level. Images at lower dose levels were then simulated using a noise modification routine. Each projection image was supplemented with 84 simulated 3 mm 3D lesions embedded at the center of 84 nonoverlapping ROIs. The projection images were then reconstructed using a filtered backprojection algorithm at different combinations of acquisition parameters to investigate which of the many possible combinations maximizes the performance. Performance was evaluated in terms of a Laguerre–Gauss channelized Hotelling observer model-based measure of lesion detectability. The analysis was also performed without reconstruction by combining the model results from projection images using Bayesian decision fusion algorithm. The effect of acquisition parameters on projection images and reconstructed slices were then compared to derive an optimization rule for tomosynthesis. The results indicated that projection images yield comparable but higher performance than reconstructed images. Both modes, however, offered similar trends: Performance improved with an increase in the total acquisition dose level and the angular span. Using a constant dose level and angular span, the performance rolled off beyond a certain number of projections, indicating that simply increasing the number of projections in tomosynthesis may not necessarily improve its performance. The best performance for both projection images and tomosynthesis slices was obtained for 15–17 projections spanning an angular arc of ∼45°—the maximum tested in our study, and for an acquisition dose equal to single-view mammography. The optimization framework developed in this framework is applicable to other reconstruction techniques and other multiprojection systems.
Book Review: Multicultural Issues in Literacy Research and Practice

This book has created a safe space in which the often unheard voices of multicultural and multilingual participants in formal education are allowed to shed some light on their experiences with literacy learning. The editors have organized three sections in the book to cover (1) the range of issues that inform the complex relations among culture, language, literacy and identity; (2) the effectiveness of curricula assessment and materials for students who are non-white and/or non-English-first speakers; and (3), the topic of teacher preparation for the work of enhancing literacy practices among students who represent different racial, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds.
Morphogenetic and Proliferative Effects of Testosterone and Insulin on the Neonatal Mouse Seminal Vesicle in Vitro

Effects of testosterone (T) and insulin on epithelial branching morphogenesis were investigated in cultured seminal vesicles (SVs) of neonatal mice. SVs from 0-day-old male mice were cultured for 0.5–6 days in serum-free chemically defined medium in the presence of T (10-7 M), insulin (10 μg/ ml), or T plus insulin or in medium lacking both hormones. Without the addition of both hormones, SVs failed to grow, based on DNA and protein contents, and did not show any epithelial branching morphogenesis. T induced a 2.5-fold increase in protein content in SVs cultured for 6 days and elicited modest epithelial branching morphogenesis. Insulin increased the protein content of cultured SV rudiments as much as T, but failed to elicit epithelial branching morphogenesis. The combination of both hormones induced a 4.3-fold increase in protein content in cultured SVs and elicited more extensive epithelial branching morphogenesis than T alone. Epithelial and mesenchymal DNA contents in SVs declined slightly during the f...
MMPI profiles of brain-damages and schizophrenic patients.

Since perceptual, motor, and conceptual tests for brain-damage generally seem unable to differentiate organic from schizophrenic NP patients, an attempt was made to determine whether measures taken...
Multichannel SAR Autofocus using multiple low-return constraints

MultiChannel Autofocus (MCA) and Reversed-step MCA (RMCA) for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) assume a region of low return in the focused data, and work best when the region is known accurately. In practice, the returns from within the side-lobes of the antenna footprint are highly attenuated; thus a region of highly-probable low returns is provided. However, scene-dependent features like strong reflectors in the presumed low-return region may violate the assumptions underlying MCA and RMCA, with resulting performance degradation. We consider such a scenario and propose scene-independent, random selection methods of the low-return constraints. Our simulation results show that a well-focused image can be obtained within a few trials, even when the number of anomalies is moderately large.
Enhancing Children’s Print and Word Awareness Through Home-Based Parent Intervention

This investigation examined the efficacy of a home-based book reading intervention program for enhancing parents’ use of print-referencing behaviors and for stimulating children’s early literacy sk...
Asp76 is the Schiff base counterion and proton acceptor in the proton-translocating form of sensory rhodopsin I.

Both sensory rhodopsin I, a phototaxis receptor, and bacteriorhodopsin, a light-driven proton pump, have homologous residues which have been identified as critical for bacteriorhodopsin functioning. This includes Asp76, which in the case of bacteriorhodopsin (Asp85) functions as both the Schiff base counterion and the proton acceptor. Sensory rhodopsin I exists in a pH dependent equilibrium between two different forms in the absence of its transducer protein HtrI. At pH below 7, it exists primarily in a blue form (λmax = 587 nm) which functions as a phototaxis signal transducer when complexed to HtrI, while at higher pH, it converts to a purple proton-transporting form similar to bacteriorhodopsin (λmax = 550 nm). We report ATR-FTIR difference spectra obtained from both low- and high-pH forms of purified sensory rhodopsin I reconstituted into lipid vesicles. The low-pH species has an ethylenic CC stretch mode at 1520 cm-1 which shifts to 1526 cm-1 in the high-pH form. No frequency shift was found for the ...
Efficacy of rheolytic thrombectomy in early versus late myocardial infarction.

Background: Rheolytic thrombectomy has been used successfully to treat acutely occluded lower-limb vessels, dialysis grafts, intrahepatic portosystemic shunts, and diseased native coronary vessels and saphenous vein grafts. Few studies, however, have examined the efficacy of rheolytic thrombectomy in the acute myocardial infarction (AMI) setting. We sought to determine the efficacy of the AngioJet® Rheolytic™ thrombectomy catheter (Possis Medical, Minneapolis, MN, USA) in patients presenting with AMI either before or after 12 hours of onset of symptoms. Methods: Procedural and angiographic data on 61 consecutive patients (January 2003–December 2003) who presented with an AMI and had rheolytic thrombectomy with the AngioJet® catheter performed were reviewed. Coronary flow was assessed with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame counts (TFCs). Of the 61 patients studied, 40 had AngioJet® performed within 12 hours and 21 had it done after 12 hours from the onset of symptoms. Procedural success was measured by TFCs measured before and after the procedure and was defined as a change in the TFC of ≥50%. Statistical significance was considered at a P value of <0.05. Results: Procedural success was achieved in 75% of the patients in the early presentation group (within 12 hours) and 0% of the patients in the late presentation group (after 12 hours). TFC values were statistically different (P 0.1) in the late thrombectomy group. Conclusion: Rheolytic thrombectomy with the AngioJet® catheter is more effective in terms of improvement in coronary blood flow as assessed by TFCs when used less than 12 hours after the onset of clinical symptoms suggestive of AMI.
A comparison based harmonic elimination method with digital control of fundamental amplitude

A common technique employed to eliminate switching harmonics is programmed SHE (Selective Harmonic Elimination) which requires the solution of a set of nonlinear equations. Typically, the method calculates the switching angles for each modulation depth offline using iterative computations and programmed into a digital processor. These values are recalled on a need basis for a particular application and the look up table has limited choice. Here we are proposing a comparison based method where a modified reference signal is compared against a sinusoidal carrier to generate a PWM (Pulse-width Modulation) signal which is free of the undesired harmonics. The modified reference intersects the carrier only at the desired switching angles. The distinguishing advantage of the method is that no digital processor is necessary and the fundamental amplitude can be varied continuously by inputting the desired modulation depth ratio. The present work has eliminated dc to 5th harmonic and research is continuing to expand the baseband floor. The new method has the potential in inverter applications where inverter power can be adjusted continuously to match the load power and thus perform the function of the MPPT controller in PV applications. Simulation and experimental results provide validity of the approach.
VARIATIONS IN THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE ALBINO RAT TO TETANIA PARATHYROPRIVA

It appears from the work of various writers that removal of the parathyroid from the albino rat is sometimes, but not always, followed by fatal tetany. The precentage of deaths reported varies considerably, and satisfactory reasons for this variation have been wanting. It is the purpose of this paper to analyze a considerable series of operations, and present evidence concerning the importance of some factors which have influenced the proportion of fatalities in certain groups of rats. The factors to be considered are as follows: the age and weight of the animals, the season at which the operation was performed, and finally the state of activity of the thyroid at the time of the operation. The first three of these factors have been discussed by Hammett in his series of papers on the thyroparathyroid apparatus: all of them have been considered by the author in preliminary reports made at meetings of the American Association of Anatomists. Now that the series of operations has been extended, the data are of...
Bacterially Mediated False-Positive Reactions in Lytic Blood-Typing Tests

IN blood-typing tests which employ lytic techniques, false-positive reactions can be brought about by the use of improperly rinsed and improperly dried test-tubes that still contain residues of acid or detergent or traces of water. In the course of performing routine blood-typing tests on citrated samples of cattle blood sent into this laboratory for blood-group analysis1, we have encountered certain false-positive reactions which cannot be attributed to the use of dirty tubes. Rather, they appear to be of the order of true antigen–antibody reactions.
Coalitional strategy-proofness and resource monotonicity for house allocation problems

We consider the problem of allocating houses to agents when monetary compensations are not allowed. We present a simple and independent proof of a result due to Ehlers and Klaus (Int J Game Theory 32:545–560, 2004) that characterizes the class of rules satisfying efficiency, strategy-proofness, resource monotonicity and nonbossiness.
Comment on ``Structural Stability of Complex Hydrides: LiBH 4 Revisited''

A Comment on the Letter by Zbigniew \L{}odziana and Tejs Vegge, Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 145501 (2004). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.
Changes in Language-specific Brain Activation after Therapy for Aphasia using Magnetoencephalography: A Case Study

A patient with chronic aphasia underwent functional imaging during a language comprehension task using magnetoencephalography (MEG) before and after constraint induced language therapy (CILT). In the pre- and immediate post-treatment (TX) scans MEG activity sources were observed within right hemisphere only, and were located in areas homotopic to left hemisphere language areas. There was a significant increase in activation in these areas between the two sessions. This change was not observed in an age-matched patient with chronic aphasia who underwent sequential language testing and MEG scanning across a similar time period without being administered therapy. In the 3-month post-TX scan bilateral activation was observed, including significant activation within the left temporal lobe. The changes in the spatial parameters of the maps of receptive language function after therapy were accompanied by improvement in language function. Results provide support, in the same individual, for a role for both hemispheres in recovery of language function after therapy for chronic aphasia.
The molecular medicine of colorectal cancer

Abstract This report highlights some of the discussions at a Keystone Symposium entitled ‘The Molecular Medicine of Colorectal Cancer' held at Taos, NM, USA, from 30 January to 4 February, 2001.
Adherence to Therapy for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: Don’t Mistake Association with Causation!

Medical therapy for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is imperfect. While both alpha blockers (ABs) and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5ARIs) were effective when compared to placebo in reducing patient symptoms in large randomized clinical trials (RCTs), the effect [1_TD$DIFF]was not as large as most patients and clinicians would like [1–3] [2_TD$DIFF]. For example, men in the Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms study [1] randomized to combination AB and 5ARI therapy had a median reduction of 7.4 points in American Urological Association (AUA) symptom score at 4 yr. This, however, is much less impressive when considering that men in the placebo arm had a median reduction in symptom score of 4.9 points at the same time point. In fact, numerous RCTs have reported a strong placebo effect in the control arm [3,4] When this is considered in combination with the relatively high rate of side effects associated with the various interventions in these trials [1,2], it is not surprising that many patients with LUTS ultimately decide to discontinue their medications. In some cases, these patients may elect for surgical interventions, but many choose to just live with their symptoms. In this issue of European Urology, Cindolo and colleagues [5] present data that confirm what others have also shown [6]: long-term adherence rates for AB and 5ARI medications are very low. Using a population-based administrative database of pharmacy claims from Italy, they identified 213 936 men older than 40 yr who received at least one prescription for AB or 5ARI therapy (alone or in combination). Of these, 97 407 (46%) completed 6mo of therapy and constituted the analytic cohort. The 1-yr adherence across all LUTS medication types was only 29% among these
Older Adults and Their Vulnerabilities to the Exposure of Violence

According to US Census Bureau projections, there will be an estimated 72 million people over the age of 65 in the USA by the year 2030. Exposure to violence and crime victimization has serious physical, emotional, mental, and economic consequences for the growing older population in the USA. It should thus come as no surprise that much sociological attention has focused more on examining the correlates of violence for the older American population. We intend to provide an overview of the typologies, empirical research, and the pertinent factors associated with older people and their exposure to violence. We then discuss necessity to further research and our understanding of the important social problem of the exposure of violence for older people in the USA. In conclusion, implications of research findings of how to address the vulnerabilities of older people in relationship to their exposure to violence are discussed.
A cationic chalcogenoxanthylium photosensitizer effective in vitro in chemosensitive and multidrug-resistant cells.

Abstract Pentacyclic thio- ( 1 ) and seleno- ( 2 ) analogues of tetramethylrosamine ( TMR ) were prepared with a julolidyl fragment replacing the 3-dimethylamino substituent in the xanthylium core. The pentacylic structure increases the lipophilicity of 1 and 2 relative to TMR-S and TMR-Se and locks the lone-pair of electrons on the julolidyl N atom into conjugation with the xanthylium core. This conformational rigidization leads to longer wavelengths of absorption, but has little impact on other photophysical properties such as quantum yields for fluorescence and singlet-oxygen generation and fluorescence lifetimes in 1 and 2 relative to TMR-S and TMR-Se . Both 1 and 2 are effective photosensitizers against chemosensitive AUXB1 cells in vitro at 1 × 10 −7 M and compound 2 is an effective photosensitizer against multidrug-resistant CR1R12 cells in vitro at 1 × 10 −7 M. While the uptake TMR-S into CR1R12 cells as measured by fluorescence is significantly lower than uptake into chemosensitive AUXB1 cells, there is no significant difference in the uptake of 1 into either AUXB1 or CR1R12 cells. The addition of 2 × 10 −4 M verapamil to the cells prior to treatment with 1 had no significant effect on the uptake of 1 into either AUXB1 or CR1R12 cells. Treating lipid-activated, purified Pgp with 2 and light gave complete inhibition of Pgp ATPase activity.
Feeding, body weight, and sensitivity to non-ingestive reward stimuli during and after 12-day continuous central infusions of melanocortin receptor ligands

Abstract The brain melanocortin system mediates downstream effects of hypothalamic leptin and insulin signaling. Yet, there have been few studies of chronic intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) melanocortin receptor (MCR) agonist or antagonist infusion. Although there is evidence of interaction between melanocortin and dopamine (DA) systems, effects of chronic MCR ligand infusion on behavioral sensitivity to non-ingestive reward stimuli have not been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of chronic i.c.v. infusion of the MCR agonist, MTII, and the MCR antagonist, SHU9119, on food intake, body weight, and sensitivity to rewarding lateral hypothalamic electrical stimulation (LHSS) and the reward-potentiating (i.e., threshold-lowering) effect of d -amphetamine. The MCR antagonist, SHU9119 (0.02 μg/h) produced sustained hyperphagia and weight gain during the 12-day infusion period, followed by compensatory hypophagia and an arrest of body weight gain during the 24-day post-infusion period. At no point during the experiment was sensitivity to LHSS or d -amphetamine (0.25 mg/kg, i.p.) altered. The MCR agonist, MTII (0.02 μg/h) produced a brief hypophagia (3 days) followed by a return to control levels of daily intake, but with body weight remaining at a reduced level throughout the 12-day infusion period. This was followed by compensatory hyperphagia and weight gain during the 24-day post-infusion period. There was no change in sensitivity to non-ingestive reward stimuli during the infusion of MTII. However, sensitivity to d -amphetamine was increased during the 24-day post-infusion period. It therefore seems that changes in ingestive behavior that occur during chronic MCR ligand infusion may not affect the response to non-ingestive reward stimuli. However, it is possible that the drive to re-feed and restore body weight following MCR agonist treatment includes neuroadaptations that enhance the incentive effects of drug stimuli.
Gender Differences in E-Learning: Communication, Social Presence, and Learning Outcomes

Although previous research has suggested that women may be at a learning disadvantage in e-learning environments, this study examines communication differences between women and men, arguing that women's communication patterns may provide them with a learning advantage. Using data from 303 males and 252 females, this paper discusses gender differences in course communication processes and course outcomes in a web-based introductory information systems course. Results indicate that women communicated more, perceived the environment to have greater social presence, were more satisfied with the course, found the course to be of greater value, and had marginally better performance than men. Despite the challenges facing women in e-learning environments, the results of this study suggest that e-learning environments that allow for peer to peer communication and connectedness can help females overcome some of these disadvantages. Implications for research and practice are also discussed.
Buffeting at the leading-edge of a flat plate due to a streamwise vortex: flow structure and surface pressure loading

Abstract This investigation addresses the impingement of a streamwise vortex on a thin plate, Breakdown of the incident vortex generates vortical structures that are distorted at the leading-edge. The nature of this distortion is represented by instantaneous velocity and vorticity distributions over entire planes adjacent to the plate. The instantaneous distributions of vorticity show well-defined, large-scale concentrations along the boundary of the breakdown region, nominally located along the locus of maximum averaged vorticity. Correspondingly, the amplitudes of the surface pressure spectra at the leading-edge of the plate are largest when the location of maximum vorticity is aligned with the edge. The dominant frequency of the surface pressure on the plate is, however, insensitive to offset of the vortex axis relative to the leading-edge of the plate. On the other hand, global fluctuations of the entire region of vortex breakdown are sensitive to the offset of the incident vortex.
Resource-Efficient Salient Foreground Detection for Embedded Smart Cameras br Tracking Feedback

Battery-powered wireless embedded smart cameras havelimited processing power, memory and energy. Since videoprocessing tasks consume significant amount of power,the problem of limited resources becomes even more pro-nounced, and necessitates designing light-weight algo-rithms suitable for embedded platforms. In this paper, wepresent a resource-efficient salient foreground detection andtracking algorithm. Contrary to traditional methods thatimplement foreground object detection and tracking inde-pendently and in a sequential manner, the proposed methoduses the feedback from the tracking stage in the foregroundobject detection. We compare the proposed method with asequential method on the microprocessor of an embeddedsmart camera, and present the savings in the processingtime and energy consumption and the gain in the lifetimeof a battery-powered camera for different scenarios. Thepresented method provides significant savings in terms ofthe processing time of a frame. We take advantage of thesesavings by sending the microprocessor to idle state at theend of processing a frame, and when the scene is empty.
Functional analysis of the split Synechocystis DnaE intein in plant tissues by biolistic particle bombardment

The DnaE intein of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 (Ssp DnaE intein) is the first split intein identified in nature. Its N-terminal fragment (Int-n) is attached to the end of the N-terminal half of the DnaE protein (DnaE-n) to form the precursor DnaE-n/Int-n, while the C-terminal fragment (Int-c) precedes the C-terminal half of the DnaE protein (DnaE-c) to form the precursor Int-c/DnaE-c. Int-n and Int-c fragments in the separate precursors catalyze, in concert, a protein trans-splicing process to splice the flanking DnaE-n and DnaE-c into a functional catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase III. They then release themselves from the precursors. Previously, the Ssp DnaE intein has been used to reconstitute a protein trans-splicing mechanism in stably transformed Arabidopsis thaliana, resulting in successful reassembly of an intact and functional GUS from two halves of a split GUS protein. In this report, transient expression using a biolistic particle bombardment approach is described for functional analysis of Ssp DnaE intein. Analyses confirmed that the Ssp DnaE intein could catalyze protein trans-splicing not only in model plants but also in monocot and dicot crops. It also demonstrated that when up to 45 amino acid residues were removed from the C-terminus of the Int-n fragment, the Int-n fragment was still able to function in the protein trans-splicing process.
Intraocular pressure fluctuations during scleral buckling surgery

Purpose: The purposes of this study are to measure real-time intraocular pressure (IOP) during scleral buckling and to determine the effects of elevated IOPs on ocular perfusion. Patients and Methods: A standard 4-mm, 20-gauge infusion cannula was inserted through the pars plana, connected to a standard hemodynamic monitoring unit with an electronic pressure transducer, and calibrated. The authors measured real-time IOP in 20 eyes undergoing scleral buckling surgery for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments and determined the IOP required to close the central retinal artery. Pressure measurements were read from the monitor videoscreen intraoperatively and from a continuous paper tracing postoperatively. Results: The patients ranged in age from 24 to 88 years (mean, 59.7 years). The highest IOP elevations occurred during scleral depression and cryopexy, ranging up to 210 mmHg (mean, 116 mmHg). Pressures at which the central retinal artery closed ranged from 48 to 110 mmHg (mean, 79.2 mmHg). Manipulations of the globes caused IOPs greater than the central retinal artery perfusion pressures in 13 of the 20 patients. The duration of pressures in excess of the central retinal artery perfusion pressure ranged from 6 to 402 seconds (mean, 118.8 seconds). There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications from the infusion cannula. Conclusions: Conventional scleral buckling surgery causes wide fluctuations in IOP and may impair ocular perfusion. Additional studies are needed to determine the long-term consequences of these pressure elevations.
Perturbation theory and spin coupling constants in substituted compounds. II. Main group tetrahedral and planar trigonal fluorides

Abstract An analytical LCAO MO theory of the Fermi contact term in reduced nuclear spin coupling constants 1K(A-F) has been developed for substituted planar trigonal AF3−kL′K and tetrahedral AF4−kL′K, K = 1 to 3, main group element fluorides. The new model is a perturbation extension of the Pople-Santry (P-S) theory of 1K(A-F) for unsubstituted polyhedra AFm. The differences between diagonal matrix elements, δα′s = 〈sL′|H|sL′〉 − 〈sF|H|sF〉 and δα′p = 〈σL′|H|σL′〉 − 〈σF|H|σF〉, have been chosen as perturbations and first-order corrections to the P-S terms (both linear and quadratic in δα′s and δα′p) have been obtained in explicit form. It was shown that both central atoms A and substituents L′ should be divided into two groups displaying quite different regularities of 1K(A-F). Namely, carbon differs from all other atoms A (B, Si, Ge, etc.) in relative energies of the SA and pF orbitals and H, CH3, C6H5, SiH3, etc., differ from other substituents L′ (halogens, OR, NR2, SR, PR2, etc.) in lack of a lone ns2 pair. We suggest naming these two kinds of substituents “one-pronged” and “two-pronged,” respectively. It was shown that changes in 1K(A-F) will be negative and increase monotonically in absolute value as the σ donor ability of the L′ and their numbers k increase only for two-pronged substituents L′ such as halogens. This monotonic increase should be more or less additive for A = B, Si but for A = C noticeable positive deviations from additivity should take place. One-pronged L′ such as H or CH3 can cause nonmonotonic changes in 1K(A-F) along the series AF4−kL′k, k = 0 to 3 for all atoms A. Moreover, for A = C the resulting changes in 1K(C-F) may even be substantially positive. Model results agree with experiment and permit a number of predictions to be made. Extended Huckel calculations were performed as an independent check of model conclusions. All of the expected trends were found but only after it was discovered that a key factor was the magnitude of the overlap between the fluorine 2s orbital and the central atom ns orbital.
Effect of high carrier density on luminescence thermometry in semiconductors

We present a brief analysis of laser cooling in semiconductor quantum wells with emphasis on a previous experiment that gave evidence for local cooling. This work is re-examined in the context of light management, heat removal, and how increasing photo-carrier density affects luminescence. Our main conclusion is that using a single laser to both pump the sample and monitor temperature may lead to ambiguity in semiconductor cooling experiments.
No treatment option for liver metastases from colorectal adenocarcinoma

After an explanation of alternative treatment modalities, 30 patients with unresectable liver metastases from colorectal adenocarcinoma chose to have no treatment. Fourteen patients (47 percent) had synchronous liver metastases and 16 (53 percent) had metachronous lesions. Thirteen of the 30 patients (43 percent) had histologic documentation of liver metastases, with the remaining 17 patients diagnosed by liver scan, ultrasonography, or computerized axial tomography. Twenty-four of 30 patients (80%) had less than 25 percent liver involvement (Stage I), 23 of 24 patients had alkaline phosphatase levels less than twice normal, and 20 of 24 patients were asymptomatic from their liver metastases. The remaining six patients had liver stages II or III at the time of diagnosis. Overall mean survival of the 30 reported patients with untreated metastatic colorectal cancer to liver is 16 months (range, 2 to 58 months; median survival, 12 months).
A Scalable Graph-Based Semi-Supervised Ranking System for Content-Based Image Retrieval

The authors propose a scalable graph-based semi-supervised ranking system for image retrieval. This system exploits the synergism between relevance feedback based transductive short-term learning and semantic feature-based long-term learning to improve retrieval performance. Active learning is applied to build a dynamic feedback log to extract semantic features of images. Two-layer manifold graphs are then built in both low-level visual and high-level semantic spaces. One graph is constructed at the first layer using anchor images obtained from the feedback log. Several graphs are constructed at the second layer using images in their respective cluster formed around each anchor image. An asymmetric relevance vector is created for each second layer graph by propagating initial scores from the first layer. These vectors are fused to propagate relevance scores of labeled images to unlabeled images. The authors' extensive experiments demonstrate the proposed system outperforms four manifold-based and five state-of-the-art long-term-based image retrieval systems.