cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using the economic value of the firm as a basis for assessing the value of process improvements

In building a business case for increased process maturity, a measurable return for each benefit must be established. Increased predictability is known to be one of the benefits of process improvement. However, quantifying financial benefits from improvements in predictability is not as straightforward as quantifying financial benefits of other improvements such as increased productivity and decreased rework.. We propose evaluating investments in software engineering infrastructure using well-accepted economic and financial models. These models are in general based upon the theory that the inherent value of the firm is defined as the present value of all its future profits. By measuring the increase in the present value of the firm contributed by improved cost predictability we can approximate its financial value to the organization. This can yield better, more sophisticated business cases for investing in process improvement as well as resulting in more efficient allocation of resources.
Elements of a model for communication processes

The model outlined argues that behaviors and meanings need not be studied separately. To explore the relationship between meanings and behaviors, communication is defined as patterned space‐time behavior with symbolic referents. A formal model for communication processes that explicates this definition is developed. These postulates are derived from some of the propositions of modern systems theory.
Reducing Relapse in Depressed Outpatients with Atypical Features: A Pilot Study

Background: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and atypical features have reactive mood plus at least two sympoms: hypersomnia, hyperphagia, leaden paralysis or a lifetim
Examining design assumptions for an information retrieval service: SDI use for scientific and technical databases

This is a failure analysis for the SDI system. The study examined some of the assumptions which underlie the design of SDI systems: the context of use, the activities supported by SDI-based information, and characteristics which made documents useful. It was found that the design assumptions underlying the system were not appropriate for the user community. This finding may help explain why SDI has been adopted by such a small percentage of the users it was designed to serve. However, this information tool is well suited for a broader population than that intended two decades ago. While SDI remains a valuable system, attaining a higher level of usage is likely to require changes in outreach and related activities of the service providers.
Quantitative fluorescence molecular imaging in highly light-absorbing melanomas using a dual-tracer kinetic modeling normalization method

Tissues with high light absorption, such as melanomas, present a significant challenge to fluorescence imaging approaches that seek to estimate molecular expression in vivo, since any fluorescence originating in the tissue will suffer substantial attenuation prior to detection. This can lead to sizable underestimations in estimated fluorescent tracer concentration in these tissues using conventional fluorescence imaging. In this study, a dual-tracer fluorescence imaging approach was employed to correct for severe tissue absorption by 1) using simultaneous injection and imaging of an untargeted tracer to normalize tissue absorption effects on the targeted tracer, and 2) using kinetic modeling that capitalizes on subtle differences in the dynamics of targeted and untargeted tracer uptake to quantify targeted molecule concentrations in the high absorbing tissue. Monte Carlo simulation and kinetic models demonstrated that the effect of optical properties on the approach could be eliminated by a pixel-by-pixel normalization of the targeted and untargeted tracer uptakes prior to 5 min post-tracer injection for fluorescence planar dynamic imaging.
Solid-phase radioimmunoassay for human growth hormone: Experience with antiserum-coated assay-tubes

Abstract The solid-phase antibody systrem for the radioimmunoassay of human growth hormone using antibody coated polystyrene assay tubes has been found to give reliable results. Provided that the standard solution and the plasma dilutions are incubated under similar conditions the system works in spite of the fact, that during inculbation some antibody is removed from its binding to polystyrene. The solid-phase antibody system is found to be less susceptible to damage to labelled hormone and provides the possiblity of a two-step inculbaton which allows storage of the unlabelled antigen-antibody complex until a suitable tracer is available. Incubation damage to tracer hromone due to plasma proteins is thus avoided. Apart form its simplicity it offers several advantages over the conventional separation techniques. As in the usual systems teh sensitivity is determined by the quality of the antiseru, the amount and quality of teh tracer hormone and by the incubation volume. The reproducibility of the results is equal to or slightly better than in the compared systems.
Progress in qualitative inorganic analysis: 1960

Rare earths In chromatograms with chloranilic acid Semimicro test with tetraphenylboron In chromatograms with chloranilic acid Detection of 0.1 pg. by crystallization of the acetglacetonate 0.05 pg. Be in a drop with Chrome Blue K Detection in presence of Sr and Ba with 2’-hydroxy-4nitrochalcone 1 pg. Ca in presence of Sr and Ba with ZrFl and Alizarin S Detection as rhodixonat,e in presence of 10 parts Ba 0.01 pg. Sr in 2 pg. BaSOr with rhodizonate Detection with rhodizonate in presence of 10 parts Sr 0.002 pg. Ba with rhodizonate in 0.4 pg. SrSOl On the size of the oxalnte crystals Definition of the RE by thermal analysis of the chloride hydrates 7 43 7
Reversible inhibition of mitosis in lymphocyte cultures by non-viable Mycoplasma.

SummarySufficiently concentrated non-viable Mycoplasma hominis type I suspensions will inhibit the mitogenic action of phytohemagglutin in lymphocyte cultures. The inhibition can be reversed by removing the PPLO as late as 48 hours after inoculation. Mitosis can be started with PHA, stopped by PPLO, and restarted without additional PHA by changing the medium.
A quantitative approach for studying IgE–FcεRI aggregation

Aggregation of cell surface receptors is a ubiquitous means of initiating signal transduction in many cellular systems. In this manuscript, we describe a combined theoretical and experimental approach based on multiparameter flow cytometry for measuring the time course of ligand induced aggregation of IgE–FceRI on RBL cells. By fluorescently labeling both the ligand and surface IgE (sIgE), we have developed an assay that permits us to simultaneously measure both occupancy of sIgE combining sites and association of antigen with the cell surface. This allows for a direct calculation of the degree of receptor aggregation present on the cell. By employing new mixing technologies developed for flow cytometry, we are able to look at aggregation in the sub second time domain. To extend our work, we have synthesized a new set of chemically well defined ligands (of valences 1–3) to use as probes in our studies. We show that the magnitude of the cellular response is dramatically increased as the valence of our ligand is raised from two to three.
Transmission of visceral leishmaniasis through blood transfusions from infected English foxhounds to anemic dogs.

Objective—To conduct serologic surveillance for Leishmania spp in English Foxhounds from a kennel, as well as recipients of blood from these dogs, and determine whether L infantum organisms could be transmitted via blood transfusion. Design—Serologic prevalence survey. Animals—120 English Foxhounds and 51 dogs of various breeds receiving blood from these donors. Procedure—Foxhound blood donors, foxhound nondonors, and nonfoxhound blood recipient dogs were evaluated serologically for Leishmania spp by indirect fluorescent antibody testing. Dogs that received packed RBC (PRBC) transfusions from foxhound donors from mid-1996 through mid-2000 were identified. Furthermore, dogs were serologically evaluated if they had received fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusions in 1999 and 2000 from seropositive foxhound blood donors. Results—Thirty percent of the English Foxhounds were seropositive for Leishmania spp (titer ≥ 1:16), although the degree of seropositivity varied considerably during the period. Furthermore, ...
Feeding history effects on feeding responses of Rhagoletis indifferens (Dipt., Tephritidae) to GF‐120 and Nulure

Effects of feeding history on feeding responses of western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran, to the commercial protein baits GF-120 and Nulure were determined in the laboratory. Flies were kept on 5% sucrose alone or yeast extract and sucrose (Y + S) for 3-7 or 14-16 days and exposed to 24-h-old GF-120 or Nulure drops on artificial leaves. Numbers and durations of feeding events on leaves and durations of non-feeding events were recorded over 1-h periods. Experiments were also conducted to determine effects of Y + S feeding sequences on responses to Nulure, of starvation after sucrose or Y + S feeding on responses to Nulure, and of feeding history on mortality after exposure to GF-120 and Nulure. Protein-deprived flies consistently fed more times on GF-120 and Nulure than protein-fed flies and fed longer. One day of exposure to Y + S or 16 h of starvation after exposure to sucrose caused greater feeding on Nulure than 7 days of exposure to Y + S or 16 h of starvation after exposure to Y + S. Durations of non-feeding events on leaves with sucrose or bait were similar in protein-deprived and -fed flies. Responses of 4- to 6-day-old flies kept on sucrose to 0- and 24-h-old GF-120 or Nulure were similar. More flies kept on sucrose were paralysed or dead at 6-32 h after exposure to GF-120 or Nulure with spinosad than flies kept on Y + S. Results show that complete or long periods of protein deprivation and starvation after sucrose feeding increased feeding responses to GF-120 and Nulure. The general lack of differences in durations of non-feeding events on leaves with sucrose or GF-120 or Nulure in protein-deprived and -fed flies suggests that most protein-deprived flies found baits through chance encounters following normal movement.
CONI: Credit-Based Overlay and Interweave Dynamic Spectrum Access Protocol for Multi-Hop Cognitive Radio Networks

The overlay approach to dynamic spectrum access recently proposed in information theory allows both primary users (PUs) and secondary users (SUs) to simultaneously access the same spectrum with comparable power levels. However, the information theory approach is based on idealized assumptions that are difficult to be satisfied in practice. We propose a practical scheme with the overlay flavor for multi-hop wireless networks subject to two challenging design constraints: (1) PUs can not be modified, and (2) the performance of PUs can not degrade. Using the notion of credit in our scheme, SUs first help with the traffic delivery for PUs, and in return SUs later are allowed to access the spectrum in a manner disruptive to PUs. Specifically, SUs earn credit for helping PUs and consume credit for disrupting PUs. Moreover, we propose a distributed credit diffusion algorithm for SUs to share credit, and we modify a widely used reactive routing protocol to satisfy the design constraints. This overlay scheme is then integrated with the widely used interweave scheme to form the Credit-based Overlay and Interweave (CONI) protocol. Simulation results show that CONI can significantly benefit both PUs and SUs.
Environmental scanning systems and performance: an empirical study of Russian companies

Describes a study which examined the environmental scanning systems in 226 Russian companies. Reports the findings which indicate that more advanced scanning systems were associated with higher performance levels in Russia. Comparative analysis which followed the analysis of statistical data suggested that there were a number of Western management concepts which could be used to promote the development of more sophisticated environmental scanning systems in the context of the Russian culture. Argues that this could lead to improved business performance in Russia.
Investigation of phosphotyrosine recognition by the SH2 domain of the Src kinase.

The binding of tyrosine phosphorylated targets by SH2 domains is required for propagation of many cellular signals in higher eukaryotes; however, the determinants of phosphotyrosine (pTyr) recognition by SH2 domains are not well understood. In order to identify the attributes of pTyr required for high affinity interaction with SH2 domains, the binding of the SH2 domain of the Src kinase (Src SH2 domain) to a dephosphorylated peptide, a phosphoserine-containing peptide, and the amino acid pTyr was studied using titration calorimetry and compared with the binding of a high affinity tyrosyl phosphopeptide. The dephosphorylated peptide and the phosphoserine containing peptide both bind extremely weakly to the Src SH2 domain (DeltaGo (dephosphorylated)=-3.6 kcal/mol, DeltaGo (phosphoserine) >-3.7 kcal/mol); however, the DeltaGo value of pTyr binding is more favorable (-4.7 kcal/mol, or 50 % of the entire binding free energy of a high affinity tyrosyl phosphopeptide). These results indicate that both the phosphate and the tyrosine ring of the pTyr are critical determinants of high affinity binding. Alanine mutagenesis was also used to evaluate the energetic contribution to binding of ten residues located in the pTyr-binding site. Mutation of the strictly conserved Arg betaB5 resulted in a large increase in DeltaGo (DeltaDeltaGo=3.2 kcal/mol) while elimination of the other examined residues each resulted in a significantly smaller (DeltaDeltaGo<1.4 kcal/mol) reduction in affinity, indicating that Arg betaB5 is the single most important determinant of pTyr recognition. However, mutation of Cys betaC3, a residue unique to the Src SH2 domain, surprisingly increased affinity by eightfold (DeltaDeltaGo=-1.1 kcal/mol). Using a double mutant cycle analysis, it was revealed that residues of the pTyr-binding pocket are not coupled to the peptide residues C-terminal to the pTyr. In addition, comparison of each residue's DeltaDeltaGo value upon mutation with that residue's sequence conservation among SH2 domains revealed only a modest correlation between a residue's energetic contribution to pTyr recognition and its conservation throughout evolution. The results of this investigation highlight the importance of a single critical interaction, the buried ionic bond between the phosphate of the pTyr and Arg betaB5 of the SH2 domain, driving the binding of SH2 domains to tyrosine phosphorylated targets.
Cadherin-Bound β-Catenin Feeds into the Wnt Pathway upon Adherens Junctions Dissociation: Evidence for an Intersection between β-Catenin Pools

Beta-catenin is an essential component of two cellular systems: cadherin-based adherens junctions (AJ) and the Wnt signaling pathway. A functional or physical connection between these beta-catenin pools has been suggested in previous studies, but not conclusively demonstrated to date. To further examine this intersection, we treated A431 cell colonies with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), which forces rapid and synchronized dissociation of AJ. A combination of immunostaining, time-lapse microscopy using photoactivatable-GFP-tagged beta-catenin, and image analyses indicate that the cadherin-bound pool of beta-catenin, internalized together with E-cadherin, accumulates at the perinuclear endocytic recycling compartment (ERC) upon AJ dissociation, and can be translocated into the cell nucleus upon Wnt pathway activation. These results suggest that the ERC may be a site of residence for beta-catenin destined to enter the nucleus, and that dissociation of AJ may influence beta-catenin levels in the ERC, effectively affecting beta-catenin substrate levels available downstream for the Wnt pathway. This intersection provides a mechanism for integrating cell-cell adhesion with Wnt signaling and could be critical in developmental and cancer processes that rely on beta-catenin-dependent gene expression.
Microfluidic static droplet arrays with tuneable gradients in material composition

We describe a one-step passive strategy to create concentration gradients in static droplet arrays. The technique exploits controlled exchange of materials between moving plugs and stationary drops. The concentration of soluble reagents can be varied from drop-to-drop in the presence of other soluble reagents or insoluble materials (e.g. cells) at well-defined time points.
One day of food restriction does not result in an increase in subsequent daily food intake in humans

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of one day of food restriction on subsequent spontaneous daily food intake and the recovery of body weight in humans. Twenty-two, non-restrained females were fed from Monday to Friday for four weeks using food prepared and measured in the Cornell Metabolic Laboratory. For the first week, all participants ate ad libitum. For each subsequent Monday, participants were divided into three groups in which either they (a) ate ad libitum, (b) were restricted to eating 1200 kcal (5040 kj), or (c) were fasted. From Tuesday until Friday participants ate ad libitum. During each session, all food consumed as well as body weight were measured. Body weight did not change following the day of ad libitum eating, but decreased significantly after the day of food restriction decreasing still further after fasting, indicating high compliance with study protocol. Although the loss in body weight was regained within four days, the recovery was accomplished without any increase in spontaneous food intake. Although no direct measurement of energy expenditure was made in this study, the results strongly suggest that decreases in metabolic rate play a more dominant role in the recovery of body weight following food restriction than the control of food intake.
MO‐D‐134‐03: Quantification of Breast Dose From Thoracic Computed Tomography Examinations with Dose Reduction Methods

Purpose: To quantify the breast dose delivered to female patients undergoing routine thoracic Computed Tomography (CT) exams and assess the dose savings provided by the use of bismuth shielding as well as iterative image reconstruction algorithms. Methods: Breast shields have been used at the University of Florida for three years with unanimous agreement by radiologists in terms of acceptable image quality and nonexistent artifacts. To assess the dose savings provided by both bismuth shields and adaptive iterative reconstruction algorithms (AIDR 3D), breast doses were directly measured on cadaveric subjects using optically‐stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSLDs) implanted via tubes into the subjects. The cadavers were scanned with the clinically standardized Chest protocol on a Toshiba Aquilion One 320‐slice CT scanner. Next, they were scanned again, with all other parameters unchanged, using the bismuth shield and finally using the AIDR 3D algorithm. Average breast doses were measured for four female cadaveric subjects of various Body Mass Indices (BMIs). Breast doses were measured with the bismuth shield in place for two cadavers, while the AIDR 3D algorithm was investigated using the second pair of subjects. Tube current modulation was activated for all scans. Results: Average breast doses for all four cadaver subjects ranged from 7 to 24 mGy. Dose savings offered by the bismuth breast shield were 27% for the smaller cadaver and 18% for the larger cadaver. The set of subjects scanned with AIDR 3D turned on received an average breast dose savings of 26% and 21%, for the lower and higher BMI subjects, respectively. Conclusion: This research reveals that both bismuth shielding and iterative reconstruction algorithms are effective methods of reducing radiation dose to highly radiosensitive breast tissue. Neither of these methods has impacted clinical image quality negatively. Employing dose savings methods, however trivial or complex, benefits patients tremendously.
ACTS Ka-Band Propagation Measurements in Florida

NASA’s Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) was developed to assist the creation and validation of communication technology as it expands into the Ka Band (20/30 GHz) region. These frequencies are particularly affected by intense weather phenomena, hence reliable signal transmission system design will rely heavily on both measurement data bases and validated models of channel characterization. Two years of propagation data have been collected and analyzed for a site located in Tampa, Florida (ITU Region N). This site experiences intense weather activity similar to equatorial regions. This paper will focus on the signal attenuation statistics, results are compared to predictions of the ITU and Global rain models.
Exploring the energy landscape of protein folding using replica-exchange and conventional molecular dynamics simulations.

Two independent replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) simulations with an explicit water model were performed of the Trp-cage mini-protein. In the first REMD simulation, the replicas started from the native conformation, while in the second they started from a nonnative conformation. Initially, the first simulation yielded results qualitatively similar to those of two previously published REMD simulations: the protein appeared to be over-stabilized, with the predicted melting temperature 50–150 K higher than the experimental value of 315 K. However, as the first REMD simulation progressed, the protein unfolded at all temperatures. In our second REMD simulation, which starts from a nonnative conformation, there was no evidence of significant folding. Transitions from the unfolded to the folded state did not occur on the timescale of these simulations, despite the expected improvement in sampling of REMD over conventional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The combined 1.42 μs of simulation time was insufficient for REMD simulations with different starting structures to converge. Conventional MD simulations at a range of temperatures were also performed. In contrast to REMD, the conventional MD simulations provide an estimate of Tm in good agreement with experiment. Furthermore, the conventional MD is a fraction of the cost of REMD and continuous, realistic pathways of the unfolding process at atomic resolution are obtained.
Citizen Perceptions of Police Services: Race, Neighborhood Context, and Community Policing

Studies considering perceptions of the police have traditionally focused on very broad outcome measures (e.g., global views of the police). In an era of community policing, it is imperative to consider how the public perceives the police and police services using measures reflecting this alternative paradigm of policing. In addition, recent research suggests that perceptions of the police are formed within the context of respondents’neighborhood cultures and contexts. This research examines factors predicting citizen perceptions of police services in a Midwestern community, incorporating variables reflecting respondents’ demographic traits, experiences, and neighborhood contexts. The analysis tests the predictive power of these factors using both traditional outcome measures and perceptions of police services based on community-policing criteria. The findings demonstrate the need for multidimensional constructs of citizen perceptions of police services and highlight important dimensions of public percepti...
Bringing into focus narrative text and subtext in Moroccan film: Marock's Hors-Champ

As a reading of a (forbidden) Moroccan love story, this article examines the ways in which the narrative structure of Laila Marrakchi's Marock (2005) creates meaning by presenting the image not only as a ‘story’ (or content), but also as ‘narration’ (or an act of enunciation) that delivers ‘new images’ (in the Deuleuzian sense) of Moroccan society. In addition to the emblematic title, which expresses the notion of identity formation through processes of interaction with Western cultural otherness (the word ‘Maroc’ fused with the word ‘rock’), several structural elements in the narrative text are activated to develop a religious and gender subtext that highlights dialogue with otherness within. It is argued that these elements have the effect of generating deeper insights about the complexity of Moroccan identity, translating Marrakchi's auteurist move to leave individual imprints, and offers a gendered take on a reality that reflects a changing social landscape.
Optimization of drug loading to improve physical stability of paclitaxel-loaded long-circulating liposomes

The effect of formulation and process parameters on drug loading and physical stability of paclitaxel-loaded long-circulating liposomes was evaluated. The liposomes were prepared by hydration-extrusion method. The formulation parameters such as total lipid content, cholesterol content, saturated-unsaturated lipid ratio, drug-lipid ratio and process parameters such as extrusion pressure and number of extrusion cycles were studied and their impact on drug loading and physical stability was evaluated. A proportionate increase in drug loading was observed with increase in the total phospholipid content. Cholesterol content and saturated lipid content in the bilayer showed a negative influence on drug loading. The short-term stability evaluation of liposomes prepared with different drug-lipid ratios demonstrated that 1:60 as the optimum drug-lipid ratio to achieve a loading of 1-1.3 mg/mL without the risk of physical instability. The vesicle size decreased with an increase in the extrusion pressure and number of extrusion cycles, but no significant trends were observed for drug loading with changes in process pressure or number of cycles. The optimization of formulation and process parameters led to a physically stable formulation of paclitaxel-loaded long-circulating liposomes that maintain size, charge and integrity during storage.
Residential treatment as long-term treatment: An examination of some issues

Child mental health professionals agree that high-quality residential treatment is an important element in the range of services that should be available to seriously emotionally disturbed children and adolescents (Duchnowski, Johnson, Hall, Kutash, & Friedman, 1993; Stroul & Friedman, 1986) and that because it should be used sparingly it is a radical and costly intervention. None~eless, over the past 20 years residential trea~ent has been subjected to a consistent and a withering attack for a variety of reasons. These include the assumptions that such services are overused, carry the potential for abuse and neglect of children, vary widely in effectiveness (Whittaker, 1990), and consume a disproportionate amount of funds for mental health treatment (Bums, 1991), and that residential treatment providers are either unable or unwilling to alter their programs to conform to reform agendas in child mental health and child welfare. These agendas emphasize preventing out-of-home placements of all kinds, involving families in the treatment of their children, treating children in the least restrictive enviro~ents that are cl~~c~ly approp~ate, and providing mental health and other services that are tailored to their individual needs. It is difficult, however, to evaluate the nature of the evidence pertaining to residential treatment because the issues are so complex. Residential treatment centers vary widely in size, structure, organization, treatment approach, and populations served. We lack conceptual frameworks that rationally link diagnosis, etiology, prognosis, and criteria for placement
Graphene-based Composite Thin Films for Electronics

The electrical properties of solution-processed composite thin films consisting of functionalized graphene sheets (FGS) as the filler and polystyrene (PS) as the host material are described. We demonstrate that transistors from graphene-based composite thin films exhibit ambipolar field effect characteristics, suggesting transport via percolation among FGS in the insulating PS matrix. Device characteristics as a function of the FGS size are also reported. The results indicate that devices fabricated using the largest size FGS yield the highest mobility values. This simple and scaleable fabrication scheme based on a commodity plastic could be useful for low-cost, macro-scale electronics.
Laparoscopic Feeding Jejunostomy

Laparoscopic feeding jejunostomy is performed when long-term enteral access is required and gastrostomy is not feasible. This chapter details the indications, essential steps, common technical variations, and complications of this procedure. A detailed operative dictation note template is included.
Work in progress — A mixed-methods study of the effects of first-year project pedagogies on the motivation, retention, and career plans of women in engineering

Our research project compares two first-year engineering course project pedagogies to identify approaches that enhance the likelihood of women continuing in engineering majors and entering engineering careers. Specifically, we compare the problem-based learning (PBL) model to a more general experiential learning approach centered on the engineering design process, referred to here as the traditional engineering design model (TED). We hypothesize that the PBL model, with extensive faculty facilitation, will increase the likelihood of women persisting in an engineering degree, achieving higher grades in future classes, and going into engineering careers. Our research is grounded in motivational theory, and particularly in a model that integrates aspects of existing theories including participation-identification, expectancy-value, and self-efficacy. We are testing this integrated model and the research hypothesis through a longitudinal, mixed-method analysis, with data collected from five cohorts at two large research universities.
Open to scrutiny: incident reporting and transparency in the NHS

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has been set up to improve patient safety for all NHS patients, wherever they are treated. An important part of the work of the NPSA is to learn from incidents that are reported nationally to provide sound, representative guidance and recommendations to reduce risk and harm in healthcare. Incident reporting should not be seen as a management system but as a culture in which patient safety is a priority.
Beneficial effects of atropine in the pre-hospital phase of coronary care

The current widespread interest in early (pre-hospital) coronary care has raised questions regarding the safety and efficacy of the use of atropine in these circumstances. Although reports from early coronary care systems have been favorable, serious questions of safety have been raised on the basis of experimental animal studies and isolated case reports. A sample of the experience of a large scale emergency coronary care system in Columbus, Ohio has therefore been reviewed. A group of 70 patients who, during the early phases of myocardial infarction, exhibited bradyarrhythmia (less than 60 beats/min) was identified. When this group was further categorized on the basis of arterial pressure at the time of initial observation, patients with normal or elevated blood pressure had low mortality rates whether treated with atropine or not. In patients with hypotension the mortality rate was 75 percent without therapy, and 25 percent with therapy. Indeed, when normal hemodynamics were restored, the mortality rate was only 11 percent. Unexpected ventricular fibrillation occurred in 1 of 45 treated patients and 2 of 25 untreated patients. Although the study was not controlled, the data strongly suggest that atropine is both beneficial and safe for use in treating bradyarrhythmia and hypotension in the early phase of acute myocardial infarction.
Source-proximity limitations in high-frequency code solvers for modeling conformal cylindrical arrays

The NECBSC high-frequency code solver is an efficient computational tool for solving electrically large problems. The features of the UTD-based algorithm in this solver is gainfully utilized to calculate the embedded element pattern of a 5×5 cylindrical dipole element array located before a PEC circular cylinder of electrical radius ka = 96.5. The central element of the dipole array which is kept at 0.257λ off the curved surface of the cylinder, is excited with other dipoles terminated in a matched load of 50Ω. Since NECBSC formally does not calculate the array mutual coupling, this is included by calculating the induced currents on the elements derived from a full-wave integral equation based solver, FEKO. Comparison against the available experimental data shows remarkably good agreement between NECBSC, FEKO in the lit regions. The FEKO and NECBSC yield different results in the deep shadow regions dominated by creeping waves, indicating the necessity of further investigations.
Policing Tactics and Perceptions of Police Legitimacy

Community policing has aimed to restore the legitimacy of the police. Not only must the police have legitimacy to win public cooperation, but also a legitimate police institution fosters more wides...
On tests to detect via opens in digital CMOS circuits

We consider voltage based (logic) tests to detect complete opens in digital CMOS circuits. Open defects are known to be prevalent in the current VLSI technologies and vias are known to be the primary sites of interconnect opens. The voltage on a circuit node that is disconnected due to an open via is determined by several circuit parameters. As the feature size of VLSI circuits decreases, precise knowledge of the values of circuit parameters may be difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. Thus, it is important to develop methods to generate tests to detect opens that do not require accurate knowledge of circuit parameters. We propose new classes of tests to detect via opens with voltage based (logic) tests that are effective even with imprecise knowledge of circuit parameters. The proposed tests to detect an open via are constituted as a pair of constrained stuck-at fault tests for the circuit node affected by the open defect. One class of proposed tests called circuit parameter independent tests detect via opens even in the case of complete lack of knowledge of the circuit parameters. Experimental results demonstrate that high coverage of open vias can be obtained using the proposed constrained tests.
Radio occultation experiments planned for pioneer and mariner missions to the outer planets

Abstract Spacecraft radio occultation measurements planned for outer planet missions may yield profiles in height of atmospheric refractivity and microwave loss above the super-refractive regions of the giant planets. In a planetary ionosphere, the refractivity determines the electron number density distribution. At lower levels, the loss and the refractivity may be used to study the density, pressure, temperature and composition of the atmosphere. In order to maximize the scientific yield of outer planet occultation experiments, it is necessary to consider the effects of atmospheric refraction, multipath propagation, navigation errors and spacecraft accelerations in the design of the radio system and the spacecraft attitude control system.
Optimal Parallel Scheduling of Gaussian Elimination DAG's

A parallel algorithm for Gaussian elimination (GE) is described, which solves a linear system of size n using m ≤ n parallel processors and a shared random access memory. Converting the serial GE algorithm to parallel form involves scheduling its computation DAG (directed acyclic graph) on m processors. A lower bound for schedule length is established for dense GE DAG's and it is proved that the proposed algorithm produces schedules which achieve these bounds. Finally, both the construction and execution of the schedule are incorporated into a single concurrent program which is shown to run in optimal time.
Race-specific associations between trauma cognitions and symptoms of alcohol dependence in individuals with comorbid PTSD and alcohol dependence

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) changes the way people think about themselves, others, and the safety of the world. These cognitions may play a role in alcohol dependence, where alcohol dependence is maintained as an attempt to manage posttraumatic anxiety. The current study examined black-white differences in various PTSD cognitions and their relationship to symptoms of alcohol dependence in a dually diagnosed sample (N=167). Analyses revealed racial differences in trauma cognitions and their impact on symptoms of alcohol dependence, suggesting that trauma cognitions are more strongly associated with adverse consequences of drinking and alcohol craving severity among African Americans than European Americans. Additional relationships between ethnic identification and trauma-related cognitions are described and theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed. Language: en
Gender and racial differences in vocational education: an international perspective

Purpose – Seeks to examine the extent to which education systems around the world embrace vocational schooling and the degree to which exposure to vocational schooling differs by gender and race.Design/methodology/approach – Uses distributional analysis applied to cross‐country data from Unesco to examine shares of secondary school students enrolled in the vocational track, by gender. Also uses descriptive statistics based on US Department of Education data to examine fields of study within the vocational track.Findings – The emphasis on vocational education and access to different types of training across demographic groups varies considerably around the world. European countries in particular, long known for their heavy emphasis on specialized vocational schooling, have relatively high vocational school shares in secondary school. At the other end of the distribution, almost 30 countries in the sample, most of them low‐income, have vocational school shares below 4 percent. In the majority of countries, ...
Observations on the Cooling Rate of Eggs

Abstract ONE objective of poultrymen should be to help satisfy the demands of the consumer for good quality eggs. To accomplish this objective the eggs should be cooled as quickly as possible to maintain their quality. The most desirable temperature for holding eggs on the farm prior to marketing has not been definitely established. Bennion and Price (1940) recommended a holding temperature between 40 degrees F. and 65 degrees F. Van Wagenen, Hall and Altmann (1934) reported that 45 degrees F. was the most desirable temperature for holding market eggs. Henderson and Lorenz (1951) suggested that a temperature of 55 degrees F. to 60 degrees F. was the most practical, and Dawson and Hall (1954) reported that a temperature of 60 degrees F. (or lower) was practical for normal farm holding of eggs. The range in recommendations was from 40 degrees F. to 65 degrees F. The cost of maintaining these …
Effects of early life stress on drinking and serotonin system activity in rhesus macaques: 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in cerebrospinal fluid predicts brain tissue levels.

Early childhood stress is a risk factor for the development of substance-abuse disorders. A nonhuman primate model of early life stress, social impoverishment through nursery-rearing rather than mother-rearing, has been shown to produce increased impulsive and anxiety-like behaviors, cognitive and motor deficits, and increased alcohol consumption. These behavioral changes have been linked to changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), a serotonin (5-HT) metabolite. The effects of different rearing conditions on ethanol drinking and three measures of 5-HT function in the central nervous system were evaluated, including CSF 5-HIAA levels and tissue levels of 5-HT and 5-HIAA in brain samples. Brain samples were taken from the dorsal caudate, putamen, substantia nigra (SN) pars reticulata, SN pars compacta and hippocampus. There was a clear effect of rearing condition on the 5-HT system. Overall 5-HIAA and 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio measures of 5-HT turnover were significantly lower in nursery reared compared to mother-reared animals. In addition, there was a strong within-subject correlation between CSF and brain tissue 5-HIAA levels. Ethanol drinking was greater in nursery reared monkeys, consistent with previous results. These findings show that CSF 5-HIAA measurements can be used to predict brain 5-HT activity that may be involved in behavioral outcomes such as anxiety and alcohol consumption. Thus, CSF sampling may provide a minimally invasive test for neurochemical risk factors related to alcohol abuse.
An MRF spatial fuzzy clustering method for fMRI SPMs

Abstract The paper presents a method for spatial fuzzy clustering (SFC) via Markov Random Fields (MRF) for the detection of brain activation regions in Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) statistical parametric maps (SPMs) to improve the accuracy of the detection of such regions. The fMRI SPM is assumed to be an MRF and we define a fuzzy neighborhood energy function to describe the interaction between neighboring voxels. The final labeling is determined by a joint fuzzy membership. We compare the proposed spatial fuzzy clustering technique with the usual voxel-wise thresholding, traditional fuzzy clustering and Contextual Clustering (CC) [E. Salli, H.J. Aronen, S. Savolainen, A. Korvenoja, A. Visa, Contextual clustering for analysis of functional MRI data, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging 20 (2001) 403–414]. Experiments based on synthetic and real fMRI data demonstrate that the clustering performance of our method is significantly better than both simple thresholding and conventional non-spatial fuzzy clustering techniques. Our experiments also show that in relatively high quality SPMs (contrast to noise ratio ( CNR ) > 2.5 ), the performance of SFC and CC is very similar. In the case of the simulated datasets, when the SPMs have poor quality ( CNR 2.5 ), our method outperforms CC in reducing false positives and improving classification accuracy.
USING DROPLETS OF NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTAL TO PROBE THE MICROSCOPIC AND MESOSCOPIC STRUCTURE OF ORGANIC SURFACES

We report a simple and general procedure that uses nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) to probe the structure of organic surfaces prepared by molecular self-assembly. The procedure involves placement of a submillimeter-sized droplet of NLC on the surface of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of organic molecules and observation of the droplet under illumination with polarized light. Because NLCs are optically anisotropic, polarized light permits characterization of the distortion of the NLC within the droplet, which we demonstrate here to reflect the structure of surfaces on spatial scales that range from the molecular to the mesoscopic. We demonstrate the use of droplets of NLCs (i) to probe the molecular-level structure (Angstrom-scale) of surfaces by distinguishing between SAMs formed from odd or even chain-length alkanethiols or SAMs coadsorbed from mixtures of long and short alkanethiols; (ii) to probe the nanometer-scale texture of polycrystalline films of gold used to support SAMs, including gold substrat...
Iron-Chelating Therapy for Transfusional Iron Overload

A 16-year-old boy with sickle cell anemia undergoes routine screening with transcranial Doppler ultrasonography to assess the risk of stroke. This examination shows an abnormally elevated blood-flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery. The hemoglobin level is 7.2 g per deciliter, the reticulocyte count is 12.5%, and the fetal hemoglobin level is 8.0%. Long-term treatment with red-cell transfusion is initiated to prevent stroke. A hematologist recommends prophylactic iron-chelating therapy.
Re: Effects of leptin and obesity on the upper airway function by Polotsky et al.

obesity and central adiposity are well established risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea ([1][1]). One implied mechanism for their effects is by increasing the mass of tissues, including the lateral pharyngeal fat pads surrounding the airway, thus decreasing the size of the channel for
A Proof of the Modified Booth's Algorithm for Multiplication

A simplified proof of a modification of Booth's multiplication algorithm by MacSorley to a form which examines three multiplier bits at a time is presented. In comparison with the original Booth's algorithm, which examines two bits at a time, the modified algorithm requires half the nutmber of iterations at the cost of somewhat increased complexity for each iteration.
Automotive Forward Lighting Systems

Studies conducted at a number of locations around the country by Southwest Research Institute for the U.S. Department of Transportation have shown that glare from vehicle headlights at night has a much greater impact on motorists from a psychological standpoint than it does from a physiological, vision-degrading standpoint.© (1974) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Max-flow min-cut matroids: polynomial testing and polynomial algorithms for maximum flow and shortest routes

A polynomial test for deciding whether or not a given binary matroid has the max-flow min-cut property is described. In addition polynomial algorithms for finding shortest routes and extreme integral max flows in max-flow min-cut matroids are developed. The algorithms make use of a decomposition result for the max-flow min-cut matroids that was previously established in joint work with F.-T. Tseng. The max-flow algorithm also implies a strengthened version of P. D. Seymour's original characterization of the max-flow min-cut matroids.
Modification of the unitarity relation for sin2{beta}-V{sub ub} in supersymmetric models

Recently, a more than 2{sigma} discrepancy has been observed between the well measured inclusive value of V{sub ub} and the predicted value of V{sub ub} from the unitarity triangle fit using the world average value of sin2{beta}. We attempt to resolve this tension in the context of grand unified SO(10) and SU(5) models where the neutrino mixing matrix is responsible for flavor changing neutral current at the weak scale and the models with nonproportional A-terms (can be realized simply in the context of intersecting D-brane models) and investigate the interplay between the constraints arising from B{sub s,d}-B{sub s,d} mixings, {epsilon}{sub K}, Br({tau}{yields}{mu}{gamma}), Br({mu}{yields}e{gamma}) and a fit of this new discrepancy. We also show that the ongoing measurement of the phase of B{sub s} mixing will be able to identify the grand unified model. The measurement of Br({tau}{yields}e{gamma}) will also be able to test these scenarios, especially the models with nonproportional A-terms.
Ethnobotany of the Chacobo Indians, Bern, Bolivia

Ethnobotany of the Chacobo Indians, Bern, Bolivia. BRIAN M. BOOM. The Bronx, NY: The New York Botanical Garden, 1987. 67 pp. $15.00 (paper), ISBN 317-65699-6.
Localized amyloidosis of the nasal and paranasal mucosa: a rare pathology.

Localized amyloidosis of the nasal and paranasal mucosa: a rare pathology Aaron N. Pearlman, MD⁎, Jill S. Jeffe, MD, Debra L. Zynger, MD, Anjana V. Yeldandi, MD, David B. Conley, MD Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA Department of Pathology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL USA Received 16 September 2008