cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Venture-backed Private Equity Valuation and Financial Statement Information

The relationship between (a) private and public equity market valuations and (b) financial statement information is examined for a sample of 502 venture capital backed companies from six different industries over the 1993–2003 period. Financial statement information explains a sizable component of the levels of and changes in valuation in both the Pre-IPO and Post-IPO periods. The findings support prior research for Post-IPO companies that revenues are value enhancing and costs are value diminishing. For the Pre-IPO period, we find that cost of sales; sales, marketing, general and administrative; and research and development are value enhancing—even when revenues are included in the analysis. This is consistent with costs incurred by early-stage, venture-backed companies having a strong “investment aspect” as the companies build a platform/infrastructure to grow revenue and validate their business model(s). We document the growth of early stage companies for revenues and costs in both calendar time (by round of private equity financing) and event time (relative to their eventual IPO).
Drug-induced immune-mediated thrombocytopenia secondary to durvalumab use

Immunotherapy is an expanding area of cancer treatment with significant promise. Despite their efficacy, checkpoint inhibitors are associated with a number of immune-related adverse events; here, we described thrombocytopenia secondary todurvalumab.
Mainstream Media Recirculation of Trust-Reducing Social Media Messages:

Citizens need to trust in the integrity of news reporting for the free press to fulfill its role as a democratic institution that enables citizens to hold representatives accountable. Growing resea...
Photovoice 2.0: A Comprehensive Research Framework for the Digital Generation

Most individuals view the world through images and many share memories through social networking sites (SNSs) and other online spaces continuously. Due to the immense amount of communication through images, it is increasingly important to develop competencies in visual, media, and privacy literacy; therefore, this article presents Photovoice 2.0, an adapted research framework from the original Photovoice research framework of Wang and Burris (1997). The adapted framework is expanded to include steps to analyze visual images at a deeper level, as well as examine ethics of media and privacy literacies. Photovoice 2.0 provides a road map for researchers to follow while exploring new media ecology and while working with the i-Generation (Internet Generation). As a research framework, Photovoice 2.0 includes steps to reinforce the literacies of visual, media, and privacy. The new framework provides participants and researchers the ability to strengthen one’s skills in taking photographs, analyzing, sharing, and articulating the deeper meaning of the images for purposeful social change.
Adequate tissue sampling of prostate core needle biopsies

Prostatic carcinoma is increasingly diagnosed on small foci of core needle biopsy specimens. What constitutes adequate sampling of this tissue has not been investigated. Two hundred twenty-nine cases were reviewed, which included 47 cores with atypical foci, 22 with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), and 533 diagnostic of carcinoma. Six core specimens were obtained for each case, and two blocks were prepared containing three cores each. At least three slides containing multiple serial sections were prepared from each block. Ninety-seven percent of atypical foci, 0% of high-grade PIN foci, and 25% of carcinomatous foci comprised less than 5% of the tissue in the core and measured less than 1 mm in greatest dimension. Thirteen percent of atypical foci, 0% of high-grade PIN foci, and 3% of carcinomatous foci were not present on the first slide. In every case, the tissue containing the focus was not present on the first slide. Thirteen percent of atypical foci and 3% of carcinomatous foci are not present on the first slide of prostate core needle biopsy specimens because the tissue containing these foci simply is not cut. As proposed in this report, at least three slides are necessary to detect all lesions.
Drug Selection in the Genomic Age: Application of the Coexpression Extrapolation Principle for Drug Repositioning in Cancer Therapy

Abstract The use of patient-specific data in drug and dose selection is becoming an increasingly important component in cancer therapy. Basing drug choice on molecular aspects of the tumor is consistent with the identification of cancer as a molecular disease or diseases, even within the same histological type, and its treatment specific to the background from which it arose and exists. Multiple examples exist of single-gene mutations, and over- or underexpression that convey either sensitivity or resistance to a given agent. What about the picture that global gene expression in a cancer presents regarding drug sensitivity or resistance? Coexpression extrapolation (COXEN) is a methodology that acts as a Rosetta stone between patterns of gene expression that correlate to drug responses in vitro and those in tumors of untreated patients to predict chemosensitivity in such tumors even to drugs that are not specifically indicated for that histotype. Further applications of COXEN in drug discovery allow for in...
An Introduction to Parallel I/O Models and Algorithms

Problems whose data are too large to fit into main memory are called out-of-core problems. Out-of-core parallel-I/O algorithms can handle much larger problems than in-memory variants and have much better performance than single-device variants. However, they are not commonly used—partly because the understanding of them is not widespread. Yet such algorithms ought to be growing in importance because they address the needs of users with ever-growing problem sizes and ever-increasing performance needs.
Using Case Study Methodology in Nursing Research

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a research method that may contribute a unique and valuable method of eliciting phenomena of interest to nursing. Case study method can be used as a creative alternative to traditional approaches to description, emphasizing the patient's perspective as central to the process. This manuscript will define case study method, and discuss various case study designs. Approaches and tactics from a variety of disciplines, and theoretical or philosophical perspectives are discussed with an emphasis on method and analysis. The bulk of the manuscript outlines the stages used in a case study of men with chronic coronary heart disease (CHD), as well as presenting a case study protocol. Implications for its usefulness in nursing research, practice, and theory generation are discussed. Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. This article is available in The Qualitative Report: http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol6/iss2/3 Using Case Study Methodology in Nursing Research by Donna M. Zucker The Qualitative Report, Volume 6, Number 2 June, 2001
Chapter 5 MicroRNA-Mediated Gene Silencing

MicroRNAs are 20-21 nucleotides-long noncoding RNAs that function as posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression in a variety of organisms ranging from plants to mammalian cells. These regulators are encoded by approximately 800 genes in the mammalian genome and target half of the mRNAs in mammalian cells. While the biogenesis of microRNAs is fairly well understood, the mechanism by which target genes are regulated remains controversial. The recent discoveries that viruses encode microRNAs or subvert host cell microRNAs has enhanced our knowledge about biological functions of microRNAs during disease and has suggested that microRNAs could be used as targets in antiviral gene therapy. This review will provide a brief history of microRNA research, discuss the biogenesis and mechanisms of microRNAs, and summarize findings that have employed inhibitors of microRNA miR-122 to treat hepatitis C virus-induced liver disease.
Social Justice and Human Rights

In recent decades we have witnessed a multitude of increasingly urgent demands for social justice and for the protection of human rights. Politically, those struggling to promote social justice have worked hand in hand with human rights advocates. The social injustices of racial and sexual discrimination have been protested as violations of the fundamental human rights to equal opportunity and to the equal protection of the laws; a human right to an adequate standard of living has been proclaimed on the basis of the injustice of an affluent society in which the rich can enjoy luxuries while the poor lack the means to meet their basic human needs. Such political arguments suggest to the thoughtful observer that there is some close connection between social justice and human rights. At the same time, we have read, or tried to find the time to read, a deluge of books and articles dealing with the theory of justice and the theory of rights. What is remarkable about these two bodies of philosophical and jurisprudential literature is their virtual isolation from each other. In the index to A Theory of Justice, the monumental 587-page book by John Rawls, there are only three references to natural rights and none at all to human rights. The vast literature dealing with rights takes individual freedom or individual interests as central, depending upon whether the author is advancing a will theory or an interest theory of rights, but hardly mentions justice, whether individual or social. This is all the more surprising because philosophers and jurists typically assume that justice and rights are necessarily connected. The more I ponder the practical politics and moral theory of the past few decades, the more puzzling, and important, appears to me the problem I intend to address today: What is the relation between social justice and human rights?
Estimation of manpower forecast variation by GPSS simulation

Traditionally, manpower estimation has been done on an expected value basis. Such estimates, although providing an estimate of the mean of manpower requirements, provide no indication of the probable spread about the mean. Manpower solution plans, however, often implicitly assume an estimate spread based upon experience gained from previous projects. This paper is concerned with estimation of manpower forecast variations, both in the aggregate and by skill level.
Statistical error in isothermal titration calorimetry.

Publisher Summary This chapter analyzes the statistical error in isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). ITC is widely used to obtain thermodynamics information about binding processes in chemical and biochemical systems. The instrumental responses following each injection of titrant are analyzed to obtain the heat associated with the chemical changes from that injection, and the experiment thereby produces a titration curve of heat versus extent of reaction. The dependence of the parameter standard errors on the number of titration steps is completely tied to assumptions about the nature of the error in the titrant volume. It is observed that better precision is achieved with fewer points and a larger titration range than is customarily employed in such work. The constant error model yields results that are less precise by almost an order of magnitude and in both models the relative error in equilibrium constant is more nearly constant than the absolute error. The latter observation means that van't Hoff analysis through an unweighted fit to the logarithmic form of equation is not a bad approximation, which is reassuring, since the unweighted log fit is the usual approach taken for such analyses. The possible role of correlated error in the titrant volumes is also considered.
Formal Models of Dilemmas in Social Decision-Making

Abstract : Social dilemmas occur whenever each individual is better off choosing an anti-social course of action than a pro-social one, yet all individuals would be better off if all were to choose the pro-social course than if all were to choose the anti-social course. Interest in social dilemmas has increased because problems such as overpopulation, pollution, and selfish use of energy appear to be the result of such dilemmas. A simple game has been developed according to the principle that benefit for anti-social behavior accrues directly to the individual whereas loss is spread out among all the players. Such a game results in a true social dilemma -- one which becomes worse the more players there are. The present paper discusses the dilemma.
Behavioral and cognitive outcomes for clinical trials in children with neurofibromatosis type 1

Objective: To evaluate the appropriateness of cognitive and behavioral outcome measures in clinical trials in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) by analyzing the degree of deficits compared to reference groups, test-retest reliability, and how scores correlate between outcome measures. Methods: Data were analyzed from the Simvastatin for cognitive deficits and behavioral problems in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1-SIMCODA) trial, a randomized placebo-controlled trial of simvastatin for cognitive deficits and behavioral problems in children with NF1. Outcome measures were compared with age-specific reference groups to identify domains of dysfunction. Pearson r was computed for before and after measurements within the placebo group to assess test-retest reliability. Principal component analysis was used to identify the internal structure in the outcome data. Results: Strongest mean score deviations from the reference groups were observed for full-scale intelligence (−1.1 SD), Rey Complex Figure Test delayed recall (−2.0 SD), attention problems (−1.2 SD), and social problems (−1.1 SD). Long-term test-retest reliability were excellent for Wechsler scales ( r > 0.88), but poor to moderate for other neuropsychological tests ( r range 0.52–0.81) and Child Behavioral Checklist subscales ( r range 0.40–0.79). The correlation structure revealed 2 strong components in the outcome measures behavior and cognition, with no correlation between these components. Scores on psychosocial quality of life correlate strongly with behavioral problems and less with cognitive deficits. Conclusions: Children with NF1 show distinct deficits in multiple domains. Many outcome measures showed weak test-retest correlations over the 1-year trial period. Cognitive and behavioral outcomes are complementary. This analysis demonstrates the need to include reliable outcome measures on a variety of cognitive and behavioral domains in clinical trials for NF1.
Managing data warehouse metadata using the Web: a Web-based DBA maintenance tool suite

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC), which is associated with NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), provides access to datasets used in environmental research. As a data warehouse for NASA, the ORNL DAAC archives and distributes data from NASA's ground-based field experiments. In order to manage its large and diverse data holdings, DAAC has mined metadata that is stored in several Sybase databases. However, the task of managing the metadata itself has become such a complicated task that DAAC has developed a Web-based graphical user interface (GUI) called the DBA Maintenance Tool Suite. This World Wide Web-based tool allows the database administrator (DBA) to maintain DAAC's metadata databases with the click of a mouse button. This tool greatly reduces the complexities of database maintenance and facilitates the task of data delivery to DAAC's user community.
Role of contraction duration in inducing fast-to-slow contractile and metabolic protein and functional changes in engineered muscle.

The role of factors such as frequency, contraction duration and active time in the adaptation to chronic low-frequency electrical stimulation (CLFS) is widely disputed. In this study we explore the ability of contraction duration (0.6, 6, 60, and 600 sec) to induce a fast-to-slow shift in engineered muscle while using a stimulation frequency of 10 Hz and keeping active time constant at 60%. We found that all contraction durations induced similar slowing of time-to-peak tension. Despite similar increases in total myosin heavy (MHC) levels with stimulation, increasing contraction duration resulted in progressive decreases in total fast myosin. With contraction durations of 60 and 600 sec, MHC IIx levels decreased and MHC IIa levels increased. All contraction durations resulted in fast-to-slow shifts in TnT and TnC but increased both fast and slow TnI levels. Half-relaxation slowed to a greater extent with contraction durations of 60 and 600 sec despite similar changes in the calcium sequestering proteins calsequestrin and parvalbumin and the calcium uptake protein SERCA. All CLFS groups resulted in greater fatigue resistance than control. Similar increases in GLUT4, mitochondrial enzymes (SDH and ATPsynthase), the fatty acid transporter CPT-1, and the metabolic regulators PGC-1α and MEF2 were found with all contraction durations. However, the mitochondrial enzymes cytochrome C and citrate synthase were increased to greater levels with contraction durations of 60 and 600 sec. These results demonstrate that contraction duration plays a pivotal role in dictating the level of CLFS-induced contractile and metabolic adaptations in tissue-engineered skeletal muscle. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 2489–2497, 2015. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Cellular Physiology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of irradiation and-or handling on shuttle box performance of C57B1-6 mice.

Abstract Twenty C57B1/6 primigravida females were irradiated at 0.1R/hr for 15 days of gestation (36R total) and 20 were sham irradiated. The offspring were cross-fostered to sham irradiated or irradiated dams, resulting in 4 groups of 10 litters each, 0.1R/0.1R,S/0.1R,0.1R/S, and S/S. Half of the infants in each group were handled on postpartum Days 3–12. On Days 30 and 60 the offspring were given 30 trials in a 2-way shuttle box avoidance apparatus. Although irradiation was predicted to enhance learning, irradiation of the infant tended to depress learning on Day 30 and particularly on Day 60. This effect could have been due to the early age at which the first trials were given or to the low irradiation level used. Effects of irradiation are hypothesized to be nonmonotonic from 0 to 200–300+ R. The importance of finding any effects following chornic administration of such low levels of irradiation was noted. Handling had no effect on shuttle box behavior.
Suppressed Inflation and the Supply Multiplier

Suppressed inflation describes a situation in which, at existing wages and prices, the aggregate demands for current output and labour services exceed the corresponding aggregate supplies. Suppressed inflation is the opposite of suppressed deflation, in which aggregate supplies of output and labour exceed aggregate demands. Both suppressed inflation and suppressed deflation involve non-wage and non-price rationing. In suppressed inflation, purchases of goods and labour services are rationed. In suppressed deflation, sales are rationed. Suppressed inflation and suppressed deflation both result from the inability of wages and prices to adjust instantaneously, in response to shifts in aggregate demand or supply, to satisfy the conditions for general market clearing. This inability can result either from effective legal constraints-that is, the imposition of price and wage ceilings or floorsor from natural frictions in the workings of the market mechanism.3 However, whatever the cause of wage and price stickiness, the resulting failure of markets to clear has profound consequences for the determination of output and employment. In the case of suppressed deflation, standard macro-economic analysis has long recognized these consequences. In contrast, suppressed inflation, although empirically not a rare phenomenon, has been the subject of little systematic theoretical analysis. In addition, the standard macro-economic paradigm fails even to recognize the analogybetween suppressed inflation and suppressed deflation. A central aspect of the received theory of suppressed deflation is the demand multiplier. This theoretical construct was first discovered by Kahn [7] and expanded by Keynes [8] and quickly became part of conventional wisdom. Assume, starting from a position of general market clearing and full employment, an autonomous reduction in aggregate demand for current output.4 Maintaining full employment would require a fall in the price level and nominal wage rate, but prices and wages are sticky. The initial effect of the reduced demand will be the emergence of excess supply in the output market. This excess supply induces the representative firm to reduce output to what it can sell, which is less than what it desires to sell at current wages and prices, and to reduce its effective
Density-dependent growth regulation of pig retinal pigment epithelial cells in vitro.

• Background: Transplantation of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) involves delivering donor RPE onto a bare area of host Bruch's membrane that is surrounded by a confluent monolayer of RPE. We investigated the effects of different plating densities and the presence of an adjacent confluent monolayer on the growth characteristics and final morphology of pig RPE in vitro. • Methods: In single-well experiments, porcine RPE were plated in 24-well plates at densities varying from 1 to 75 cells/mm2. Triplicate plates were counted on the 3rd and 10th days after plating and at confluence. A multiwell chamber was built to allow cells plated at different densities to be bathed with conditioned media from adjoining wells. • Results: In single-well experiments, plating at low densities increased the time to reach confluence and resulted in fewer, larger and more fusiform RPE at confluence. In multiwell experiments, the growth rate of cells plated at low density decreased as the amount of high-density medium increased in communicating wells and led to smaller, rounder cells at confluence. The presence of low-density RPE in adjoining wells increased the growth rate of RPE plated at high density and produced fewer, larger and more fusiform cells at confluence. Newly plated RPE grew more slowly when confluent monolayers of RPE were present in adjoining wells. • Conclusions: Plating density is a critical factor in determining the growth rate and the final morphology of RPE in tissue culture. The presence of a neighboring confluent monolayer of RPE inhibits the growth rate of newly plated RPE in vitro.
A New Matching Condition for Robust Control Design

We study the control design problem for uncertain nonlinear systems. A new matching condition is presented. The main idea is to configure the possible route through which the uncertainty may affect the stability. Compared with the previous case, the current matching condition prescribes the route nonlinearly while the early matching condition is a special case of the linear description. The advantage is demonstrated. As an example, the number of required independent controls drops from three to one in a rotational rigid-body problem by using the new matching condition.
Modeling Energy Expenditure in Children and Adolescents using Quantile Regression

Advanced mathematical models have the potential to capture the complex metabolic and physiological processes that result in energy expenditure (EE). Study objective is to apply quantile regression ...
Generalization and comparison of two recent frequency-domain stability robustness results

Abstract The generalization of two recent frequency-domain methods for evaluating the robust stability of uncertain systems to the complex polynomial case is presented. Both methods are based on Mikhailov criteria and have been established recently for real continuous-time systems. Besides generalization to the complex case, these two methods are related for both the real and complex cases, and an objective comparison is made between them. Some illustrative examples, are given.
Measurement of the time course of optical quality and visual deterioration during tear break-up.

Dry eye patients and contact lens wearers commonly report transiently blurry vision that clears temporarily with a blink.1–5 Recently, visual disturbance has been formally recognized as a symptom of dry eye and was added as a separate category in the definition.6 An unstable tear film or poor contact lens wetting is thought to be the cause of the blurry vision, which can be temporarily resolved by blinking.7–10 The changes in tear film thickness associated with tear break-up disrupt the eye's smooth refractive surface, which leads to reductions in optical quality.7,8,11,12 This reduction has been attributed to increased optical aberrations due to the uneven optical surface8,13–15 and increased scatter16 due to the exposure of the rough surface of corneal epithelium or contact lens after tear break-up.3,11,17 Studies have also shown that tear instability reduces both contrast sensitivity (CS) and visual acuity (VA),7,18 which can be improved by instillation of artificial tears.8,19–22 In none of these previous studies was optical quality and visual performance measured simultaneously during tear break-up, nor has there been an investigation of the connection between these two effects and their associations with tear break-up. It was our purpose in the present study to address this gap in our knowledge by developing and using a three-channel system that simultaneously monitors wavefront aberrometry, tear film instability through the technique of retroillumination (RI),13 and CS during blink suppression. We also sought to identify and develop metrics that could be used to quantify the optical effects of tear instability. Wearers of silicone hydrogel contact lenses were asked to participate in the study because blink suppression is more comfortable with a lens on the eye and we were seeking to correlate tear break-up and visual effects.
The 870.8 keV gamma ray from PuO2

Abstract A 252Cf neutron source and an 241Am alpha source were used with isotopically enriched water containing 43.9% 17O and 43.1% 18O, to study the (n, n′γ) and (α, α′γ) reactions in 17O and 18O. The production yields for the 870.8 keV gamma ray from 17O and the 1982.2 keV gamma ray from 18O were measured. In addition, the average cross sections over the 252Cf fission neutron spectrum for 17O(n, n′γ)17O and 18O(n, n′γ)18O were determined.
Photochemistry of acetone under tropospheric conditions

Abstract The absorption cross sections of acetone were measured between 215 and 350 nm over the temperature range of 235 to 298 K using a diode array spectrometer. The quantum yield for the photodissociation of acetone was measured as a function of pressure at nine discrete wavelengths between 248 and 337 nm. At wavelengths longer than 270 nm, the quantum yields were found to decrease with increasing pressure in accordance with the Stern–Volmer mechanism. The zero pressure quantum yield was found to increase as the wavelength decreased and reached a value of unity near 290 nm. The quantum yields at 308 nm were found to be nearly independent of temperature between 298 and 195 K. These results were used to calculate an expression for the variation of the acetone photodissociation quantum yield with pressure and wavelength. The calculated atmospheric photolysis lifetime of acetone shows the photolysis to be the main loss process for acetone in the upper troposphere, while reaction with the OH radicals dominates its loss rate near the Earth's surface.
Enhanced immunogenicity of protein-dextran conjugates: I. Rapid stimulation of enhanced antibody responses to poorly immunogenic molecules

In view of our observation that anti-immunoglobulin antibody conjugated to high-molecular-weight dextran stimulates high levels of B-cell activation (Brunswick et al. J. Immunol. 1989, 143, 1239), we coupled T cell-dependent antigens to dextran. When mice were immunized, in the absence of adjuvant, with a BSA-dextran conjugate (BSA-dex), a persistent, high-titre anti-BSA IgG1 response was induced. Titres were dose-dependent and seen with as little as 10 micrograms of conjugated protein. Anti-BSA titres were detected as early as day 7, usually peaked at about day 14 and persisted for at least 4 weeks. Anti-hapten antibodies were also elicited in mice that were immunized with haptenated BSA covalently bound to dextran, and secondary responses could be induced even after inoculation of the unconjugated protein. Covalent attachment of the protein to the polymer was necessary, and the response was specific, as coinjection of BSA-dex and an unrelated antigen, goat IgG, did not elicit detectable anti-goat antibodies. The immunogenic potential of these conjugates did not depend on the ability of the dextran carrier to induce antibody, inasmuch as they stimulated high levels of anti-protein antibody in mice unresponsive to dextran. A minimum size dextran polymer was required for enhanced immunogenicity as conjugates of BSA with dextran of molecular mass 500 or 2000 kDa but not of 70 kDa gave detectable anti-BSA titres.
Theoretical Bond Dissociation Energies of Halo-Heterocycles: Trends and Relationships to Regioselectivity in Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions

Selectivity of the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of heterocycles bearing multiple identical halogens is mainly determined by the relative ease of oxidative addition. This is related to both the energy to distort the carbon halogen bond to the transition-state geometry (related to the CX bond-dissociation energy) and to the interaction between the heterocycle π* (LUMO) and PdL2 HOMO (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 12664). The computed bond dissociation energies of a larger series of halo-heterocycles have been explored with B3LYP and higher accuracy G3B3 calculations. Quantitative trends in bond dissociation energies have been identified for five- and six-membered chloro and bromo substituted heterocycles with N, O, and S heteroatoms.
Mass detection with digitized screening mammograms by using Gabor features

Breast cancer is the leading cancer among American women. The current lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 13.4% (one in seven). Mammography is the most effective technology presently available for breast cancer screening. With digital mammograms computer-aided detection (CAD) has proven to be a useful tool for radiologists. In this paper, we focus on mass detection that is a common category of breast cancers relative to calcification and architecture distortion. We propose a new mass detection algorithm utilizing Gabor filters, termed as "Gabor Mass Detection" (GMD). There are three steps in the GMD algorithm, (1) preprocessing, (2) generating alarms and (3) classification (reducing false alarms). Down-sampling, quantization, denoising and enhancement are done in the preprocessing step. Then a total of 30 Gabor filtered images (along 6 bands by 5 orientations) are produced. Alarm segments are generated by thresholding four Gabor images of full orientations (Stage-I classification) with image-dependent thresholds computed via histogram analysis. Next a set of edge histogram descriptors (EHD) are extracted from 24 Gabor images (6 by 4) that will be used for Stage-II classification. After clustering EHD features with fuzzy C-means clustering method, a k-nearest neighbor classifier is used to reduce the number of false alarms. We initially analyzed 431 digitized mammograms (159 normal images vs. 272 cancerous images, from the DDSM project, University of South Florida) with the proposed GMD algorithm. And a ten-fold cross validation was used for testing the GMD algorithm upon the available data. The GMD performance is as follows: sensitivity (true positive rate) = 0.88 at false positives per image (FPI) = 1.25, and the area under the ROC curve = 0.83. The overall performance of the GMD algorithm is satisfactory and the accuracy of locating masses (highlighting the boundaries of suspicious areas) is relatively high. Furthermore, the GMD algorithm can successfully detect early-stage (with small values of Assessment & low Subtlety) malignant masses. In addition, Gabor filtered images are used in both stages of classifications, which greatly simplifies the GMD algorithm.
Output feedback compensation in multivariable systems

The question of dynamic feedback compensation in linear multi-variable systems is considered from a frequency domain point of view. Two related approaches to this problem are presented, both of which employ "dual relatively prime factorizations"; i.e. either R(s)P(s)-1 or P(s)-1R(s), of the transfer matrix, T(s), of the system. The first approach employs the notion of the "eliminant matrix" of two relatively right prime (r.r.p.) polynomial matrices, such as R(s) and P(s), while the second uses the properties of the class of unimodular matrices which "reduce" the composite matrix [R(s) P(s)] to an upper right identity, [1 0].
The Utility of the Differential Abilities Scales with Specific Language-Impaired Preschoolers

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the Differential Ability Scales (DAS) in distinguishing preschoolers with specific language impairment (SLI) and specific subtypes of language delays. Three hundred forty-eight language-impaired preschoolers' response patterns across DAS General Conceptual Ability (GCA), Ability cluster, and subtest scores were compared to response profiles of 57 preschoolers without language impairment as well as the standardized mean. Participants' specific type of language impairment (Articulation, Expressive, Receptive, Pragmatic, Expressive-Receptive, Expressive-Articulation, Receptive-Articulation, and Articulation-Pragmatic) was then compared to their response patterns. Results indicated that, in general, SLI preschoolers had significantly lower GCA, Verbal Ability, Nonverbal Ability, and subtest scores on the DAS compared to preschoolers without language impairment. However, different response patterns across the GCA, Ability clusters, and subtests emerged de...
Limit theorems for the integral of a population process with immigration

Abstract A limit theorem is proven for the integral of a general class of population processes possessing independent immigration components. For the special case of the Bellman-Harris process with immigration, further results are obtained.
Parental employment and rural school-age child care needs

School-age child care needs and problems in rural communities were investigated for 3,648 families. Parental employment status was found to influence types of child care utilized and the types of care problems experienced by parents. Less than 1% of all children were found to receive only parental in-home after-school care. One of every five children received patchwork care of three or more types. Implications for community-based policy decisions are discussed.
Polarization in High-Energy Inelastic Scattering

Spin-dependent distortion effects were studied in the Polarization produced in the excitation of the 2/sup +/ level of C/sup 12/ at 4.43 Mev. (R.E.U.)
Ciliary body neurilemoma recurring after 15 years.

A 57-year-old white female presented with a recurring neurilemoma (benign solitary schwannoma) of the ciliary body 15 years after the primary modified iridocyclectomy. As neurilemoma are encapsulated, successful “tumorectomy” was twice accomplished with total anatomical and functional preservation of the globe. The pathological diagnosis of spindle cell tumors of the uvea is discussed.
Centripetal transport of microtubules in motile cells

The Study of microtubule (MT) dynamics in cells has largely been restricted to events occurring over relatively short periods in nonmotile or stationary cell in culture. By using the antioxidant, Oxyrase, we have reduced the sensitivity of fluorescent MTs to photodamage and this has allowed us to image fluorescent MTs with good temporal resolution over much longer periods of time. We have used our enhanced imaging capabilities to examine MT dynamics in fibroblasts moving directionally into a wound. We found that MTs in these cells exhibited dynamic instability similar to that reported for other cells. More interestingly, we found a novel dynamic behavior of the MTs in wihch entire MTs were moved inward from the leading edge toward the cell nucleus. This centripetal transport (CT) of MTs only occurred to those MTs that were oriented with their long axis parallel to the leading edge; radially oriented MTs were not transported centripetally. Both small bundles of MTs and individual MTs were observed to undergo CT at a rate of 0.63 × 0.37 μm/min. This rate was similar to the rate of CT of latex beads applied to the cell surface and of endogenous pinocytotic vesicles in the cytoplasm. When we imaged both MTs and pinocytotic vesicles, we found that the pinocytotic vesicles were ensheathed by a small group of parallel MTs that moved centripetally in concert with the vesicles. Conversely, we found many instances of MTs moving centripetally without associated vesicles. When cells were treated with nocodazole to depolymerize MTs rapidly, the rate of pinocytotic vesicle CT was inhibited by 75%. This suggests that centripetal transport of MTs may be involved in the movement of pinocytotic vesicles in cells. In conclusion, our results show that MTs in motile cells are redistributed by a novel mechanism, CT, that does not require changes in polymer length. The centripetally transported MTs may play a role in transporting pinocytotic vesicles in the cell. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Infantile Spasms Following Near‐Drowning: A Report of Two Cases

Summary: We report the occurrence of infantile spasms following near-drowning in two children with previously normal development. In both cases, the episode of near-drowning occurred well after the 1st year of life, and the age at onset of spasms (20 and 34 months, respectively) was unusually late. The possible significance of these two cases in relation to the pathophysiological mechanism underlying infantile spasms is briefly discussed. RESUMEN Publicamos la aparicion de espasmos infantiles tras una situation de “casi ahogo por sumersion” en 2 ninos previamente normales. En ambos casos el episodio de “casi ahogo” ocurrio despues de su primer ano de edad y la edad de comienzo de los espasmos (20 y 36 meses respectivamente) se considero como llamativamente tardia. Se discutio brevemente el posible signifi-cado de estos 2 casos en relation con los mecanismos fisiopatologicos que actuan en los espasmos infantiles.
Invited review: Genetic contributions underlying the development of preimplantation bovine embryos

In recent years, it has become evident that genetic selection to improve milk production has resulted in a decline in dairy cattle fertility. Growing evidence suggests that the greatest loss occurs early in pregnancy around the time of embryo implantation. As a means to make genetic improvements and to assist in reproductive performance, use of artificial reproductive technologies such as artificial insemination and in vitro production of embryos have been widely used. Both of these technologies rely on the competence and quality of gametes for successful development of embryos. Often, selection of animals is based on the genetic merit of the animal, although specific fertility markers are relatively underdeveloped compared with markers for production traits. Similarly, current in vitro fertilization systems could benefit from a uniform method for selection of the best quality embryos to transfer into recipients for successful implantation and delivery of healthy offspring. As genetics underlie biological processes such as fertility, the need exists to further identify and characterize genes that affect fertility and development within both the parental gametes and the embryo. Furthermore, the magnitude of the contribution of each parental genome to the success of embryo development and pregnancy is not clear. As such, the objective of this review is to provide an overview of studies relating to genetic markers at the DNA level, parental and embryonic gene expression, and the effects of epigenetics on embryonic development. Future studies should exploit advances in molecular technologies to identify and classify genes underlying fertility and development to establish biomarkers and predictors for improved genetic selection.
Discrimination and confidence error in detector-reported scores

A decision system may compute a score that reflects its confidence in one of its decisions. This paper considers methods for evaluating such scores. There is a class of measures-of-performance (MOPs) for each of the score's two roles: discrimination (how well it separates targets and clutter) and confidence (how well it predicts its own accuracy). Area-under-the-ROC and probability of error are considered as discrimination MOPs. Error in the posterior (EP) and normalized cross entropy (NCE) are considered as confidence MOPs. MOPs for the scores are assessed using Monte Carlo simulations where known score distributions are sampled, allowing comparison of true and estimated MOPs. Classical data-direct ROC estimates are found to be equivalent to those based on explicit distribution estimation using probability mass functions (pmfs). An alternative distribution estimation based on histograms is recommended for empirical ROCs, being accurate and avoiding the unnatural stair-step character of data-direct ROCs. Confidence MOPs are more difficult to estimate than discrimination MOPs and NCE estimates are especially poor. EP may be meaningfully estimated through histogram density estimates and it is recommended as a replacement for the AdaptSAPS binned EP confidence MOP.
Chronic Stress Decreases Basal Levels of Memory-Related Signaling Molecules in Area CA1 of At-Risk (Subclinical) Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

An important factor that may affect the severity and time of onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is chronic stress. Epidemiological studies report that chronically stressed individuals are at an increased risk for developing AD. The purpose of this study was to reveal whether chronic psychosocial stress could hasten the appearance of AD symptoms including changes in basal levels of cognition-related signaling molecules in subjects who are at risk for the disease. We investigated the effect of chronic psychosocial stress on basal levels of memory-related signaling molecules in area CA1 of subclinical rat model of AD. The subclinical symptomless rat model of AD was induced by osmotic pump continuous intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of 160 pmol/day Aβ1-42 for 14 days. Rats were chronically stressed using the psychosocial stress intruder model. Western blot analysis of basal protein levels of important signaling molecules in hippocampal area CA1 showed no significant difference between the subclinical AD rat model and control rat. Following six weeks of psychosocial stress, molecular analysis showed that subclinical animals subjected to stress have significantly reduced basal levels of p-CaMKII and decreased p-CaMKII/t-CaMKII ratio as well as decreased basal levels of p-CREB, total CREB, and BDNF. The present results suggest that these changes in basal levels of signaling molecules may be responsible for impaired learning, memory, and LTP in this rat model, which support the proposition that chronic stress may accelerate the emergence of AD in susceptible individuals.
Analysis and Interpretation of Stream Channel Cross-Sectional Data

Abstract Stream channel cross-sectional transects can be used to evaluate effects of management on stream channel morphology and therefore on fish habitat quality. We describe four indices that summarize raw data from stream channel cross sections to detect change in channel morphology over time, The net percent change in area under the transect quantifies net degradation or aggradation. The absolute percent change in area quantifies cumulative streambed or streambank material movement. The width/depth ratio is a relative index of channel shape. The Gini coefficient describes the channel cross-sectional profile, This coefficient indicates whether the channel is becoming wider and flatter or narrower and deeper, independent of change in area under the transect. These indices provide a repeatable measurement of stream channel morphology, with estimable confidence limits. They are being used to evaluate changes in channel morphology of a stream in southwestern Montana. The selection of indices depends on the...
A solar simulator design for concentrating photovoltaics

In our contribution, we discuss an optical system which is able to provide sun-like radiation on a CPV module. This system is able to realize collimated light with more than 130 klx, with an angle of incidence of less than 0.26°. Special attention is given to a uniform light distribution on an illuminated area of 8 × 8 inches. The resulting optical efficiency of the system is 33%, much better than previously achieved with Xe flash lamp designs [1]. The design is based on a P-VIP 330/1.0 lamp, the latest in a series of OSRAM's P-VIP lamp types for video projectionwhich is featuring a peak luminance of approximately 9 Gcd/m 2 . As a result of the enormous operating pressure of the lamp, its spectrum is similar to the spectrum of the sun and will probably enable at least a class B simulator. The device based on the described design delivers continuous, sun-like radiation. This way, features of CPV modules as efficiency, angular sensitivity or tracking behavior can be tested during development or even in production.
PROFESSIONAL, ORGANIZATIONAL, AND SOCIAL BARRIERS TO PRIMARY PREVENTION

While acknowledging the importance of primary prevention, mental health agencies continue to devote their major resources to diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation efforts. This paper attempts a comprehensive understanding of the multiple and related barriers to the design and implementation of preventative programs. Barriers are discussed under the categories of definitional problems, systemic complexity, difficulties of demonstration, and lack of constituent demands.
Interactions of Human Growth Hormone and Prolactin on Pituitary and Leydig Cell Function in Adult Transgenic Mice Expressing the Human Growth Hormone Gene

Adult male transgenic mice expressing the human growth hormone (hGH) gene are hypoprolactinemic. To evaluate the effects of exogenous prolactin (PRL) and endogenously secreted hGH on pituitary and Leydig cell function, adult male transgenic and nontransgenic mice (10-16 wk of age) were treated s.c. with either saline-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or oPRL (100 micrograms/mouse) in saline-PVP. Animals were treated twice daily; a total of 7 injections were given. One hour after the last injection, each group of mice was treated i.p. either with saline or oLH (0.3 microgram/g BW); 2 h later, blood was obtained via heart puncture. Plasma FSH, LH, PRL, androstenedione (A-dione), and testosterone (T) levels were measured by validated RIAs. Basal PRL levels were significantly lower (p less than 0.001) and basal LH concentrations were significantly higher (p less than 0.01) in transgenic than in nontransgenic mice. Administration of PRL significantly decreased (p less than 0.01) plasma LH levels in transgenic mice, whereas similar treatment of nontransgenic mice increased (p less than 0.01) circulating LH concentrations. Plasma FSH levels were unaffected in transgenic and nontransgenic mice treated with saline or PRL. Basal plasma A-dione and T levels were similar in both groups of animals and were significantly increased after treatment with LH. Administration of PRL increased T levels in transgenic and nontransgenic mice, but the T response to LH treatment was greater in PRL-treated transgenic mice, indicating the synergistic effect of hGH in the biosynthesis of T.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)