cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Face Validity of the Core Food Security Module with Asians and Pacific Islanders

Abstract The 18-question Core Food Security Module (CFSM) measures the extent and severity of food insecurity among households. Our objectives were to (1) provide face validation of the CFSM among Asian and Pacific Islanders in Hawaii and (2) explore predictors of food security status. Participants included 61 food gatekeepers of Caucasian, Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian, Filipino, or Samoan ethnicity reached through nine focus groups. Focus group questions included participants’ perceptions of (1) definitions of hunger, (2) causal factors, (3) mediating factors, and (4) consequences of hunger. Participants completed the CFSM in a group and were then debriefed. Transcripts were analyzed using constant comparative analysis between ethnic groups and with the operationalized framework of food insecurity. Findings confirmed the conceptual framework of the CFSM. Differences between ethnic groups did not appear to affect results of the CFSM, but validation with other ethnic groups is recommended. Qualitative findings suggest that indices of resource augmentation, low vegetable intake, and various economic indices may be predictors of food security status. Educational programs to enhance food and nutrition security could consider measurement of food security status for needs assessment and program evaluation.
TagPix: Automatic Real-Time Landscape Photo Tagging for Smartphones

This paper presents TagPix, a lightweight smartphone photo tagging app that provides good tagging accuracy, works in real-time, and protects user privacy. The main novelty of TagPix consists in leveraging the phone sensors and a placetag database to tag landscape photos which include landmarks. GPS location is used to identify landmark tags in a given region. Then, TagPix computes the angular distance for the object in the camera focus using the orientation sensors. This allows the app to select a small subset of landmark tags for the photo. For further tag accuracy, we devised new usable methods to estimate the Euclidean distance between the user and the landmark in the camera focus. These methods employ simple user actions and lightweight trigonometric calculations. TagPix is implemented and tested using several Android phones and Google Places API. The app was tested in 8 cities across USA. Using only angular distance, TagPix achieves 86% tagging accuracy. Adding Euclidean distance estimation leads to 93% accuracy.
The effect of β-cyclodextrin on liquid chromatography/electrospray-mass spectrometry analysis of hydrophobic drug molecules

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for their capability of improving bioavailability, solubility, or stability of drugs via the formation of soluble inclusion complexes. CDs have also been widely used in various chemical analysis methods. In this work, liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) analysis for four different drugs (imipramine, desipramine, propranolol, and naproxen) that form inclusion complexes with CDs was performed in the presence and absence of β-CD. These drugs are subject to nonspecific adsorption when brought into contact with plastics, such as HPLC tubing, sample collection and preparation apparatus, etc. Inclusion of the CD in the samples reduces this nonspecific adsorption due to competitive complex formation between the CD and the analyte. ESI-MS ion intensities increased when β-CD was included in the sample with concentrations up to 1% (w:v), with a diverter valve installed post LC column. The degree of increased ion signal correlated with the β-cyclodextrin:analyte binding constant. β-CD appeared to elute within the void volume time and was observed in a full spectrum scan among the different analyte samples with up to 0.01% β-CD injected directly to the LC/MS system with the diverter valve switched inline with the mass spectrometer. The use of the diverter valve allowed for direct injection of samples containing up to 1% β-CD to the LC/MS without any deterioration of analyte ion signal.
FATE OF DONOR KIDNEY: LAPAROSCOPIC VERSUS OPEN TECHNIQUE

ABSTRACTPurpose: Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) is an increasingly accepted modality for procuring donor kidneys for transplantation. We analyzed and compared the short and long-term outcomes of living transplant allografts from kidneys procured by laparoscopic or open donor (ODN) technique and managed with a single immunosuppression regimen in each group.Materials and Methods: Records of recipients who underwent living (laparoscopic or open) donor nephrectomy were reviewed from August 1999 to July 2001 for LDN and from January 1994 to December 1999 for ODN. Patients included were on a single immunosuppression regimen particular to each group. Sirolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone were given to the LDN group, and calcineurin inhibitor (FK-506 or cyclosporine), mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone were given to the ODN group. Excluded from study were patients with prior kidney transplant or patients not receiving immunosuppression as previously described. Also excluded from study were patie...
Multimodal confocal mosaics enable high sensitivity and specificity in screening of in situ squamous cell carcinoma

Screening cancer in excision margins with confocal microscopy may potentially save time and cost over the gold standard histopathology (H and E). However, diagnostic accuracy requires sufficient contrast and resolution to reveal pathological traits in a growing set of tumor types. Reflectance mode images structural details due to microscopic refractive index variation. Nuclear contrast with acridine orange fluorescence provides enhanced diagnostic value, but fails for in situ squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), where the cytoplasm is important to visualize. Combination of three modes [eosin (Eo) fluorescence, reflectance (R) and acridine orange (AO) fluorescence] enable imaging of cytoplasm, collagen and nuclei respectively. Toward rapid intra-operative pathological margin assessment to guide staged cancer excisions, multimodal confocal mosaics can image wide surgical margins (~1cm) with sub-cellular resolution and mimic the appearance of conventional H and E. Absorption contrast is achieved by alternating the excitation wavelength: 488nm (AO fluorescence) and 532nm (Eo fluorescence). Superposition and false-coloring of these modes mimics H and E, enabling detection of the carcinoma in situ in the epidermal layer The sum mosaic Eo+R is false-colored pink to mimic eosins’ appearance in H and E, while the AO mosaic is false-colored purple to mimic hematoxylins’ appearance in H and E. In this study, mosaics of 10 Mohs surgical excisions containing SCC in situ and 5 containing only normal tissue were subdivided for digital presentation equivalent to 4X histology. Of the total 16 SCC in situ multimodal mosaics and 16 normal cases presented, two reviewers made 1 and 2 (respectively) type-2 errors (false positives) but otherwise scored perfectly when using the confocal images to screen for the presence of SCC in situ as compared to the gold standard histopathology. Limitations to precisely mimic H and E included occasional elastin staining by AO. These results suggest that confocal mosaics may effectively guide staged SCC excisions in skin and other tissues.
A systematic review of the role of intrapartum hypoxia-ischemia in the causation of neonatal encephalopathy

The object of this review was to determine the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of an umbilical arterial pH < 7.0; the incidence of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy; and the proportion of cerebral palsy associated with intrapartum hypoxia-ischemia in nonanomalous term infants. A systematic review of the English language literature on the association between intrapartum hypoxia-ischemia and neonatal encephalopathy was conducted by using Pubmed and Embase. For nonanomalous term infants, the incidence of an umbilical arterial pH < 7.0 at birth is 3.7 of 1000, of which 51 of 297 (17.2%) survived with neonatal neurologic morbidity, 45 of 276 (16.3%) had seizures, and 24 of 407 (5.9%) died during the neonatal period. The incidence of neonatal neurologic morbidity and mortality for term infants born with cord pH < 7.0 was 23.1%. The incidence of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is 2.5 of 1000 live births. The proportion of cerebral palsy associated with intrapartum hypoxia-ischemia is 14.5%. The vast majority of cases of cerebral palsy in nonanomalous term infants are not associated with intrapartum hypoxia-ischemia.
An Integrated Navigation System using GPS Carrier Phase for Real-Time Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

A Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) requires accu- rate measurement of the motion of the imaging plat- form to produce well-focused images with minimal absolute position error. The motion measurement (MoMeas) system consists of a inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a P-code GPS receiver that outputs corrected ephemeris, L1 & L2 pseudoranges, and L1 & L2 carrier phase measurements. The unknown initial carrier phase biases to the GPS satellites are modeled as states in an extended Kalman filter and the resulting integrated navigation solution has po- sition errors that change slowly with time. Position error drifts less than 1- cm/sec have been measured from the SAR imagery for various length apertures.
Infection and immunity at the maternal-placental-fetal interface: Focus on HIV-1

Summary The various methodological approaches, developed earlier by placentologists, are being applied to experimental and pathological studies of infection and the placenta (cf., Panigel and Nahmias, 1994 ). These approaches, as applied by workers from various disciplines, have provided new information discussed in this overview and by others in this symposium. Their application, together with concepts largely derived from evolutionary principles related to survival of microorganisms and of the human placenta/fetus (hence of our species), have led us to propose new areas of investigation regarding the maternal and fetal interface: o 1. the interactions between exogenous HIV-1 and the endogenous retroviruses of the placenta, embryo, and fetus; 2. tolerance in the antibody response of the fetus/newborn to polysaccharides of microorganisms which might have homology to placental/fetal/neonatal/polysaccharides, leading to the possibility that the passage of such maternal antibodies might lead to bad pregnancy and neonatal outcomes; 3. the mechanisms responsible for the downregulation of maternal lymphocytes and their Th1 cytokines in intervillous blood, and how this downregulation may be overcome by various infectious agents; and 4. the possible role of a very old and potent anti-infectious agent molecule, nitric oxide, in defending the placenta, whether in the intervillous space and/or in Hofbauer cells, how and where the NO is produced, and the resultant effects of differing concentrations of NO and the infectious organisms in protection or pathogenesis. Further basic studies in these areas should hopefully result in some novel practical approaches to prevent, not only the direct deleterious effects of various infectious agents, but also possibly their indirect immune mediated ill-effects on pregnancy outcomes, such as abortion, premature delivery, and birth defects.
Fundamental superstrate (cover) effects on printed circuit antennas

The fundamental effects of superstrate (cover) materials on printed circuits antennas are investigated. Substrate-superstrate resonance conditions are established which maximize antenna gain, radiation resistance, and radiation efficiency. Criteria are determined for material properties and dimensions for which surface waves are eliminated and a radiation efficiency due to substrate-superstrate effects of e_{s} = 100 percent is obtained. Criteria for nearly omnidirectional \bar{H} -plane patterns and nearly omnidirctional \bar{E} -plane patterns are presented. Finally, a general criterion is given for choosing a superstrate to optimize efficiency for the important case of nonmagnetic layers with the antenna at the interface.
Gliding in a Blue–Green Alga: a Possible Mechanism

GLIDING motility has been studied for many years with limited success1–3. The gliding movements displayed by several species of blue–green algae and bacteria have not as yet been satisfactorily explained. Earlier observations of gross behaviour and morphology have suggested several mechanisms, but we believe that none of the previous explanations encompass all of the motility characteristics observed in the blue–green alga, Oscillatoria princeps Vaucher (Fig. 1).
Nonacademic Effects of Homework in Privileged, High-Performing High Schools

This study used survey data to examine relations among homework, student well-being, and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper middle class communities. Results indicated that students in these schools average more than 3 hr of homework per night. Students who did more hours of homework experienced greater behavioral engagement in school but also more academic stress, physical health problems, and lack of balance in their lives. To better understand the role homework played as a stressor in students’ lives, the authors explored students’ qualitative descriptions of their experiences with homework. The discussion addresses how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students’ advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement, and well-being.
Alcohol use, marihuana smoking, and sexual activity in women.

This report describes a prospective study of social drinking, marihuana smoking, and sexual activity by 26 healthy adult women (mean age 26.8 years). Each subject completed daily questionnaires for 3 consecutive menstrual cycles, and recorded menstrual cycle status, quantities and frequencies of alcohol consumption, marihuana smoking, and sexual activity. Consistent patterns of alcohol consumption, marihuana smoking, and sexual activity were reported across all 3 menstrual cycles. Heavy drinkers (mean ≥1.80 drinks per day) were more likely to smoke marihuana than moderate drinkers (mean ≤1.75 drinks per day) and they also smoked significantly more marihuana (p<0.05). Neither age nor frequency of sexual activity were related to patterns of alcohol or marihuana consumption.
Autosensitization to DNA: Evidence for an Immunologic Basis

A 59-year-old female with spontaneous painful ecchymoses developed ecchymoses after intracutaueous injection of washed autologous whole blood cells and calf thymus DNA. Immunofluorescent studies of the spontaneous lesions revealed granular deposits of IgM, C3, factor B and properdin at the dermal-epidermal junction but no deposits in her normal skin. T cells were decreased in number but responded normally to polyclonal mitogens and did not transform in response to DNA-containing antigens. Repair of UV-damaged DNA by her lymphocytes appeared to be depressed. The findings presented here are the first immunologic abnormalities uncovered in this disorder and may help in understanding the pathogenesis of the inflammatory lesions seen in autosensitization to DNA.
Optimal design of phosphorylation-based insulation devices

We seek to minimize both the retroactivity to the output and the retroactivity to the input of a phosphorylation-based insulation device by finding an optimal substrate concentration. Characterizing and improving the performance of insulation devices brings us a step closer to their successful implementation in biological circuits, and thus to modularity. Previous works have mainly focused on attenuating retroactivity effects to the output using high substrate concentrations. This, however, worsens the retroactivity to the input, creating an error that propagates back to the output. Employing singular perturbation and contraction theory tools, this work provides a framework to determine an optimal substrate concentration to reach a tradeoff between the retroactivity to the input and the retroactivity to the output.
Structural Basis for Exquisite Specificity of Affinity Clamps, Synthetic Binding Proteins Generated through Directed Domain-interface Evolution

We have established a new protein-engineering strategy termed "directed domain-interface evolution" that generates a binding site by linking two protein domains and then optimizing the interface between them. Using this strategy, we have generated synthetic two-domain "affinity clamps" using PDZ and fibronectin type III (FN3) domains as the building blocks. While these affinity clamps all had significantly higher affinity toward a target peptide than the underlying PDZ domain, two distinct types of affinity clamps were found in terms of target specificity. One type conserved the specificity of the parent PDZ domain, and the other increased the specificity dramatically. Here, we characterized their specificity profiles using peptide phage-display libraries and scanning mutagenesis, which suggested a significantly enlarged recognition site of the high-specificity affinity clamps. The crystal structure of a high-specificity affinity clamp showed extensive contacts with a portion of the peptide ligand that is not recognized by the parent PDZ domain, thus rationalizing the improvement of the specificity of the affinity clamp. A comparison with another affinity clamp structure showed that, although both had extensive contacts between PDZ and FN3 domains, they exhibited a large offset in the relative position of the two domains. Our results indicate that linked domains could rapidly fuse and evolve as a single functional module, and that the inherent plasticity of domain interfaces allows for the generation of diverse active-site topography. These attributes of directed domain-interface evolution provide facile means to generate synthetic proteins with a broad range of functions.
The Digital Life History Project: Intergenerational Collaborative Research

This article describes the Digital Life History Project, a 10-week “lab” linked to a course on aging, in which students and community-dwelling elders work together to create a short digital story honoring the elder's life. After two interview sessions, the pair works together to produce a 3- to 5-minute digital life story narrated by the elder. The resulting multimedia videos are then screened for the community at large at the end of the semester. Students and elders alike report long-term personal, interpersonal, and community-based effects from participating in the Digital Life History Project, including making meaningful relationships, linking biography and history, learning to confront ageism, charting the next chapter, and participating in community-wide education.
Molecular Identification and Classification of Strawberry Phylloid Fruit Phytoplasma in Group 16SrI, New Subgroup

Plants of commercial strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch., cv. Camarosa) exhibiting extensive fruit phyllody (development of leafy structures from achenes) were observed in a winter greenhouse production facility in West Virginia. In July 2001, 95 dormant, cold-stored plants were purchased from a California strawberry nursery, potted and grown in this West Virginia facility. Five of the plants developed fruits with phylloid growths. These fruits were assessed for phytoplasma infection using nested polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) in which initial ribosomal (r) DNA amplification was primed by phytoplasma-universal primer pair P1/P7 (2), and rDNA reamplification was primed by primer pair R16F2n/R16R2 (1). Amplification of phytoplasma-characteristic 1.2-kbp 16S rDNA in the nested reactions primed by R16F2n/R16R2 confirmed that the symptomatic plants were infected by a phytoplasma, termed strawberry phylloid fruit (StrawbPhF) phytoplasma. No phytoplasma DNAs were amplified from healthy plants. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of 16S rDNA digested with AluI, KpnI, HhaI, HaeIII, HpaII, MseI, RsaI, and Sau3A1 restriction endonucleases indicated that StrawbPhF phytoplasma belonged to group 16SrI (group I, aster yellows phytoplasma group) according to the phytoplasma classification system of Lee et al. (4). However, the collective patterns distinguished StrawbPhF from its closest known relative, clover phyllody (CPh) phytoplasma, and from all other phytoplasmas classified in group 16SrI. On the basis of the RFLP patterns of 16S rDNA, the StrawbPhF was classified in group 16SrI, new subgroup R. The StrawbPhF phytoplasma 1.2-kbp 16S rDNA PCR product was cloned in Escherichia coli using TOPO TA Cloning Kit (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA), sequenced, and the sequence deposited in GenBank under Accession No. AY102275. The StrawbPhF 16S rDNA sequence shared 99.9 and 99.8% similarity with the two sequence heterogeneous operons, rrnA and rrnB, respectively, of CPh phytoplasma, and shared 99.9% similarity with 16S rDNA of the unclassified cirsium yellows (CirY) phytoplasma (GenBank Accession No. AF200431) reported in Cirsium arvense L. in Lithuania (3). The restriction sites in 16S rDNA of StrawbPhF were identical to those in 16S rDNA of CPh rrnA and CirY. Three restriction sites (AluI, HaeIII, and MseI) and three base substitutions distinguished StrawbPhF 16S rDNA from rrnB of CPh phytoplasma. No evidence was obtained for the presence of a second (sequence heterogeneous) rRNA operon in StrawbPhF phytoplasma, as reported in CPh phytoplasma (4), which clearly distinguishes this phytoplasma from CPh phytoplasma. Future studies on StrawbPhF phytoplasma may provide important information on the evolution of phytoplasmas. References: (1) D. E. Gundersen and I.-M. Lee. Phytopathol. Mediterr. 35:144, 1996. (2) R. Jomantiene et al. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 48:269, 1998. (3) R. Jomantiene et al. Phytopathology 90:S39, 2000. (4) I.-M. Lee et al. Int J. Syst. Bacteriol. 48:1153, 1998.
IGF-Binding proteins in human prostate tumor cells: Expression and regulation by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3

The expression of the six known insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) and their corresponding messenger RNAs has been examined in three cell lines established from surgical and biopsy specimens of human prostate carcinoma. All three cell lines produced both IGFBP-4 and IGFBP-6 and the respective mRNAs; expression of IGFBP-6 has not been previously demonstrated in human prostate tumor cells. No other binding proteins were detected. The levels of IGFBP mRNAs were not regulated by androgens or IGF-1, but the level of IGFBP-6 mRNA was sharply increased by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)D3). The stimulation was dose-dependent with a maximum effect at 10 nM 1,25(OH)D3 and a clearly discernible effect at 0.1 nM. The results support a role for vitamin D in the control of prostate tumor growth, mediated at least in part by interaction with IGFs and specific IGFBPs.
Flexural properties and micromorphologies of wood flour/carbon nanofiber/maleated polypropylene/polypropylene composites

Abstract The effects of carbon nanofibers (CNF) on the performance of three- or more phase composites are complicated. CNFs formulated into wood flour (WF)/maleated polypropylene (MAPP)/polypropylene (PP) composites by high shear blending alone improved flexural properties. Addition of an extrusion step after high shear blending enhanced CNF dispersion and improved the composites’ flexural moduli, but in these systems CNF did not contribute to flexural property enhancement. The addition of 1.0 wt% CNF to WF/MAPP/PP by high shear blending followed by extrusion did not affect either the WF dispersion or WF/PP adhesion. The adhesion between WF and PP/MAPP matrix was good (SEM), but CNF adhesion to the PP/MAPP matrix was poor.
Salt Marsh Fucoid Algae: Overlooked Ecosystem Engineers of North Temperate Salt Marshes

Salt marsh fucoid algae are a conspicuous component of north temperate marshes, yet comparatively little research has been conducted to examine their ecological effects. We examined the influence of salt marsh fucoids on physical conditions and the biotic community in a manipulative experiment conducted in a southern Maine back-barrier salt marsh. The biomass of salt marsh fucoids was higher than that of aboveground Spartina alterniflora in the zone where we conducted the experiment. Average daytime temperatures at the sediment surface were significantly reduced by the presence of salt marsh fucoids. Density and biomass of standing-dead S. alterniflora was significantly higher when salt marsh fucoids were removed. In contrast, the abundance of various species of epifauna and infauna were significantly enhanced by the presence of salt marsh fucoids. A regional survey indicated that results from the study site may be conservative because the biomass of salt marsh fucoids was lowest among other back-barrier marshes. Salt marsh fucoids are little studied ecosystem engineers whose presence affects the microclimate and biotic community, especially the animals that constitute the basal components of the salt marsh trophic relay.
Support for the acutely failing liver: a comprehensive review of historic and contemporary strategies.

M l T p c s e m t e a a s s b c o s c p nd-stage liver disease is the tenth most frequent cause f death in the US, causing approximately 25,000 deaths nnually. Although only about 2,000 cases of acute liver ailure occur each year in the US, the mortality rate emains as high as 28%. The application of orthotopic iver transplantation to acute and fulminant hepatic failre has increased the survival rate dramatically, but this reatment option is costly, and the limited supply of uitable livers precludes this treatment option from beng available to all patients who would benefit from it. pproximately 40% of patients with acute or fulminant epatic failure survive the acute episode with medical herapy alone, and regeneration in the native liver akes orthotopic liver transplantation, an irreversible reatment option, unnecessary. Unfortunately, there is o effective means to distinguish patients who will surive without transplantation from those who will not. The term acute-on-chronic typically refers to the acute nset or acute worsening of hepatic encephalopathy in paients with chronic liver disease. Some of the events or gents that may precipitate acute-on-chronic liver failure nclude oral protein intake, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, zotemia, hypoxia, or sedative or hypnotic drugs. Alhough some degree of neuropsychiatric disturbance is ommon in patients with chronic liver disease, overt enephalopathy portends a grim prognosis: survival is only 2% at 1 year and 23% at 3 years. Few effective treatment ptions, as for acute liver failure, exist for acute-on-chronic iver disease except liver transplantation. Support options exist for patients with failure of other rgan systems: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis for enal failure, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for
Simultaneous malignant hypertension and cardiac tamponade

Malignant hypertension and cardiac tamponade are uncommon but potentially life-threatening medical emergencies. Both conditions may be associated with collagen vascular diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus. We report a case of acute cardiac tamponade associated with malignant hypertension secondary to lupus nephritis. Immediately after pericardiocentesis, blood pressure declined substantially. Although malignant hypertension is seen with modest frequency in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, true cardiac tamponade is a less common complication of lupus serositis. Acute, simultaneous presentation of both life-threatening entities and the hemodynamic course have not been described.
Reading the Arrivals of Harpalus

Harpalus’ two arrivals in Athens, first with armed force and then as a suppliant, were both intended to provoke war between Athens and Alexander, the first through fear, the second through appeal to Athenian traditions of protecting suppliants.
AIDS NORTH AND SOUTH: DIFFUSION PATTERNS OF A GLOBAL EPIDEMIC AND A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR GEOGRAPHERS *

Apart from the tragic certainty of death which accompanies AIDS everywhere, the means of its transmission, the spatial patterns of its diffusion, and the groups at highest risk of infection vary considerably among world regions. This paper reviews the disease and its transmission, then proposes three models of AIDS diffusion to assess the implications of the epidemic on various regions. AIDS North, of North America and western Europe, is urban based and primarily confined to homosexuals and IV drug abusers. AIDS South, in central Africa and the Caribbean, is spreading from cities into rural regions and affects primarily heterosexuals. The third, an AIDS North/South hybrid, is postulated as a model of diffusion of the disease in other Third World regions. The final section addresses the potential contribution of geographic research to policy-makers in attempting to cope with the diffusion of AIDS and in curbing the epidemic's advance.
Surface morphologies of SnO2(1 1 0)

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS), and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) was used to investigate the surface morphology of SnO2(1 1 0) for different preparation conditions. Annealing in 10 � 3 mbar oxygen results in a 1 � 1 diffraction pattern. Such surfaces exhibit terraces separated predominantly by straight step edges along low index crystallographic directions. The terraces exhibit a high density of defects. Annealing to 810 K results in the loss of surface oxygen but the surface retains a 1 � 1 periodicity. Steps of less than monolayerheight, however, indicate that a significant reordering of the surface atoms occurs already at this temperature. Annealing to higher temperature or preparation of the surface by sputtering and vacuum annealing always results in a superstructure in the diffraction pattern and a low [O]/[Sn] ratio in ISS. For annealing temperatures between 920 and 1050 K co-existence of c(2 � 2) and 4 � 1 reconstructed domains is observed. In this regime small adislands are always present at the surface; extended terraces were imaged by STM with a 4 � 1 periodicity. This implies that the c(2 � 2)structure is associated with adislands at the surface. Annealing to 1100 K resulted in the formation of a 4 � 1 surface only. This surface exhibits terraces with meandering step edges and antiphase domain boundaries of the 4 � 1 surface structure. A new model for this reconstruction is proposed including Sn atoms occupying interstitial surface sites. Annealing to 1180 K results in the fragmentation of the 4 � 1 structure and the surface looses its long-range order. This causes a 1 � 1 LEED pattern originating from the underlying substrate. Surface undulations with sub-interlayer step heights are explained by the frequent presence of stacking faults and other bulk defects that are also accompanied by variations in the electronic structure due to a locally altered Sn/O stoichiometry. 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Resurfacing: Race, AIDS, Sexuality, and the Politics of Mourning

As a result of AIDS, gay male sexual culture has received a great deal of attention in recent years. Among the questions raised are those concerning the relationship between anonymous public sex and the development of a visible and politically engaged community. As part of an ethnographic analysis of a popular public sex site in New York City, the West Side Piers, the author documents how AIDS defines discussions of sex, identity, and community. As the changes brought about by the epidemic threaten to finally destroy the site, the piers have become objects of mourning and geographies of recollection. Included in these recollections are specific sexual encounters and a series of violent events that have, like AIDS, focused discussions on the link between public sex and community building. A review of two violent episodes on the piers illustrates how race emerges as one of the defining characteristics of the community, forming discourses derived from the site. An analysis of the commentary surrounding these events illustrates how sex and violence are occasions for articulating definitions of community that, in these cases, are implicitly White. These racially charged texts of violence and sex contrast with contemporary nostalgic images of public sex as free and unpoliced.
Treatment Outcomes in Black and White Children With Cancer: Results From the SEER Database and St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 1992 Through 2007

Purpose Treatment outcome for black patients with cancer has been significantly worse than for their white counterparts. We determined whether recent improved treatment had narrowed the gap in outcome between black and white pediatric patients. Patients and Methods In a parallel comparison, we analyzed survival by disease category between black and white patients with childhood cancer registered in one of the 17 cancer registries of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program or treated at St Jude Children's Research Hospital, which provides comprehensive treatment to all patients regardless of their ability to pay, from 1992 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2007. Results Analysis of the SEER data indicated that in both study periods, black patients had significantly poorer rates of survival than did white patients, with the exception of a few types of cancer. Despite significantly improved treatment outcomes for patients who were treated from 2001 to 2007, the racia...
Hydrochemical Characterization of Brines and Identification of Brine Contamination in Aquifersa

Hydrochemical investigations of aquifer contamination by brine are usually approached using conventional graphical methods (i.e. Stiff, Piper, and Schoeller diagrams). While these methods may be used successfully to identify brine in distinction from other contaminants (e.g., road deicing agents) in ground water, they are unsuccessful in differentiating between brine contaminants from different stratigraphic origins. We present a methodology to be employed in hydrochemical investigations of suspected brine contamination, which incorporates the use of select ionic ratios [Ca:Mg, Na:Ca, Na;Mg, Na:Cl, K:Cl, K:Na, Mg:K, Ca:K, Cl:Mg, Cl:Ca, and (Ca + Mg):(Na + K)] in discriminant analysis and modified graphical methods. The method is tested by applying it to an area of known brine contamination in northeastern Ohio. The results of the test indicate that the method is successful in identifying brine as a contaminant in ground water and in identifying the stratigraphic origin of the brine. This method, when combined with information obtained from drilling reports, can be used to suggest a point source for the brine contamination.
'Morphs' (MRFs): metal-reversible folding domains for differential IgG binding.

Abstract Background: Selective recognition and binding of IgG molecules is the basis for a host of immunological and affinity purification techniques. Capture of an IgG in these procedures relies chiefly on its interaction with one of a variety of reengineered bacterial receptors which bind to the Fc region of IgG molecules with very high affinity. While this interaction is extremely efficient in trapping IgG molecules, the tight interaction between the binding partners often requires denaturing conditions for disruption of the complex, which can adversely affect the yield of purified IgG and also limit the lifetime of the receptor matrix. An effective receptor/IgG binding system which could be modulated by less extreme conditions is of considerable general interest. Results: We describe the properties of a series of modified Fc receptor domains which are competent to bind IgG with high affinity but which can be reversibly unfolded upon addition of modest amounts of transition metal ions. Data are presented demonstrating loss of the secondary structural content of the domains as a function of increasing metal concentration, with a concomitant decrease in IgG binding affinity. Variants of the Fc receptor differing at a single amino acid position display increased sensitivity to metal-induced unfolding, while retaining comparable IgG binding ability in the absence of metal. Conclusions: The interaction of this series of Fc receptors with metal ions abolishes IgG binding, but removal of metal ions allows refolding of the domains with restoration of the IgG binding function. Examples of the utility and potential applications of these metal-modulated IgG binding domains are discussed.
Rare earth element abundances in apatite in the Bushveld Complex—A consequence of the trapped liquid shift effect: COMMENT

[VanTongeren and Mathez, 2012][1]) distinguished two layers (“lower and upper sections”) at the top of the Bushveld Complex that we interpreted as the crystallization products of immiscible siliceous and Fe-rich liquids formed during the final stages of magmatic differentiation. The
Cryosurgery for cardiac arrhythmias: acute and chronic effects on coronary arteries.

The use of cryosurgery near major coronary arteries for the treatment of supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias has caused concern over the possible deleterious acute and chronic effects of cryothermia on vessel patency and integrity. The present study was designed to examine both the acute and chronic effects of cryothermia on major coronary vessels in an experimental model that simulates clinical conditions. In the acute phase of the study, 10 dogs underwent direct cryothermic exposure of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery while coronary artery flow and regional myocardial blood flow were calculated. Direct cryothermic exposure of the LAD resulted in total cessation of LAD blood flow 20 ± 4 seconds after institution of cryothermia. Arterial patency returned 29 ± 8 seconds after termination of cryothermic exposure. In the second phase of this study, 16 dogs had cryolesions applied directly over the LAD at myocardial temperatures of 37°C and during elective cardioplegic arrest at myocardial temperatures of 6 to 12°C. In addition, cryothermia was applied directly to the coronary sinus in these animals. The animals were allowed to live either 48 hours, 2 weeks, or 6 months after the initial procedure, and the cryolesions and underlying vessels were examined histologically. Although coronary arteriography at 6 months showed all coronary arteries to be patent, microscopic examination revealed coronary intimal hyperplasia to be present in the majority of the coronary arteries at the site of the cryolesion, particularly if the cryolesion had been applied during hypothermic, cardioplegic arrest. Cryothermia had no effect on the coronary sinus. This study provides evidence for cryothermia-induced coronary arterial damage that may produce hemodynamically significant coronary artery stenosis and suggests that caution be exercised when it is necessary to create cryolesions in the vicinity of major coronary arteries.
OSTEOPOROSIS : A POSSIBLE MODIFYING FACTOR IN ORAL BONE LOSS

There has been increasing interest in the interrelationship between systemic osteoporosis, oral bone loss, tooth loss, and risk factors for these conditions. Because the severity of alveolar bone loss increases with age, it has long been hypothesized that it may, in part, be related to systemic conditions that also predispose the patient to osteoporosis/osteopenia. The purpose of this paper is to review the risk factors for osteoporosis and periodontitis, as well as the evidence that loss of oral bone mineral may be related to systemic osteopenia. There is also evidence that therapies designed to influence systemic bone mineral density, such as hormone replacement and bisphosphonate therapy, may be associated with less tooth loss and a slower loss of alveolar bone, respectively.
Retroflection from slanted coastlines-circumventing the "vorticity paradox"

Abstract. The balance of long-shore momentum flux requires that the solution of zonally retroflecting currents involve ring shedding on the western side. An important aspect of the ring dynamics is the ring intensity α (analogous to the Rossby number), which reaches its maximum value of unity when the upstream potential vorticity (PV) is zero. Friction leads to a slow-down and a decrease in α. The main difficulty is that the solution of the system of equations for conservation of mass and momentum of zonal currents leads to the conclusion that the ratio (Φ) of the mass flux going into the rings and the total incoming mass flux is approximately 4α/(1+2α). This yields the "vorticity paradox" – only relatively weak rings (α≤1/2) could satisfy the necessary condition Φ≤1. Physically, this means, for example, that the momentum-flux of zero PV currents upstream is so high that, no matter how many rings are produced and, no matter what size they are, they cannot compensate for it. To avoid this paradox, we develop a nonlinear analytical model of retroflection from a slanted non-zonal coastline. We show that when the slant of coastline (γ) exceeds merely 150, Φ does not reach unity regardless of the value of α. Namely, the paradox disappears even for small slants. Our slowly varying nonlinear solution does not only let us circumvent the paradox. It also gives a detailed description of the rings growth rate and the mass flux going into the rings as a function of time. For example, in the case of zero PV and zero thickness of the upper layer along the coastline, the maximal values of Φ can be approximately expressed as, 1.012+0.32exp(−γ/3.41)−γ/225. Interestingly, for significant slants γ≥300), the rings reach a terminal size corresponding to a balance between the β-force and both the upstream and downstream momentum fluxes. This terminal size is unrelated to the ultimate detachment and westward drift due to β. Our analytical solutions are in satisfactory agreement with the results of a numerical model that we run.
On feedback control of chaotic continuous-time systems

Extends the ideas and techniques developed previously by the present authors for controlling discrete-time chaotic dynamic systems using traditional feedback control strategies to continuous-time chaotic systems. The authors study how the conventional engineering approach using canonical feedback controllers can control the chaotic trajectory of a continuous-time nonlinear system to converge to its equilibrium points and, more significantly, to its multiperiodic orbits including unstable limit cycles. They describe an approach via a detailed investigation of the chaotic Duffing equation, with special emphasis on the control of its chaotic trajectory to one of its multiperiodic orbits. Finally, the authors provide a rigorous mathematical theory and some computer simulations to support and visualize such controllability of the Duffing equation. >
Effects of natriuretic peptides on load and myocardial function in normal and heart failure dogs.

The effects on myocardial function and loading conditions of clinically relevant doses of the natriuretic peptides (NP) have not been established. The actions of single doses (100 ng ⋅ kg− 1 ⋅ min−...
SOCIAL SECURITY TAX AND ENDOGENOUS TECHNICAL CHANGE IN AN ECONOMY WITH AN AGING POPULATION: Social Security and Endogenous Technical Change

This paper presents a classical model of economic growth which incorporates class conflict and induced technological change to show how demographic changes can affect future income distribution and production relations in industrialized countries. Specifically, I use an extended real wage Phillips curve to account for the effects of a social security tax on income distribution and therefore on capital accumulation and employment. In this framework output growth is determined from the supply side by available savings. Analytical and simulation results indicate that the sustainability of an economy with fast population aging over transient paths hinges upon improvements in labor productivity, hence, the specific mechanism of technical progress in place.
On entropy-constrained trellis coded quantization

An entropy-constrained trellis coded quantization (TCQ) scheme is presented for encoding memoryless sources. A simple 8-state trellis is used to encode the memoryless Gaussian source with mean-squared-error (MSE) performance within about 0.5 dB of the rate-distortion function. This performance is achieved at all non-negative encoding rates. >
Small cell carcinocythemia.

Abstract Tumor cells circulate in the blood, but it is unusual to find cancer cells on a routine peripheral smear. The term carcinocythemia is used to describe this phenomenon. Four patients have been reported previously with small cell lung cancer and carcinocythemia. A fifth case is described in this article. These patients presented with advanced disease and had generalized lymphadenopathy and liver involvement; 3 had splenic metastases. All of these patients experienced rapid clinical deterioration. Death occurred 3 days to 2 weeks from the time carcinocythemia was detected. The presence of small cell carcinocythemia can be one of the manifestations of end-stage disease and is associated with an extremely poor prognosis.
The Optimal Location of Nuclear-Power Facilities in the Pacific Northwest

This paper treats the optimal location of nuclear-power plants in the Pacific Northwest with respect to capital-construction, operating, and transmission costs. It presents a mathematical formulation of this two-product peak and energy power plant-location problem, using the simplex method in conjunction with a branch-and-bound process, and indicates a check procedure using Vogel's approximation method in conjunction with an algorithm for solving the transportation problem and a branch-and-bound process. The paper gives results for demand-growth rates of 4, 5, 6 and 7 percent and alternative designs and their costs. It also discusses the stability of the optimal solution.
Advancing beyond current generation dye-sensitized solar cells

The most efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have had essentially the same configuration (nanoparticle TiO2 sensitized with [Ru(4,4′-dicarboxy-2,2′-bipyridine)2(NCS)2] in contact with I3−/I−) for the last 17 years. In this article we outline the strategies for improving each of the three major photo-relevant components of a DSSC, review literature reports consistent with these strategies and suggest future directions. Finally we explore the potential of future generation DSSCs for advancing energy-conversion performance.
Optimal design in dynamic PET data acquisition: a new approach using simulated annealing and component-wise Metropolis updating

Dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) is a powerful tool of measuring biological activities in vivo. Due to the inherent high noise level, there are always concerns about how to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. One possible approach is to optimize the experimental design. In this paper, we propose a discretized representation of the experimental design and transform it to a combinatorial problem. This combinatorial optimization problem then can be solved using simulated annealing with component-wise Metropolis Monte Carlo simulation. We showed that using this novel approach one can design an optimal input function as well as an optimal sampling schedule efficiently. Our results show that the current dynamic scanning of approximately 20 frames does not give us much more information than an optimized four-frame schedule, and needlessly increases storage requirements. This is consistent with the conclusion given by Li et al. (1996). We also reproduced the optimal sampling schedule for the fluorodeoxy-glucose (FDG) study proposed. Moreover, we show that the single bolus injection is almost optimal in the sense of D-optimal design, as well as many other measures.
Some Further Developments in the Infinite Product Representation of Elementary Functions

An innovator y approach has been recently proposed for the derivation of infinite product representation of elementary functions. The approach is based on the comparison of different alternative forms of Green's functions for boundary-value problems stated for the two-dimensional Laplace equation. A number of new infinite product representations of elementary functions was actually derived within the scope of that approach. The present study continues the trend: it aims at an analysis of the approach and exploring ways for its extending to some other problem statements that might also be efficiently treated.