cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fixing the state-feedback gain by choice of closed-loop eigensystem

The purpose of this short paper is to round out recent results in the literature on fixing the state-feedback gain by choice of closed-loop eigensystem. The constraints on attainable eigensystems and a formula for the feedback gain are derived in a direct manner, and interpreted using the idea of 'eigen-inputs'. The well-known formula for the feedback gain of an optimal quadratic regulator is re-examined in this light; using a polynomial-matrix-fraction, a matrix generalization of the scalar 'root-square characteristic equation' is also obtained.
Leaching behavior of EDTA in a silica sol-gel matrix

Ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) doped silica gels were made by the sol-gel process for the potential application as a filter for heavy metal ions in wastewater. The behavior of the organic molecule in the matrix was studied by investigating the percentage of EDTA leached out with a variation in the timing of addition of the EDTA molecule into the starting silica gel solution. Leach tests using water as the medium were performed for 2, 12 and 24 hours in order to determine the amount of EDTA trapped in the pores or in the matrix. A minimum amount of EDTA leached from the gels was detected in the samples to which EDTA was added 4 hours after initial hydrolysis of TEOS. This result was correlated to having a greater percentage of pore volume in the range of 15-20 A, which was further substantiated with density measurements. The physical changes in the silica matrix altering the pore volume distribution were attributed to the addition of the water into which the EDTA molecule was initially dissolved.
On the absence of stereoselectivity in the catalytic oxidation of alkenes with a surface-bound metalloporphyrin-peptide conjugate

Abstract As reported in the proceeding paper, the catalytic oxidation of alkene substrates using a novel surface-bound metalloporphyrin-peptide conjugate catalyst occurred largely in accord with the catalyst design. Yet despite the regulation of many aspects of the oxidation, the asymmetric conjugate catalyst did not oxidize substrates stereoselectively. The absence of stereoselective catalysis is considered here through examination of potential experimental problems (improper surface assembly and catalyst degradation) and potential design problems (binding pocket symmetry and peptide packing). Neither experimental issue was shown to be the definitive problem. Molecular modeling of the catalyst suggested the binding pocket was too symmetrical.
Spectral methods in machine learning and new strategies for very large datasets.

Spectral methods are of fundamental importance in statistics and machine learning, because they underlie algorithms from classical principal components analysis to more recent approaches that exploit manifold structure. In most cases, the core technical problem can be reduced to computing a low-rank approximation to a positive-definite kernel. For the growing number of applications dealing with very large or high-dimensional datasets, however, the optimal approximation afforded by an exact spectral decomposition is too costly, because its complexity scales as the cube of either the number of training examples or their dimensionality. Motivated by such applications, we present here 2 new algorithms for the approximation of positive-semidefinite kernels, together with error bounds that improve on results in the literature. We approach this problem by seeking to determine, in an efficient manner, the most informative subset of our data relative to the kernel approximation task at hand. This leads to two new strategies based on the Nystrom method that are directly applicable to massive datasets. The first of these—based on sampling—leads to a randomized algorithm whereupon the kernel induces a probability distribution on its set of partitions, whereas the latter approach—based on sorting—provides for the selection of a partition in a deterministic way. We detail their numerical implementation and provide simulation results for a variety of representative problems in statistical data analysis, each of which demonstrates the improved performance of our approach relative to existing methods.
Toll-Like Receptor 4 Polymorphisms and Risk of Gram-Negative Bacteremia after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation. A Prospective Pilot Study

The Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene is a major recognition receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In a pilot prospective study, we examined the association of 2 TLR4 polymorphisms (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) in the donor or the recipient with Gram-negative bloodstream infection (BSI) in 77 allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients. Heterozygosity at both loci was defined as "risk genotype." The cumulative incidence of infection was estimated by treating death prior to infection as a competing risk event and compared between relevant groups using a modified chi-square test. Nine patients had the risk genotype based on donor and 5 based on recipient genotype data. Donor risk genotype showed marginal statistical significance (0.06) in univariate analysis, but not in multivariate analysis. A larger study is required to validate our findings and define genetic susceptibility to this serious infection in HSTC patients.
Phase field simulations of faceted growth for strong anisotropy of kinetic coefficient

Facet formation during crystal growth is simulated by using the phase field model in two dimensions. Instead of moderate anisotropy of the often-used form 1 þ d cos 4y; several functions having strong anisotropy are explored. For simplicity, the interfacial energy is assumed to be isotropic, so only the anisotropy in the kinetic coefficient is considered. This results in the formation of a nearly flat face when the anisotropy function has a narrow minimum at a certain direction, for example 45 � for four-fold symmetry. Two types of functions are studied in this paper; Type 1: q1ðy Þ¼ 1 þ d � 2dð1 � cos4yÞ n =2 n ; and Type 2: q2ðy Þ¼ 1 � d þ 2dtanhðk=jtan2yjÞ: A ‘‘facet’’ is formed at the 45 � direction for each case. This ‘‘facet’’ is not completely flat for q1; but a real facet is obtained for q2: The crystal shapes depend on the parameters d; n and k in the anisotropy functions. A wider facet is formed for larger d for both q1 and q2; whereas, larger values of n in q1 and k in q2 lead to more pronounced facets. Results obtained by using the phase field model are in good agreement with Wulff shapes for the kinetic coefficient. Finally, corner formation is simulated by using similar anisotropy functions with maxima at 45 � :
Pharmacotherapy and Postdischarge Outcomes of Child Inpatients Admitted for Aggressive Behavior

Controlled studies have indicated the efficacy of several agents for both “classical” psychiatric disorders of childhood and for the early onset of conditions that more typically first manifest in adulthood. However, the available data offer little guidance for the treatment of children who are not robust responders to monotherapy with the agents studied. One patient group at risk for inadequate response to monotherapy with evidence-based treatment comprises youngsters with severe conduct problems that include impulsive aggression. Youth with these difficulties most often meet diagnostic criteria for a disruptive disorder (oppositional defiant or conduct disorder1). Disruptive disorders are highly comorbid with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).2,3 Medication to ameliorate ADHD often reduces disruptive disorder symptoms,4 – 7 but incomplete response is common.8 – 10 Therefore, clinicians frequently layer several agents in efforts to improve behavioral stability. However, there is no evidence that any medication combination is more beneficial for these patients than monotherapy.11 – 14 The development of evidence-based treatment sequences for children with impulsive aggressive behavior necessitates controlled studies and confirmation of their pertinence to clinical practice. In the interim, more readily available data can provide useful information on the use and outcomes of pharmacological treatments. These, in turn, can inform the design of controlled studies by highlighting promising agents, sequences, and combinations. This report presents the treatment patterns and outcomes obtained prospectively for a cohort of children admitted to psychiatric inpatient care with a chief complaint of aggressive behavior. The study’s goals were (1) to examine longitudinally pharmacotherapy strategies from preadmission treatment through 3 postdischarge follow-ups, and (2) to analyze children’s clinical outcomes in relation to specific pharmacotherapy regimens. On the premise that both affective instability and more generalized problems with impulse control inform the aggressive behavior that typically leads to hospitalization in this patient group, the main hypothesis was that effective pharmacotherapy would include an antimanic compound15 – 17 and stimulant medication.18
Perceived Motion of a Colored Spot in a Noisy Achromatic Background

It is shown that human observers can use color both for detecting and for discriminating motion. The contributions of chromaticity and luminance to the detection and discrimination of motion are investigated with a high-contrast, nonisoluminant stimulus. The motion stimulus is a rectangular ‘particle’ defined by its luminance and chromaticity, which moves against a background containing luminance noise. Although the luminance noise is found to make achromatic particles undetectable over a large range of luminances, the addition of color to a particle can render it detectable and also enable accurate speed discriminations to be made. The contributions of both luminance and chromaticity were measured. The effect of changing the hue angle of the particle as it moves was also examined, and it was found that the detectability of motion is low in that circumstance.
Variables associated with a pentobarbital-induced sleep response

The effect of a variety of experimental variables on the latency of a pentobarbital-induced sleep response was studied in the rat. Diurnal cycle, white noise, and sleep deprivation were found to exert significant influences while bright light, social facilitation, and food deprivation did not. In two studies which measured sleep length, diurnal cycle but not food deprivation was found to exert a significant effect. A low correlation between sleep latency and length supports the assumption that these are independent responses.
Identity Between the Growth Hormone Degrading Activity of the Pituitary Gland and Plasmin

The conversion of native rat and bovine growth hormone to a faster-moving electrophoretic form, which is still biologically active, appears to be mediated by a trypsin-like peptidase present in pituitary extracts. The peptidase shows esterase activity on acetyl-glycyl-lysyl methyl ester, acetyl-lysyl methyl ester, benzoylarginyl ethyl ester and tosyl-arginyl methyl ester and also releases β-naphthylamine from CBZ-glycyl-glycylarginyl β-naphthylamideand dilysyl-β-naphthylamide. Optimal hydrolysis occurs between pH 8 and 9. Inhibition can be effected by pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, soybean trypsin inhibitor, benzamidine and aminobenzamidine. As estimated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 at 9.0, the peptidase reduces the molecular weight of native rat growth hormone from 45,000 to 18,400 and, in the case of the bovine hormone, to 20,000. The growth potency of the active fragment, isolated from digests of either the rat or bovine growth hormone, was equivalent to that of the corresponding native hormone. ...
Effect of soil disturbance on recharging fluxes: case study on the Snake River Plain, Idaho National Laboratory, USA

Soil structural disturbance influences the downward flow of water that percolates deep enough to become aquifer recharge. Data from identical experiments in an undisturbed silt-loam soil and in an adjacent simulated waste trench composed of the same soil material, but disturbed, included (1) laboratory- and field-measured unsaturated hydraulic properties and (2) field-measured transient water content profiles through 24 h of ponded infiltration and 75 d of redistribution. In undisturbed soil, wetting fronts were highly diffuse above 2 m depth, and did not go much deeper than 2 m. Darcian analysis suggests an average recharge rate less than 2 mm/year. In disturbed soil, wetting fronts were sharp and initial infiltration slower; water moved slowly below 2 m without obvious impediment. Richards’ equation simulations with realistic conditions predicted sharp wetting fronts, as observed for disturbed soil. Such simulations were adequate for undisturbed soil only if started from a post-initial moisture distribution that included about 3 h of infiltration. These late-started simulations remained good, however, through the 76 d of data. Overall results suggest the net effect of soil disturbance, although it reduces preferential flow, may be to increase recharge by disrupting layer contrasts.
Syllogizing ret: Applying formal logic in rationalemotive therapy

In this paper, it is shown how formal (deductive) logic can be applied to rational-emotive therapy. Several formal methodologies or “techniques” of belief system analysis are presented and illustrated.
Frequency Dependence of Polarization of Pulsar CP 0328

The circularly polarized emission from the pulsar CP 0328 has an approximately flat spectrum in the 1-megahertz band centered at 113.6 megahertz, whereas the linearly polarized emission varies with frequency and from pulse to pulse. A simple model for the source that has a constant Faraday rotation measure fits some of the linearly polarized spectra observed for individual pulses, but changes in the rotation measure of as much as 30 radians per square meter are required between adjacent pulses. The simple model does not fit the average spectrum of the linearly polarized emission, although the average spectrum had the same form on two nights.
The Effects of Mechanical Degradation and Viscoelastic Behavior on Injectivity of Polyacrylamide Solutions

Results of recent experiments that clarify the effects of mechanical degradation and viscoelastic behavior on the flow of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solutions through porous media are presented. From these results, a simple model that may be used to predict injectivity of polyacrylamide solutions is developed. Injection pressures for linear corefloods are shown to be separable into two components: an initial pressure drop associated with the entrance of polymer into the sandstone and a constant pressure gradient throughout the remainder of the core. Entrance pressure drop is zero until the polymer solution flux increases to the rate where mechanical degradation takes place. Thereafter, entrance pressure drop and the degree of polymer mechanical degradation increase with increasing flux. These observations suggest that the entrance pressure drop is associated closely with the process of polymer mechanical degradation. A new correlation is developed that may be used to determine entrance pressure drop and the level of mechanical degradation directly as a function of sandface flux, permeability, and porosity. This correlation is more convenient to apply and less dependent on flow geometry than previous correlations. Based on these observations, a model is developed that may be used to estimate injectivity of polyacrylamide solutions in linearmore » or radial flow geometries.« less
In Search of Unicorns and Effective Teacher Education

or years I searched for unicorns, and although I never actually observed one, I did meet a number of people who had friends or relatives who had seen one or, at least, knew someone who had. The unicorn is a very interesting and unusual creature. It resembles a horse in size and form. On its forehead is a single straight horn in a spiral twist, white at the base, black in the middle, and red at the top. The
Inhibition of histidine deaminase by L-tyrosine and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate

Abstract Feedback inhibition as a method for metabolic control has not been found often in catabolic pathways. Regulatory interactions (“cross inhibition”) between pathways were predicted by Jacob and Monod (1961) . In this investigation histidine deaminase was shown to be inhibited by metabolites of another pathway: L-tyrosine and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate. The inhibition exhibits competitive inhibition kinetics. The inhibition is pH dependent, is antagonized by zinc, and is diminished by added glutathione. Histidine degradation and the regulation of the pathway has been studied in bacteria and the literature is summarized by Lessie and Neidhardt (1967) . The histidine pathway was shown to be inducible and subject to catabolite repression. Lessie and Neidhardt (1967) suggested that histidine deaminase may be an allosteric control enzyme since sigmoid saturation curves were obtained in pyrophosphate buffer. However, they observed no inhibition when 16 potential “feedback” inhibitors were tried.
An experimental study of nonlinear dynamic system identification

A technique for robust identification of nonlinear dynamic systems is developed and illustrated using both simulations and analog experiments. The technique is based on the Minimum Model Error optimal estimation approach. A detailed literature review is included in which fundamental differences between the current approach and previous work is described. The most significant feature of the current work is the ability to identify nonlinear dynamic systems without prior assumptions regarding the form of the nonlinearities, in constrast to existing nonlinear identification approaches which usually require detailed assumptions of the nonlinearities. The example illustrations indicate that the method is robust with respect to prior ignorance of the model, and with respect to measurement noise, measurement frequency, and measurement record length.
Comparison of Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) Measure Adherence Between Oncology Fellows, Advanced Practice Providers, and Attending Physicians

Quality improvement measures are uniformly applied to all oncology providers, regardless of their roles. Little is known about differences in adherence to these measures between oncology fellows, advance practice providers (APP), and attending physicians. We investigated conformance across Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) measures for oncology fellows, advance practice providers, and attending physicians at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DVAMC). Using data collected from the Spring 2012 and 2013 QOPI cycles, we abstracted charts of patients and separated them based on their primary provider. Descriptive statistics and the chi-square test were calculated for each QOPI measure between fellows, advanced practice providers (APPs), and attending physicians. A total of 169 patients were reviewed. Of these, 31 patients had a fellow, 39 had an APP, and 99 had an attending as their primary oncology provider. Fellows and attending physicians performed similarly on 90 of 94 QOPI metrics. High-performing metrics included several core QOPI measures including documenting consent for chemotherapy, recommending adjuvant chemotherapy when appropriate, and prescribing serotonin antagonists when prescribing emetogenic chemotherapies. Low-performing metrics included documentation of treatment summary and taking action to address problems with emotional well-being by the second office visit. Attendings documented the plan for oral chemotherapy more often (92 vs. 63%, P=0.049). However, after the chart audit, we found that fellows actually documented the plan for oral chemotherapy 88% of the time (p=0.73). APPs and attendings performed similarly on 88 of 90 QOPI measures. The quality of oncology care tends to be similar between attendings and fellows overall; some of the significant differences do not remain significant after a second manual chart review, highlighting that the use of manual data collection for QOPI analysis is an imperfect system, and there may be significant inter-observer variability.
Studies on the Development of the Tritylsulfenyl Group as a Nitrogen Protecting Group and Application in a Synthesis of δ-Coniceine

Etude de la protection et deprotection d'amines par le groupe TRS (tritylsulfenyl). Application a la synthese de δ-coniceine a partir d'isopropylideneamide de l'acide triphenylmethanesulfonique
The Sickle Cell Sabbath: a community program increases first-time blood donors in the African American faith community

BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion therapy is an established treatment for primary and secondary prevention of strokes in children with sickle cell disease (SCD), a disease that predominantly affects African Americans. African American blood donors are more likely to have compatible minor red blood cell antigens for children with SCD who routinely receive transfusions. This study tested the hypothesis that when informed at church about the importance of blood donation, African Americans will have a higher than expected rate of first-time blood donation compared to the general population. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The Sickle Cell Sabbath Program was developed to increase awareness about SCD and the importance of blood donations within the African American faith community. Church involvement in the program included a 5-minute scripted educational session about SCD that included the importance of blood donations followed by a blood donor drive that was hosted by the church. RESULTS: Thirteen African American churches sponsored 34 blood drives from 2003 through 2006. Each church sponsored at least two blood drives. Approximately 1200 donors participated in the sickle cell blood drives. The majority of the donors were first-time donors and represented a greater than expected first-time donor rate when compared to first-time donors in the metropolitan St Louis area, 60 percent (422 of 699) and 12.2 percent (21,516 of 175,818), respectively (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: An educational program that engages the African American faith community more than quadruples the rate of expected first-time blood donors when compared to the general community over this 4-year period.
Radiative decay engineering 5: metal-enhanced fluorescence and plasmon emission

Metallic particles and surfaces display diverse and complex optical properties. Examples include the intense colors of noble metal colloids, surface plasmon resonance absorption by thin metal films, and quenching of excited fluorophores near the metal surfaces. Recently, the interactions of fluorophores with metallic particles and surfaces (metals) have been used to obtain increased fluorescence intensities, to develop assays based on fluorescence quenching by gold colloids, and to obtain directional radiation from fluorophores near thin metal films. For metal-enhanced fluorescence it is difficult to predict whether a particular metal structure, such as a colloid, fractal, or continuous surface, will quench or enhance fluorescence. In the present report we suggest how the effects of metals on fluorescence can be explained using a simple concept, based on radiating plasmons (RPs). The underlying physics may be complex but the concept is simple to understand. According to the RP model, the emission or quenching of a fluorophore near the metal can be predicted from the optical properties of the metal structures as calculated from electrodynamics, Mie theory, and/or Maxwell's equations. For example, according to Mie theory and the size and shape of the particle, the extinction of metal colloids can be due to either absorption or scattering. Incident energy is dissipated by absorption. Far-field radiation is created by scattering. Based on our model small colloids are expected to quench fluorescence because absorption is dominant over scattering. Larger colloids are expected to enhance fluorescence because the scattering component is dominant over absorption. The ability of a metal's surface to absorb or reflect light is due to wavenumber matching requirements at the metal-sample interface. Wavenumber matching considerations can also be used to predict whether fluorophores at a given distance from a continuous planar surface will be emitted or quenched. These considerations suggest that the so called "lossy surface waves" which quench fluorescence are due to induced electron oscillations which cannot radiate to the far-field because wavevector matching is not possible. We suggest that the energy from the fluorophores thought to be lost by lossy surface waves can be recovered as emission by adjustment of the sample to allow wavevector matching. The RP model provides a rational approach for designing fluorophore-metal configurations with the desired emissive properties and a basis for nanophotonic fluorophore technology.
Motor Cortex Stimulation Activates the Incertothalamic Pathway in an Animal Model of Spinal Cord Injury

A common consequence of spinal cord injury (SCI) is the development of severe, debilitating neuropathic pain. The pain is spontaneous and persistent in the absence of an insult, but it can also present as hypersensitivity to painful stimuli (hyperalgesia) and hypersensitivity to normally innocuous stimuli (allodynia).12,13 Unfortunately, current treatments cannot produce complete relief of the pain and are not effective in all patients.2,14 One potential treatment, motor cortex stimulation (MCS), was serendipitously found to reduce neuropathic pain in patients.55,56 Since then, MCS has been proposed for the treatment of other chronic neuropathic pain conditions including SCI pain,48–51,58 and several noninvasive MCS protocols have been developed; these include transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation.23,28 Some authors report that MCS results in pain relief in approximately 50% of the patients24; however, evidence from placebo-controlled trials to support these claims is lacking.10 Pain relief occurs progressively after the onset of MCS19 and persists after the stimulation has stopped. This poststimulation effect can last from minutes to days in some patients21,22 and suggests that MCS could potentially serve as a therapy for treatment-resistant neuropathic pain. However, the mechanisms by which MCS alleviates pain remain poorly understood. Recently, we described a novel system for the regulation of nociceptive processing in the thalamus, the incertothalamic system.31 In this system, the zona incerta (ZI; a GABAergic nucleus located in the diencephalon) inhibits the flow of nociceptive and somatosensory information in the posterior thalamus (Po),31,54 and this inhibition is regulated by the cholinergic system.32 In animals with SCI, we demonstrated that hypersensitivity is associated with an abnormally reduced inhibition from ZI.31 The reduced inhibition results in enhanced spontaneous and evoked activity in higher order thalamic nuclei (Po) and cortical structures involved in nociceptive processing.31,43,45 In the same animals, we found that MCS reverses spontaneous painlike behaviors and hypersensitivity without having an effect on motor performance.11,27 We also found that electrical stimulation of ZI mimics MCS effects and that reversible inactivation of ZI blocks antinociception produced by MCS, suggesting an integral role for the ZI in mediating MCS effects.27 Because the main input to ZI is from frontal cortical areas, and in particular the motor cortex (M1),33,34 and because ZI projects densely upon Po,3,53 we hypothesized that antinociceptive effects of MCS are due to the activation of the incertothalamic pathway.
Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery Study Group data

The Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery Study Group was formed to collect data on thoracoscopic procedures in an effort to define the role for this new technique. With more than 40 participating institutions, 1,820 cases have been collected through December 1992. Lung nodules and pleural effusions represent the most frequent indications, and wedge resection and operation in the pleural space were the most common procedures performed. Four hundred thirty-nine procedures (24%) were converted to a thoracotomy because of the need for more extensive resection (219), inability to find the pathology (65), too large a lesion or difficult location (62), adhesions (58), equipment failure (25), or bleeding (10). Prolonged air leak (> 5 days) was the most frequent complication. Patients undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery and wedge resection had a mean hospital stay of 5.1 days; video-assisted thoracic surgical lobectomy was performed in 38 patients, who had a mean stay of 6.3 days. Air leaks were more prevalent in patients with poor pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second or = 75 years) after video-assisted thoracic surgical wedge resection. Video-assisted thoracic surgery appears safe and may be advantageous for some procedures. Further studies will be required to define its precise role in thoracic surgery.
Late relapse of acute promyelocytic leukemia in a patient with no maintenance therapy.

Cvetkovic RS, 2003, DRUGS, V63, P1067, DOI 10.2165-00003495-200363110-00003; EGRIE JC, 1997, BLOOD S, V90, P82; Steele RH, 2005, NEPHROLOGY, V10, P317, DOI 10.1111-j.1440-1797.2005.00389.x; Weber G, 2002, J AM SOC NEPHROL, V13, P2381, DOI 10.1097-01.ASN.0000027031.79843.6C
In vivo imaging of human vasculature in the chorioretinal complex using phase-variance contrast method with phase-stabilized 1-μm swept-source optical coherence tomography

We present a noninvasive phase-variance (pv)–based motion contrast method for depth-resolved imaging of the human chorioretinal complex microcirculation with a newly developed phase-stabilized high speed (100-kHz A-scans/s) 1-μm swept- ource optical coherence tomography (SSOCT) system. Compared to our previous spectral-domain (spectrometer based) pv-spectral domain OCT (SDOCT) system, this system has the advantages of higher sensitivity, reduced fringe wash-out for high blood flow speeds and deeper penetration in choroid. High phase stability SSOCT imaging was achieved by using a computationally efficient phase stabilization approach. This process does not require additional calibration hardware and complex numerical procedures. Our phase stabilization method is simple and can be employed in a variety of SSOCT systems. Examples of vasculature in the chorioretinal complex imaged by pv-SSOCT from normal as well as diseased eyes are presented and compared to retinal images of the same subjects acquired with fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography. Observations of morphology of vascular perfusion in chorioretinal complex visualized by our method are listed.
Charge symmetry breaking and the neutron-proton mass difference☆

Abstract We study the behaviour of the neutron-proton mass difference in the nuclear medium. The main contribution to this quantity from charge symmetry breaking in the meson sector is given by ϱω mixing. In order to include this effect in the QCD sum rules, we extend the sum rules to finite density and discuss the importance of additional sources of isospin breaking which appear at finite density.
Financing telecommunications for rural development

Abstract Evidence shows that there has been serious underinvestment in telecommunications facilities in developing countries (DCs). This article analyses the reasons for this neglect, and demonstrates that a major restrictive factor in the development of telecommunications facilities in DCs — particularly in rural areas — has been the absence of adequate foreign exchange financing. Through an analysis of three major mechanisms for financing investment — supplier credits, multilateral lending and bilateral lending — and of the policies of the major institutions involved, the article identifies those policies that will stimulate the expansion of rural telecommunications in DCs.
SMOKING AND THE MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF LUNG CANCER

Lung carcinogenesis in humans requires exposure to environmental agents, including the inhalation of tobacco smoke, radioactive compounds, asbestos, heavy metals, and petrochemicals. Tobacco smoking is the risk factor with the highest attributable lung cancer risk worldwide. This article discusses occupational carcinogen exposure and exposure from tobacco use, and the lung-cancer risk associated with these types of exposure.
A SIMPLE MICRO VESSEL WITH ELECTRODE FOR DETERMINING THE HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION OF SMALL AMOUNTS OF FLUID

A convenient and accurate method is described for the electrometric determination of the hydrogen ion concentration of small amounts of fluid (0.015 to 0.020 cc.). The suitability of such a method for work on insect blood and body fluids is particularly pointed out.
On Teaching Adaptively

New theory on adaptive teaching reflects the social dynamics of classrooms to explain what practicing teachers do to address student differences related to learning. In teaching adaptively, teachers respond to learners as they work. Teachers read student signals to diagnose needs on the fly and tap previous experience with similar learners to respond productively. Adaptive teachers use their experience to form flexible groups for learning. Teaching adaptively is intellectual as well as technical, requiring quick response to learner variation. Adaptive teachers create a symbolic area at the center of the teaching ground, a space for easiest teaching. Adaptive teachers aim to keep the most number of students within that center to capitalize on skills across the class, challenge students to share experiences, and develop aptitude. Future work should capture the adaptive strategies of practitioners that illustrate the general principles described to create constituent elements of microadaptive teaching practice.
Fish Assemblages of Reservoirs, Illustrated by Lake Texoma (Oklahoma-Texas, USA) as a Representative System

ABSTRACT We suggest six generalizations about the ecology of fishes of large, warm, reservoirs in the southern United States. We test these postulates with examples from more than 20 years of our studies in Lake Texoma (Oklahoma-Texas), and previous historic work in this impoundment. Such impoundments are dynamic systems in which precise predictions about fish faunas, local assemblages, or their potential effects in river-reservoir ecosystems are difficult. However, several generalizations can be supported: (1) fish faunas in reservoirs are a largely non-coevolved array of species, consisting of native and non-native species that may remain relatively unchanged for decades; (2) the fish fauna of a reservoir changes in response to introduction of some non-native species but not others; (3) The fish fauna of a reservoir can change in response to abiotic events that occur at a range of spatial and temporal scales, but effects may be inconsistent and transitory; (4) strong abiotic and biotic gradients in rese...
Noise Temperature and IF Bandwidth of a 530 GHz Heterodyne Receiver Employing a Diffusion-Cooled Superconducting Hot-Electron Mixer

We report on the first heterodyne measurements with a diffusion-cooled hot-electron bolometer mixer in the submillimeter wave band, using a waveguide mixer cooled to 2.2 K. The best receiver noise temperature at a local oscillator frequency of 533 GHz and an intermediate frequency of 1.4 GHz was 650 K (double sideband). The 3 dB IF roll-off frequency was around 1.7 to 1.9 GHz, with a weak dependence on the device bias conditions.
Sidestepping garden paths: Assessing the contributions of syntax, semantics and plausibility in resolving ambiguities

A central issue in the study of sentence processing is the manner in which various sources of information are used in resolving structural ambiguities. According to one proposal, the garden path model (e.g. Frazier & Rayner, 1982), perceivers are initially guided by strategies based solely on the structural properties of sentences. Another class of models, constraint satisfaction models, emphasise the influence of lexical properties in decisions among the alternative analyses of an ambiguous sentence fragment (e.g. Tanenhaus, Garnsey, & Boland,1991). In this paper, we explore the prediction of an alternative model, the referential theory (e.g. Crain &Steedman, 1985). The referential theory maintains that the relative complexity of discourse representations plays a key role in determining the perceiver's immediate parsing preferences. We present four experiments designed to weigh the influence of semantic/referential complexity and general world knowledge in the on-line resolution of two kinds of structura...
Pressure Ulcers and Risk Assessment in Severe Burns

Risk and incidence of pressure ulcers (PUs) in the burn population remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the timing and incidence of PUs at our regional burn center and to identify early risk factors for PU development in burn patients. A retrospective review of 40 charts was performed from among the 1489 patients admitted to our regional burn center between January 2008 and December 2009. Twenty patients acquired PUs during their admission and were identified on the basis of International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision, designation, hospital stay >7 days, and thermal injury (excluding toxic epidermal necrolysis and purpura fulminans). The remaining 20 patients were matched controls based on ±5 years in age and ±8% TBSA. Patient, injury, and outcome characteristics were compared among patient groups using χ for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney for continuous variables. The incidence of PU was 1.3% of all admissions. PU most commonly occurred at the sacrum/coccyx (eight), lower extremity (seven), and occiput (six). A majority of PU presented at stage 2 (33%), stage 3 (26%), and unstageable (30%). Thirteen were splint or device related and reportable. Ninety percent of patients with PUs presented with a Braden score of 16 or less (P = .03), although 60% of controls also had admission Braden scores less than 16. On an average, PUs were acquired within 17 days of admission. Data suggest burn patients are particularly at risk of developing PU based on admission Braden scores. However, low Braden scores do not necessarily correlate with eventual development of PU. Therefore, early and aggressive PU prevention and risk assessment tools must be used to diagnose PUs at an early and reversible stage.
Recovering Measures of Advertising Carryover from Aggregate Data: The Role of the Firm's Decision Behavior

Data interval bias, the biased estimation of advertising carryover in aggregate data, can be viewed as a misinterpretation of the aggregate advertising-sales relationship due to missing micro advertising data. This paper argues that if the researcher does not explicitly model the firm's advertising decisions, he will incorrectly interpolate the missing data and thereby allow the firm's decision behavior to influence inferences about advertising carryover. Drawing upon a general model of advertising decision behavior, the expected aggregate form of the Koyck relationship is developed and compared to existing bias correction methodologies. Although it is difficult to find any parsimonious procedure which is robust with respect to all types of decision behavior, allowing lagged advertising to enter the classical Koyck equation emerges as a simple method of obtaining a reasonable estimate of advertising carryover in aggregate data.
Pyometra in Captive Large Felids: A Review of Eleven Cases

Abstract Eleven cases of pyometra were diagnosed in a captive exotic felid collection over 3 yr in seven African lions (Panthera leo), two tigers (P. tigris), one liger (lion-tiger crossbreed), and one leopard (P. pardus). Clinical signs included anorexia, lethargy, vulvar discharge, and vomiting. Diagnosis was based on clinical signs, complete blood cell counts, plasma biochemistry and electrolyte values, radiographs, and abdominal ultrasonography. The most common findings on complete blood count and biochemistry profiles were leukocytosis (>15,000/μL) and hyperproteinemia (>8.2 g/dL) due to increased globulins. Abdominal radiographic findings were largely nonspecific, but ultrasonography routinely showed a distended, fluid-filled uterus. Each case was treated with ovariohysterectomy and systemic antibiotic therapy. Lions were shown to be at an increased risk for developing pyometra compared with other species. Pyometra should be considered as a differential diagnosis in anorexic or lethargic intact fema...
Reduced prefrontal and temporal processing and recall of high "sensation value" ads.

article i nfo Public service announcements (PSAs) are non-commercial broadcast ads that are an important part of televised public health campaigns. "Message sensation value" (MSV), a measure of sensory intensity of audio, visual, and content features of an ad, is an important factor in PSA impact. Some communication theories propose that higher message sensation value brings increased attention and cognitive processing, leading to higher ad impact. Others argue that the attention-intensive format could compete with ad's message for cognitive resources and result in reduced processing of PSA content and reduced overall effectiveness. Brain imaging during PSA viewing provides a quantitative surrogate measure of PSA impact and addresses questions of PSA evaluation and design not accessible with traditional subjective and epidemiological methods. We used Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and recognition memory measures to compare high and low MSV anti-tobacco PSAs and neutral videos. In a short-delay, forced-choice memory test, frames extracted from PSAs were recognized more accurately than frames extracted from the NV. Frames from the low MSV PSAs were better recognized than frames from the high MSV PSAs. The accuracy of recognition of PSA frames was positively correlated with the prefrontal and temporal, and negatively correlated with the occipital cortex activation. The low MSV PSAs were associated with greater prefrontal and temporal activation, than the high MSV PSAs. The high MSV PSAs produced greater activation primarily in the occipital cortex. These findings support the "dual processing" and "limited capacity" theories of communication that postulate a competition between ad's content and format for the viewers' cognitive resources and suggest that the "attention-grabbing" high MSV format could impede the learning and retention of an ad. These findings demonstrate the potential of using neuroimaging in the design and evaluation of mass media public health communications.
Disagreement-induced drive in conversation: A social analog of intermittent shock in escape conditioning

Participation in conversation in which S encounters disagreeing opinions is aversively motivated by the disagreement and reinforced by the opportunity for S to speak in reply. In an experimental conversation modeled on discrete-trials instrumental conditioning, instrumental response speeds were faster when conversation began with disagreement on every trial rather than on half the trials, as in escape conditioning studies of intermittent shock (N = 80, p <.025).
‘Mail-order brides’ in popular culture: Colonialist representations and absent discourse

Over the past decade clever marketing and wider access to the internet has led to the exponential growth of ‘mail-order’ marriage industries, vastly increasing the number of women who migrate for m...
tert-Butyl 2-methyl-2-(4-nitro­benzo­yl)propanoate

The title compound, C15H19NO5, is bent with a dihedral angle of 61.8 (2)° between the mean planes of the benzene ring and a group encompassing the ester functionality (O=C—O—C). The dihedral angle of 0.8 (2)° between the mean planes of the nitro group and the benzene ring indicates near coplanarity. In the crystal, each mol­ecule is linked to four adjacent mol­ecules by weak C—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter­actions. Both benzene H atoms ortho to the ketone O atom form C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds with the keto O atoms of two neighboring mol­ecules (of the keto and ester groups, respectively), and the two other inter­actions involve the H atoms from a methyl group of the dimethyl residue, displaying C—H⋯O inter­actions with the O atoms of the nitro groups. These four inter­actions for each mol­ecule lead to the formation of two-dimensional sheets with a hydro­philic inter­ior, held together by weak hydrogen-bonded inter­actions, and a hydro­phobic exterior composed of protruding methyl groups which interst­ack with the methyl groups in adjacent sheets.
Ion and Laser Microprobes Applied to the Measurement of Corrosion Produced Hydrogen on a Microscopic Scale

Abstract An ion microprobe and a laser microprobe were used for the first time to measure concentrations of corrosion produced hydrogen on a microscopic scale. Hydrogen concentrations of several th...
To tune or not to tune: Detecting orbital variability in Oligo-Miocene climate records

article i nfo Article history: We address the problem of detecting quasi-periodic variability at orbital frequencies within pre-Pleistocene climate records using depth-derived and orbitally tuned chronologies. Many studies describing orbital vari- ability in pre-Pleistocene sediment hosted isotope records employ climatic records that are set on orbitally tuned chronologies, without accounting for the bias in spectral power estimates introduced by orbital tuning. In this study we develop a method to quantify the effects of tuning upon spectral estimates and, in particular, to more properly determine the statistical significance of spectral peaks associated with orbital frequencies. We apply this method to two marine sediment δ 18 O records spanning the Oligo-Miocene, from ODP cores 1090 and 1218. We find that using linear age-depth relationships reveals statistically significant spectral peaks matching eccentricity in core 1090, and obliquity and precession in core 1218, where the last appears most significant. Tuning the chronologies to the orbital solutions of Laskar et al. (2004) increases the statis- tical significance of the precession peak, whereas the obliquity and eccentricity peaks become indistinguish- able from those expected from tuning noise. This result can be understood in that tuning records with high signal to noise ratios tends to lead to more significant spectral peaks, whereas a linear age-depth relationship is better suited for detecting peaks when signal to noise ratios are low. We also demonstrate this concept using synthetic records.
Valve interstitial cells induce donor-specific T-cell anergy

Abstract Objectives: Valve allografts produce an immune response, which can influence their performance. The exact role of the interaction between recipient T cells and the different cellular components of the donor valve in stimulating an immune response is not known. Therefore the T-cell response to valve endothelial and interstitial cells was investigated in vitro. Methods: Valve endothelial and interstitial cells were characterized for cell-surface molecules before and after interferon γ treatment by means of a panel of specific monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry. The proliferative response of highly purified T lymphocytes was used to assess the immunogenicity of cultured valve endothelial and interstitial cells. This was further investigated by using a 2-step tolerance-induction protocol. Results: Valve endothelial and interstitial cells express similar levels of human leukocyte antigens and adhesion and costimulatory molecules, which are either induced or upregulated after interferon γ treatment. T-cell responses to endothelial cells were detected after interferon γ treatment, but responses to interferon γ–treated interstitial cells were not detected. This lack of response resulted in the induction of T-cell anergy, which was reversed by the presence of the costimulatory molecule B7-1. Conclusions: Although valve endothelial and interstitial cells express a similar range of cell-surface molecules, it is only the endothelial cells that are immunogenic. In addition, we have shown that these 2 cell types interact in a donorspecific manner to orchestrate the immune response and therefore may have clinical relevance in the allogeneic response of the heart valve recipients. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2001;122:129-35