cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interrater reliability in scoring the Wisconsin card sorting test.

Abstract Neuropsychological instruments continue to proliferate the field, while studies systematically addressing their accuracy and standardization have lagged behind. This paper examines the standard scoring criteria on a widely used neuropsychological test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Specifically, the scoring criteria for the perseveration variables are complex and interrater reliability had not yet been established. Study 1 revealed excellent interrater reliability between three individuals experienced with the WCST who had independently learned the scoring procedures. Study 2 demonstrated excellent interrater agreement among six novice raters. Some of the novice scorers used supplemental scoring instructions that were developed in an attempt to improve understanding of the manual. The supplemental scoring instructions reduced training time by 41% without affecting the high reliability between the raters. This paper also illustrates an appropriate use of generalizability theory, a powerf...
Internet economics: when constituencies collide in cyberspace

Computer engineering, economics and public policy offer different perspectives on the problem of sustaining Internet growth without abandoning the technological innovations that underpin the infrastructure-and culture-of global information. This article offers a framework for addressing this interdisciplinary challenge. We examine how the often conflicting and overlapping interests of different Internet constituencies are beginning to yield to a rough consensus. In particular, we believe these constituencies are beginning to recognize that the growth of the Internet can be explained by a combination of three features: its technical characteristic of statistical sharing, its economic feature of positive network externalities, and its policy objective of interoperability.
Exact Solution of the Soliton-Phonon Theory for the Classical Sine-Gordon Thermodynamics

The soliton-phonon theory of Johnson et al. and Timonen et al. for the classical sine-Gordon thermodynamics is exactly solved numerically to find its prediction for the free energy. The obtained free energy agrees with the exact transfer matrix method result only in the low reduced temperature or small effective coupling regime. It is thus concluded that the soliton-phonon theory is not exact
Suppressor T-cell function in man: suppression of immunoglobulin production by the direct action of immunoregulatory T cells on the B cell in four separate, distinct systems.

Abstract Pokeweed mitogen and the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), used as T-cell-dependent and T-cell-independent polyclonal B-cell activators, respectively, were employed as probes of immunoregulatory T-cell function in cultures of human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Four separate, distinct T-cell suppressor systems were found in studies involving the human newborn, patients with infectious mononucleosis, normal EBV immune subjects, and in coculture mixtures of allogeneic lymphoid cells. These suppressor systems differed in their activating signals, specificity, and time of action, but all shared a common target for suppression. Each of these suppressor mechanisms blocked immunoglobulin production induced by EBV and, therefore, acted directly at the B-cell level rather than by preventing immunoglobulin production by inactivating a helper T cell.
Fundraising in the balance: an analysis of job performance, appraisals and rewards

Fundraisers have long worked under the notion that performance and evaluation should be separate from and unrelated to compensation. Yet as competition increases for effective and experienced development professionals, an increasing number of practitioners are finding themselves in new compensation arrangements that reward them fully or in part for their performance. The following pages report the results of a survey mailed in July 1999 to 40 fundraisers in Missouri, Kansas and Iowa. Although only seven of the 27 respondents reported current compensation arrangements that pay them fully or partially for performance, 21 reported a preference for such scenarios. What is more, the survey found that those at the top of the largest fundraising operations function under the most nebulous job descriptions and are more eager than others for regular feedback and performance reviews. Finally, survey results show that fundraisers are thoughtful, motivated by tangible and intangible rewards, prefer structure to guide their work, want frequent performance reviews and would like greater uniformity across their profession. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications
Looking Back and a Little Forward: Reflections on Professionalism and Teaching as a Profession

The author goes back to her earlier work on professionalization, in which she argued that aspiring professions aim at converting one order of scarce resources into another: credentials, as proxies for expertise, into protected opportunities, special status, and work privileges. This effort implied a tendency to monopoly and it was not easy to replicate after the classic professions of medicine and the law had consolidated their position in the early twentieth century. Professions born within large organizations are in a very different situation, even if they may aspire to the same status and autonomy at work. After discussing the shortcomings of her earlier work and the research questions that can still fruitfully be posed, the author considers the challenges that school teaching faces in our time. Universal mandatory education has been the watershed that transformed this occupation into what it is today: a huge category spread out at many levels, still predominantly female, highly educated, and, in many countries but not ours, following a civil service model. School teaching must also cope with the very high expectations that surround a universal service provided by an apparatus of the state. Professionalism imposed “from above” seems less promising for school teaching and their students in the U.S. than an enlightened union movement capable of self-criticism and self-reform.
Lightning generation in planetary atmospheres

The possibilities of lightning generation on other planets are considered, and the basic conditions that exist in terrestrial clouds during lightning discharges and the various theories of charge separation are reviewed. The properties of terrestrial clouds that produce lightning, the properties of lightning itself, and the fairweather field are first reviewed. The general requirements and the different proposed charging mechanisms for electrification of terrestrial clouds are discussed. The mechanisms of electrical breakdown and whistler production are considered, and recent observations of extraterrestrial lightning and of clouds on other planetary bodies are summarized. Circumstances likely to account for lightning activity on Jupiter and Venus and for electrical activity on Mars and in the rings of Saturn are discussed.
The construction of labeled line drawings from intensity images

The Marr paradigm for object recognition has been widely used in computational vision (?). This paradigm emphasizes the data driven reconstruction of 3D shape from intensity images. There are a large number of paradigms that can perform this reconstruction in a limited sense, but no paradigm or group of paradigms has yet been shown to perform this reconstruction in a general setting. A shortcoming of the Marr paradigm, as demonstrated by Lowe (?), is the failure to include grouping processes that do not directly reconstruct shape. These grouping processes are collectively called perceptual organization. Lowe proposed the addition of four paths to the Marr paradigm to rectify this shortcoming. Two of Lowe's paths are used in this work. The first is the collection of tokens in the image plane into perceptual groupings. The second is 3D inference from these groupings. The collection of tokens in the image plane into perceptual groupings is done using an integration framework implemented as a blackboard system. Four modules were used as knowledge sources: weak membrane edge detection, curvilinear grouping, proximity grouping, and curvilinear line labeling. An initial representation of the image data is built using the first three knowledge sources. This representation is analyzed using a modified curvilinear line labeling algorithm developed in this thesis that uses figure-ground separation to constrain legal line labelings more closely than the Malik algorithm (?). This modified line labeling algorithm can diagnose problems with the initial representation. Errors in the representation can be fixed using a set of heuristics that were created to repair common mistakes. If no irreparable errors are found in the representation, then the modified line labeling algorithm produces a 3D interpretation of the data in the input image. The 3D interpretation is created without explicitly recovering 3D shape, and is therefore similar to the 3D inference processes proposed by Lowe.
On induced double-nucleon emission. III. 12C, (π−, NN) and short-range correlations

Abstract The reaction channel ( π − , NN ) for the absorption of bound negative pions by nuclei is used as a means to study nuclear short range correlations. A three-body partial-wave analysis has been carried out for the final-state scattering which includes a Reid soft-core nucleon-nucleon interaction and an optical potential. This coupled-channel formalism rapidly converges as we eliminate the asymptotic single-nucleon and deuteron interactions. It is found that for 12 C reasonable agreement with experiment cannot be obtained in this model without modification of the high relative-momentum components of bound shell model pair wave functions.
Interaction of central and peripheral chemoreflexes in neonatal mice: evidence for hypo-addition.

The potential for interaction between the peripheral (PCR) and central (CCR) chemoreflexes has not been studied in the neonatal period, when breathing is inherently unstable. Based on recent work in adult rodents, this study addresses the hypothesis that in neonatal mice there is a hypoadditive interaction between the chemoreflexes. To test this, a mask-pneumotach system was used to expose postnatal day (P) 11–12 mouse pups to square-wave hyperoxia (100% O2; n = 8) or hypoxia (10% O2; n = 11), administered in normocapnic conditions (inspired CO2 (FICO2) = 0.001–0.005), or following an episode of re-breathing to increase FICO2 by 0.015–0.02. The immediate (i.e. PCR-mediated) responses of frequency (fB), tidal volume (VT) and ventilation (V˙E) to square-wave hyperoxia and hypoxia were assessed. When given in a normocapnic background, hyperoxia induced an immediate (within the first 20 breaths, or ∼6 s) but transient fall in fB (−46 ± 9 breaths/min) and V˙E (−149 ± 41 μl min−1 g−1) (P < 0.001 for both), with no effect on VT. In contrast, hyperoxia had no influence on breathing when it was administered following re-breathing. Similarly, the hypoxia-induced increase in fB was greater when applied under normocapnic conditions (50 ± 8 breaths/min) then when applied following re-breathing (21 ± 5 breaths/min) (P = 0.02). These data demonstrate a hypo-additive interaction between the PCR and CCR with respect to the immediate frequency response to inhibition or excitation of the PCR. Hypoaddition of the chemoreflexes could cause or mitigate neonatal apnea, depending on the prevailing PCO2.
The Evolving Concept of Gene Therapy

ABSTRACT The use of molecular techniques to correct human genetic diseases is a concept that was considered extremely remote by many investigators until quite recently. Several factors were responsible for changing the scientific community's attitude toward gene therapy: the development of recombinant DNA technology including the ability to clone disease-related genes; maturation of scientific and ethical reflection following apparent failures of early human experiments; and the development of efficient techniques for the transfer of genes into mammalian cells. Now is the time for the scientific and medical communities to come together and to cooperate to make human gene therapy a clinically useful procedure.
A freeze-dried paraffin-embedded tissue technique for immunohistochemical studies requiring unfixed tissue from the nervous system

Immunohistochemical studies using monoclonal antibodies against epitopes in neural tissues frequently require tissue which has not been fixed in formalin. In the past, such studies have been performed on frozen (cryostat) sections despite the general loss of morphological preservation compared with paraffin sections. In the present report, a detailed, versatile method for obtaining improved morphological preservation of "unfixed" neural tissue is described which utilizes freeze-dried paraffin-embedded sections (a modified Altmann-Gersh technique). The advantages of using mercury flotation of freeze-dried sections are particularly stressed.
Neural network recognition of chemical class information in mobility spectra obtained at high temperatures

A minimal neural network was applied to a large library of high-temperature mobility spectra drawn from 16 chemical classes including 154 substances with 2000 spectra at various concentrations. A genetic algorithm was used to create a representative subset of points from the mobility spectrum as input to a cascade-type back-propagation network. This network demonstrated that significant information specific to chemical class was located in the spectral region near the reactant ions. This network failed to generalize the solution to unfamiliar compounds necessitating the use of complete spectra in network processing. An extended back-propagation network classified unfamiliar chemicals by functional group with a mean for average values of 0.83 without sulfides and 0.79 with sulfides. Further experiments confirmed that chemical class information was resident in the spectral region near the reactant ions. Deconvolution of spectra demonstrated the presence of ions, merged with the reactant ion peaks that originated from introduced samples. The ability of the neural network to generalize the solution to unfamiliar compounds suggests that these ions are distinct and class specific.
Qualitative Values Into Quantitative Measures: Marketing Decisions Applications

Decision systems that logically combine personal judgments with objective information can work only if we have a good means for converting qualitative values, representing judgment, into quantitative measures that can be handled mathematically. Computer outputs can then be in numerical, useable form, for the decision makers’ ultimate action. The paper reviews prior work. Next consideration is given to the problem of giving quantitative weight to the judgments and estimates of assessors. Factors of intensity and breadth of experience as well as market understanding of a person can be expressed in quantitative form. An illustrative case history of practical procedures is presented. Finally, the consolidation of qualitative judgment factors into an over-all evaluation, is shown. Multivalued judgment data are discussed as part of a second case history. Here the price-volume estimates of several forecasters of varying degrees of expertise and qualifications are analyzed for the purpose of developing a consolidated, composite result in the form of an anticipated demand curve.
Effects of endotoxin infusion on circulating levels of eicosanoids, progesterone, cortisol, glucose and lactic acid, and abortion in pregnant cows

The effects of Escherichia coli endotoxin infusions (1.0 or 2.5 micrograms kg-1 over 6 h) on pregnancy were investigated in cows in the first, second and third trimester of gestation. Endotoxin increased the plasma levels of prostaglandins (PGs), thromboxane B2 and cortisol, and decreased progesterone. The severity of the clinical signs and the magnitude of the increases in plasma PGs, thromboxane B2 and cortisol tended to depend on the dose of endotoxin, but were independent of the gestation period. There was hyperglycemia followed by hypoglycemia and lactic acidemia. Hyperglycemia and lactic acidemia were significant only at the high dose of endotoxin. Endotoxin infusion at both doses caused a preferential mobilization of oleic acid from adipose tissue, and also had some effects on the mobilization of palmitic and stearic acids during the post-infusion period. The cows in the first trimester of gestation were more sensitive to the abortifacient effect of endotoxin than cows in the second and third trimester of gestation. The results of this study indicate that the mechanism of endotoxin-induced abortion in cows initially involves a prolonged release of PGF2 alpha and its subsequent stimulant effect on uterine smooth muscle contraction and luteolytic effect leading to a gradual decline in the plasma levels of progesterone. It was concluded that pregnancy terminates in the absence of an adequate level of progesterone, especially during the first trimester of gestation, when progesterone of extraluteal origin is not yet available, coupled with the PGF2 alpha-induced propulsive contraction of the uterus. In addition, the metabolic and circulatory failures in severe cases of endotoxemia, especially at the high dose of endotoxin, resulting either directly or indirectly via the release of various autacoids, catecholamines and cortisol, may also contribute to the termination of pregnancy at any stage of gestation.
The genetic properties of the primary endosymbionts of mealybugs differ from those of other endosymbionts of plant sap-sucking insects.

Mealybugs (Hemiptera, Coccoidea, Pseudococcidae), like aphids and psyllids, are plant sap-sucking insects that have an obligate association with prokaryotic endosymbionts that are acquired through vertical, maternal transmission. We sequenced two fragments of the genome of Tremblaya princeps, the endosymbiont of mealybugs, which is a member of the β subdivision of the Proteobacteria. Each of the fragments (35 and 30 kb) contains a copy of 16S-23S-5S rRNA genes. A total of 37 open reading frames were detected, which corresponded to putative rRNA proteins, chaperones, and enzymes of branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, DNA replication, protein translation, and RNA synthesis. The genome of T. princeps has a number of properties that distinguish it from the genomes of Buchnera aphidicola and Carsonella ruddii, the endosymbionts of aphids and psyllids, respectively. Among these properties are a high G+C content (57.1 mol%), the same G+C content in intergenic spaces and structural genes, and similar G+C contents of the genes encoding highly and poorly conserved proteins. The high G+C content has a substantial effect on protein composition; about one-third of the residues consist of four amino acids with high-G+C-content codons. Sequence analysis of DNA fragments containing the rRNA operon and adjacent regions from endosymbionts of several mealybug species suggested that there was a single duplication of the rRNA operon and the adjacent genes in an ancestor of the present T. princeps. Subsequently, in one mealybug lineage rpS15, one of the duplicated genes, was retained, while in another lineage it decayed. These results extend the diversity of the types of endosymbiotic associations found in plant sap-sucking insects.
Virulence, immunity, and vaccine related to Streptococcus pneumoniae.

AbstractThe pathogenesis of bacterial infection involves a series of interactions between the virulence determinants of the microorganisms and the immunity of the host. Studies on the molecular structure and immunological properties of pneumococcal virulence factors have provided general knowledge for the chemical basis of immunogenicity and prevention of bacterial infection. Antibody responses to PS and protein antigens can be greatly affected by their physicochemical properties, e.g., molecular size, specific determinants, conformation, etc.Characterization of group 19 pneumolysins and cloning of their plygenes were studied to examine the relationship of ply to virulence. Group 19 pneumococci all contained ply; the disease-isolated types of 19F and 19A appeared to show a higher specific hemolytic activity and yield than the nonpathogenic types, 19B and 19C. Genomic DNA that contained the ply gene from group 19 strains were analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Type 2 oligonucleotide primers r...
A simple procedure for the long-term cultivation of chicken embryos☆

Abstract A method is described which permits the growth of chicken embryos in petri dishes from the third to the 20th day of incubation. The procedure is relatively simple and has the advantage of providing ready access to the embryo and its membranes for tissue grafting, for introduction of teratogenic agents, and for microscopic observation of morphogenesis and growth.
AN EQUIPERCENTILE VERSION OF THE LEVINE LINEAR OBSERVED‐SCORE EQUATING FUNCTION USING THE METHODS OF KERNEL EQUATING

In the nonequivalent groups with anchor test (NEAT) design, there are several ways to use the information provided by the anchor in the equating process. One of the NEAT-design equating methods is the linear observed-score Levine method (Kolen & Brennan, 2004). It is based on a classical test theory model of the true scores on the test forms to be equated and on the anchor test (Levine, 1955). The Levine linear method does not yet have an equipercentile analogue, and no version of kernel equating (KE), introduced in von Davier, Holland, and Thayer (2004b), approximates the Levine linear method. Nevertheless, the Levine observed-score equating method is often computed in practical applications for comparison purposes because it is sometimes more accurate than other linear equating methods (Petersen, Marco, & Stewart, 1982). In situations when a linear equating function is not satisfactory, an equipercentile version of the Levine function may be desirable. This paper proposes a general method for constructing hybrid equating functions that combine linear and nonlinear equating functions in a systematic way that preserves the symmetry required of equating functions (Dorans & Holland, 2000). The general method is then applied to combine the linear Levine observed-score equating function with a nonlinear equipercentile equating function derived using the poststratification equating (PSE) assumptions within the KE framework. An easily computed approximation to the resulting PSE-Levine equipercentile equating function is illustrated on data from a special study and compared to the results from the traditional equating functions. The special data set includes a criterion equating function, and the closeness of the PSE-Levine function to this criterion indicates that such hybrid equating functions may be useful in practice.
Effect of cyproheptadine and atropine on the diurnal prolactin responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in normal men.

There is a diurnal variation in the PRL response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in normal men, with a substantially larger response in the evening. This study investigated the possible serotonergic and cholinergic influences on these diurnal PRL responses. Morning and evening PRL responses to hypoglycemia were compared in the same five normal young men without drug pretreatment, after cyproheptadine, and after atropine sulfate. Cyproheptadine had no effect on the basal PRL concentration or the PRL response to hypoglycemia in either the morning or evening. Atropine had no effect on basal PRL concentrations in the morning or evening or on the morning PRL response to hypoglycemia. However, the evening PRL response was significantly inhibited by atropine (P ¼ 0.02), with an abolition of the normal diurnal difference in response (P ¼ 0.001) to insulin-induced hypoglycemia. These data suggest the involvement of a cholinergic mechanism in regulation of diurnal PRL responses to hypoglycemia.
Perceptual changes during metacontrast.

Abstract Phenomenal reports of perceptual changes during metacontrast are abundant in the literature. In the present study four such variables (brightness of the center, edge, and whole test stimulus, and apparent duration of the test stimulus) were quantified using a magnitude estimation procedure. While all four are described by U-shaped functions, apparent duration was at a minimum at a significantly longer SOA than brightness. Implications for processing mechanisms are discussed.
Coupling Constants in Muon Capture

The measured capture rate of muons in ${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$ leading to the ground state of ${\mathrm{B}}^{12}$, in combination with other data, is employed as a basis for a determination of the weak-interaction coupling constants associated with muon capture. The study of this transition has the advantages: (1) that the rate depends only weakly on the vector, induced pseudoscalar, and (possible) tensor coupling constants, but not at all on a possible scalar coupling constant; (2) that empirical information from inelastic electron scattering on ${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$ leading to the excitation of the 15.1-MeV level, the $M1$ lifetime of this level, and the $f{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\frac{1}{2}}$ value for the beta decay of ${\mathrm{B}}^{12}$ allows one to determine the required nuclear matrix elements of major importance (as well as some of minor importance) in practically a model-independent way. The capture rate can thus be expressed in terms of the axial vector coupling constant and the weak-magnetism coupling constants. Assuming the validity of the conserved-vector-current hypothesis (CVC), and $5l{C}_{p}l28$, one then finds that $\frac{{{F}_{A}}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}}{{{F}_{A}}^{\ensuremath{\beta}}}={{1.04}_{\ensuremath{-}0.10}}^{+0.07}$. On the other hand, if one assumes ${{F}_{A}}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}={{F}_{A}}^{\ensuremath{\beta}}$, one obtains for the isotopic vector magnetic moment of the nucleon (at the appropriate momentum transfer) $\ensuremath{\mu}({\ensuremath{\nu}}^{2})={{5.7}_{\ensuremath{-}1.6}}^{+1.1}$ nuclear magnetons, which is consistent with the CVC prediction of 4.60 nm and can be considered as evidence for weak magnetism in muon capture.
Mantle plume helium in submarine basalts from the galapagos platform.

Helium-3/helium-4 ratios in submarine basalt glasses from the Galapagos Archipelago range up to 23 times the atmospheric ratio in the west and southwest. These results indicate the presence of a relatively undegassed mantle plume at the Galapagos hot spot and place Galapagos alongside Hawaii, Iceland, and Samoa as the only localities known to have such high helium-3/helium-4 ratios. Lower ratios across the rest of the Galapagos Archipelago reflect systematic variations in the degree of dilution of the plume by entrainment of depleted material from the asthenosphere. These spatial variations reveal the dynamics of the underlying mantle plume and its interaction with the nearby Galapagos Spreading Center.
Moving diabetes management from clinic to community: development of a prototype based on automated voice messaging.

The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it provides a review of the literature supporting the development of a new service to help patients with diabetes and their providers manage their care. This service, automated voice messaging (A VM) with nurse follow-up, allows for systematic and intensive patient monitoring and diabetes education as well as a means of focusing clinical resources where they are most needed. Second, it provides a description of a prototype AVM-based diabetes management service that has been developed as part of two ongoing, randomized, controlled trials to test the efficacy of AVM care for patients with Type 2 diabetes. Preliminary findings from implementing this service in two large public healthcare systems suggest that AVM-supported care is feasible, desirable by clinicians and patients with diabetes, and may identify serious health problems that otherwise would go unnoted through standard means of clinic-based patient care.
Studies in Hawaiian Diptera II: New Distributional Records for Endemic Scatella (Ephydridae).

Here we summarize the known distributional data for the Hawaiian Scatella (Ephydridae). We report on four new island records; Scatella amnica and Scatella stagnalis from Kauai, Scatella oahuense from Lanai, and Scatella terryi from Maui. A list of material present, comprising over 3100 individual specimen records in the collections of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Essig Musuem of Entomology at UC Berkeley is included, along with details distributional maps for the Hawaiian endemic species.
Correcting for noncompliance and dependent censoring in an AIDS Clinical Trial with inverse probability of censoring weighted (IPCW) log-rank tests.

AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) randomized trial 021 compared the effect of bactrim versus aerosolized pentamidine (AP) as prophylaxis therapy for pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in AIDS patients. Although patients randomized to the bactrim arm experienced a significant delay in time to PCP, the survival experience in the two arms was not significantly different (p = .32). In this paper, we present evidence that bactrim therapy improves survival but that the standard intent-to-treat comparison failed to detect this survival advantage because a large fraction of the subjects either crossed over to the other therapy or stopped therapy altogether. We obtain our evidence of a beneficial bactrim effect on survival by artificially regarding the subjects as dependently censored at the first time the subject either stops or switches therapy; we then analyze the data with the inverse probability of censoring weighted Kaplan-Meier and Cox partial likelihood estimators of Robins (1993, Proceedings of the Biopharmaceutical Section, American Statistical Association, pp. 24-33) that adjust for dependent censoring by utilizing data collected on time-dependent prognostic factors.
Japan at a Deadlock. By Michio Morishima. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000. Pp. x, 261. $79.95.

What a difference a decade makes. The Japanese economy has been locked in recession for so long, and everyone is so gloomy about its prospects, that it is hard to imagine that at one time serious commentators spoke of a Pax Nipponica in the offing. Now unemployment is officially (and optimistically) estimated at 5 percent, corporate bankruptcies are soaring, the stock market is roughly 75 percent below its all-time high, and the financial system is on life support. Japan now leads the world in public debt as a percentage of GDP, while the Iron Triangle of government, business, and the conservative Liberal Democratic Party that oversaw the vaunted â€œmiracleâ€ era of growth in the 1950s and 1960s is discredited and unraveling. The Japanese employment system is also fading as firms trim their workforces, renege on implicit guarantees of lifetime employment, and shun seniority-based wages in favor of merit- and skill-related compensation. In short, Japan is in a period of wrenching transformation, in which its most popular politician, Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro, routinely admonishes audiences with his decidedly unpandering slogan, â€œNo pain, no gain.â€ This blunt message is a reminder that the verities of postwar Japan are rapidly fading. The new mantra of restructuring and deregulation heralds a new era of uncertainty and insecurity in which most people expect things to get much worse.
Isolated limb perfusion for extremity sarcoma

Isolated limb perfusion has been used in patients with extremity sarcomas for over 40 years. In the majority of patients this approach has been employed as a limb-sparing alternative for patients with amputation as their only treatment option. Despite this long history of use in the treatment of patients with extremity sarcomas, many questions remain with respect to the appropriate drug or combination of drugs to be used in the perfusion circuit, the role of hyperthermia in isolated perfusion, and the use of hyperthermic perfusion in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting. Although many non-randomized studies have been performed, they suffer from a variety of problems, including small patient numbers, variety of chemotherapeutic agents employed, multiple levels of hyperthermia, and subjective evaluation of what constitutes amputation as a potential treatment option.
RU486-Induced Growth Inhibition of Human Endometrial Cells Involves the Nuclear Factor-κB Signaling Pathway

Previous studies indicated that the antiprogestin RU486 could directly inhibit the growth of normal and malignant human endometrial cells. However, the mechanism by which this occurs is poorly understood. In this study we explore further details of endometrial cell growth regulation by RU486. Gel shift assays using the endometrial cell line EM42 demonstrated that RU486, at concentrations ranging from 20–100 μm, significantly stimulated the cellular binding activity of the nuclear transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) while having little effect on activating protein-1 (AP-1) binding. This effect on NF-κB binding was blocked in the presence of the NF-κB inhibitor, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). The data also showed that the activity of RU486 on NF-κB binding correlated with the ability of this compound to induce apoptosis of EM42 cells. To investigate a cause and effect relationship between these two phenomena, we evaluated the effects of RU486 treatment on the expression of two apoptosis-rela...
Honest Importance Sampling With Multiple Markov Chains

Importance sampling is a classical Monte Carlo technique in which a random sample from one probability density, π1, is used to estimate an expectation with respect to another, π. The importance sampling estimator is strongly consistent and, as long as two simple moment conditions are satisfied, it obeys a central limit theorem (CLT). Moreover, there is a simple consistent estimator for the asymptotic variance in the CLT, which makes for routine computation of standard errors. Importance sampling can also be used in the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) context. Indeed, if the random sample from π1 is replaced by a Harris ergodic Markov chain with invariant density π1, then the resulting estimator remains strongly consistent. There is a price to be paid, however, as the computation of standard errors becomes more complicated. First, the two simple moment conditions that guarantee a CLT in the iid case are not enough in the MCMC context. Second, even when a CLT does hold, the asymptotic variance has a complex...
Statistical mechanics of dilute mixtures of 3He in superfluid 4He

Abstract A statistical mechanical theory of the dilute mixtures of 3He and 4He is presented. It is shown that the ground state energy is proportional to the 3He density. The chemical potential expressed in terms of the sound velocity assumes the form which has been suggested phenomenologically. From the chemical potential, the effective 3He4He interaction and osmotic pressure are derived. The effective mass of 3He is also calculated as a function of potential parameters.
Relationship between the chemical and sensory properties of exotic salad crops - coloured lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and chicory (Cichorium intybus).

Samples of red-coloured lettuce and chicory were assessed for bitterness by sensory analysis and compared with conventional green-coloured varieties. The amounts of the sesquiterpene lactones lactucin, 8-deoxylactucin and lactucopicrin and their glycosides were determined using enzyme hydrolysis and high performance liquid chromatography. The level of each of these compounds was compared with the bitterness score found for each sample, and the resulting correlation data suggested that the increasing level of one of these compounds, lactucin glycoside, was closely related to the increase in bitterness.
Nondaily Drinkers Score Higher On the Alcohol Dependence Scale than Daily Drinkers

To evaluate the relationship between drinking pattern and alcohol dependence severity, 209 individuals voluntarily seeking treatment for alcohol problems were administered the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS), the Short Alcohol Dependence Data (SADD) questionnaire, and a 12-month Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB) drinking assessment as part of their pretreatment assessment. Based on their TLFB data, participants were divided into two groups: daily (DD, n=84) and nondaily (NDD, n=125) drinkers. The two groups were compared on several demographic and drinking variables. It was hypothesized that DD would have higher scores on measures of alcohol dependence than NDD. However, the reverse pattern was found. The NDD had significantly higher ADS scores than the DD. An analysis of ADS subscale scores indicated that the primary difference between the two groups was in the domain of loss of behavior control. It is suggested that NDD may perceive intoxication as more impairing, perhaps because they have acquired less tolerance than DD. These results suggest that treatment focused on restoring a sense of behavior control would be beneficial for NDD.
A plane stress formulation of the viscoplasticity theory based on overstress

Abstract For viscoplasticity theories which employ the addition of elastic and inelastic strain rates to obtain the total infinitesimal strain rate, the constraints imposed by the condition of plane stress result in stiff differential equations. For the viscoplasticity theory based on overstress a formulation and time integration scheme is proposed which is accurate and is compatible with the forward gradient approach, the two-step method, as well as the adaptive time stepping scheme developed previously.
The fission nuclide, 1·6 min 104Mo

Abstract The 1·6 ± 0·1 min Mo that is produced in the fission of 235 U has, on the basis of its fission yield of 2·0 ± 0·3 per cent and the absence of 4·5 hr 105 Ru as a decay product, been assigned a mass of 104. Its decay is characterized by the emission of at least two beta particles of 4·8 ± 0·3 and 2·2 ± 0·1 MeV maximum energy, respectively and a 70 ± 2 keV γ-ray. There is evidence also for more penetrating γ-radiation.
Subsyndromal Depression Is Associated With Functional Impairment in Patients With Bipolar Disorder

Background The purpose of this study was to assess whether a relationship exists between mild depressive symptoms and overall functioning in subjects with bipolar disorder. Method Twenty-five male subjects with bipolar I disorder (DSM-III-R criteria), who had not experienced a DSM-III-R episode of mania, hypomania, or major depression for 3 months as determined using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, were evaluated for degree of depressive symptoms using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and for overall functional status using the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF, DSM-IV Axis V). Results GAF scores were significantly negatively correlated with HAM-D scores (r = -0.61, df = 23, p = .001), despite the fact that no patient had a HAM-D score high enough to be considered clinically depressed. Conclusion The results of this study support a relationship between subsyndromal depressive symptoms and functional impairment in bipolar subjects, despite their not meeting threshold criteria for a major depressive episode. These findings raise the possibility that in some patients with bipolar disorder subsyndromal depressive symptoms might contribute to ongoing functional impairment.
Optimal management of acute myocardial infarction at the dawn of the next millennium

At the dawn of the next millennium, the optimal management of acute myocardial infarction will have been defined by multiple clinical trials of acute reperfusion strategies, in conjunction with adjunctive pharmacotherapy. Reperfusion therapy with thrombolytic agents or primary angioplasty is the standard of care for many patients examined with ST-segment elevation or left bundle branch block within approximately 12 hours of symptoms. The superiority of fibrin-specific agents over streptokinase has been established, as have the advantages of primary angioplasty in selected institutions with the requisite expertise and logistical capabilities. The key to successful reperfusion lies more in the efficiency of delivery than in the choice of modality. Reocclusion remains the "Achilles' heel" of reperfusion therapy, as does the presence of reperfusion injury microvascular dysfunction and the "no-reflow" phenomenon. These entities are major targets for further investigation in the next 5 years. The wealth of adjunctive pharmacologic agents currently available presents a challenge to the optimal treatment of myocardial infarction. A major objective is to define the magnitude of the incremental benefits and risks of using the available and new drugs, both alone and in combination. Moreover, community-wide studies indicate a marked underutilization of therapies that are available and are of proven effectiveness. The key to optimal management, as we enter the new millennium, lies in the search for new therapies in concert with the most effective use of those agents already at our disposal.
Scalable arrays of chemical vapor sensors based on DNA-decorated graphene

Arrays of chemical vapor sensors based on graphene field effect transistors functionalized with single-stranded DNA have been demonstrated. Standard photolithographic processing was adapted for use on large-area graphene by including a metal protection layer, which protected the graphene from contamination and enabled fabrication of high quality field-effect transistors (GFETs). Processed graphene devices had hole mobilities of 1,640 ± 250 cm2·V−1·s−1 and Dirac voltages of 15 ± 10 V under ambient conditions. Atomic force microscopy was used to verify that the graphene surface remained uncontaminated and therefore suitable for controlled chemical functionalization. Single-stranded DNA was chosen as the functionalization layer due to its affinity to a wide range of target molecules and π-π stacking interaction with graphene, which led to minimal degradation of device characteristics. The resulting sensor arrays showed analyte- and DNA sequence-dependent responses down to parts-per-billion concentrations. DNA/GFET sensors were able to differentiate among chemically similar analytes, including a series of carboxylic acids, and structural isomers of carboxylic acids and pinene. Evidence for the important role of electrostatic chemical gating was provided by the observation of understandable differences in the sensor response to two compounds that differed only by the replacement of a (deprotonating) hydroxyl group by a neutral methyl group. Finally, target analytes were detected without loss of sensitivity in a large background of a chemically similar, volatile compound. These results motivate further development of the DNA/graphene sensor family for use in an electronic olfaction system.
A new approach to the adoptive immunotherapy of cancer with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes

The adoptive transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) expanded in interleukin-2 (IL-2) to mice bearing micrometastases from various types of tumors showed that TIL are 50 to 100 times more effective in their therapeutic potency than are lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells. Therefore the use of TIL was explored for the treatment of mice with large pulmonary and hepatic metastatic tumors that do not respond to LAK cell therapy. Although treatment of animals with TIL alone or cyclophosphamide alone had little impact, these two modalities together mediated the elimination of large metastatic cancer deposits in the liver and lung. The combination of TIL and cyclophosphamide was further potentiated by the simultaneous administration of IL-2. With the combination of cyclophosphamide, TIL, and IL-2, 100% of mice (n = 12) bearing the MC-38 colon adenocarcinoma were cured of advanced hepatic metastases, and up to 50% of mice were cured of advanced pulmonary metastases. Techniques have been developed to isolate TIL from human tumors. These experiments provide a rationale for the use of TIL in the treatment of humans with advanced cancer.
Stage-Gate Process for the Development of Medical Devices

The medical device development process has become increasingly complex in recent years. The advent of new technology concepts, stricter regulatory requirements, and the ever increasing importance of reimbursement decisions for successful device commercialization require careful planning and strategy-setting, coordinated decisions, and consistent, rigorous business processes. The design and implementation of such processes, often captured in development models and accompanying standard operating procedures, have become a key determinant of the success of device commercialization. While various models may exist in the device industry, no comprehensive development model has been published. This paper reviews existing model representations and presents a new comprehensive development model that captures all aspects of device development and commercialization from early-concept selection to postmarket surveillance. This model was constructed based on best-practice analysis and in-depth interviews with more than 80 seasoned experts actively involved in the development, commercialization, and regulation of medical devices. The stage-gate process includes the following five phases: (1) initiation - opportunity and risk analysis, (2) formulation - concept and feasibility, (3) design and development - verification and validation, (4) final validation - product launch preparation, and (5) product launch and postlaunch assessment. The study results suggest that stage-gate processes are the predominant development model used in the medical device industry and that regulatory requirements such as the food and drug adminstration (FDA’s) Quality Systems Regulation play a substantive role in shaping activities and decisions in the process. The results also underline the significant differences between medical device innovation and drug discovery and development, and underscore current challenges associated with the successful development of the increasing number of combination products. ! DOI: 10.1115/1.3148836"
Prices and Wages in Antebellum America: The West Virginia Experience

Over the years scholars have shown considerable interest in the long-run changes in prices and wages during the nineteenth century, using them to gauge fundamental change in the pace and pattern of economic activity. To be sure, prices rose and fell, reflecting the business cycle, military and political events, and fluctuations in foreign trade and finance. There is even some evidence of long-swing variation in economic activity as reflected in price level changes. Despite significant growth and development of the economy, however, the overall price level exhibited little net change between 1800 and 1900. Equally interesting is the evidence on the size and timing of regional wage rate differentials which provide important clues to the questions of migration patterns, labor market mobility, urbanization, and productivity trends. A large number of studies of nineteenth-century prices, particularly those dealing with the antebellum years, are composed of wholesale price quotations from the major eastern seaboard cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, or Charleston.' While this focus is useful in assessing the performance of important parts of the early American economy, such data may not accurately reflect the course of price level movements and market activity in less visible sections of the United States. Data on the movement of commodity prices and wages in areas outside of major urban centers is more difficult to obtain. Some scholars have broken ground in this area and we have access to such valuable studies as Timothy Adams' work on prices and wages in rural Vermont, Winifred Rothenberg's more recent study of prices in the Massachusetts back country, Thomas Berry's data on prices in the Ohio River Valley and Cincinnati, and the work of Margo and Villaflor on regional wage differentials.2 This article draws on manuscript data sources covering the western counties of Virginia between the late 1780s and 1860.3 These data suggest that this region, separated from the urban east by distance, rudimentary transportation facilities, and slow communications, was not isolated from many of the principal forces which drove price level changes in the coastal commercial centers and that a national commodity market