cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EUS-guided gastroenterostomy: the first U.S. clinical experience (with video)

Background and Aims There are limitations to enteral self-expandable metal stents and surgical gastrojejunostomy in the treatment of patients with gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). EUS-guided gastroenterostomy (EUS-GE) is a novel procedure that potentially offers long-lasting luminal patency without the risk of tumor ingrowth and/or overgrowth, while avoiding the morbidity of a surgical procedure. The aims of this study were to report the first U.S. clinical experience with EUS-GE in terms of technical success, clinical success, and adverse events and to detail the technical aspects of performing EUS-GE. Methods This was a retrospective study from two tertiary-care centers. EUS-GE was performed by using either the direct EUS-GE or balloon-assisted EUS-GE technique. Technical success was defined as adequate positioning and deployment of the stent as determined endoscopically and radiologically. Clinical success was defined as the patient's ability to tolerate oral intake without vomiting. Results A total of 10 patients underwent attempted EUS-GE. Malignant GOO was present in 3 patients, whereas benign obstruction was found in the remaining 7. One patient had complete GOO and underwent successful direct EUS-GE. In the remaining 9 patients, balloon-assisted EUS-GE was attempted and was successful in 8. Thus, technical success occurred in 9 patients (90%). There were no procedure-related adverse events. Mean procedure time was 96 minutes (range 45-152 minutes), and mean length of hospital stay was 2.2 days. Clinical success with resumption of solid oral intake was achieved in all 9 patients (100%) who underwent successful EUS-GE. A total of 8 patients were able to tolerate almost a normal diet and/or full diet, and 1 patient tolerated a soft diet. There was no symptom recurrence during a mean follow-up period of 150 days. Conclusions EUS-GE is a promising new technique for the treatment of symptoms of benign and malignant GOO. Prospective, multicenter trials are needed to confirm these results.
An attempt at increasing decision rule use in a judgment task

Abstract A decision rule is a specific formula or rule for making a decision. Although decision rules are used by experimenters to help decisionmakers reduce errors in their judgments, research has shown that decision rules are often neglected. An experiment is discussed in which two factors are tested as means of increasing decision-rule utilization: (a) increasing the reported accuracy of the rule and (b) instructing subjects to search for reasons why one's judgment without the rule might not be adequate. The results revealed that both experts and novices were influenced by the presence of decision-rule information. Decision-rule utilization was further increased with higher reported accuracies of the rule. The reasons search manipulation also increased utilization, but only among subjects less familiar with the topic. Possible explanations for these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Structural and optical properties of the polycrystalline ZnO films synthesized via oxidative annealing of ZnSe/YSZ heterostructures

We synthesized polycrystalline ZnO films via oxidative annealing of ZnSe/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) heterostructures and investigated the influence of the processing conditions on their structural and optical properties. While ZnO films synthesized using low-temperature annealing (500-600^oC) did not show any preferential orientation, highly textured films were obtained at high temperatures (700-800^oC). In addition, we demonstrated that prolonged high-temperature annealing (3h at 800^oC) effectively eliminated point defects, as was evident from the increased band edge to deep-level emission intensity ratio.
THEORETICAL RESULTS ON ORBITAL CAPTURE

A discussion of transition probabilities and branching ratios is presented. Transition probabilities are explicitly written down for the K shell and the L subshells for allowed through second-forbidden captures. The relative contributions of capture by the various subshells and of positron emission are examined in detail. The procedure used in obtaining the electron wave functions is outlined. (W.D.M.)
The role of charge assisted arylhalogen–halide ion interactions in the structures of the dibromopyridinium halide salts

Abstract The role that the linear arylbromine–halide ion synthons, in conjunction with traditional hydrogen bonding synthons, play in the development in the crystal structures of the 2,5-dibromopyridinium halide salts, (25DBP)X, and the 3,5-dibromopyridinium halide salts, (35DBP)X (X = Cl, Br, I), are analyzed. In the Cl− and Br− salts of the 25DBP+ cation, the extremely short, nearly linear C–Br···X− and N–H···X− interactions link the cations and anions together into ladder structures; the C–Br···X− synthons form the rails while the N–H···X− synthons form the rungs. In (25DBP)I, chains formed from the C–Br···X− synthons are cross-linked into a two-dimensional network by the N–H···X− synthons. The competition between N–H···X− and C–Br···X− synthons indicates that the C–Br···X− synthons are of a comparable importance with strong N–H···X− hydrogen bonds. In the 35DBP+ salts, C–Br···Br–C synthons compete with the C–Br···X− synthons, so the Br···X− distances increase, but still significantly shorter than, the sum of the van der Waals radii. In the chloride and monoclinic form of the bromide salt, chains are again formed. However, in contrast, C–Br···X− and N–H···X− synthons alternate on the rails and C–Br···X− synthons form the rungs in the 35DBP+ salts. The analysis of the experimental values of C–Br···X− (avg. = 169.7°) and N–H···X− (avg. = 161.7°) angles indicates that the C–Br···X− angles are closer to a linear arrangement in comparison to the corresponding N–H···X− angles. This conclusion is authenticated through theoretical calculations of the optimized structures of the model n-bromopyridinum halids salts: (nBP)X (X = Cl, Br; n = 2 and 3).
Experiences in transferring a software process improvement methodology to production laboratories

Abstract This article describes the experience of transferring a software process improvement methodology developed in a research laboratory to different production laboratories at IBM. The methodology involves the classification and analysis of software defects with a view to improving the software development process. The experience is reported in two parts. The first part details those factors that were anticipated, at least to some extent, or that seem more obvious. The second part details those parts of the experience that were completely unanticipated, appear quite subtle, and are probably not well known.
Software Architecture for the Implementation of a Computer-Aided Engineering System

This paper will focus on the implementation of a software architecture and set of related procedures that allow the designer of a design automation tool to easily modify the control of the program and the interface to the tool's user. In addition, this target user can modify the interface as well to provide a personal, more 'friendly' work environment. The procedures to be discussed are a file driven control procedure, procedures called "dialog handlers", and procedures to control graphics displays. Text files used to drive and configure these software modules will also be discussed.
Notes and Communications: Between Absolutism and Relativism: The Economist's Search for a Middle Ground

Clarence Ayres wished to avoid moral relativism or agnosticism in the social sciences, yet he also rejected what he called the “transcendental” epistemology of classical philosophy, an epistemology grounded in the desire to know absolute or ultimate truths. He wanted to find a middle ground between absolutism and relativism by separating “technology” from “ceremony,” and by replacing the ends/means dichotomy with an ends/means continuum. This paper examines his articulation of the issues, and in this context also examines the work of two more recent theorists, Gary Becker and Richard Posner. We conclude that Ayres' epistemological middle ground remains elusive.
Biosynthesis, isolation, and NMR analysis of leukotriene A epoxides: substrate chirality as a determinant of the cis or trans epoxide configuration

Leukotriene (LT)A4 and closely related allylic epoxides are pivotal intermediates in lipoxygenase (LOX) pathways to bioactive lipid mediators that include the leukotrienes, lipoxins, eoxins, resolvins, and protectins. Although the structure and stereochemistry of the 5-LOX product LTA4 is established through comparison to synthetic standards, this is the exception, and none of these highly unstable epoxides has been analyzed in detail from enzymatic synthesis. Understanding of the mechanistic basis of the cis or trans epoxide configuration is also limited. To address these issues, we developed methods involving biphasic reaction conditions for the LOX-catalyzed synthesis of LTA epoxides in quantities sufficient for NMR analysis. As proof of concept, human 15-LOX-1 was shown to convert 15S-hydroperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (15S-HPETE) to the LTA analog 14S,15S-trans-epoxy-eicosa-5Z,8Z,10E,12E-tetraenoate, confirming the proposed structure of eoxin A4. Using this methodology we then showed that recombinant Arabidopsis AtLOX1, an arachidonate 5-LOX, converts 5S-HPETE to the trans epoxide LTA4 and converts 5R-HPETE to the cis epoxide 5-epi-LTA4, establishing substrate chirality as a determinant of the cis or trans epoxide configuration. The results are reconciled with a mechanism based on a dual role of the LOX nonheme iron in LTA epoxide biosynthesis, providing a rational basis for understanding the stereochemistry of LTA epoxide intermediates in LOX-catalyzed transformations.
An electrically compensated trap designed to eighth order for FT-ICR mass spectrometry.

We present the design, guided by theory to eighth order, and the first evaluation of a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) compensated trap. The purpose of the new trap is to reduce effects of the nonlinear components of the trapping electric field; those nonliner components introduce variations in the cyclotron frequency of an ion depending on its spatial position (its cyclotron and trapping mode amplitudes). This frequency spread leads to decreased mass resolving power and signal-to-noise. The reduction of the spread of cyclotron frequencies, as explicitly modeled in theory, serves as the basis for our design. The compensated trap shows improved signal-to-noise and at least a threefold increase in mass resolving power compared to the uncompensated trap at the same trapping voltage. Resolving powers (FWHH) as high as 1.7 × 107 for the [M + H]+ of vasopressin at m/z 1084.5 in a 7.0-tesla induction can be obtained when using trap compensation.
OARPLAN: Generating project plans by reasoning about objects, actions and resources

This paper describes OARPLAN, a prototype planning system that generates construction project plans from a description of the objects that comprise the completed facility. OARPLAN is based upon the notion that activities in a project plan can be viewed as intersections of their constituents: objects, actions and resources. Planning knowledge in OARPLAN is represented as constraints based on activity constituents and their interrelationships; the planner functions as a constraint satisfaction engine that attempts to satisfy these constraints. The goal of the OARPLAN project is to develop a planning shell for construction projects that (i) provides a natural and powerful constraint language for expressing knowledge about construction planning, and (ii) generates a facility construction plan by satisfying constraints expressed in this language.To generate its construction plan, OARPLAN must be supplied with extensive knowledge about construction objects, actions and resources, and about spatial, topological, temporal and other relations that may exist between them. We suggest that much of the knowledge required to plan the construction of a given facility can be drawn directly from a three-dimensional CAD model of the facility, and from a variety of databases currently used in design and project management software. In the prototype OARPLAN system, facility data must be input directly as frames. However, we are collaborating with database researchers to develop intelligent interfaces to such sources of planning data, so that OARPLAN will eventually be able to send high level queries to an intelligent database access system without regard for the particular CAD system in which the project was designed.We begin by explaining why classical AI planners and domain specific expert system approaches are both inadequate for the task of generating construction project plans. We describe the activity representation developed in OARPLAN and demonstrate its use in producing a plan of about 50 activities for a steel-frame building, based on spatial and topological constraints that express structural support, weather protection and safety concerns in construction planning. We conclude with a discussion of the research issues raised by our experiments with OARPLAN to date.
Genital changes in congenital virilizing adrenal hyperplasia.

Summary Genital changes in 41 female patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency were classified into five types according to Prader.4 Eighty per cent of patients with types III and IV abnormalities were salt losers; by contrast 92 per cent of those with types I and II were non-salt losers. This categorization may serve a useful purpose in the initial evaluation of the female newborn infant in whom 21-hydroxylase deficiency is suspected.
South African Museums and the Creation of a New National Identity

Museums are important sites of national cultural production, collective memory making, and the construction of national narratives. Contemporary South Africa is a particularly interesting place to study these processes. With the demise of apartheid, South Africa faces the difficult challenge of creating a new national identity that incorporates an examination of past oppression yet leaves the way open for building a national identity that incorporates all its diverse groups. The museums reviewed below, the Robben Island Prison Museum, the District Six Museum in Capetown, and the Kwa Muhle local history museum in Durban all make important contributions to this process.
Flow of a solution into a tube filled with solvent: static concentration and flow concentration of the solute.

On etudie une solution introduite dans un tuyau rempli de solvent et on distingue entre la concentration statiquee et la concentration d'ecoulementc du solute. On presente un groupe d'equations s'appliquant a trois simples cas experimentaux, qui donnent les relations dee et dec avec le volume de solution introduite et le volume d'ecoulement total.
Performance of the ALTA 4700 with variable print strategy and optimized resist process

The ALTA 4700 incorporates new optical subsystems to improve pattern quality performance and has added the capability to do variable multipass printing. The optical system changes are the addition of a 0.9-NA reduction lens and a new AOD subsystem to reduce beam placement and intensity errors. Variable multipass printing allows two-, four- or eight-pass printing, thereby enabling the user to optimize the pattern quality/throughput tradeoff. Local CDU 3σ performance for one pattern is reduced from 8.2 to 5.1 to 3.4 nm as the number of passes is increased from two to four to eight. Reduction of CDU performance is more pattern dependent going from four to eight passes than going from two to four passes. Pattern write times scale roughly linearly with the number of passes. Local pattern loading effects can limit global CDU performance. These effects can be reduced by optimizing resist selection and develop processes.
Role of Feeding–Induced Plant Volatiles in Aggregative Behavior of the Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

The hypothesis that feeding-induced plant volatiles are responsible for aggregation of Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman, on leaves was tested using clonal grape plants, Vitis Labrusca L. The attractiveness of undamaged vines, undamaged vines with nonfeeding beetles, vines with fresh feeding damage, and vines with overnight feeding damage was compared in replicated field trials by placing the treatments in the field in the morning and counting the number of beetles that landed on the plants throughout the day. Many more beetles were recruited to vines with overnight feeding damage than to any of the other treatments, indicating attraction to feeding-induced volatiles. Furthermore, the low number of beetles attracted to vines with nonfeeding beetles or freshly damaged vines provided evidence against the existence of a putative aggregation pheromone. Subsequently, we examined the emission of volatiles from grape vines in situ. During the period of peak emission (1200–1500 hours), emission from vines with overnight feeding damage was almost 65 times higher than from undamaged vines. Aliphatic compounds and terpenoids were the major classes of compounds emitted by the beetle-damaged vines. The implications of feeding-induced volatiles in host-finding and mate location by this polyphagous insect are discussed.
Rainfall Variations as Influenced by Wind and Topography

Abstract Precipitation catch variation as influenced by wind direction and speed, topography and season are examined for the Deer-Sloan Creek watershed, located about 10 mi southeast of Michigan State University, East Lansing. Data for a 10-year period from dual traverse recording rain gages, calibrated twice a year, are ranked for each precipitation event by wind direction and speed. The annual frequency distribution of first-place rankings are arrayed by wind direction and speed to assess the possible influence of surrounding terrain on gage catch. A strong correlation was found to exist between the gage exposure and the surrounding topography as a function of the first-place rankings.
Treating hypertension in the elderly: should the risk of falls be part of the equation?

pertensive medication use may be associated with injurious falls in the elderly. In a study reported in this issue, Tinetti et al 1 examined the association between antihypertensive medication use and serious injurious falls in a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries. The mean age of participants in this study was 80 years. At baseline, 85.9% of the 4961 participants received at least 1 antihypertensive medication. Nine percent of participants experienced a serious injurious fall during 3 years of follow-up. In the primary analysis, exposure to moderate or high doses of any antihypertensive medication was associated with a 30% to 40% increased risk of injurious falls compared with no antihypertensive medication use. The association between antihypertensive medication use and injurious falls was stronger in participants with a
Control of aeroelastic instabilities through stiffness cross-coupling

An idealized aeroelastic tailoring model is developed to assess the effects of significant changes in directional stiffness orientation upon the flutter and divergence behavior of swept and unswept wings. A nondimensional stiffness cross-coupling parameter is used to illustrate the potentially strong influence of stiffness cross-coupling, commonly present in aeroelastically tailored structures, to increase flutter and divergence speeds. Conflicting requirements for flutter and divergence enhancement are indicated. Aeroelastic tailoring for flutter enhancement appears to be less effective when the wing is moderately swept back. However, by combining directional stiffness orientation with inertia balancing, flutter and divergence-free, aft-swept, high-aspect-ratio surfaces are shown to be theoretically possible.
Comparative time-dependent analysis of potential inflammation biomarkers in lymphoma-bearing SJL mice

SJL mice colonized with RcsX lymphoma cells undergo a rapid inflammatory response associated with biological and physiological effects including increased nitric oxide production and mutations in spleen DNA. By 2 weeks postcolonization, these changes were accompanied by both up- and down-regulation of a number of plasma proteins. In the experiments reported here, plasma from individual SJL mice was analyzed at several time-points over the 2-week period to determine if there were sets of proteins whose expression varied in concert and thus might serve as early biomarkers for inflammation-related disorders. Samples were collected just prior to injection of the RcsX cells and then after 4, 8, and 12 days. Albumin and immunoglobulins were depleted, and the samples were resolved by 1D gel electrophoresis. The gels were cut into 20 slices, and the proteins were digested in-gel with trypsin. The digests were treated with iTRAQ reagents and then analyzed using LC/MS/MS. The resulting data were processed with two software packages, that is, ProQuant and Spectrum Mill, and then subjected to K-means cluster analysis (K = 4). The four clusters revealed a set of highly up-regulated proteins, a set of progressively up-regulated proteins, a set with no major changes, and a set that declined. The first cluster included haptoglobin and serum amyloid A; the second included groups with several functions including protease inhibition, cell motility, and transport. The iTRAQ results for a selection of the up-regulated proteins, including haptoglobin, hemopexin, serum amyloid P component, and ceruloplasmin, were confirmed with Western blots. Prominent down-regulated proteins included esterase-1, paraoxonase, and alpha-2-macroglobulin. Approximately 50% of the up-regulated proteins are canonical acute phase proteins, while the remainder are regulated by the Nrf2 transcription factor. Keywords: inflammation center dot SJL mouse center dot lymphoma center dot iTRAQ center dot tumor progression center dot biomarker center dot cluster analysis center dot acute phase proteins (Less)
An elastica model of the buckling of a nanoscale sheet perpendicular to a rigid substrate

We study a variation on the classical problem of the buckling of an elastica. The elastica models a nanoscale sheet that interacts with a rigid substrate by intermolecular forces. We formulate a buckling problem in which the sheet is perpendicular to the substrate and a load is applied to the edge of the sheet further from the substrate. Our study is motivated by problems in nanomechanics such as the bending of a graphene sheet interacting with a rigid substrate by van der Waals forces. After identifying a trivial branch, we combine computation and analysis to determine the stability and bifurcations of solutions along this branch. We also study the boundary-layer problem that arises if the length of the sheet is large compared to the characteristic length over which the van der Waals interaction is significant.
Computational approach to sensor/actuator location for feedback control of fluid flow systems

In this paper, we discuss a computational approach to sensor/estimator design for feedback control of fluid dynamic systems. This approach is based on combining minmax compensator design with piecewise constant approximations of 'optimal feedback gains'. A driven cavity flow control problem is presented to illustrate the idea and to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Bayesian Semiparametric Density Deconvolution in the Presence of Conditionally Heteroscedastic Measurement Errors

We consider the problem of estimating the density of a random variable when precise measurements on the variable are not available, but replicated proxies contaminated with measurement error are available for sufficiently many subjects. Under the assumption of additive measurement errors this reduces to a problem of deconvolution of densities. Deconvolution methods often make restrictive and unrealistic assumptions about the density of interest and the distribution of measurement errors, for example, normality and homoscedasticity and thus independence from the variable of interest. This article relaxes these assumptions and introduces novel Bayesian semiparametric methodology based on Dirichlet process mixture models for robust deconvolution of densities in the presence of conditionally heteroscedastic measurement errors. In particular, the models can adapt to asymmetry, heavy tails, and multimodality. In simulation experiments, we show that our methods vastly outperform a recent Bayesian approach based ...
Evaluating change using patient-reported outcome measures in knee replacement: the complementary nature of the EQ-5D index and VAS scores

Using the UK National Health Service’s Patient Reported Outcome Measures data, we examined the magnitude of changes and relationship among the EQ-5D index, EQ-5D Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS), and Oxford Knee Score (OKS) in patients undergoing knee replacement. Patients undergoing knee replacements in 2009–2011 completed the EQ-5D and OKS before and after surgery. Responsiveness was compared using the standardized response mean (SRM). Stratified analyses based on change scores in the OKS were utilized to investigate how changes in the outcome measures related to each other. Patients were grouped based on the preoperative OKS to examine the relationship of change in the EQ-5D index and EQ-VAS with respect to initial health status. For the overall cohort (54,486 patients), mean change scores pre/post knee replacement were 0.30 for the EQ-5D index (SD 0.33; SRM = 0.90), 3.3 for the EQ-VAS (SD 21.0; SRM = 0.16), and 14.9 for the OKS (SD 9.9; SRM = 1.50). The OKS changed uniformly with the EQ-5D index, but less concordantly with the EQ-VAS in response to knee replacement surgery. Substantial functional improvement was needed before mean EQ-VAS change scores showed improvement. Patients with worse preoperative health status had greater improvement following surgery, but the improvement in the EQ-5D index did not necessarily translate into comparable improvement in self-perceived well-being measured by the EQ-VAS. On average, patients self-rated their health systematically lower using the EQ-VAS compared to the EQ-5D index and OKS following knee replacement. The EQ-VAS captured information about how patients feel about their health pre-/post-surgical intervention that contrasted with more functional measures of health. Additional qualitative research is needed to better understand these differences.
The Applied Value of Laboratory Research

Laboratory studies and studies conducted with students are frequently criticized for questionable generalizability. The basis for the criticism has simply been that because students and laboratory settings are not managers and work settings, findings based on the former may not have anything meaningful to say about the latter. This commentary focuses on the issue of generalizability of laboratory studies and, more generally, explores the utility of both laboratory and field studies. Rationale for each approach and criteria for assessing each are offered.
Yukawa theories in nuclear physics.

The validity of Yukawa theories in nuclear physics is questioned beyond the mean-field approximation. It is shown that the large value of the meson-nucleon coupling constant puts an immediate upper bound on the relevant physical scale (about the nucleon mass) and this irrespective of the issue of renormalizability.
Glucokinase gene in gestational diabetes mellitus : population association study and molecular scanning

Mutations of the glucokinase gene result in early-onset familial Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus, and several members of the mutant glucokinase kindreds were originally diagnosed as having gestational diabetes. This study examined the glucokinase gene in 270 American Black women, including 94 with gestational diabetes whose diabetes resolved after pregnancy (gestational diabetes only), 77 with gestational diabetes who developed Type 2 diabetes after pregnancy (overt diabetes), and 99 normal control subjects who were recruited during the peripartum period. Two simple sequence repeat polymorphisms flanking either end of the glucokinase gene were evaluated. No association was found between glucokinase alleles and gestational diabetes only or overt diabetes, after adjustment for multiple comparisons. To detect single base changes, all 11 exons and proximal islet and liver promoter regions were examined by polymerase chain reaction plus single-stranded conformational polymorphism analysis in 45 gestational diabetes only patients who had not yet developed Type 2 diabetes. Nine coding region variants were identified: Ala11 (GCC) to Thr11 (ACC) in islet exon 1, and 8 variants either in untranslated regions or in the third base of a codon. Four variant sites were found in introns, but none in splicing consensus sequences. Analysis of the promoter regions revealed two common variants, G-->A at islet -30 (24%), and G-->A at liver -258 (42%). The frequencies of the promoter variants, determined by allele specific polymerase chain reaction analysis, but did not differ among the three groups. Thus, no significant coding sequence glucokinase mutations were found in 90 alleles from 45 patients with gestational diabetes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Doubly charged pseudo-goldstone bosons and dynamical SU(2) × U(1) breaking

Abstract An alternative structure of electroweak symmetry breaking based on an SU(4)/SU (2) symmetry breaking pattern is discussed. An effective chiral lagrangian describing the pseudo-Goldstone bosons and gauge bosons is constructed and their interactions are analyzed. It is shown that the model contains doubly charged pseudo-Goldstone bosons which couple to two similarly charged W's. The question of vacuum alignment is considered, and it is shown that if an additional discrete symmetry is imposed, a custodial SU (2) preserving vacuum is a global minimum of the potential (for a range of coefficients in the effective chiral lagrangian).
Photorefractive Crystals In Optical Neural Computers

ABSTRACT The storage capacity for neural interconnections in photorefractive crystals and the use of the dynamic natureof the photorefractive effect to train these interconnections are discussed. We describe an optical neural architecturewhich uses the characteristics of the photorefractive response to implement error driven learning and describe amodified perceptron algorithm which we have used to train this optical system. INTRODUCTION A neural computer consists of a very large number of highly interconnected information processing units. Thedegrees of freedom of the computer reside almost exclusively in the interconnection pattern. A neural computer is"programmed" by finding an interconnection pattern such that when the activities of the neurons in the networkare initially represented by a vector ae they evolve to a corresponding prescribed final state y. In implementinga neural computer it is necessary to provide sufficient interconnections and neurons to address the problems towhich the network will be applied and to allow for modification of the interconnections in order to search for theinterconnection pattern which implements a desired transformation.Optics is particularly applicable to implementations of neural computers since it can provide a large numberof interconnections relatively simply1,2. This is because globally broadcast optical signals may be superposed infree space without crosstalk. In this paper we consider the use of photorefractive holography for interconnections
Telomeric D-loops containing 8-oxo-2-deoxyguanosine are preferred substrates for Werner and Bloom syndrome helicases and are bound by POT1

8-Oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) is one of the most important oxidative DNA lesions, and G-rich telomeric DNA is especially susceptible to oxidative DNA damage. RecQ helicases WRN and BLM and telomere-binding protein POT1 are thought to play roles in telomere maintenance. This study examines the ability of WRN, BLM, and RecQ5 to unwind and POT1 to bind telomeric D-loops containing 8-oxodG. The results demonstrate that WRN and BLM preferentially unwind telomeric D-loops containing 8-oxodG and that POT1 binds with higher affinity to telomeric D-loops with 8-oxodG but shows no preference for telomeric single-stranded DNA with 8-oxodG. We speculate that telomeric D-loops with 8-oxodG may have a greater tendency to form G-quadruplex DNA structures than telomeric DNA lacking 8-oxodG.
Fabrication of Micro‐ and Nanoscale Crystals and Thin Films of a Phthalocyanine

Micro‐ and nanosized crystals of 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25–octabutoxy–29H, 31H–phthalocyanine (Pc) were successfully fabricated through the reprecipitation approach followed by ultrasonication treatment from acetone solution. Phthalocyanine thin films were prepared by vacuum sublimation, spin‐coating and drop‐cast methods, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV/VIS/NIR spectroscopy, polarizing optical microscopy and luminescence spectrometry were applied to study phthalocyanine crystal's surface morphology, electronic absorption, birefringence and light emission properties accordingly. The electronic absorption maximum of Pc nanocrystals shifts to longer wavelength compared to that in acetone solution. Birefringence phenomena exist for Pc crystals with different sizes. Fluorescence is observed for both the Pc in acetone solution and thin film.
BULIMIC SYMPTOMS AND MOOD PREDICT FOOD RELEVANT STROOP INTERFERENCE IN WOMEN WITH TROUBLED EATING PATTERNS

Cognitive processing differences based on attentional biases of words pertaining to eating disorders were investigated to assess people's pathological thoughts. Participants were 165 undergraduate women (mean age=19.2) at a large Midwestern university. This Stroop task that included color identification of three word groups (food-related words, neutral words, and color words) was administered to measure differential speed in cognitive processing of salient words in individuals with and without troubled eating patterns. As predicted by the moderator hypothesis, a statistically significant interaction effect between bulimic symptoms and negative mood was found on food-related reaction time. Post hoc analysis of the interaction showed that women endorsing more bulimic symptoms responded slower to food-related cues than women with fewer bulimic symptoms among individuals who reported negative mood. The study results indicate that women who have problematic eating patterns and experience negative mood are hyperattentive to food-related cues.
Synthesis of bombesin analogues for radiolabeling with Rhenium-188

BACKGROUND Gastrin-releasing peptide receptors (GRPR) are overexpressed in small cell lung carcinoma and some other human cancers. Small molecule peptides with antagonistic activities toward these receptors are potential radiotherapeutic agents. METHODS A 7-amino acid analogue of bombesin (BBN) was synthesized through solid-phase techniques. The peptide was conjugated to trisuccin prior to cleavage from the resin. The conjugate was hydrogenated to remove the hydroxamate-protecting benzyl groups followed by purification through reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Rhenium-188 (188Re)-labeling of the trisuccin-peptide conjugate was performed by a SnCl2-reduced radioisotope and the labeled product was purified by RP-HPLC. The labeled conjugate was incubated with BNR-11 (3T3 mouse fibroblast cells stably transfected with murine GRPR) and PC-3 human prostate carcinoma GRPR positive cells. The nonradioactive peptide analogue was used as a competitive inhibitor and 125I-[Tyr4]-BBN was used as a positive control. RESULTS Solid-phase and solution phase synthesis afforded the conjugates of the hydroxamate ligand trisuccin with the 7-amino acid BBN analogue. The molecules differed by either a direct attachment of the trisuccin to the peptide (TrisBBN) or connection through a 6-carbon linker (TrisC6BBN). The overall yield for each synthesis was approximately 20%. Both conjugates showed the correct molecular weights on mass spectroscopy. Radiolabeling of the conjugates with 188Re were performed in ≥ 90% yield. Cell-binding assays performed with BNR-11 (TrisBBN and TrisC6BBN) and PC-3 (TrisBBN) cell lines resulted in positive binding. CONCLUSIONS The synthesis and radiolabeling of Tris-BBN conjugates with 188Re were shown to be feasible. The yields of chemical syntheses and radiolabeling and positive binding of the radiolabeled conjugates to GRPR- positive tumor cells reveal promise in the use of these molecules for cancer imaging and therapy. More work is needed and is in progress to optimize the cell-binding properties. Cancer 1997; 80:2354-9. © 1997 American Cancer Society.
The non-linear response of the plastic scintillator NE102

Abstract The response of the plastic scintillator1) NE102 to cosmic ray particles has been determined during two balloon flights of a double ( d E d x ) E counter telescope from Fort Churchill, Canada in July and August 1966. The results have been fitted to an equation of the form (2). For protons with energies between 36 and 220 MeV, the data give a value of kB = 12.6 ± 2.0 mg/(cm2·MeV) and C = 0. For alpha particles with energies between 38 and 220 MeV/nucleon, kB = 7.2 ± 1.0 mg/(cm2·MeV) and C = 0. For carbon and oxygen nuclei with energies near 100 MeV/nucleon, the data are best fitted with kB = 7.9 mg/(cm2·MeV) and C = −6.6 × 10−6 mg2/(cm2·MeV)2. These results are compared with measurements made by other workers and the differences in the values of kB for different types of particles are interpreted in terms of the effects of knock-on electrons.
Factors regulating eye blink rate in young infants.

Purpose. The purpose of this work was to investigate whether individual differences in eye surface area are related to the rate of spontaneous eye blinking (SB) in young infants. Rate of SB was also compared with the rate of gaze shifts. Methods. Forty-four 4-month-old infants were observed under controlled conditions for 4 to 6 min. SB, eye surface area, gaze shifts, and various background variables were measured. Results. Individual differences in the rate of SB and in eye surface area were wide. Neither the eye surface area nor the rate of gaze shifting was related to the rate of SB in young infants. However, when SB do occur, they are more likely to coincide with a shift in gaze than immediately precede or follow a shift in gaze. Conclusions. Eye surface area does not explain individual differences in the rate of SB in infancy. This and other recent work suggests that central factors may play a more prominent role in the mechanisms of SB early in human development than previously reported and that the mechanisms regulating the rate of SB seem to be developmentally continuous with those of adults. To the extent that the rate and timing of SB reflects developing neurological systems, SB may be useful clinically. (Optom Vis Sci 2010;87:337–343)
East European Models Of Europe's Future

In the second half of the 1960s, the future of Europe began to be a subject of numerous scholarly conferences, books, and articles. In 1972, Pierre Hassner performed a signal service when he published the first comparative and analytical study of the principal work done in the West on the models of the evolution of the European system.1 This essay will attempt to present in a similar manner the East European prognoses of Europe's future.
Superconvergence of spectral collocation and $p$-version methods in one dimensional problems

Superconvergence phenomenon of the Legendre spectral collocation method and the p-version finite element method is discussed under the one dimensional setting. For a class of functions that satisfy a regularity condition (M): ∥u (k) ∥L∞ ≤ cM k on a bounded domain, it is demonstrated, both theoretically and numerically, that the optimal convergent rate is supergeometric. Furthermore, at proper Gaussian points or Lobatto points, the rate of convergence may gain one or two orders of the polynomial degree.
Efficient circumferential superdrawing

Amorphous poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) can be stretched at low tension without causing any observable crystallization at temperatures above the glass-transition temperature. The resulting increased length with no measurable change in orientation is called superdrawing. Superdrawing of hollow PET fibers in the circumferential direction was demonstrated earlier. This behavior is accompanied by an increase in fiber voids caused by a combination of air expansion and water permeation. The present work describes efficient techniques for superdrawing in the circumferential direction only. The process develops large void (>65%) fibers starting from standard 15% void spun supply. It is not possible to obtain such large voids in the longitudinal direction in low denier-per-filament fibers via direct melt spinning. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 123–127, 2005
The metaphysics of quantity

A formal theory of quantity T Q is presented which is realist, Platonist, and syntactically second-order (while logically elementary), in contrast with the existing formal theories of quantity developed within the theory of measurement, which are empiricist, nominalist, and syntactically first-order (while logically non-elementary). T Q is shown to be formally and empirically adequate as a theory of quantity, and is argued to be scientifically superior to the existing first-order theories of quantity in that it does not depend upon empirically unsupported assumptions concerning existence of physical objects (e.g. that any two actual objects have an actual sum). The theory T Q supports and illustrates a form of naturalistic Platonism, for which claims concerning the existence and properties of universals form part of natural science, and the distinction between accidental generalizations and laws of nature has a basis in the second-order structure of the world.
A nanoparticle catalyst with superior activity for electrooxidation of formic acid [Electrochem. Commun. 4 (2002) 599-603]

This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of a series of Pt-based nanoparticle catalysts with high activity for formic acid electrooxidation. The catalysts were prepared using spontaneous deposition to decorate platinum nanoparticles with controlled amounts of palladium and palladium/ruthenium. Among all the catalysts investigated, the Pt/Pd catalyst shows the best performance; the steady-state formic acid oxidation current is ca. 1μAcm−2 at 0.27 V vs. RHE. This current is two orders of magnitude higher than that obtained from pure platinum, and the catalyst is ideally suited to be an anode in the direct oxidation formic acid fuel cell. The enhancement in formic acid oxidation by the admetal addition does not correlate with the threshold for CO oxidative stripping (the CO tolerance). The Pt/Pd catalyst requires the highest potential to remove the CO, yet it is most active. We suggest, therefore, that within the dual path mechanism of formic acid oxidation, the direct CO2 formation channel on Pt/Pd is much less affected by the CO chemisorption than on Pt, or on the Pt/Pd/Ru catalyst, also studied in this report.
Serial Interfaces for Minicomputers

A standard serial interfacing scheme is described. It is appropriate for the interfacing of a variety of peripherals to minicomputers, as well as for the interconnection of two or more minicomputers. The use of this serial interface simplifies the problem of compatibility of communications between computers and peripherals with different word lengths. It is quite easy for computers with different word lengths to communicate with each other without modifications of any hardware.
Oncological Outcomes of Partial Nephrectomy for Multifocal Renal Cell Carcinoma Greater Than 4 cm

Purpose: Despite aggressive screening patients with hereditary renal cancers can present with large multifocal tumors. We present oncological outcomes in patients with hereditary renal cell carcinoma treated with partial nephrectomy for multifocal solid tumors with the largest lesion greater than 4 cm.Materials and Methods: Between 1995 and 2008 we identified 58 patients with hereditary renal cell carcinoma treated at our institution with partial nephrectomy for solid tumors greater than 4 cm. Data collected included demographic parameters, tumor size, pathological findings and laterality. Overall and metastasis-free survival was calculated based on information from the most recent followup evaluation and imaging.Results: The cohort included 41 patients (71%) with von Hippel-Lindau disease, 10 (17%) with Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome and 7 (11%) with hereditary papillary renal carcinoma. Mean age was 43.7 years (range 18 to 63) and mean largest tumor size was 5.3 cm (range 4 to 13). A mean of 6.4 kidney tumors ...
An analytic model for aqueous electrolyte solutions based on fluctuation solution theory

Abstract A model for strong aqueous electrolyte solutions based on fluctuation solution theory is introduced. The key thermodynamic quantities in the model—direct correlation function integrals—are evaluated using results from the mean spherical approximation for mixtures of charged hard spheres for the electrostatic part, from hard sphere mixture theory for the excluded volume part and from corrections for infinite dilution properties obtained from experimental data. This model is compared to experimental data on aqueous NaCl and NaBr solutions at room temperature from infinite dilution to 25% salt by weight at pressures of 1 and 250 bar with very encouraging results.
Pharmacological properties of a proenkephalin A-derived opioid peptide: BAM 18.

BAM 18 is a derivative of the opioid precursor proenkephalin A. Although it exists in rat and guinea-pig brain in relatively high concentrations, its physiological function is presently unknown. In the present study we have determined the opioid receptor selectivity of this peptide using radioligand binding and peripheral tissue bioassay. When selective binding conditions were used, BAM 18 bound to the μ opioid receptor with an affinity three times that of the κ opioid receptor and over 10 times that of the δ opioid receptors (Ki = 0.29, 0.75, and 3.2 nM respectively). BAM 18 also displayed mixed receptor selectivity in in vitro bioassay. Ke values for naloxone antagonism of BAM 18 agonist activity in the electrically stimulated guinea-pig ileum and the mouse vas deferens were 4.3 and 9.9 nM, respectively. These data indicate that BAM 18 binds to all three opioid receptor subtypes with a selectivity profile of μ >κ >δ.
Computational Analysis of Swept Compressor Rotor Blades

Three-dimensional blading has been used in the process of turbomachine designs. To meet the need for efficient turbine blade designs, CFD predictions of a complex 3D flow field in turbine blade passages had been used. Because the numerous advantages of 3D CFD have been reported in the open literature, many industries already use 3D blading in their turbomachines. In addition, blade lean and sweep have been implemented to increase the blade row efficiency. Experimental studies have shown the advantages of these features. However, most of the experimental results combined other features together, which is difficult to determine the effects of individual features. The development of the CFD technique had made it possible to do three-dimensional turbulent flow analyses in a very short time. In this study, the numerical studies are presented to study the sweep effects of a transonic compressor airfoil. The focus of the paper is to investigate the sweep effects without changing the compressor blade's other feat...