cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of tumor hypoxia on the clinical efficacy of anti-PD-1 mAb treatment in recurrent/metastatic HNSCC patients (R/M).

6546Background: Anti-PD-1 mAbs have changed the landscape of R/M HNSCC treatment, but physical, immunologic, and metabolic barriers present in the tumor microenvironment are likely drivers of low r...
Diagnostic utility of bronchoscopy in newly diagnosed acute leukemia patients.

e19510Background: Over 40% of newly diagnosed acute leukemia patients receiving induction therapy develop acute respiratory failure. Bronchoscopy is a valuable tool for evaluating airway disease, b...
Incorporating Functionalized Cellulose to Increase the Toughness of Covalent Adaptable Networks.

Covalent adaptable networks (CANs) are cross-linked polymers that have mechanical properties similar to thermosets at operating conditions, yet can be reprocessed by cross-link exchange reactions t...
A Differential Burn-in Policy Considering Nonhomogeneous Distribution of Spatial Defects in Semiconductor Manufacturing

This paper proposes a differential burn-in policy that considers the spatial nonhomogeneous distribution of defects in semiconductor manufacturing. Due to the nonhomogeneous distribution of spatial defects, devices at different locations on a semiconductor wafer may exhibit different probabilities of being defective. Unlike conventional burn-in policies, which subject all devices to the same burn-in test, the differential burn-in policy can take different actions for different devices, i.e., acceptance without burn-in, rejection without burn-in, or burn-in with a certain duration. A mixed integer nonlinear programming model is developed to find the cost-optimal decisions. A numerical example is used to demonstrate the potential application of the proposed burn-in policy.
Low-Cost S-Band Reconfigurable Monopole/Patch Antenna for CubeSats

The development of reconfigurable antennas compatible with a CubeSat form factor can aid several space missions. Often, satellite missions require multiple wireless links with the same radio, but the design of such antennas is challenging due to the mechanical constraints and the limited power aboard a CubeSat. In this article, we present a unique reconfigurable antenna concept enabled by adhesive polyimide tapes. The presented antenna can switch from a conventional patch to a monopole-like antenna with minimal actuation complexity. This reconfiguration provides choices for polarization, pattern, and gain without use of active components for size, cost and power consumption reductions. The frequency of operation is S-band (2.4 GHz), and the antenna achieves $S_{11} dB for both reconfiguration states. Measurements compare well with simulations in both states.
Liquid Crystals Phase Transitions and AC-Calorimetry

Liquid crystal is a delicate and beautiful phase of matter showing the order in between liquid and crystals. They have different phases and phase transitions. A powerful tool called AC calorimetry can be used to characterize the different phases and phase transitions. In this article, use of ac-calorimetry technique in liquid crystal phases and phase transitions is described. Key words : Liquid and crystals; AC calorimetry The Himalayan Physics Vol.1, No.1, May, 2010 Page: 25-31 Uploaded Date : 28 July, 2011
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life in Persons With and Without Dementia.

Background/objectives Given the lack of effective pharmacologic strategies to prevent, slow, or reverse dementia progression, maximizing quality of life (QOL) is a major priority for persons living with dementia. Despite well-documented racial/ethnic disparities in dementia incidence and prevalence, it is unknown whether there are racial/ethnic disparities in QOL among persons with dementia. The objective of this study was to determine if there are racial/ethnic differences in poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among persons with and without dementia in a nationally-representative cohort. Design Repeated measures cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study. Setting United States nationally-representative National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011-2018). Participants Non-nursing home-dwelling Black, Latino, and white adults age 65+ (n = 10,886). Measurements We estimated racial/ethnic differences in five dichotomous indicators of poor HRQOL (depressive and anxiety symptoms, self-rated health, pain, and physical functional limitations), stratified by dementia status (probable, possible, none). We used generalized estimating equations to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and differences, and marginal standardization to estimate prevalence. Results Generally, Blacks and Latinos reported higher prevalence of poor HRQOL compared with whites. The largest differences were observed for self-rated health, and Latino-white differences were slightly larger compared to Black-white differences. PRs were larger among those with no dementia. For example, the Black versus white PRs for poor self-rated health were 1.93 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.82-2.04) among the no dementia group and 1.21 (95% CI = 1.12-1.31) among the probable dementia group; Latino versus white PRs for these comparisons were 2.39 (2.21-2.59) and 1.48 (1.35-1.62), respectively. Prevalence differences also showed racial/ethnic differences, but these were similar across dementia statuses. Conclusions We observed racial/ethnic disparities in poor HRQOL, showing greater unmet clinical needs among Black and Latino versus white older adults. Relative disparities were smaller in those with dementia, but absolute magnitudes of disparities were similar by dementia status.
Carcinoma complicating a pilonidal sinus

Medical literature concerning neoplastic change within a pilonidal sinus is reviewed briefly and a case of epidermoid carcinoma involving a pilonidal sinus is presented. Diagnosis, pathology and treatment are discussed.
Enforcement of Property Rights and Underdevelopment

The authors formalize the role of legal infrastructure in economic development in a general-equilibrium model with endogenously determined property rights enforcement. The mutual importance of property rights protection and market production is illustrated by the model's multiplicity of equilibria. In one equilibrium, property rights are enforced, and market activity unhampered. In the other, property rights are not enforced, discouraging economic activity, which leaves the economy without the resources and the incentives to enforce property rights. Even identically endowed economies may therefore find themselves in very different equilibria.
Collaborative Creation in a Network Society

This essay identifies shared commonalities underlying the organizational structures of successful online collaborative creation. Online collaborative cation involves individual Internet users and communities that work together to generate and produce works online by contributing to, creating, and reusing and modifying each other’s works. Successful online collaborations have produced a variety of socially-valuable works, including viral Internet urban legends, open software, and knowledge repositories. These collaborative works not only serve important roles in the growth and development of public knowledge, but they also contribute to cultural growth and creativity. The commonalities that successful online collaboration share are: (1) fair and equal access to the Internet; (2) modularity and granularity of each individual’s contributions; (3) pseudonymity of contributors; (4) online community norms and policing; and (5) lack of exclusive ownership of online creations. This essay explains how each of these contributed to the successes of various online collaborative creative projects. As we begin to live more of our lives online, we tend to form more connections online and join online communities based on similar politics, professions, or interests. Many of these online communities have the ability to collaborate and create valuable works of authorship. Understanding the organizational structures that foster online collaboration allows us to recreate structures that encourage online collaboration. More importantly, it helps guide us in examining or reexamining our legal systems in order to optimize rules and regulations that promote rather than impede online collaborative creation.
PrivaSeer: A Privacy Policy Search Engine

Web privacy policies are used by organisations to disclose their privacy practices to users on the web. However, users often do not read privacy policies because they are too long, time consuming, or too complicated. Attempts to simplify privacy policies using natural language processing have achieved some success, but they face limitations of scalability and generalization. While this puts an onus on researchers and policy regulators to protect users against unfair privacy practices, they often lack a large-scale collection of policies to study the state of internet privacy. To remedy this bottleneck, we present PrivaSeer, the first privacy policy search engine. PrivaSeer has been indexed on 1,400,318 English language website privacy policies and can be used to search privacy policies based on text queries and several search facets. Results can be ranked by PageRank, query-based document relevance, and the probability that a document is a privacy policy. Results also can be filtered by readability, vagueness, industry, and mentions of tracking technology, self-regulatory bodies, or regulations and cross-border agreements in the policy text. PrivaSeer allows legal experts, researchers, and policy regulators to discover privacy trends and policy anomalies in privacy policies at scale. In this paper we present the search interface, ranking technique, and filtering techniques for PrivaSeer. We create two indexes of privacy policies: one including supplementary non-policy content present in privacy policy web pages and one without. We evaluate the functionality of PrivaSeer by comparing ranking techniques on these two indexes.
Abstract 2582: Gnetin C inhibits reactivated AR signaling in advanced prostate cancer

The activation of androgen receptor (AR) is a key process in the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). After significant clinical response to androgen-deprivation therapy, patients with advanced PCa regularly relapse with more aggressive castrate-resistant PCa, in which AR and its oncogenic variants are reactivated. Therefore, there is an urgent necessity to develop therapeutic strategies that effectively suppress the tumor promoting signals associated with AR action in castrate-resistant PCa. Dietary stilbenes found in grapes and various berries are promising anticancer agents with multiple cellular targets, including AR. Particularly, we previously demonstrated that resveratrol (Res) and its naturally occurring analogs, pterostilbene and piceatannol, can decrease expression of AR in LNCaP and 22Rv1 cells, therefore presenting an attractive potential for stilbenes as promising pharmacologically safe agents in managing PCa. Gnetin C, a Res-dimer found abundantly in melinjo (Gnetum gnemon) plant, which possesses potent biological properties compared to Res and analogs due to its improved pharmacokinetics, is shown to be safe in healthy volunteers. Here, for the first time, we examine the efficacy of Gnetin C in targeting both full-length and ligand-independent AR splice variant (AR-V7) expressed in the castrate-resistant 22Rv1 cells. First, we found that Gnetin C shows significantly more potent cytotoxic effect in 22Rv1 cells compared to Res and Pter. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that Gnetin C inhibited expression of both full-length (100 kDA) and truncated (80 kDA) AR-V7 in a dose-dependent manner and, importantly, with significantly higher efficacy than Res and Pter when treated with the same dose (50 μM). In addition, Gnetin C used in twice lesser dose (25 μM), showed substantially more inhibitory effect compared to flutamide and enzalutamide (50 μM), two known AR antagonists used in clinic. Moreover, since neuroendocrine trans-differentiation (NED) is associated with AR-dependent mechanisms and enzalutamide resistance in PCa, we evaluated the effects of Gnetin C on SYP and CHGA. Ongoing in vivo studies using transgenic mice with activated AR signaling treated with Gnetin C are in progress. Taken together, we propose that Gnetin C is a lead compound among stilbenes for effectively blocking AR reactivation in PCa and may potentially have noteworthy therapeutic implications against advanced PCa. Citation Format: Rabab M. Al Deabel, Joyce Zhang, Anand Puaar, Avinash Kumar, Anait S. Levenson. Gnetin C inhibits reactivated AR signaling in advanced prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2582.
Reduced Bacterial Burden of the Skin Surrounding the Shoulder Joint Following Topical Protocatechuic Acid Application: Results of a Pilot Study.

Background Reducing the rising health-care burden associated with shoulder surgical site infection (SSI) is of paramount importance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial efficacy of protocatechuic acid (PCA) as a topical reagent for surgical skin antisepsis surrounding the shoulder joint. Methods This was a 2-phase skin-disinfection trial involving the human shoulder. The shoulders of healthy volunteers were randomized to topical treatment with PCA (a 10% concentration of PCA in Phase I [11 subjects] and a 17% concentration in Phase II [12 subjects]), with a control of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) applied to the contralateral shoulder. Mechanical scraping was performed for skin harvest following reagent application, and samples were sent for aerobic and anaerobic culture. Sterilization rates and bacterial counts were determined for each treatment group, and the proportion of subjects with persistent Cutibacterium acnes colonization following topical application of PCA was determined using DNA sequencing analysis. Results The topical application of 10% PCA was associated with significantly higher aerobic and anaerobic sterilization rates (90.9% and 81.8%, respectively) compared with treatment with IPA (p = 0.0143 and p = 0.0253, respectively). The topical application of 17% PCA was associated with a significantly higher anaerobic sterilization rate (83.3%) and trended toward a significantly higher aerobic sterilization rate (91.7%) compared with treatment with IPA (p = 0.0143 and p = 0.083, respectively). C. acnes was identified in 18.2% and 0% of subjects following treatment with 10% and 17% PCA, respectively. Conclusions The topical application of PCA was associated with a reduction in the bacterial burden of human shoulder skin and demonstrated dose-dependent antimicrobial activity against C. acnes in young, healthy subjects. Clinical studies in a shoulder surgical population are warranted to determine the potential for application in surgical skin antisepsis to reduce shoulder SSI. Level of evidence Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
T ϵ * Integral Under Plane Stress Crack Growth

The T*, integral values associated with stable crack growth in A606 HSLA steel SEN specimens were determined experimentally and numerically. The displacement fields obtained through Moire interferometry and elastic-plastic finite element analysis were used to evaluate T*, associated with the moving crack tip. T*, decreased with the reduction in the size of the integration contour, Γ,, and continually increased with stable crack growth in this specimen. The measured and computed crack-tip opening angle (CTOA), on the other hand, was a constant 15° during stable crack growth after dropping from the measured and computed initial high values of 35 and 57°, respectively.
Presomal morphology and development of Prosthorhynchus formosus, Prosthenorchis elegans, and Moniliformis dubius (Acanthocephala).

Larvae removed at one-day intervals from laboratory infected intermediate hosts provided material for a comparative study of presomal development in Prosthorhynchus formosus (Van Cleave, '18) Travassos, '26, Prosthenorchis elegans (Diesing, 1851) Travassos, '15, and Moniliformis dubius Meyer, '33. Acanthellae begin development soon after entering intermediate hosts' hemocoels, and by the 18th day all three species possess three nuclear masses representing primordia of the proboscis, proboscis receptacle and ganglion, and trunk musculature and genitalia. Presomal development of P. formosus and P. elegans results in structures concurring with morphology of other adult palaeacanthocephalans and archiacanthocephalans. Development of M. dubius, however, differs from that of other archiacanthocephalans in that the muscular receptacle wall lines the entire surface of the nonmuscular sheath, failing to form a ventral cleft characteristic of other archiacanthocephalans. Unlike receptacle protrusor muscles of other archiacanthocephalan species, those of M. dubius spiral around the receptacle as they extend posteriad to attach individually to a pouchlike, muscular thickening at the receptacle's base. These protrusor muscles are distinct from the receptacle wall, as attested by their development alongside neck retractor muscles, not from the receptacle primordium, and the manner in which they are left to trail behind the receptacle when it is drawn anteriorly into the proboscis during larval development. The proboscis receptacle of M. dubius should not be thought of as being double-walled, as envisioned by previous workers.
Assessing the Influence of Computer-Assisted Legal Research: A Study of California Supreme Court Opinions

Mr. Hellyer reviews the literature regarding CALR and identifies several hypotheses regarding quantitative differences in the results of print-based research and CALR. He then analyzes California Supreme Court opinions to determine CALR�s effect on the quantity, recency, and types of legal authority cited by the court. The data fail to support the commentators� hypotheses.
Glutamic acid 327 in the sheep alpha 1 isoform of Na+,K(+)-ATPase stabilizes a K(+)-induced conformational change.

By combining the tools of site-directed mutagenesis and [3H]ouabain binding, the functional role of glutamic acid 327 in the fourth transmembrane domain of the sheep alpha 1 isoform of Na+,K(+)-ATPase was examined with respect to its interactions with ouabain, Na+,K+,Mg2+, and inorganic phosphate. Using site-directed mutagenesis, this glutamic acid was substituted with alanine, aspartic acid, glutamine, and leucine. The mutant proteins were constructed in a sheep alpha 1 protein background such that [3H]ouabain binding could be utilized as a highly specific probe of the exogenous protein expressed in NIH 3T3 cells. Na+ competition of [3H]ouabain binding to the mutant forms of Na+,K(+)-ATPase revealed only slight alterations in their affinities for Na+ and in their abilities to undergo Na(+)-induced conformational changes which inhibit ouabain binding. In contrast, K+ competition of [3H]ouabain binding to all four mutant forms of Na+,K(+)-ATPase displayed severely altered interactions between these proteins and K+. Interestingly, [3H]ouabain binding to the mutant E327Q was not inhibited by the presence of K+. This mutant was previously reported to be functionally able to support cation transport with a 5-fold reduced K0.5 for K(+)-dependent ATPase activity (Jewell-Motz, E. A., and Lingrel, J.B. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 13523-13530; Vilsen, B. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 13340-13349). Thus, it appears that this glutamic acid in the fourth transmembrane domain may be important for stabilizing a K(+)-induced conformation within the catalytic cycle of Na+,K(+)-ATPase that is not rate-limiting in the overall ATPase cycle but that displays a greatly reduced affinity for ouabain.
Historical Preservation Districts and Home Sale Prices: Evidence from the Sacramento Housing Market

Historical Preservation Districts and Home Sale Prices: Evidence from the Sacramento Housing Market Abstract: During the past two decades, cities have turned increasingly to historic preservation of residential and commercial property as a method to help revive declining metropolitan areas. Sacramento, California, established historical preservation districts in an attempt to protect and maintain older structures while simultaneously increasing their value. Historic preservation, however, imposes strict rules on property owners that make property improvement more expensive than it otherwise would be. This paper uses hedonic price theory on a sample of residential properties in Sacramento to test whether positive externalities resulting from an historic preservation designation outweigh the potential negative impact of a cumbersome set of rules. The findings suggest that an historic preservation designation has a net positive impact on property values in four of the six preservation districts in the sample.
Analysis of the Residual Stress and Deformation in a Steel Tube due to Quenching Process Using Different Media

Steel tubes are widely used in industries as machine components and are most common in heavily loaded mechanisms subjected to high dynamic torsional and compressive stress. Hence, they should have higher strength than that of the conventional mechanisms to resist failure. Quenching, an industrial heat treatment process, can improve the microstructure, hardness, toughness, and corrosion and wear resistance of materials. Steel tubes, if quenched, would have desired properties to serve the purposes. However, besides improving material properties, quenching generates some residual stress and deformation in the material due to rapid temperature drop and phase transformation. Therefore, to estimate the temperature distribution, residual stress, and deformation computationally; a three-dimensional fluid-structure interaction model is developed for the steel tube with different quenchants. The quenching characteristics by water, brine, and propylene glycol are estimated and compared with each other. The time-varying nodal temperature distributions in the tube are observed and the critical regions are identified having maximum residual stress and deformation. The time-varying residual stress and deformation at a particular point and along the axial and radial directions of the tube are studied. The convergence of the model is checked and validation of the model is done.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Diagnosis and management of pregnancy by the radioreceptorassay of human chorionic gonadotropin

Abstract The radioreceptorassay (RRA) of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has provided to the clinician one of the most sensitive, rapid, and reliable tests for the diagnosis and management of pregnancy. Since the “receptor” recognizes only the native form of the hormone, the RRA combines the specificity of the bioassay and the sensitivity of the radioimmunoassay. The accuracy of the RRA has been demonstrated in more than 10,000 pregnancy tests performed in our laboratory. The “yes and no” pregnancy kit based on the RRA of hCG (Biocept-G, Wampole Labs., Cranbury, New Jersey) provides a sensitivity of 200 ml.U. of hCG per milliliter, which is approximately sixfold greater and considerably more reliable than the available hemo- and latex-agglutination tests in the detection of early pregnancy. The quantitative RRA of hCG with a sensitivity of 6 ml.U. per milliliter can detect normal pregnancy one week after documented ovulation and is nearly 100 per cent accurate around the time of the first missed menstrual period. Serum hCG levels that are twofold greater than those encountered in normal pregnancy at four to eight weeks' gestation indicate twin pregnancy, which has been confirmed at eight to ten weeks by sonography. The quantitative RRA of hCG can also determine the quality of the pregnancy as well as predict ectopic pregnancies, threatened abortions, spontaneous abortions, and occult pregnancies. Thus, the RRA of hCG has become an invaluable aid to the clinician in providing better obstetric care with reduced morbidity in abnormal pregnancies. Similarly, early and reliable confirmation of pregnancy has permitted the performance of miniabortion before seven weeks of pregnancy and has eliminated such procedures in the absence of pregnancy. Likewise, the RRA of hCG has provided a rapid, highly sensitive, and useful marker in the detection of trophoblastic disease and ectopic tumors.
trans‐Dichlorobis(ethylenediamine)platinum(IV)

[62535-08-4] C4H16N4Cl2Pt (MW 386.19) InChI = 1S/2C2H8N2.2ClH.Pt/c2*3-1-2-4;;;/h2*1-4H2;2*1H;/q;;;;+4/p-2 InChIKey = VWAWJCIOMHLCCV-UHFFFAOYSA-L (reagent used for highly selective and rapid formation of intramolecular disulfide bonds in peptides) Alternate Name: dichlorobis(1,2-ethanediamine-N,N′)platinum(IV). Physical Data: 1H NMR (D2O) δ 2.87 ppm, J(1H-195Pt) = 26 Hz; 13C NMR (D2O) δ 47.6 ppm.1 Solubility: soluble in H2O and some solvent mixtures such as water–methanol, water–acetonitrile; insoluble in most organic solvents. Form Supplied in: this is a complex cation, existing in different forms when isolated with different counter-ions; with chloride as counter-ions, two forms of the Pt(IV) complex, [Pt(en)2Cl2]Cl2 and [Pt(en)2Cl2]Cl2·2H2O, can be prepared. Both forms are a slightly yellowish white powder; they are not commercially available. Preparative Methods: the title reagent can be prepared by heating bis(ethylenediamine)platinum(II) chloride (commercially available) and excess hydrogen peroxide in aqueous HCl solution to 80–100 °C.2, 3 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: solid forms of [Pt(en)2Cl2]Cl2 and [Pt(en)2Cl2]Cl2·2H2O are stable at room temperature and can be handled in the open. Solutions of the complex containing some NaCl or dilute HCl are stable for weeks to months.
Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany: Germany: Multiple Establishment and Public Corporation Status

In the past, religious instruction was provided by the Protestant and Catholic churches. Then Muslims came in and said, “Hey, if they can have it, why can't we have it as well?” The question is not if, but the question is how. Halima Krausen (2001), German Muslim convert and theologian One of the greatest difficulties for Islam in Germany is that [Muslim] organizations … have not been viewed as representative. For this reason, recognition as a public corporation has thus far not been granted…. It is nonetheless important that the Islamic religious community, to which so many people in our country belong, obtain a respected position in society. Official statement of the German Evangelische churches (VELKD and EKD 2001:133) I see that Islam can represent an enrichment for social life. I think it could represent an even greater enrichment if people approached it with a more open mind…. People just want to have their prejudices confirmed. No one is ready, really to listen or in any way to think a little differently…. Especially on the topic “Women and Islam,” Islam is reduced to the ḥijāb, polygamy, and inheritance law. Maryam, a thirty-seven-year-old German convert to Islam (Biehl and Kabak 1999:108) our third country , Germany, represents a middle ground between Britain's relatively generous accommodation of Muslims' religious practices and France's much greater reluctance to make room for Islam.
Using mixed reality to map human exercise demonstrations to a robot exercise coach

Obesity is a growing health problem in the United States, especially among children. Indicators show that the rate of obesity for children age 12–19 years old has risen from 5% percent to 18% over the last ten years. To deal with the obesity epidemic, a number of technology interventions, including the use of robotics and virtual reality games, have arisen to motivate youth to become physically active. The difficulty though lies in providing a tool for health professionals to embed established clinical health protocols into these technologies. As such, in this paper we present a mixed reality system that translates physical demonstrations of various exercise protocols into movements for a robotic agent. This is accomplished by mapping real-time data from an RGB-D sensor to a robotic exercise coach. Details of the system are discussed and results from evaluation with 20 human subjects are provided.
Corrosion and stress corrosion cracking in coal liquefaction processes

The liquefaction of coal to produce clean-burning synthetic fuels has been demonstrated at the pilot plant level. However, some significant materials problems should be solved to enable economic and reliable scale-up to commercial levels of production. Failures due to inadequate materials performance have been reported in many plant areas; in particular, stress corrosion cracking has been found in austenitic stainless steels in the reaction and separation areas, and severe corrosion has been observed in fractionation components. In order to screen candidate materials of construction, racks of U-bend specimens in welded and as-wrought conditions and unstressed surveillance coupons were exposed in pilot plant vessels and examined. Failed components were analyzed on-site and by subsequent laboratory work. Laboratory tests were also performed. These studies have identified alloys that are suitable for critical plant locations.
Coherent optical processor for inverse filter generation

A new algorithm and system architecture for inverse filter generation using a coherent iterative optical processor is presented. This processor avoids the singularity problem usually faced in inverse filter generation. The algorithm convergence is analyzed and a convergence condition is derived. Computer simulation of the algorithm performance is presented, and the results confirm the theoretical predictions for the convergence. Two optical architectures for the implementation of this algorithm are also introduced, based on space- and time-domain utilization. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons. Inc.
Financing the global supply chain: growing need for management action

This article investigates a growing desire by companies to better manage the financing of the global Management Action supply chain and explores best practices. Supply-chain managers and finance or treasury managers, however, live in different worlds, and integration does not come easily. The article argues that decentralized finance functions lead to financial inefficiencies. The authors identify five subarchitectures to competitive supply chains and argue that visualizing the supply chain financially is the first step to controlling and improving it. Finance is embedded in every step of the supply chain — and business model. Management guidelines of what to change, what to eliminate, and what to adapt are presented along with the new starting points of strategy and customers' ever-changing needs. Consequently, the end game is profit maximization rather than only cost minimization, and both within acceptable risk parameters. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fourier Plane Imaging Microscopy for Detection of Plasmonic Crystals with Periods beyond the Optical Diffraction Limit

Using a simple optical microscope, composed of a plasmonic ultrathin condenser, an objective lens, and a camera, we show that the captured Fourier plane images can provide more information than the real plane images that would be obtained from the corresponding compound microscope. Using this simple Fourier plane imaging approach, we demonstrate that reconstructed non-scanning images of plasmonic crystals with lateral resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit can be obtained.
Thoracic temperature, shivering, and flight in the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus (L.)

Monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus (L.), display a warm-up behavior characterized by wingstrokes of small amplitude. Thoracic temperature during this shivering and during fixed flight was measured by means of a smallbead thermistor inserted into the thorax. At ambient temperatures of 15–16°C, once shivering is initiated the thoracic temperature rises at a maximum rate of 1.3°C/min, and a thoracic temperature 4.0°C greater then ambient is produced (Table 1). Fixed flight at these low ambient temperatures results in a similar rate of increase in thoracic temperature, and a similar temperature excess is produced (Fig. 3). At ambient temperatures between 22 and 35°C the thoracic temperature of an animal starting to fly rises at a faster rate, 3.6°C/min, and reaches a greater excess, 7.9°C (Fig. 4). The wingbeat frequency of animals in fixed flight increases with increasing thoracic temperature (Fig. 2). In the absence of direct solar radiation, shivering typically occurs prior to flight at low ambient temperatures (13–17°C), and the resulting increase in thoracic temperature allows monarch butterflies to fly at these cool temperatures.
Please and thank you - still the magical words: training student employees to provide world class customer service

In 2002, I was asked to create a Student Employee Development Program in Information and Technology Services. This program was aimed at retaining students within our organization and assisting in the University's goal of improving overall retention rates. As I established this new office, I met with each IT student supervisor and specifically asked what I could do to improve the job performance of our students. The feedback I repeatedly heard was that our students needed to clearly understand how to deliver customer service and that the delivery had to be consistent throughout the organization. While our 300 student employees go through job-specific training at the time of hire and throughout their career with us, no one was providing any in-depth training on how to interact with our customers. I developed a series of four mandatory training modules that lead to Customer Service Training Certification. Each module is comprised of one and one-half hours of group training. The four modules include an orientation to our organization and work ethics, delivering excellence in customer service, dealing with difficult situations in the workplace, and effective communication skills on the job. The program is now becoming well-recognized throughout the University. The Rochester Leadership Institute allows students to substitute two of my classes for two of theirs in order to meet their Leadership Certificate requirements. The Finance and Administration Division is setting up an identical program for their 1000+ student employees in partnership with us. We are convinced that our students are dispensing their outstanding customer service skills throughout the University community and this paper will address the methods used to achieve this magic.
A Note on the Use of Local Maxima to Predict Turning Points in Related Series

Abstract This article deals with the issue of to what extent local maxima of one time series can be used to predict the turning points of other series of interest. It is argued that the theory of high-level crossings is the appropriate framework to handle such issues. The article then defines precisely the notion of a turning point and introduces a test for investigating the predictive value of the U.S. leading-indicator series.
Cenozoic and late Mesozoic stratigraphy and subsidence history of the Norwegian margin

The stratigraphy of the passive continental margin off Norway is mapped, utilizing both Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) data at five sites on the outer margin and multichannel seismic (MCS) data collected by Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory. Distinct units in the acoustic stratigraphy are tied to biostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic units in the drill data and mapped throughout most of the margin. Stratigraphy of the pre–lower Eocene section not encountered in drilling is inferred from depositional patterns and correlation with the continental-shelf sequences, the stratigraphy of which has been developed independently from detailed surveys. The margin can be divided into three physiographic provinces: two broad shelf and slope regions separated by the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone, and the steep, narrow shelf and slope off the Lofoten Islands. Each experienced a separate Cenozoic subsidence history. The Voring Plateau is partly underlain by oceanic crust; it subsided nearly 1,000 m less than expected from thermal contraction, but it did so following the development of a relatively deep-water environment in the Paleocene. North of the Voring Plateau, the margin may have subsided a few hundred metres more than thermal studies had predicted. There is no evidence for a phase of extensional deformation associated with the inception of spreading. The youngest faulted level occurs at the Late Jurassic level, preceding sea-floor spreading by nearly 100 Ma, and deformation in the Cretaceous section is characterized by large uplift structures that may be of halokinetic origin. The physiographic provinces as well as the Cenozoic subsidence patterns along the margin appear to be related to the style and extent of Mesozoic basin development and tectonics along the margin.
Enzyme kinetics and glycan structural characterization of secreted alkaline phosphatase prepared using the baculovirus expression vector system

Secreted human alkaline phosphatase (SEAP, a model protein containing a single N-glycan chain) was expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda Sf-9 (Sf-9) and Trichoplusia ni BTI-Tn-5B1-4 (Tn-5B1-4) insect cell lines infected with recombinant Autographa californica multiple nuclear polyhedrovirus expressing SEAP under control of the polyhedrin promoter. SDS-PAGE showed that both systems expressed fairly pure rSEAP products. The rSEAP expression level was 7.0 U/mL in Tn-5B1-4, higher than the 4.1 U/mL produced by Sf-9. Kinetic analysis showed that Vmax and Km of human placental SEAP were approx 10-fold higher than that of rSEAP, whereas the Vmax and Km of rSEAP prepared using both insect cell lines were comparable. To characterize the recombinant SEAP (rSEAP) glycosylation, the purified rSEAP was digested with PNGase F to release the N-glycan chains. Glycan analysis showed the presence of oligomannose-type N-linked glycans (i.e., Man(2-8)GlcNAc2 and FucMan(3 or 4)GlcNAc2) in rSEAP from Sf9 and Tn-5B1-4 cell lines. The proportions of these oligosaccharide structures were different in the two cell lines. Man4GlcNAc2 and FucMan4GlcNAc2 were the major rSEAP N-glycans produced in Sf-9 cells, while Man2GlcNAc2 was the major rSEAP N-glycan produced in Tn-5B1-4 cells.
MO‐F‐214‐03: Calibration of a Reference Standard Ionization Chamber in 6‐ and 18‐ MV Photon Beams Using a Sealed Water Calorimeter at Room Temperature

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of using room‐temperature water calorimetry for the calibration of ionization chambers in high‐energy x‐ray radiotherapy beams. Methods: 6‐ and 18‐MV photon beams provided by a Clinac 2100C were used to compare dose measurements from a sealed, Domen‐type water calorimeter operated at room temperature and an Exradin A12 ionization chamber, calibrated in Co‐60. Measurements were conducted at 10‐cm depth in a 27‐liter, cubic water phantom, with SSD = 100 cm. For both energies, the Clinac was configured to deliver a 10‐cm × 10‐cm beam at the water surface with a nominal dose rate at dmax of 2.4 Gy/min, arranged as a sequence of 1‐minute exposures separated by 1‐ minute rest intervals that would typically proceed for one hour per run. Beam stability was monitored by a PTW pancake chamber of 10‐cm diameter. Calorimeter response, analyzed via mid‐point extrapolation and Fourier analysis, was scrutinized for evidence of natural convection. A further test for convection within the calorimeter was done by gauging its linearity as the nominal dose rate of an 18‐MV beam at 10‐cm depth was varied from 0.64 to 3.2 Gy/min. Results: Average dose measurements obtained from nearly a dozen calorimeter runs at each of 6‐ and 18‐MV were determined with a precision of better than ±0.15% (1 std) and agree with chamber measurements, obtained via kQ factors obtained from TG‐51, within experimental uncertainty. No evidence of convection was observed in the calorimeter data, and its response over the 5x variation in dose rate was found to be linear with standard error on the slope of <0.15%. Standard correction factors will be assessed. Conclusions: Direct calibration of ionization chambers via room‐temperature water calorimetry appears feasible. Further studies of calorimeter response at 4‐deg C, where convection is extinguished, are anticipated.
Effect of cytoarchitecture on the transport and localization of protein synthetic machinery

The emerging picture of cytoarchitecture imposes constraints on the transport and localization of several components of the protein synthetic machinery. The range in which "free" polysomes can diffuse through the cytoplasm may be restricted to about 50 nm due to obstruction by cytoskeletal barriers. Individual ribosomes and large transcripts will diffuse at least 4-10 times slower in cytoplasm than in dilute aqueous solution and may be sterically excluded from some cytoplasmic domains. The transport of these components from the nucleus to the cell periphery may be restricted to microtubule-containing channels that traverse the excluding domains. In the peripheral cytoplasm, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and other membrane-bound organelles are found only in nonexcluding channels, while actin, nonmuscle filamin (ABP280), and fodrin are concentrated in excluding domains. This suggests that the cytoplasmic volume may be functionally compartmentalized by local differentiations of cytoarchitecture. Excluding compartments may play a structural role, while nonexcluding compartments are the site of vesicle traffic and protein synthesis.
Intraurban Canadian air quality; Two long-term indices, 1973–1976

Abstract Two U.S. long-term air quality indices, the National Air Quality Index, NAQI, and the Extreme Value Index, EVI, are calculated for 27 cities in Canada, for the period 1973 to 1976. The results indicate that air quality varies considerably in space and time and that no clear trends can be discerned. Total suspended particulate matter, ozone, and sulphur dioxide are the air pollutants most commonly found to exceed the air quality standards in the residential, commercial, and industrial areas of the 27 cities studied.
ORION: Online Regularized Multi-task Regression and Its Application to Ensemble Forecasting

Ensemble forecasting is a well-known numerical prediction technique for modeling the evolution of nonlinear dynamic systems. The ensemble member forecasts are generated from multiple runs of a computer model, where each run is obtained by perturbing the starting condition or using a different model representation of the dynamic system. The ensemble mean or median is typically chosen as the consensus point estimate of the aggregated forecasts for decision making purposes. These approaches are limited in that they assume each ensemble member is equally skill ful and do not consider their inherent correlations. In this paper, we cast the ensemble forecasting task as an online, multi-task regression problem and present a framework called ORION to estimate the optimal weights for combining the ensemble members. The weights are updated using a novel online learning with restart strategy as new observation data become available. Experimental results on seasonal soil moisture predictions from 12 major river basins in North America demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach compared to the ensemble median and other baseline methods.
Tillage and Lime Rate Effects on Soil Acidity and Grain Yields of a Ten-Year Corn–Soybean Rotation

Reduced tillage and no-tillage systems provide shallow incorporation of surface applied materials at best. Due to concern of over-liming the surface of agricultural soils, producers either reduce lime rates (and apply more often) or perform some sort of soil inversion to mix the lime deeper into the soil profile. The objective of the authors in this field study was to evaluate the effects of tillage, lime rate, and time of limestone application on corn and soybean growth, and assess the changes in soil acidity to an already acidic soil. Treatments consisted of a no lime check, two no-tillage systems with either a 4.5 ton ha−1 lime application every two years or an annual application of 450 kg pelleted lime ha−1, a continuous annual chisel tillage system with a 9.0 ton ha−1 lime application every four years, and two inversion systems utilizing a rotary tiller (Howard Rotovator) where 9.0 ton lime ha−1 was mixed into the soil followed by either continuous chisel tillage or continuous no-tillage. Inversions ...
Expression of basic fibroblast growth factor and its receptors by head and neck squamous carcinoma tumor and vascular endothelial cells

background Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a potent angiogenic factor implicated in tumor growth and metastasis. To determine if bFGF and basic fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (bFGFRI) and 2 (bFGFR2) are upregulated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), we measured the distribution and levels of each in HNSCC specimens and control specimens. methods Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and control tissue specimens were analyzed qualitatively (40 patients, 10 controls) using immunohistochemistry, and quantitatively (26 patients, 8 controls) using immunoassays and graded immunohistochemistry. Control tissue consisted of palatal tissue obtained during uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). results Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that bFGF, bFGFR1, and bFGFR2 antigens were strongly associated with cancer and vascular endothelial cells in HNSCC. Control tissue had moderate staining of vascular endothelium and no stromal staining. Quantitative analysis of bFGF in tissue homogenates indicated that bFGF levels in cancer specimens were significantly elevated compared with control tissues (420.3 ± 360.9 ng/ mg total protein versus 49.2 ± 48.7, respectively, P ≤0.05). When analyzed by clinical stage, bFGF levels were significantly higher in stage III patients as compared with stage IV patients (P ≤=0.01). When immunohistochemistry results were correlated with clinical stage, bFGF (P ≤0.01), bFGFRI (P ≤0.001), and bFGFR2 (P ≤0.0001) staining was significantly more intense in the cancer cells of stage III versus stage IV patients. conclusion Enhanced expression of bFGF and bFGF receptors by cancer and vascular endothelial cells is present in HNSCC, and may contribute to tumor growth and metastasis in HNSCC by mediating angiogenesis. Strategies aimed at decreasing the expression of bFGF and its receptors may be of therapeutic benefit in HNSCC, particularly at an early stage of disease.
Variable-time-delay optical coherent transient signal processing.

A technique is proposed and experimentally demonstrated that achieves simultaneous optical pattern waveform storage and programmable time delay for continuous real-time signal processing by use of optical coherent transient technology. We achieve variable-time-delay and broadband signal processing by frequency shifting of two chirped programming pulses, the chirp rate of one being twice that of the other, without using brief reference pulses and without changing the timing of the programming sequence. We demonstrate the technique experimentally in Tm3+:YAG at 5 K for 40-MHz chirps by performing temporal signal convolution with true-time delays that vary over a 250-ns range.