cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Open Innovation Through Online Communities

Researchers have recently advocated the use of open innovation models to capitalize on new sources of innovation. One such promising source of new innovations comes from the actual end users of an organization’s products and services. However, many organizations have difficulty absorbing these innovations due to a fear over losing control of the innovation process, and a lack of absorptive capacity to understand and assimilate end user ideas. The purpose of this chapter is to review the currently espoused strategies for integrating end users into an organization’s innovation process: incorporating user toolkits, strategic positioning of personnel, engaging lead users, and implementing user innovation communities. These strategies were identified in a time when interactions between an organization and its end users interacted through face to face communications. We extend this prior work by examining the implementation and management of online user innovation communities, drawing upon our research of the Dell IdeaStorm web site. We conclude the chapter with areas in need of future research.
Do Democracies Sign Deeper Preferential Trade Agreements

What explains the variation in preferential trade agreements (PTAs)? These agreements have increased exponentially over the past twenty years, yet they differ significantly. In this paper, I focus on the variation in PTA depth, arguing that states design the legal depth of PTAs based on their own interests. I test whether democratic states design legally deeper PTAs than non-democracies, who face no pressure from voters. Depth could be either a function of legal norms or a need for a strong economy, something deeper trade could help. Analyzing 193 bilateral PTAs, I find no monadic regime-type effect on PTA depth, though more democratic dyads sign deeper PTAs. A closer look at the PTAs suggests a different variable: age of democracies. I find that new democracies do tend to sign shallower PTAs, even when accounting for the monadic or dyadic democracy variable. Thus, it may be that states sign PTAs for political, rather than economic, reasons. This is a way for these newer democracies to signal legitimacy of being democracies.
Targeting multiple inhibitory receptors to reverse melanoma-induced T cell dysfunction

It is now clearly established that dysfunctional/exhausted TA-specific T cells present in peripheral blood and at tumor sites co-express multiple inhibitory receptors. The implications of this important finding are two-fold. First, multiple subsets of TA-specific T cells can be identified in patients with advanced melanoma that exhibit variable levels of T cell dysfunction. Second, this observation supports the implementation of combinatorial therapies aiming at blocking multiple inhibitory pathways to enhance TA-specific immune responses and reverse tumor-induced T cell dysfunction. We have shown that a subset of highly dysfunctional TA-specific CD8+ T cells isolated from patients with advanced melanoma upregulate both PD-1 and Tim-3. PD-1 and Tim-3 blockades strongly enhance TA-specific CD8+ T cell expansion and function. Accordingly, targeting PD-1 and Tim-3 in vivo induces melanoma regression in mice. Therefore, the combination of PD-1 and Tim-3 blockade either alone or in combination with cancer vaccines appears to be a promising potent approach to reverse melanoma-induced T cell dysfunction and promote tumor regression in patients with advanced melanoma.
Extraocular Muscle Structure and Function

It has become increasingly clear that skeletal muscles are not all the same, but have significant differences in terms of embryological development, fiber type, physiological properties, metabolic properties, and disease profile. If one thinks about skeletal muscle as a continuum from the least to most complex, with the leg muscle soleus at one end, the extraocular muscles (EOMs) would be at the other end. The combination of its unusual properties compared to other skeletal muscles has resulted in the suggestion that the EOM represent a distinct allotype (Hoh and Hughes 1988). The goal of this chapter is to summarize the characteristics of the EOM that make them so unique amongst skeletal muscles.
Root Architecture and Nutrient Acquisition

Excavation of plants from soil readily reveals that the shape of root systems is quite complex. The elegant drawings of Kutschera (e.g., Fig. 7.1; Kutschera and Lichtenegger 1992), collected painstakingly over many years of fieldwork, provide beautiful illustrations of the complexity and diversity of the spatial configuration of root systems, or ‘root architecture’. The possible importance of this complexity and diversity has been considered in the scientific literature for over a century (e.g., Anonymous 1887; Cannon 1911; Weaver 1926). Speculation has primarily focused on the role of root architecture in the acquisition of water (e.g., Pages et al. 1997) and nutrients (reviewed below), and in support of the shoot (Coutts 1983; Ennos and Fitter 1992; Bailey et al. 2002), although other important functions include storage, signaling processes (Aiken and Smucker 1996), disease and insect resistance, and belowground symbioses (e.g., Hetrick 1991). Although the focus of this chapter is the role of root architecture in nutrient acquisition, root architecture can best be understood as an aggregate of traits that co-optimize plant adaptation to several current and potential constraints. By analogy, the functional importance of shoot architecture has been fruitfully analyzed as co-optimizing solutions to the needs for structural support, light capture, and propagule dispersal (Niklas 1997). For roots, architectural patterns may co-optimize the acquisition of immobile soil resources such as phosphorus, the acquisition of mobile soil resources such as water, and support of the shoot. It must also be considered that roots exist in a hostile environment in which any given root may be lost through abiotic or biotic stress, so redundancy may be a virtue in root architecture. The term ‘root architecture’ is used to refer to the spatial configuration of a root system, excluding anatomical or morphological features of individual roots such as root hairs, but including assemblages of connected roots or entire root systems (Fitter 1991a; Lynch 1995). Root architecture is dynamic and environmentally plastic. It results from an aggregate of specific physio-
Uniprocessor Mixed-Criticality Scheduling with Graceful Degradation by Completion Rate

The scheduling of mixed-criticality (MC) systems with graceful degradation is considered, where LO-criticality tasks are guaranteed some service in HI mode in the form of minimum cumulative completion rates. First, we present an easy to implement admission-control procedure to determine which LO-criticality jobs to complete in HI mode. Then, we propose a demand-bound-function-based MC schedulability test that runs in pseudo-polynomial time for such systems under EDF-VD scheduling, wherein two virtual deadline setting heuristics are considered. Furthermore, we discuss a mechanism for the system to switch back from HI to LO mode and quantify the maximum time duration such recovery process would take. Finally, we show the effectiveness of our proposed method by experimental evaluation in comparison to state-of-the-art MC schedulers.
Optimal Timing of Total Gastrectomy to Prevent Diffuse Gastric Cancer in Individuals With Pathogenic Variants in CDH1.

Background & Aims Carriers of pathogenic variants in CDH1 have a high risk of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC). Guidelines recommend prophylactic total gastrectomy (PTG) at age 20–30 years, although there is controversy over the optimal age. We developed a simulation model to analyze the effects of PTG at different ages on quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), cancer mortality, and life expectancy. Methods We used a Markov model of HDGC progression associated with pathogenic variants in CDH1 to simulate outcomes of hypothetical cohorts with different ages at time of PTG (ages 20–79 years). Model inputs including health state transition probabilities, mortality and complication rates, quality of life utility values, and endoscopic surveillance sensitivity were derived from publications. The primary outcome, used to determine the optimal strategy, was age at which PTG yielded the highest QALYs. Secondary outcomes were cancer mortality and unadjusted life-years. Results Our model found that for men, the optimal age for PTG is 39 years, resulting in 32.01 incremental QALYs, 58.81 life-years (biologic age, 72.81 years), and lifetime cancer mortality of 8.5%. Incorporating endoscopic surveillance prior to PTG decreased cancer mortality to 6.7%, but had lower QALYs (31.59). PTG at age 30 reduced cancer mortality to 3.2%, with 31.45 incremental QALYs. For women, the optimal age for PTG was calculated to be 30 years, with 33.09 incremental QALYs, 66.17 life-years (biologic age, 80.17 years), and lifetime cancer mortality of 1.6%. Addition of endoscopic surveillance did not decrease the risk of HDGC mortality in women. Conclusions Using a Markov model of HDGC progression associated with pathogenic variants in CDH1 to simulate outcomes, we found the optimal ages for PTG to be 39 years for men and 30 years for women, when QALYs are the primary endpoint. These ages for PTG are older than those of current recommendations.
Oxidative stress induction of L1 cell adhesion molecule expression promoted androgen-independent prostate cancer cell survival: A potential therapeutic application in radiation therapy

4861 Hormone refractory prostate cancer cells frequently relapses from therapy and inevitably progresses to bone-metastatic status with no cure. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this event are poorly understood. Biological functions of cell adhesion molecules have been implicated as a critical regulator for cancer resistance to cytotoxic stress. We previously showed that L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) is expressed by androgen-independent prostate cancer cell lines with a positive correlation to metastasis potential, and that mean serum L1CAM levels are significantly higher in patients with bone metastases than in those with organ-confined tumors or normal controls. For this communication we further investigate the role of L1CAM in prostate cancer survival at adverse microenvironment. We found that the survival of androgen-independent PC3 cells with genetically modulated L1CAM overexpression was significantly higher than that of parental or vector control line under several stressed conditions, including nutrient depletion, oxidative stress and radiation treatment using MTS cell proliferation assay and clonogenic analysis. Conversely, downregulation of L1CAM in PC3 cells using L1CAM-targeting siRNA markedly increased cell death from H2O2 treatment, as determined by using a Cell Live/Death Staining kit as well as Annexin V and cell cycle analysis, indicating L1CAM involvement in the cellular response to stress. Moreover, while the L1CAM signal elevates the intracellular H2O2 level and expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating NAD(P)H oxidases 1 (Nox1) and ROS-target genes, including c-Myc and MMP-2, environmental oxidative stress such as H2O2, ionizing radiation and the oxidative stress related to cytokine TGF-β could also influence L1CAM protein expression, indicating activation of the ROS pathway occurs downstream of L1CAM signaling and may confer therapeutic resistance in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Taken together, the present study demonstrated a novel function of L1CAM in prostate cancer cell survival in vitro in response to oxidative stress and radiation. Exploring the links between ROS, radiation, stress signaling and L1CAM may help us understand the molecular mechanism of stress-induced prostate cancer progression and devise better radiation strategies for bone metastasis.
Neoadjuvant therapy guideline adherence for locally advanced rectal cancers in a region with sociodemographic disparities.

71Background: Quality and practice guidelines from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommend neoadjuvant chemoradiat...
Complexity and Approximability of Optimal Resource Allocation and Nash Equilibrium over Networks

Motivated by emerging resource allocation and data placement problems such as web caches and peer-to-peer systems, we consider and study a class of resource allocation problems over a network of ag...
Psychological Well-Being of Roman Catholic and Episcopal Clergy Applicants

The current study investigated the psychological functioning of over 200 applicants to the priesthood or diaconate in the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, as revealed by the subjects’ scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition (MMPI-2). Results revealed an overall trend of psychological health in the sample population, evidenced by few systematic elevations in indices of psychopathology. Within the Catholic sample, deacons demonstrated lower MMPI-2 scores on several measures, perhaps suggesting slightly better psychological well-being than their priest counterparts.
Conservative confidence intervals for the intraclass correlation coefficient for clustered binary data

Asymptotic approaches are traditionally used to calculate confidence intervals for intraclass correlation coefficient in a clustered binary study. When sample size is small to medium, or correlatio...
How Not to Measure Social Network Privacy: A Cross-Country Investigation

Privacy has been conceptualized as a multi-dimensional construct in prior research. However, most multi-dimensional conceptualizations were developed based on populations from western countries. It remains an open question whether the underlying dimensions of privacy stays consistent in non-western countries. Through a series of factor analyses on two survey datasets, we compare the dimensions of privacy concern, information disclosure, general disclosiveness, and privacy management strategies among social network users in the US, China and South Korea. We find significant cross-country differences in the dimensions of these privacy-related concepts, indicating that the fundamental understanding of these concepts varies substantially across these countries. We discuss possible explanations of these cross-country differences and make methodological suggestions for future work.
Life Cycle Impact Assessment

Across impact categories, electricity generated from natural gas faces many of the same challenges as other product systems in life cycle assessment (LCA): data. Due to the high levels of variability and uncertainty inherent to the natural gas sector, life cycle impact results remain under investigation amongst scientists and policymakers. The typical life cycle approach of characterizing results into aggregate impact categories therefore can be less valuable for decision-makers in this sector. The limitations to the assumptions and the depth of the analysis as well as the impacts and processes of importance may not be obvious using such aggregate indices. Consequently, specific life cycle impacts and their inventories will be discussed after the presentation of aggregate results, including deep dives into air emissions (including greenhouse gases), water consumption and withdrawal, and land use. State-of-the-art methods for these example mid-point impact categories will be reviewed, along with a critical analysis of the state of data and important challenges for future research. Where relevant, results for gas-fired power are presented as comparisons to other electricity generation sources for context. A dilemma remains for gas-fired power. Studies that include comprehensive suites of impact categories provide an important picture of trade-offs thereby reducing the potential to overlook negative consequences. Alternatively, focusing on one impact category using an in-depth investigation that considers site-level information enables analysts to account better for the inherent complexity of the product system.
Abstract T P40: Pre-Treatment Hyperdense Middle Cerebral Artery Sign Predicts the Outcome of Intra-Arterial Thrombectomy for Acute Stroke

Background: Intra-arterial (IA) mechanical thrombectomy has an excellent recanalization rate but does not always correlate with good clinical outcomes. We aimed to investigate whether the location and length of hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign (HMCAS) on pre-intervention Non-Enhanced CT (NECT) can predict IA therapy outcome for acute stroke. Methods: Data were abstracted from our Hyperacute Ischemic Stroke database. Patients with occlusion in ICA, MCA or MCA M2 branches who underwent IA therapy were included. HMCAS was retrospectively analyzed. The length and location of HMCAS on NECT was retrospectively analyzed. Based on the location, HMCAS was categorized into four groups: Proximal HMCAS: hyperdensity within the proximal half of M1 MCA; Distal HMCAS: hyperdensity at the distal half of M1; Full length HMCAS; and Hyperdense M2. The first three groups were referred as M1 HMCAS. Results: Among 126 patients who underwent IA treatment, 64 (51%) had M1 HMCAS, 11 (9%) had hyperdense M2, and 51 (40%) had ...
Enzymologic classification of acute leukemias: nonspecific esterase markers distinguish myeloid and lymphoid varieties

Nonspecific esterase zymograms of purified leukemic cells from a case of acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AMML) and from a case of acute non-B, non-T lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) were produced by isoelectric focusing and staining with alpha-naphthyl acetate (alpha NA) or alpha-naphthyl butyrate (alpha NB) substrate. A "myeloid" zymogram was found with AMML cells, which closely matched control monocyte and granulocyte zymograms. On the other hand, nonspecific esterase of ALL showed a striking departure from the zymogram pattern of control B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes. An intense reactivity with a very low isoelectric point accounted for most of the ALL nonspecific esterase activity. No corresponding reactivity or relatively small amounts thereof were seen in other zymograms. Conversely, few of the isoenzymes that were prominent in zymograms of control lymphocytes were apparent above trace levels in ALL zymograms. Thus, zymogram analysis of nonspecific esterases clearly differentiated the myeloid leukemia from the lymphoid leukemia and provided a potential marker for each. The AMML cells appeared well enough differentiated with respect to nonspecific esterases as to be similar to mature cells of like lineage. It is plausible that the ALL cells, however, were arrested at an earlier stage of esterase expression as reflected by the associated atypical species.
An Adaptable Software Safety Process for Automotive Safety-Critical Systems

In this paper, we review existing software safety standards, guidelines, -and other software safety documents. Common software safety elements from these documents are identified. We then describe an adaptable software safety process for automotive safety-critical systems based on these common elements. The process specifies high-level requirements and recommended methods for satisfying the requirements. In addition, we describe how the proposed process may be integrated into a proposed system safety process, and how it may be integrated with an existing software development process.
Expression of an Altered Antimicrobial Hordothionin Gene in Barley and Oat

Alpha-hordothionin (HTH) is specifically produced in barley endosperm. Purified HTH has antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogenic microbes. Native HTH does not protect barley from infection because HTH is confined to endosperm, and many pathogens infect seeds through outer tissues. Therefore, it would be desirable to express HTH gene in floral tissues. We describe transformation and expression analyses of an altered HTH gene driven by a constitutive promoter in transgenic barley and oat.
Enzymes and Nucleotides in Virions of Rous Sarcoma Virus

In addition to the previously described deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase, DNA ligase, DNA exonuclease, and DNA endonuclease activities, purified virions of Schmidt-Ruppin strain of Rous sarcoma virus (SRV) have nucleotides and nucleotide kinase, phosphatase, hexokinase, and lactate dehydrogenase activities. The SRV virions have no glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. All enzyme activities, but glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and adenosine triphosphatase, were increased by disruption of the virions. The DNA polymerase, DNA ligase, and hexokinase activities had a higher specific activity in purified virion cores. It is suggested that during assembly virions of SRV may pick up cytoplasmic components which bind to virion proteins. The role of these components in viral replication is not known at present.
Novel nonlithographic quantum wire array fabrication

Abstract We have developed a novel nonlithographic technique for the fabrication of large arrays of quantum wires with complex layered structures that will find applications in many fields. The technique is based on an image reversal process to form an array of tantalum oxide nano-pillars that are used as masks for the etching of epitaxially grown semiconductor layers on an arbitrary substrate. This technique can be used to form quantum wires of complex layered structures that are essential for most practical applications. We have developed the technology to create quantum wires of silicon, however, the technique can be extended to any other material system.
Chondroitinase Applied to Peripheral Nerve Repair Averts Retrograde Axonal Regeneration

Antegrade, target-directed axonal regeneration is the explicit goal of nerve repair. However, aberrant and dysfunctional regrowth is commonly observed as well. At the site of surgical nerve coaptation, axonal sprouts encounter fibrotic connective tissue rich in growth-inhibiting chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan that may contribute to misdirection of axonal regrowth. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that degradation of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan by application of chondroitinase at the site of nerve repair can decrease aberrant axonal growth. Adult rats received bilateral sciatic nerve transection and end-to-end repair. One nerve was injected with chondroitinase ABC and the contralateral nerve treated with vehicle alone. After 28 weeks, retrograde axonal regeneration was assessed proximal to the repair by scoring neurofilament-immunopositive axons within the nerve (intrafascicular) and outside the nerve proper (extrafascicular). Intrafascicular retrograde axonal growth was equivalent in both control and chondroitinase treatment conditions. In contrast, chondroitinase treatment caused a pronounced (93%) reduction in extrafascicular retrograde axonal growth. The decrease in axon egress from the nerve was coincident with an increase in antegrade regeneration and improved recovery of motor function. Based on these findings, we conclude that chondroitinase applied at the site of nerve transection repair averts dysfunctional extrafascicular retrograde axonal growth.
Cisplatin DNA adduct detection and depurination measured by 32P DNA radiolabeling and two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography: a time and concentration study.

AbstractPlatinum-based chemotherapies cause the formation of DNA adducts and have profound effects on DNA. This study measured cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II (cisplatin) DNA adducts by 32P-radiolabeling DNA, enzymatically digesting radiolabeled DNA, separating the formed adducts on two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography, and quantitating the adducts with autoradiography and densitometry. HeLa DNA was incubated with cisplatin at varying concentrations (6.25–325 nM) and times (0 min to 72 hr). Cisplatin rapidly depurinated dGMP and dAMP (90%, 15–min incubation with 325 nM cisplatin). Partial depurination of dGMP (15%) and dAMP (25%) occurred with lower cisplatin concentrations at equal incubation times. a minimum of four new adducts, with relatively rapid migratory patterns, were detected at high cisplatin concentrations with short incubation times. These results indicate that the depurination of DNA correlates with DNA adduct formation and that the quantification of these adducts may be applicable to m...
Durability of Serge in Trousers

The performance of worsted serge in trousers was studied. A domestic wool of 58's grade was woven into an 8 oz/yd2 serge (standard 2/2 twill, 68 X 68) that was dyed gray. Thirty-six pairs of trousers tailored from this serge were worn by college students until no longer acceptable for use (classroom wear). The service life of the trousers averaged 134 14-hr days. Average bursting strength of the trousers dropped from the original 135 lbs to 81 lbs (40% loss). Strength in general areas was as follows: ankle, 127 lb (6% loss): knee, 85 1b (37% loss) ; thigh, 83 lb (39% loss) ; seat, 52 lb (62% loss). Thin or threadbare spots and holes were characteristic wear patterns in the serge. Photographs show types of deterioration. For the original serge, a linear relationship was established between loss in bursting strength and cycles of flat abrasion from 0 through 1200. Agreement was also good between bursting strength results from worn trousers and from laboratory abraded fabric.
Evaluation of an imputed pitch velocity model of the auditory tau effect

This article extends an imputed pitch velocity model of the auditory kappa effect proposed by Henry and McAuley (2009a) to the auditory tau effect. Two experiments were conducted using an AXB design in which listeners judged the relative pitch of a middle target tone (X) in ascending and descending three-tone sequences. In Experiment 1, sequences were isochronous, establishing constant fast, medium, and slow velocity conditions. No systematic distortions in perceived target pitch were observed, and thresholds were similar across velocity conditions. Experiment 2 introduced to-be-ignored variations in target timing. Variations in target timing that deviated from constant velocity conditions introduced systematic distortions in perceived target pitch, indicative of a robust auditory tau effect. Consistent with an auditory motion hypothesis, the magnitude of the tau effect was larger at faster velocities. In addition, the tau effect was generally stronger for descending sequences than for ascending sequences. Combined with previous work on the auditory kappa effect, the imputed velocity model and associated auditory motion hypothesis provide a unified quantitative account of both auditory tau and kappa effects. In broader terms, these findings add support to the view that pitch and time relations in auditory patterns are fundamentally interdependent.
An empirical assessment of quality: research considerations

This paper examines research design issues in quality management studies. Potential research problems are identified and suggestions provided on how these problems could be addressed through effective research design techniques. A good research design enables the researcher to address the right questions and to provide meaningful recommendations. The emphasis of this paper is on empirical research in total quality management. Empirical studies are now common in validating some of the claims associated with quality, especially its association with organizational performance. However, conclusions on tests conducted on quality hypotheses are as good as the research design. Therefore, empirical researchers in the quality management field need to focus more attention on their research design and methodology to ensure that their conclusions are indeed a reflection of their hypotheses.
Derivation and Refinement of Fan-Out Constraints to Generate Tests in Combinational Logic Circuits

In this paper, we analyze combinational logic circuits using "fan-out constraints" to generate tests for single stuck-at faults. A method of circuit transformation is employed to explicitly derive "fan-out constraints for controllability" and "fan-out constraints for observability," which are dependent Boolean functions and Boolen difference functions, respectively, in terms of primary inputs and fan-out stems. Then, a simplified version of a test generation algorithm which uses only the fan-out constraints for controllability at internal reconvergent fan-out stems is illustrated with an example. This approach differs from earlier work in that information about the circuit is accumulated and refined as the test generation process proceeds. In this test generation algorithm, the dependencies among fan-out nodes are ordered and solved in a hierarchical fashion so that the computation time for generating tests and detecting redundant faults can be greatly reduced--especially for locally redundant or "difficult" faults.
Climatological Radar Delineation of Urban Convection for Atlanta, Georgia

The distribution of warm season (June through August) thunderstorm activity surrounding Atlanta, Georgia from 1997 to 2006 was determined utilizing composite reflectivity data obtained from the network of National Weather Service radars. The radar data, at 2 km and 5 min spatial and temporal resolutions, allows for high resolution analyses of urban convective trends when grid averaged over a 10-year period. Maxima of medium- to high-reflectivity episodes were identified to the north of and within downtown Atlanta and immediately east of the primary urban expansion of the central business district (CBD). Additional enhanced, high-reflectivity areas are found in southern Fulton and Clayton counties, located south of downtown Atlanta. These regions are also collocated with high-density urban expansion south of the Atlanta CBD. The research presented is the most comprehensive spatial and temporal analysis of grid averaged composite reflectivity data for urban convection conducted to date. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Are breast cancers in young women qualitatively distinct

See page 1505 Intuitively, most doctors suspect that breast cancers in younger women are different from and more aggressive than those in older women. Simply by developing a disease of the elderly at an early point in their lives, these women are the unluckiest of the unlucky; the odds of developing cancer are 1 in 58 at age 50 but only 1 in 2400 at age 30. The idea that these tumours are biologically different is supported by a recent report that tumours in women aged under 35 years had higher proliferation rates and were less well differentiated than tumours in women over 35. 1 In this study, tumours from women under 30 had a higher rate of p53 protein staining, which is taken to imply greater genetic instability in these tumours. In general, these characteristics are associated with poor disease-free and overall survival. A similar line of reasoning often leads physicians to conclude that when breast cancers develop in women at high risk of this tunour, the lesions will have unique characteristics that make them especially malignant. For most risk factors this has not been found to be true, but a paper in today’s Lancet shows that breast cancers in women at very high risk because of a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 are likely to be poorly differentiated (or “high grade”) and to show decreased tubule formation. 2 BRCA1 tumours also have a higher mitotic rate and are more pleomorphic than sporadic tumours. 3
A diffusion-layer treatment of transient electrochemical phenomena☆

Abstract An approximate method is developed for treating electrolyses controlled by diffusion and electrode kinetics. The identity of the results of this method with exact solutions for certain simple cases lends confidence to the method. Credible conclusions are deduced by applying the method to the case of a quasipotentiostatic electrolysis. Es wird eine Naherungsmethode zur Behandlung von durch Diffusion und Elektrodenkinetik geregelten Elektrolysen entwickelt. Die Identitat der Ergebnisse dieser Methode mit den exakten Losungen fur bestimmte einfache Falle last die Methode vertrauenswturdig erscheinen. Glaubhafte Losungen werden durch Anwendung der Methode auf den Fall einer quasipotentiostatischen Elektrolyse erhalten.
Reversible and remanent charge-density-wave polarization at low temperatures.

We have investigated the time and electric field dependence of the charge-density-wave polarization in ${\mathrm{K}}_{0.3}$Mo${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ at liquid-helium temperature under various driving-field conditions. We find a reversible polarization which is proportional to the electric field and a remanent polarization that diverges at the threshold. We studied in detail the time dependence of both polarizations.
Two- versus three-dimensional object-based coding

We propose a new, efficient 2D object-based coding method for very low bit rate video compression based on affine motion compensation with triangular patches under connectivity constraints. We, then, compare this approach with a 3D object-based method using a flexible wireframe model of a head-and-shoulders scene. The two approaches will be compared in terms of the resulting bitrates, peak-signal-to-noise-ratio (PSNR), visual image quality, and execution time. We show that 2D object-based approaches with affine transformations and triangular mesh models can simulate all capabilities of 3D object-based approaches using wireframe models under the orthographic projection, at a fraction of the computational cost. Moreover, 2D object-based methods provide greater flexibility in modeling arbitrary input scenes in comparison to 3D object-based methods.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)-induced currents of skate Muller (glial) cells are mediated by neuronal-like GABAA receptors.

Abstract Radial glia (Muller cells) of the vertebrate retina appear to be intimately involved in regulating the actions of amino acid neurotransmitters. One of the amino acids thought to be important in mediating retinal information flow is gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The findings of this study indicate that enzymatically isolated skate Muller cells are depolarized by GABA and the GABAA agonist muscimol and that the actions of these agents are reduced by bicuculline and picrotoxin. Membrane currents induced by GABA under voltage clamp were dose dependent, were associated with an increase in membrane conductance, and showed marked desensitization when the concentration of GABA exceeded 2.5 microM. The responses had a reversal potential close to that calculated for chloride, indicating that the currents were generated by ions passing through channels. These data support the view that skate Muller cells possess functional GABAA receptors. The presence of such receptors on retinal glia may have important implications for the role of Muller cells in maintaining the constancy of the extracellular milieu, for neuron-glia interactions within the retina, and for theories concerning the generation of the electroretinogram.
A History of the Indians of the United States

The Apaches, Arapahos, Blackfeet, Cherokees, Cheyennes, Choctaws, Comanches and Crows...the Shawnees, Shoshonis, Sioux, Wichitas and Zunis. This comprehensive, compassionate and vivid study provides an unrivalled history of American Indians from the dawn of their first contact with Europeans to the late twentieth century. It is a remarkable record of survival against the odds - the preservation of distinctive cultural identities through centuries of encroachment by a more numerous and aggressive race.
Considerations for producing single-pulse fiber Bragg gratings

The discussion of Bragg fiber gratings (FBGs) has expanded sharply in the last six years. FBGs were given versatility by the results at the United Technology Research Center when the technique of side-writing was pioneered (1989), which made the Bragg wavelength independent of the writing laser. The promise of economical production of these devices was advanced by the generation of FBGs with a single laser pulse at the Naval Research Laboratory (1992), and this result was expanded by the University of Southhampton in achieving saturated reflectivity with a single-pulse. The basis for manufacturing these excitingly versatile devices is near the point of supporting a new area of applications and industry. The intent of this article is to briefly discuss the conditions and requirements for the practical production of FBGs in support of the technology of distributed sensing.
Does extirpation of the primary breast tumor give boost to growth of metastases? Evidence revealed by mathematical modeling

A comprehensive mechanistic model of cancer natural history was utilized to obtain an explicit formula for the distribution of volumes of detectable metastases in a given secondary site at any time post-diagnosis. This model provided an excellent fit to the volumes of n=31, 20 and 15 bone metastases observed in three breast cancer patients 8 years, 5.5 years and 9 months after primary diagnosis, respectively. The model with optimal parameters allowed us to reconstruct the individual natural history of cancer for the first patient. This gave definitive answers, for the patient in question, to the following three questions of major importance in clinical oncology: (1) How early an event is metastatic dissemination of breast cancer? (2) How long is the metastasis latency time? and (3) Does extirpation of the primary breast tumor accelerate the growth of metastases? Specifically, according to the model applied to the first patient, (1) inception of the first metastasis occurred 29.5 years prior to the primary diagnosis; (2) the expected metastasis latency time was about 79.5 years; and (3) resection of the primary tumor was followed by a 32-fold increase in the rate of metastasis growth. The model and our conclusions were validated by the results for the two other patients.
A search for temporal variability in the surface chemistry of the icy Galilean satellites

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine if any temporal variability in the broadband UV spectral properties of the icy Galilean satellites exists, and if so, to characterize its spatial distribution as a function of longitude in order to attempt to correlate any temporal changes with satellite surface interactions with the space environment. The temporal time period examined is between 1978–1984 (referred to as the 1980s data) and those from 1995–1996 (referred to as the 1990s data). The plausible temporal characteristics detected appear to vary from one satellite to the next. For Europa possible temporal variations are concentrated on the leading, anti-jovian quadrant. Example broadband UV spectra show Europa's spectral slope decreases (and darkens) with time on the leading and anti-jovian hemispheres, but remains essentially constant with time on the trailing hemisphere. The data quality does not support any definitive temporal changes for Ganymede. Possible temporal changes seen in the Callisto data set are concentrated on the jovian hemisphere. Example broadband UV spectra for Callisto show no definitive change in slope with time. The hypothesis is that these temporal differences in UV spectral properties are caused by variations in the surface ice chemistry due to temporal variability in the space environment. It is postulated that the UV spectral changes suggested for Europa may be linked to changes in H2O2 concentrations, whereas the changes on Callisto may be linked to variability in SO2 concentration.
Solid memory: structural preferences in group 2 dihalide monomers, dimers, and solids.

The link between structural preferences in the monomers, dimers, and extended solid-state structures of the group 2 dihalides (MX2: M = Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and X = F, Cl, Br, I) is examined theoretically. The question posed is how well are geometric properties of the gas-phase MX2 monomers and lower order oligomers “remembered” in the corresponding MX2 solids. Significant links between the bending in the MX2 monomers and the D2h/C3v M2X4 dimer structures are identified. At the B3LYP computational level, the monomers that are bent prefer the C3v triply bridged geometry, while the rigid linear molecules prefer a D2h doubly bridged structure. Quasilinear or floppy monomers show, in general, only a weak preference for either the D2h or the C3v dimer structure. A frontier orbital perspective, looking at the interaction of monomer units as led by a donor−acceptor interaction, proves to be a useful way to think about the monomer−oligomer relationships. There is also a relationship between the structural trends i...
Creating global software: A conspectus and review

Abstract Ten books on the development of international software are reviewed and used to develop a framework for the globalization of software. Most of the books are written or edited by practitioners of global software development and therefore are filled with practical knowledge and methodologies which can guide the novice or even the experienced developer to first internationalize and then localize software. The books span a six year time span, during which the resources available to support the global software development effort have expanded and standards have been established, resulting in reduced effort. This conspectus starts with an introduction that includes several definitions, spells out the issues of translation from one language to another, localization, organization, culture, interface design, documentation, and quality assurance, recommends approaches for development of micro-based software for Macintosh and Windows environments, and ends with a unifying summary.
A multidisciplinary oceanography program on the southeastern U.S. continental shelf

Since 1976, the U.S. Department of Energy has sponsored a multidisciplinary research program to determine the physical processes which drive circulation and control the chemistry and biology of the continental shelf waters off the southeastern United States (Figure 1). This area extends from Cape Hatteras, N.C., to Cape Canaveral, Fla. (often called the South Atlantic Bight (SAB)). Knowledge gained about water circulation across the shelf and at the western edge of the Gulf Stream has been used by cooperating investigators (Table 1) and others to describe the circulation of shelf water, to determine where and how certain trace elements are transported and transformed, and to relate the circulation regime to biological production. The following description of the program is presented under three headings: circulation, trace element geochemistry, and food chain dynamics.
A crystallized view of AMPK activation

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key metabolic regulator. Recent work (Chen et al., 2009) elucidates the structural interaction between the autoinhibitory sequence and the kinase domain of the AMPK catalytic subunit. Enhanced understanding of the molecular mechanics of AMPK activation might lead to novel therapeutic approaches.
Neighborhood differences in patterns of syringe access, use, and discard among injection drug users: implications for HIV outreach and prevention education.

The article presents results from the Syringe Access, Use, and Discard: Context in AIDS Risk research project comparing two neighborhoods by (1) socioeconomic and demographic characteristics; (2) patterns of syringe access, use, and discard; and (3) encounters with a local human immunodeficiency viruslacquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) outreach project targeted to injection drug users (IDUs). The results show that IDUs in more economically advantaged neighborhoods were more likely to acquire syringes from a single source (rather than multiple sources), more likely to inject alone in their own residence (rather than public injection locales), and more likely to dispose of syringes in private garbage cans rather alleys or dumpsters. These results are further associated with the likelihood of encountering street outreach workers, with IDUs in more affluent neighborboods much less likely to have any such contacts. Based on the different patterns of access, use, and discard evident in each neighborhood, the results indicate that different and more carefully tailored local outreach and prevention strategies are urgently needed.
Cooperativity and Kinetics of Phase Transitions in Nanopore-Confined Bilayers Studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Abstract The first-order nature of the gel-to-liquid crystal phase transition of phospholipid bilayers requires very slow temperature rates in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments to minimize any rate-dependent distortions. Proportionality of the DSC signal to the rate poses a problem for studies of substrate-supported bilayers that contain very small volumes of the lipid phase. Recently, we described lipid bilayers self-assembled inside nanoporous substrates. The high density of the nanochannels in these structures provides at least a 500-fold increase in the bilayer surface area for the same size of the planar substrate chips. The increased surface area enables the DSC studies. The rate-dependent DSC curves were modeled as a convolution of a conventional van't Hoff shape and a first-order decay curve of the lipid rearrangement. This analysis shows that although confinement of bilayers to the nanopores of ∼177nm in diameter results in a more than threefold longer characteristic time of the lipid rearrangement and a decrease in the cooperative unit number, the phase transition temperature is unaffected.
Endovascular repair of the thoracic aorta in the post-FDA approval era.

Objective Endovascular repair of thoracic aortic disease is rapidly progressing as an alternative to open surgical therapy. In March of 2005, the Gore TAG thoracic endoprosthesis (W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc, Flagstaff, Ariz) received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms. Subsequently, off-label use of the technology expanded to include additional thoracic aortic diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the outcomes with this device changed after the inclusion and exclusion criteria of FDA-controlled trials no longer governed patient selection. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on all patients who underwent endovascular repair of the thoracic aorta with the Gore TAG device at our institution between March 23, 2005, and September 8, 2006. Results Fifty consecutive patients with a broad range of aortic pathologic conditions were included in the study. The results in this group compared with those of the phase II trial included the following: length of stay, 7.5 versus 7.6 days ( P = .97); intensive care unit stay, 3.7 versus 2.6 days ( P = .61); 30-day mortality, 2.0% versus 1.5% ( P = .68); spinal cord injury, 2% versus 3% ( P = .89); stroke, 4% versus 4% ( P = .67); early endoleaks, 26% versus 4% ( P P = .08). At 1 year, overall survival was 92% compared with 82% in the phase II trial. Conclusions In the post-FDA approval era, endovascular stent-graft therapy is frequently applied to patients with more challenging thoracic aortic anatomy and a wide range of pathologic conditions. Our results in this group are similar to outcomes reported for patients with descending thoracic aortic aneurysm exclusively.
Origins of Displacement in 1-Adamantanethiolate Self-Assembled Monolayers

We have investigated the origins of the susceptibility of 1-adamantanethiolate self-assembled monolayers on Au{111} to displacement by other thiol molecules. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical desportion experiments to probe separated self-assembled monolayers on Au{111} created by the displacement of 1-adamantanethiolate with n-dodecanethiolate, we have shown that there is no difference between the chemical environments at the Au{111} surface for single-component or separated self-assembled monolayers of each molecule. There are, however, differences in interaction strengths between the 1-adamantanethiolate molecules and the n-dodecanethiolate molecules that contribute to 1-adamantanethiolate displacement.