cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization by line-shape analysis of photoreflectance spectra for modulation-doped strained quantum wells

The electromodulation method of contactless electroreflectance has been used to characterize strained-layer, modulation-doped Ga1-yAlyAs/InxAs/GaAs quantum wells that contain a 2DEG. Measurements were made over a wide temperature range. A first- principles many-body lineshape model has been developed. We find that manu-body effects play a role at all temperatures, but they are most pronounced at lower temperatures. The thermal broadening of the lineshape of the peaks corresponding to the interband transitions depends sensitively on the Fermi energy EF and the temperature, thereby providing us with a method to determine EF from a detailed lineshape fit. The electron density n2D is in good agreement with the sheet densities obtained from low-temperature Hall measurements. The variations in the quantum well width, alloy composition, and symmetry have been characterized by fitting the lineshapes with appropriate fitting parameters.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of an Excess of Ingested Carbohydrate upon the Glycogen Content of Vaginal Epithelium

That glycogen is present in the epithelial cells of the vagina has been recognised for years, but factors responsible for quantitative changes in glycogen have not been investigated in detail. In the past such studies required a complicated staining technic. Since the introduction of the iodine vapor method by Mack (1) this obstacle has been overcome and future studies should be easier and may 4 reveal valuable information concerning the physiology of the female generative tract. The presence of glycogen in the vaginal cells of newborn infants and sexually mature women, with a decrease or complete absence during childhood and the postmenopausal period suggests that the estrogenie hormone plays a part in its deposition. This assumption is corroborated by the appearance of glycogen coincidental with the increase in cornification in the vagina of children undergoing estrogenic treatment for gonorrheal vulvovaginitis (2) and during substitutional therapy in menopausal women. The studies of McLaren
A computer program to convert SEG-2 data to SEG-Y

Recent introduction of the SEG-2 data format to the geophysical community creates compatibility problems with existing seismic data formats. Presented here is a computer program (SEG2SEGY.C) that converts seismic data from SEG-2 format to SEG-Y format. The discussion of the program architecture assumes the reader has a working knowledge of SEG-2, SEG-Y, and C programming language.
Risk stratification strategies for cancer-associated thrombosis: An update

Rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) vary substantially between cancer patients. Multiple clinical risk factors including primary site of cancer and systemic therapy, and biomarkers including leukocyte and platelet counts and tissue factor are associated with increased risk of VTE. However, risk cannot be reliably predicted based on single risk factors or biomarkers. New American Society of Clinical Guidelines recommend that patients with cancer be assessed for VTE risk at the time of chemotherapy initiation and periodically thereafter. This narrative review provides an update on risk stratification approaches including a validated Risk Score. Potential applications of risk assessment including targeted thromboprophylaxis are outlined. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Behcet's disease : Presentation with sagittal sinus thrombosis diagnosed noninvasively

The standard evaluation of patients with intracranial hypertension frequently does not reveal a discrete pathophysiologic process, leading in these cases to classification of the syndrome as “benign.” We present a 35-year-old woman with a recent diagnosis of pseudotumor cerebri who presented with headache, emesis, and blurring of vision. Her symptoms were progressive despite two lumbar punctures that revealed normal cerebrospinal fluid under high pressure. Contrast and noncontrast CT scans were normal; both the cerebrospinal fluid and CT neuroimaging were thus consistent with benign intracranial hypertension. An MRI, however, supported the presence of sagittal sinus thrombosis, a finding which was confirmed by MR venography. Further workup for an underlying cause of sinus thrombosis disclosed symptoms and signs fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for Behcet's disease. Cerebral venous (or sinus) thrombosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intracranial hypertension. Behcet's disease, while extremely rare, should be considered as a potential cause of cerebral venous thrombosis. Magnetic resonance venography can serve as a useful diagnostic study in situations where confirmation or exclusion of sinus thrombosis is required.
Monazite ages and pressure–temperature–time paths from anatectites in the southern Ruby Range, Montana, USA: evidence for delamination, ultramafic magmatism, and rapid uplift at ca. 1780 Ma

The Wolf Creek ultramafic bodies of the southern Ruby Range, southwest Montana, intruded as high-temperature magma during the late stages of an Early Proterozoic orogeny affecting the Great Falls T...
Proton transfers in aromatic and antiaromatic systems. How aromatic or antiaromatic is the transition state? An ab initio study.

An ab initio study of six carbon-to-carbon identity proton transfers is reported. They refer to the benzenium ion/benzene (C6/C6H6), the 2,4-cyclopentadiene/cyclopentadienyl anion (C5H6/C5), and th...
Teachers and the Law: Application Essentials, General Considerations, and Specific Examples.

Teachers contribute to the success of all students, in part, by understanding and being responsive to the legal context of teaching. Simply stated, a teacher's success is increasingly dependent on a sound awareness and prudent application of education law. Although several excellent resources are available for informing the preservice and in-service teacher about school law, a broader context in which teachers must apply their understanding of education law is also necessary. In this article, the authors recommend resources and illustrate specific suggestions for action based on sample situations. The resources and suggestions support enhanced teacher effectiveness in promoting the learning of all students and ultimately strengthening the character, integrity, and professionalism of the teacher.
External carotid endarterectomy under direct vision

At the conclusion of standard carotid endarterectomy in 50 consecutive patients, we examined flow in the external carotid artery using a continuous-wave Doppler probe. In two patients (4 percent), flow was absent in the distal external carotid artery. In both patients, opening the external carotid artery through a separate incision revealed an obstructing intimal flap that was removed easily under direct vision, and external carotid endarterectomy was accomplished without interrupting flow through the internal carotid artery. This simple manuever allows for salvage of external carotid arteries that are occluded during standard blinded external carotid endarterectomy.
Voltammetry of tetra-alkyl ammonium salts at platinum in sulphur dioxide solution: Oxidation of the halides

The polarographic or voltammetric behaviour of a selected group of tetra-alkyl ammonium halides and related compounds in liquid sulphur dioxide was investigated, using a stationary disk platinum indicating micro-electrode and a silver/silver-bromide reference electrode withcompensation for the IR drop of the solution. The electrochemical oxidation-reduction patterns are characteristic of the natures of the cation and anion composing the compound. Generally, good reproducible polarogmms are obtained. The anodic patterns indicate that the oxidation of each halogen ion can occur in multiple stages, although the bromides generally show only a single anodic wave. The order of ease of electrolytic oxidation in sulphur dioxide is iodide (easiest), bromide and chloride. Sulphur dioxide solutions of the tetra-alkyl ammonium salts show a characteristic cathodic dis- charge potential in the range of -0.3 to -0.6 V us Ag/AgBr. If the sulphur dioxide is insuthciently purified, two cathodic waves appear, which are apparently due to a non-condensable gas other than oxygen, sulphur trioxide or water. R&sunr&Au moyen dune micro-&&ode a disque fixe de Pt et dune electrode de reference Ag- AgBr, compensant par ailleurs les chutes ohmiques des solutions, Ton etude les comportements voltam&rique et polarographique de tout un groupe d'halogtnures de tttra-alkyl ammonium et certains d&rives, dans SO, liquide comme solvent. Les caracteres 6lectrochimiques de l'oxydation
Use of an Interactive Laserdisc Parent Training Program with Teenage Parents

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a brief interactive laserdisc parent training program in instructing teenage parents. Previous research supported the effectiveness of this program with parents of adolescents and pre adolescents. Sixty two pregnant or parenting adolescents were assigned to either a control group or to parent training via the interactive laserdisc program plus group discussion. The group discussion was designed to instruct the parents in the appropriate application of the skills taught in the program to toddlers. Compared to the control group, the intervention group scored significantly higher at two month follow-up on measures of parenting knowledge, belief in the effectiveness of adaptive parenting practices over coercive practices, and application of adaptive parenting skills to hypothetical problem situations. This study provides preliminary evidence that this program can be a useful tool in instructing teenage parents.
Serum tyrosinase in human lung carcinoma

Compared to normal humans, lung carcinoma patients show increased tyrosinase activity. 7 serum enzymic fractions or carriers were present in the diseased state. Further, serum tyrosinase inhibitory factors generally were decreased in lung carcinoma patients compared to normal individuals.
Doubling bifurcations of destroyed T 2 tori

Abstract Two Duffing oscillators driven with incommensurate frequencies and coupled additively are investigated. With this system we observe a host of complex behavior which compete with each other in parameter space, in particular the period doubling of an attracting T 2 torus and the destruction of a T 2 torus. As the parameters are varied along a curve in parameter space, we observe period doubling bifurcations of a destroyed T 2 torus. This phenomenon is studied in greater detail via a simple recursive map.
Immunodominant tuberculosis CD8 antigens preferentially restricted by HLA-B

CD8+ T cells are essential for host defense to intracellular bacterial pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), Salmonella species, and Listeria monocytogenes, yet the repertoire and dominance pattern of human CD8 antigens for these pathogens remains poorly characterized. Tuberculosis (TB), the disease caused by Mtb infection, remains one of the leading causes of infectious morbidity and mortality worldwide and is the most frequent opportunistic infection in individuals with HIV/AIDS. Therefore, we undertook this study to define immunodominant CD8 Mtb antigens. First, using IFN-γ ELISPOT and synthetic peptide arrays as a source of antigen, we measured ex vivo frequencies of CD8+ T cells recognizing known immunodominant CD4+ T cell antigens in persons with latent tuberculosis infection. In addition, limiting dilution was used to generate panels of Mtb-specific T cell clones. Using the peptide arrays, we identified the antigenic specificity of the majority of T cell clones, defining several new epitopes. In all cases, peptide representing the minimal epitope bound to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricting allele with high affinity, and in all but one case the restricting allele was an HLA-B allele. Furthermore, individuals from whom the T cell clone was isolated harbored high ex vivo frequency CD8+ T cell responses specific for the epitope, and in individuals tested, the epitope represented the single immunodominant response within the CD8 antigen. We conclude that Mtb-specific CD8+ T cells are found in high frequency in infected individuals and are restricted predominantly by HLA-B alleles, and that synthetic peptide arrays can be used to define epitope specificities without prior bias as to MHC binding affinity. These findings provide an improved understanding of immunodominance in humans and may contribute to a development of an effective TB vaccine and improved immunodiagnostics.
Probing particle synthesis during femtosecond laser ablation: initial phase transition kinetics

The impulsive superheating of matter by an intense, ultrashort laser pulse drives material expansion into vacuum (ablation) and an associated formation of nanoparticles. The underlying dynamics of particle formation are complex and direct experimental probes of the rapid material evolution are essential. Femtosecond lasers coupled to modern synchrotrons offer an important new opportunity to probe ejecta dynamics on an atomic lengthscale. Here, the impulsive heating of a semiconductor (silicon) by an intense femtosecond laser pulse leads to material ejection and time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy probes rapid solidification kinetics occurring within the ejecta. Transient photoemission peak-shifts indicate that material is ejected predominantly as liquid droplets and that solidification occurs rapidly (<50 ps). The solidification time suggests that vacuum ejection leads to significantly enhanced undercooling compared to what has been obtained by more conventional quenching techniques; this may be of interest in attempts to ‘trap’ novel material states associated with extreme laser heating. Finally, a low fraction of vapor particles in the ejecta supports a view that the size-distribution of ejected particles is set by an initial fragmentation process rather than by vapor condensation.
In Vivo method for determining effectiveness of spray‐on bandages containing anti‐infectives

Several topical spray-on bandages were developed and studied to determine a suitable method for evaluating the effectiveness of this group of products. Several formulations were prepared using neomycin sulfate and triclosan. Ethylcellulose and polyamide resins served as the film-forming agents, while tributyl citrate and hexadecyl alcohol were chosen as the plasticizers. Neomycin sulfate and triclosan preparations were evaluated using an in vivo method. Standardized, contaminated wounds in guinea pigs served as the testing system. The inflammatory response of the wounds was evaluated using several indexes including skin temperature, degree of induration, and presence of pus. The results indicate that neomycin sulfate and triclosan were released from their formulations. The spray-on bandages reduced the degree of infection about the wound. No difference was noted between the results obtained using either film former.
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.

Expansion of a polyglutamine repeat within the spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1)-encoded protein, ataxin-1, causes the neurodegenerative disease, SCA1. Animal models have been generated that recapitulate many of the aspects of SCA1 pathogenesis. These provide a good example of how animal models can be used to examine the pathogenesis of a human neurological disease. Studies using these animal models have led to numerous conclusions regarding the pathogenic potential of mutant ataxin-1. The data indicate that protein folding and clearance pathways are important in the development of disease. Aggregation of mutant ataxin-1 is not required for initiation of disease. In the case of SCA1, Purkinje cells are the last neurons to aggregate the mutant protein but the most susceptible to the toxic effects of mutant ataxin-1, suggesting that aggregation may be a protective event. Nuclear localization of mutant ataxin-1 is necessary but not sufficient to induce pathogenesis. A single amino acid, serine 776, within ataxin-1 was found to be important in disease progression. Serine 776 of both wild-type and mutant ataxin-1 is phosphorylated. Preventing phosphorylation of this residue by replacing it with an alanine results in a mutant protein found in the nucleus that is not pathogenic. Other modifiers of ataxin-1-induced neurodegeneration include components of RNA-processing and protein-processing pathways. Importantly, because wild-type ataxin-1 is found in the nucleus and is phosphorylated at serine 776, the disease pathway likely overlaps with the normal cellular pathway(s) in which ataxin-1 participates.
Capillary dilatation in response to hypoxia in the brain of a gobiid fish.

Abstract Typhlogobius californiensis, a small fish living in tide pools, was exposed to 24–36 hr of hypoxia and instantly fixed by deep freezing. In freeze dried brain sections of hypoxic fish the capillary diameter increased 1.6 times and the % capillary area 2.4 times compared to normoxic controls. Since the average distance between open capillaries stayed constant the diameter increase accounted for the increase of capillary area. The fishes heart rate slows to 20% during hypoxia and does not overshoot on return to normoxia. The opercular frequency drops to 45%. The capillary dilatation may be important in surviving hypoxia and is discussed as an additional element of the diving response.
Simultaneous Fermentation and Separation in the Ethanol and Abe Fermentation

Abstract Simultaneous separation of solvent products during fermentation reduces product inhibition and increases reactor productivity. Separation techniques used for simultaneous extraction during ethanol fermentation and butanol-acetone fermentation are reviewed. These techniques can be classified by product removal into gas phase (vacuum fermentation, gas stripping), liquid phase (liquid-liquid extraction, aqueous two-phase system), and solid phase (adsorption). Recent developments in separation techniques use membranes. Membrane separation techniques remove products into gas phase (pervaporation) and into liquid phase (perstraction) using either solid or liquid membranes. Liquid extractants which are nontoxic to microorganisms are required at large quantities because of their poor distribution coefficients. The required amount of solid adsorbents is also large. Gas stripping, pervaporation and perstraction share an advantage of clean product separation. Pervaporation and perstraction can overcome gas-...
Two-dimensional image transmission through a single optical fiber by wavelength-time multiplexing

Serial transmission of image data through an optical fiber is inefficient in the utilization of the channel capacity of the fiber. Parallel image transmission techniques, on the other hand, generally limit the transmission length to a few meters. A novel approach is introduced with which 2-D image data can be transmitted efficiently at high speed over a single optical fiber using wavelength-time multiplexing. Several system configurations designed for different types of input are presented.
Isolation and enrichment of Ca2+-tolerant myocytes for biochemical experiments from guinea-pig heart.

Abstract Isolated myocetes for biochemical experiments must be homogeneous and highly enriched in viable cells. For cardiac myocytes, isolation of Ca 2+ -tolerant cells in high yield and with good viability has been possible from rat. This paper describes myocyte isolation and enrichment procedures which are effective for several species including guinea-pig and rat. New methods for selection of collagenase and viable cells are presented. Using Ca 2+ -tolerant myocytes obtained from guinea-pig heart and enriched in viable cells, dihydropyridine binding sites are shown to be accessible only in depolarized cells.
A Prospective Study of the Volume of Pleural Fluid Required for Accurate Diagnosis of Malignant Pleural Effusion

Background This is a prospective study to define the volume of pleural fluid adequate for maximal yield of cytologic analysis of pleural fluid. Methods Patients undergoing diagnostic thoracentesis with malignancy in the differential diagnosis were enrolled in the study. The first 50 mL of pleural fluid were put in a specimen cup, and subsequent fluid was collected in a drainage bag. Both samples were sent for cytologic evaluation. The cytologist was blinded as to which specimen was being evaluated. Results Forty-four patients (21 men, 23 women; mean [± SD] age, 46 ± 11.1 years) were enrolled in the study. The average volume of the “large-volume” specimen was 890 ± 375 mL (range, 250 to 1,800). Although malignant pleural involvement had never been documented for any patients, 31 patients had received a diagnosis of malignancy prior to undergoing thoracentesis. Cytologic tests were positive for malignancy in 23 of the 44 patients (55%). In the group of patients with an established history of cancer, pleural fluid was positive for malignant cells in 19 of 33 samples (58%). In all 23 patients with malignant pleural effusion, both the 50-mL specimen and the large-volume specimen were cytologically identical. In all 21 patients with negative pleural cytology findings, there was again 100% concordance between the 50-mL samples and the larger samples. The minimum adequate pleural fluid volume for cytologic diagnosis has been a matter of debate. The strongest data to date came from a retrospective study in 2002. Conclusion Our prospective study now unequivocally supports the concept that the submission of > 50 mL of pleural fluid for cytologic analysis does not increase diagnostic yield.
Connections of the Hippocampal Formation in Humans: I. The Mossy Fiber Pathway

The hippocampal formation has been one of the most extensively studied cortical regions in rats, yet little is known about the anatomical connections of the hippocampus in primates, especially humans. With the use of an antibody against the calcium-binding protein, calbindin-D28K, in normal autopsy tissue and the neuronal tracers biocytin or biotinylated dextrans in in vitro slice preparations from tissue removed during surgery for intractable epilepsy, we examined the human hippocampal mossy fiber pathway. The injections of biocytin into the dentate granule cell layer labeled neurons in a Golgi-like manner, revealing the presence of basal dendrites on about 30% of the granule cells. The granule cell axons, the mossy fibers, initially formed a diffuse plexus of fibers in the polymorphic layer before organizing into fiber fascicles in the hilar pyramidal region. These fiber fascicles were much more prominent rostrally than caudally. Within the hilus and proximal portions of the extrahilar CA3 field, the mossy fibers ran through the pyramidal cell layer, and while near the transition to field CA2, the fibers turned superficially and crossed the pyramidal layer to run in the stratum lucidum. All of these features, seen following injections of tracer into hippocampal slices from the brains of epileptics, were confirmed by calbindin-staining of mossy fibers in normal brains. Biocytin-labeled mossy fiber axons revealed two characteristic types of enlargements: small varicosities and larger expansions. The expansions were found throughout the neuropil and were highly irregular, diaminobenzidine-dense profiles that had pleiomorphic modes of attachment to the parent axon. Electron microscopic images of these biocytin labeled expansions revealed that they were large synaptic boutons bearing asymmetric synapses. This study indicates that the human mossy fiber pathway shows some minor deviations from the rodent brain but little difference from monkeys. We argue that these changes mirror a phylogenetic growth of the CA3 pyramidal neurons (subfield CA3c) into the hilus rather than an evolutionary change of the mossy fiber pathway. This growth of subfield CA3c and the increase in mossy fibers running through the pyramidal layer (and a presumed accompanying increase in proximal basal dendritic contacts) may reflect a growing role of the projection from the dentate granule cells to subfield CA3c and from there to field CA1 in the primate hippocampus. J. Comp. Neurol. 385:325–351, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A survey of the literature on microcomputers in planning

Abstract The widespread adoption of microcomputer technology by urban and regional planners and other public sector professionals has spawned a substantial literature dealing with microcomputer applications in planning and related fields. This review examines 36 books and monographs for their value to planning academics and practitioners. Four types of manuscripts are considered: introductions to microcomputer use in planning, catalogs of planning-related microcomputer software, conference proceedings and case studies, and publications containing planning applications models. The review concludes by evaluating the current state of the literature and assessing the prospects for the future.
Infrastructuring and the formation of publics in participatory design

Of late, there has been a renewed and reinvigorated exchange of ideas across science and technology studies and participatory design, emerging from a shared interest in ‘publics’. In this article, ...
Using Heart Rate Monitors to Detect Mental Stress

This article describes an approach to detecting mental stress using unobtrusive wearable sensors. The approach relies on estimating the state of the autonomic nervous system from an analysis of heart rate variability. Namely, we use a non-linear system identification technique known as principal dynamic modes (PDM) to predict the activation level of the two autonomic branches: sympathetic (i.e. stress-inducing) and parasympathetic (i.e. relaxation-related). We validate the method on a discrimination problem with two psychophysiological conditions, one associated with mental tasks and one induced by relaxation exercises. Our results indicate that PDM features are more stable and less subject-dependent than spectral features, though the latter provide higher classification performance within subjects. When PDM and spectral features are combined, our system discriminates stressful events with a success rate of 83% within subjects (69% between subjects).
MOLECULAR STUDY OF ORNITHINE TRANSCARBAMYLASE: OTC DEFICIENCY AND ANALYSIS OF MITOCHONDRIAL TARGETING OF THE OTC PRECURSOR

MOLECULAR STUDY OF ORNITHINE TRANSCARBAMYLASE: OTC DEFICIENCY AND ANALYSIS OF MITOCHONDRIAL TARGETING OF THE OTC PRECURSOR
Coarse Collective Dynamics of Animal Groups

The coarse-grained, computer-assisted analysis of models of collective dynamics in animal groups involves (a) identifying appropriate observables that best describe the state of these complex systems and (b) characterizing the dynamics of such observables. We devise “equation-free” simulation protocols for the analysis of a prototypical individual-based model of collective group dynamics. Our approach allows the extraction of information at the macroscopic level via parsimonious usage of the detailed, “microscopic” computational model. Identification of meaningful coarse observables (“reduction coordinates”) is critical to the success of such an approach, and we use a recently-developed dimensionality-reduction approach (diffusion maps) to detect good observables based on data generated by local model simulation bursts. This approach can be more generally applicable to the study of coherent behavior in a broad class of collective systems (e.g., collective cell migration).
Attentional modification of short-lead prepulse inhibition and long-lead prepulse facilitation of acoustic startle among preadolescent boys.

In adults, short-lead prepulse inhibition and long-lead prepulse facilitation of startle are greater during attended than ignored prestimuli. To examine these phenomena in children, fourteen 9- to 12-year-old boys completed a tone discrimination task in two sessions separated by 1 week. During each tone series, participants attended to one pitch and ignored the other. Startle probes (102 dB) were presented 120, 240, 2,000 or 4,500 ms following the onset of two-thirds of tones, and during one-third of intertrial intervals. Eyeblink EMG startle was recorded. Percent prepulse inhibition at 120 ms was greater for attended than ignored stimuli in Session 1 but not Session 2. Long-lead prepulse facilitation was marginally greater for attended than ignored tones and did not vary across sessions. Test–retest reliability was moderate during attended prestimuli but was modest during ignored prestimuli. Reliability of attentional modification was poorest at 120 ms and strongest at 4,500 ms. Overall, this study extended prior work in adults and provided a basis for further study of controlled attentional modification of startle in children.
Stability of caffeic acid phenethyl ester and its fluorinated derivative in rat plasma

The stability of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and its fluorinated derivative (FCAPE) in rat plasma and conditions preventing their degradation are reported. Reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) using taxifolin as an internal standard was applied for the quantitative determination of CAPE and FCAPE in rat plasma extracted with ethyl acetate. The assay was validated over a linear range of 0.25–10 µg/mL plasma (r2 > 0.9990, n = 3). No endogenous interferences were observed in the chromatographic region of interest. The limits of quantification and detection were set at 0.25 and 0.1 µg/mL, respectively. The precision ranged from 0.7 to 13.7% for CAPE, and from 0.4 to 10.4% for FCAPE. Accuracy ranged from −2.8 to 12.4% for CAPE and from −0.6 to 6.8% for FCAPE. The stability was conducted at 4, 25 and 37°C. First-order kinetics was observed for the degradation of CAPE and FCAPE. The energies of activation of CAPE and FCAPE were found to be 17.9 and 20.1 kcal/mol, respectively. Addition of 0.4% of sodium chloride and pH adjustment to 6 prevented their degradation in rat plasma for 24 h and at least one month at −20°C. This study provides useful information for the future pharmacokinetic study of CAPE and FCAPE in rat. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The inequality of security: Winners and losers in the risk society:

Current analyses of the changing nature of risk provide a`top-down' perspective that fails to consider variation among the individuals that these changes act upon. Drawing on a qualitative study of 89 workers who are members of 50 socioeconomically diverse families in Silicon Valley, California, this article explores the variability among workers by examining how an individual's social class background influences both their level of exposure to risk and their ability to navigate through the `risk society'. By employing Bourdieu's framework, the study finds that the attributes now expected of the ideal risk society subject are in actuality reflective of economic, social and cultural capitals most commonly held by the highly educated, middle and upper-middle classes. Consequently, in the current political environment where individuals are viewed as enterprising consumers responsible for their own welfare, those who possess the `right' capitals are advantaged, while those who do not are disadvantaged. This a...
Comparison of 3 silicone hydrogel bandage soft contact lenses for pain control after photorefractive keratectomy.

Purpose To evaluate the relative pain with 3 U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved bandage soft contact lenses (SCLs) applied after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Setting Joint Warfighter Refractive Surgery Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, USA. Design Prospective comparative case series. Methods Patients having PRK were randomized to a senofilcon A (Acuvue Oasys), balafilcon A (Purevision), or lotrafilcon A (Air Optix) bandage SCL in each eye postoperatively. Patients were evaluated 1 and 4 days postoperatively and completed a survey rating absolute pain in each eye on a visual analog scale. Results The study enrolled 54 patients. At 1 and 4 days, eyes with the senofilcon A lens had the lowest pain scores followed by eyes with the lotrafilcon A lens and then eyes with the balafilcon A lens. Averaging qualitative results from 1 and 4 days showed that eyes with the senofilcon A lens were reported as having more pain by 4% of patients, eyes with the lotrafilcon A lens by 27%, and eyes with the balafilcon A lens by 53%; 16% reported no difference ( P P Conclusions There was a statistically and clinically significant difference in post-PRK pain between the 3 bandage SCLs. The senofilcon A lens caused the least pain. Financial Disclosure Dr. Reilly is a consultant to Alcon Laboratories, Inc. and Abbott Medical Optics, Inc. but was not at the time of the study. No other author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Cell death in the mammalian visual system during normal development: II. Superior colliculus

Degenerating cells may be observed with light microscopy in the hamster superior colliculus during early postnatal development. In the superficial gray layer and stratum opticum, 1.8 degenerating cells for each 1,000 live cells could be seen on the first postnatal day. This rate increased to 5.6 degenerating cells per 1,000 live cells by postnatal day 5, and declined to 2.6 per 1,000 live cells by postnatal day 8. The rate of cell degeneration was consistently elevated at the medial, lateral, and caudal margins of the superficial gray layer relative to the center. In the intermediate and deep gray layers, the rate of cell death was consistently higher, starting at three degenerating cells per 1,000 on the first postnatal day, increasing to 15 per 1,000 on postnatal day 5, and declining to 4.7 per 1,000 by postnatal day 8. In contrast to the superficial gray layer, the number of degenerating cells in the central versus peripheral segments of the intermediate and deep gray layers was quite similar. Although the rate of observable degeneration is low, the likely rapid clearance of degenerating cell debris indicates a substantial loss of cells from the midbrain tectum in early development. The time course of observable degeneration, the amount, and the distribution of degenerating cells are quite similar in the tectum, and its major innervating structure, the retina. The two principal hypotheses advanced to account for the function of the overproduction and subsequent death of neurons in the nervous system of vertebrates are regulation of cell number in interconnecting populations of neurons (Cowan, '73) and correction of errors of connectivity (Clarke and Cowan, '76). These hypotheses address themselves to the total number of neurons and their relative locations. The temporal pattern of neuron generation and its relationship to neuron death has not been as widely considered. It is possible that neuron death in some populations may either be a functional or epiphenomena1 consequence of asynchronies in generation of interconnecting populations. Temporal gradients of neuron generation within and between structures have been described in detail (Altman and Bayer, '78a,b, '79; Angevine and Sidman '62). Moreover, a critical period for neuron maintenance early in development has been shown for several populations by deletion of their normal target field (Delong and Sidman '62; Ostrach and Mathers, '79).
Durability of Anti-Infective Effect of Long-Term Silicone Sheath Catheters Impregnated with Antimicrobial Agents

This study was performed to test the long-term antimicrobial efficacy of impregnated silicone catheters comprising an antimicrobial layer sandwiched between an external surface sheath and a luminal surface silicone sheath. The design of the catheter permits the introduction of various antimicrobials in addition to anticoagulants or antifibrins in the antimicrobial layer and allows their gradual release over a period of months after insertion. The in vitro data presented show that the catheter can provide antimicrobial activity for 90 days, after being replated for 15 7-day cycles of replating. When the catheters were immersed in human serum and incubated at 37°C, they demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity after more than 325 days of incubation. The significant long-term in vitro antimicrobial activity observed may imply effective in vivo activity for almost 1 year after insertion and could serve as a cost-effective alternative to surgically implantable silicone catheters.
Oxidative stress, antioxidants, and assessment of oxidative stress in dogs and cats.

xidative stress is defined as ROS in excess of anti-oxidant defense mechanisms. Oxidative stress can result from an excess of ROS, a reduction in antioxi-dants, or both. Damage attributable to oxidative stress is widespread, and oxidative stress is recognized as a prominent feature in numerous disease processes, in-cluding neoplasia and heart disease, as well as trauma and burns.
Identification of a Selective Small-Molecule Inhibitor Series Targeting the Eyes Absent 2 (Eya2) Phosphatase Activity

Eya proteins are essential coactivators of the Six family of homeobox transcription factors and also contain a unique protein tyrosine phosphatase activity, belonging to the haloacid dehalogenase family of phosphatases. The phosphatase activity of Eya is important for a subset of Six1-mediated transcription, making this a unique type of transcriptional control. It is also responsible for directing cells to the repair instead of apoptosis pathway upon DNA damage. Furthermore, the phosphatase activity of Eya is critical for transformation, migration, invasion, and metastasis of breast cancer cells. Thus, inhibitors of the Eya phosphatase activity may be antitumorigenic and antimetastatic, as well as sensitize cancer cells to DNA damage-inducing therapies. In this article, we identified a previously unknown chemical series using high-throughput screening that inhibits the Eya2 phosphatase activity with IC(50)s ranging from 1.8 to 79 µM. Compound activity was confirmed using an alternative malachite green assay and H2AX, a known Eya substrate. Importantly, these Eya2 phosphatase inhibitors show specificity and do not significantly inhibit several other cellular phosphatases. Our studies identify the first selective Eya2 phosphatase inhibitors that can potentially be developed into chemical probes for functional studies of Eya phosphatase or into anticancer drugs in the future.
A framework for efficient and scalable execution of domain-specific templates on GPUs

Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) have emerged as important players in the transition of the computing industry from sequential to multi- and many-core computing. We propose a software framework for execution of domain-specific parallel templates on GPUs, which simultaneously raises the abstraction level of GPU programming and ensures efficient execution with forward scalability to large data sizes and new GPU platforms. To achieve scalable and efficient GPU execution, our framework focuses on two critical problems that have been largely ignored in previous efforts - processing large data sets that do not fit within the GPU memory, and minimizing data transfers between the host and GPU. Our framework takes domain-specific parallel programming templates that are expressed as parallel operator graphs, and performs operator splitting, of-fload unit identification, and scheduling of off-loaded computations and data transfers between the host and the GPU, to generate a highly optimized execution plan. Finally, a code generator produces a hybrid CPU/GPU program in accordance with the derived execution plan, that uses lower-level frameworks such as CUDA. We have applied the proposed framework to templates from the recognition domain, specifically edge detection kernels and convolutional neural networks that are commonly used in image and video analysis. We present results on two different GPU platforms from NVIDIA (a Tesla C870 GPU computing card and a GeForce 8800 graphics card) that demonstrate 1.7 – 7.8X performance improvements over already accelerated baseline GPU implementations. We also demonstrate scalability to input data sets and application memory footprints of 6GB and 17GB, respectively, on GPU platforms with only 768MB and 1.5GB of memory.
Mathematical Programming Algorithms in APL

The APL programming language offers a way of succinctly expressing data processing algorithms. We will introduce and demonstrate those APL concepts which we find useful for designing, implementing, and testing mathematical programming procedures.
Reliability- and Process-variation aware design of integrated circuits — A broader perspective

A broad review the literature for Reliability- and Process-variation aware VLSI design shows a re-emergence of the topic as a core area of active research. Design of reliable circuits with unreliable components has been a challenge since the early days of electro-mechanical switches and have been addressed by elegant coding and redundancy techniques. And radiation hard design principles have been used extensively for systems affected by soft transient errors. Additional modern reliability concerns associated with parametric degradation of NBTI and soft-broken gate dielectrics and proliferation of memory and thin-film technologies add new dimension to reliability-aware design. Taken together, these device, circuit, architectural, and software based fault-tolerant approaches have enabled continued scaling of integrated circuits and is likely to be a part of any reliability qualification protocol for future technology generations.
Judgments of the Features of Friendship among Early Adolescent Boys and Girls

Sex differences in children's impressions of the features of friendship were examined in a study of 201 fourth-grade and seventh-grade boys and girls. The subjects read descriptions of hypothetical pairs of boys and hypothetical pairs of girls, and rated each pair on a five-point scale according to the likelihood that they were friends. The characters in each dyad were described as being either similar or not similar to each other, helpful or not helpful to one another, and intimate or not intimate with each other. Both boys and girls made judgements about dyads of each sex, thus making it possible to assess differences between boys' and girls' friendship conceptions in general, and to consider differences in the ratings of the hypothetical boy dyads versus hypothetical girl dyads made by raters of both sexes. An examination of the subjects' ratings revealed (a) differences between the ratings of the similar and nonsimilar pairs, the helpful and nonhelpful pairs, and the intimate and nonintimate pairs, (b...
Semi-Supervised Clustering and Feature Discrimination with Instance-Level Constraints

We propose a Semi-Supervised Clustering and Attribute Discrimination (S-SCAD) algorithm that performs fuzzy clustering and coarse feature weighting simultaneously. The supervision information in S-SCAD consists of a small set of constraints on which instances should or should not reside in the same cluster. The feature set is divided into logical subsets of features, and a degree of relevance is dynamically assigned to each subset based on its partial degree of dissimilarity. These weights have two advantages. First, they help in partitioning the data set into more meaningful clusters. Second, they can be used as part of a more complex learning system to enhance its learning behavior. We show that the partial supervision can guide the algorithm in learning the prototype parameters and the feature relevance weights, and thus, improve the final partition. The performance of the proposed algorithm is illustrated by using it to categorize a collection of color images. We use four feature subsets that encode color, structure, and texture information. The results are compared to other similar algorithms.
Long-term results of hepatic artery fluorodeoxyuridine and conformal radiation therapy for primary hepatobiliary cancers

Abstract Purpose: We have previously shown that conformal therapy (RT) combined with hepatic artery (HA) fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUrd) had encouraging hepatic control and survival and survival rates for patients with nondiffuse primary hepatobiliary malignancies. With longer follow-up, we were particularly interested if long-term hepatic control and disease-free survival could be achieved, and if late hepatic compications due to radiation therapy were observed. Methods and Materials: Patients with unresectable primary cancer were treated with concurrent HA FdUrd (0.2 mg/kg/day) and conformal RT (1.5-1.65 Gy per fraction, twice a day), directed only to the liver abnormalities. Three-dimensional treatment planning was used to define both the target and normally liver volumes. The total dose of radiation (48 or 66 Gy) was determined by the fractional volume of normal liver excluded from the high dose volume. Patients were followed routinely for response, patterns of failure, long-term toxicity, and survival. The median potential follow-up was 54 months. Results: A total of 22 patients (11 with hepatocellular carcinoma and 11 with cholangiocarcinoma) were treated. There were 10 objective responses in the 11 evaluable patients. The overall freedom from hepatic progression at more than 2 years was about 50%. The median survival was 16 months with an actuarial 4-years survival of about 20%. Gastrointestinal bleeding was the most common long-term toxicity. Late hepatic toxicity was not observed; in fact, hypertrophy of the untreated liver was seen. Conclusion: Combined conformal RT and HA FdUrd can produce long-term freedom from hepatic progression and survival in patients with unresectable, nondiffuse primary hepatobiliary. There were no long-term liver complications observed.
Use of the Environment and Policy Evaluation and Observation as a Self-Report Instrument (EPAO-SR) to measure nutrition and physical activity environments in child care settings: validity and reliability evidence

Early care and education (ECE) centers are important settings influencing young children’s diet and physical activity (PA) behaviors. To better understand their impact on diet and PA behaviors as well as to evaluate public health programs aimed at ECE settings, we developed and tested the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation – Self-Report (EPAO-SR), a self-administered version of the previously validated, researcher-administered EPAO. Development of the EPAO-SR instrument included modification of items from the EPAO, community advisory group and expert review, and cognitive interviews with center directors and classroom teachers. Reliability and validity data were collected across 4 days in 3–5 year old classrooms in 50 ECE centers in North Carolina. Center teachers and directors completed relevant portions of the EPAO-SR on multiple days according to a standardized protocol, and trained data collectors completed the EPAO for 4 days in the centers. Reliability and validity statistics calculated included percent agreement, kappa, correlation coefficients, coefficients of variation, deviations, mean differences, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), depending on the response option of the item. Data demonstrated a range of reliability and validity evidence for the EPAO-SR instrument. Reporting from directors and classroom teachers was consistent and similar to the observational data. Items that produced strongest reliability and validity estimates included beverages served, outside time, and physical activity equipment, while items such as whole grains served and amount of teacher-led PA had lower reliability (observation and self-report) and validity estimates. To overcome lower reliability and validity estimates, some items need administration on multiple days. This study demonstrated appropriate reliability and validity evidence for use of the EPAO-SR in the field. The self-administered EPAO-SR is an advancement of the measurement of ECE settings and can be used by researchers and practitioners to assess the nutrition and physical activity environments of ECE settings.