cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Work Hours Regulations for House Staff in Psychiatry: Bad or Good for Residency Training?

The movement to limit work hours for house staff has gained momentum in recent years. The authors set out to review the literature on work hours reform, particularly as it applies to psychiatric residency training and to provide two different viewpoints on the controversy. The authors present the historical background of work hours reform in the United States and review recent literature about resident work hours limitations. Using a debate format, the authors discuss whether the new regulations are having a positive or negative impact on residency training in psychiatry. Drs. Lomonaco and Auchincloss argue that currently-existing work hours restrictions may have unintended consequences for the health of patients and an untoward impact on residents’ professional development and academic medicine’s overall structure. Dr. Rasminsky argues that work hours restrictions do not go far enough in protecting residents and patients from the harmful effects of fatigue, and that our definition of professionalism needs to be reexamined in light of emerging scientific literature. There should be some limitation on resident work hours, with exact numbers to be determined by growing scientific knowledge about the effects of prolonged wakefulness. More study is needed, particularly in the area of psychiatric residency training.
Isooctane decomposition and carbon deposition over ceria–zirconia supported nickel catalysts

Abstract Catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbons is a major contributor to carbon formation during hydrocarbon reforming. This work investigates the effects of temperature and hydrocarbon decomposition intermediates on carbon deposition during catalytic isooctane decomposition over ceria–zirconia supported nickel. The carbon deposition rate and hydrocarbon concentrations were monitored in real-time via thermogravimetry and FT-IR spectroscopy. Carbon-deposited catalysts were characterized by temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Carbon deposition rate, morphology, and quantity were strongly dependent on decomposition temperature ( T ); three distinct decomposition temperature regimes were identified, i.e. T ≤ 575 °C, 575 °C T T ≥ 725 °C. Gaussian deconvolution of TPO data and carefully designed oxidation experiments indicated the presence of different types of carbon: coating, filamentous, and pyrolytic carbon. Catalytic and homogeneous decomposition of isooctane, propene, and methane suggest that smaller hydrocarbon fragments, typically formed during reforming of large hydrocarbon molecules, play an important role in carbon deposition. Specifically, low-temperature decomposition of isooctane into olefins, such as propene or isobutene, leads to the formation of both coating and filamentous carbon deposits. At high temperatures, decomposition of acetylene and methane leads to the formation of significant quantities of coating and pyrolytic carbon deposits in addition to filamentous deposits.
Management of the gastrointestinal tract and nutrition in the geriatric surgical patient

Aging is associated with physiological changes in the gut and with physical and psychosocial risk factors that predispose to malnutrition, particularly in the presence of disease states. The geriatric faction of the surgical population is increasing, and malnourished, critically ill geriatric surgical patients have worse outcomes. The authors discuss the assessment of nutritional risk, recognition of risk factors, statement of dietary goals, and appropriate nutritional interventions in critically ill geriatric surgical patients.
Discourse integration guided by the 'question under discussion'.

Abstract What makes a discourse coherent? One potential factor has been discussed in the linguistic literature in terms of a Question under Discussion (QUD). This approach claims that discourse proceeds by continually raising explicit or implicit questions, viewed as sets of alternatives, or competing descriptions of the world. If the interlocutor accepts the question, it becomes the QUD, a narrowed set of alternatives to be addressed ( Roberts, in press ). Three eye movement recording studies are reported that investigated the effect of a preceding explicit QUD (Experiment 1) or implicit QUD (Experiments 2 and 3) on the processing of following text. Experiment 1 revealed an effect of whether the question queried alternative propositions or alternative entities. Reading times in the answer were faster when the answer it provided was of the same semantic type as was queried. Experiment 2 tested QUDs implied by the alternative description of reality introduced by a non-actuality implicature trigger such as should X or want to X . The results, when combined with the results of Experiment 3 (which ruled out a possible alternative interpretation) showed disrupted reading of a following verb phrase that failed to resolve the implicit QUD ( Did the discourse participant actually X? ), compared to reading the same material in the absence of a clear QUD. The findings support an online role for QUDs in guiding readers’ structuring and interpretation of discourse.
Radiatively driven winds from effective boundary layer around black holes

Matter accreting onto black holes suffers a standing or oscillating shock wave in much of the parameter space. The post-shock region is hot, puffed up and reprocesses soft photons from a Keplerian disc to produce the characteristic hard tail of the spectrum of accretion discs. The post-shock torus is also the base of the bipolar jets. We study the interaction of these jets with the hard photons emitted from the disc. We show that radiative force can accelerate outflows but the drag can limit the terminal speed. We introduce an equilibrium speed υeq as a function of distance, above which the flow will experience radiative deceleration.
CALCULATION OF FRACTURE MECHANICS PARAMETERS FOR AN ARBITRARY THREE-DIMENSIONAL CRACK, BY THE ‘EQUIVALENT DOMAIN INTEGRAL’ METHOD

SUMMARY In this paper, an equivalent domain integral (EDI) method and the attendant numerical algorithms arc presented for the computation of a near-crack-tip field parameter, the vector Je-integral, and its variation along the front of an arbitrary three-dimensional crack in a structural component. Account is taken of possible non-elastic strains present in the structure; in this case the near-tip Je-values may be significantly different from the far-field values Jf , especially under non-proportional loading.
Quantum well intrasubband photodetector (QWISP): Prospects for large-format far-infrared focal plane arrays

We describe a recently proposed device concept of using of the dopant-assisted intra-subband absorption mechanism in quantum wells for normal-incidence far infrared / terahertz radiation detection. The Quantum Well Intra-Subband Photodetector (QWISP) is closely related to the quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP), which is now been utilized routinely to fabricate large-format (mega-pixel), multi-spectral (3 to 15 μm) focal plane arrays. The QWISP is a compact device that is compatible with existing GaAs QWIP focal-plane array technology. We describe the basic physics and device concept of the QWISP, present a theoretical analysis on its far-IR detection properties, and discuss prospects toward its experimental realization.
Unstructured-Grid Third-Order Finite Volume Discretization Using a Multistep Quadratic Data-Reconstruction Method

Finite volume discretizations on unstructured grids that are more than second-order-accurate have not yet gained wide acceptance. This is due to the high computational cost and memory requirements of the proposed schemes and the technical difficulties in achieving a high-order-accurate solution. It is especially true when considering flows in complex geometries. In this paper, a third-order cell-centered finite volume discretization is detailed that is based on quadratic data recovery, which is computationally efficient and has optimal memory requirements. The density-based flow-solver discretization and solution algorithm are described briefly, followed by a detailed presentation of the least-squares-based multistep quadratic data-reconstruction methodology proposed here. The paper is concluded with numerical examples to verify the accuracy and numerical efficiency of this high-order finite volume discretization.
WE‐E‐BRA‐02: Clinical Evaluation of Fixed‐Field IMRT Plans and IMAT Plans in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Purpose: To evaluate the treatment plan quality and delivery efficiency of fixed‐field IMRT and IMAT in locally advanced head and neck cancer cases. Method and Materials: Ten locally advanced head and neck cases were included. For each case, the treatment targets involve primary tumor, positive lymph node(s), high risk and low risk nodal volumes. Organs‐at‐risk included both parotids and spinal cord. Seven‐beam IMRT plans were generated using the Pinnacle3 planning system and an in‐house developed sequential linear program (SLP) optimization approach. The SLP approach solved the corresponding dose optimization problem by dividing the problem into sub‐problems, each of which was solved using LP while maintaining a global view of the full problem. Single‐arc and double‐arc IMAT plans with 180 and 360 total apertures, respectively were generated using Pinnacle SmartArc 9.0. Plan quality was compared with DVHs and quantitative dose‐volume measures and delivery efficiency was compared with MUs and aperture number. Results: Single‐arc plans did not provide enough coverage for all three targets. Two‐arc plans improved the plan quality compared to single‐arc plans. Conventional fixed‐field IMRT and SLP plans resulted in better plan quality than IMAT plans with SLP plans outperforming the other approaches. Improvements in parotid dose‐volume levels and maximum cord dose were 12% and 90% when SLP was compared to two‐arc plans. Approximately 160 to 230 apertures were used with conventional IMRT plans. SLP used fewer apertures than conventional IMRT but used more monitor units. Double‐arc plan used more monitor units than the single‐arc plan. Overall, IMAT plans used fewer MUs than IMRT plans. Conclusion: Our results indicate that (1) fixed‐field IMRT plans (particularly the ones optimized using the SLP approach) result in superior dosimetric quality compared with IMAT and (2) IMAT plans result in greater delivery efficiency compared with IMRT. Conflict of Interest: NIH grant CA130814
Molecular determinants of soft tissue sarcoma proliferation.

Soft tissue sarcoma is an extremely rare malignant disease that includes more than 15 distinct histologic subtypes. While all share a propensity for metastasis to the lungs, the clinical presentation and pattern of spread for the specific subtypes are remarkably viable. Little is known about the etiology of soft tissue sarcoma other than several well described epidemiological associations between ionizing and other toxic agents and several of the soft tissue sarcoma histologic subtypes. The key to understanding the etiologic factors driving soft tissue sarcoma proliferation and dissemination lies in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying these oncologic processes. Progress in this regard has been difficult because of the rarity of this disease. This report reviews the current state of knowledge for three of the most important considerations involving the molecular etiology of soft tissue sarcoma: growth factors and their receptors, nuclear and cytoplas-mic oncogenes, and tumor suppressor genes. As we learn more about these molecular mechanisms leading to proliferation and dissemination of soft tissue sarcoma, molecularly based genetic therapies will become a reality for this all too devastating, albeit rare, disease. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
MATRIX ISOLATION AND AB INITIO STUDY OF THE REACTIONS OF (CH3)3AL WITH CH3OH AND H2O: SPECTROSCOPIC EVIDENCE FOR (CH3)2ALOCH3

Abstract The matrix isolation technique has been used to investigate the initial products of the room and high temperature reaction of trimethylaluminum with methanol and its isotopomers, as well as water, in a flowing reactor system. Reaction went substantially to completion as indicated by a dramatic reduction of bands due to parent (CH 3 ) 3 Al when dilute samples of Ar/CH 3 OH were added to the flowing gas mixture, and vice versa. At least two products were formed, an initial intermediate that has been identified as (CH 3 ) 2 AlOCH 3 , and one or more oligomers of this species (i.e. dimers and/or trimers). Heating the reaction zone above 200°C following by matrix trapping led to complete destruction of the bands due to (CH 3 ) 2 AlOCH 3 , and an increase in the bands due to the oligomers. The production of CH 3 D as was also noted with CD 3 OD was employed, but not when CD 3 OH was used. Ab initio calculations at the RHF/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-31G* levels were carried out on (CH 3 ) 2 AlOCH 3 ; these calculations support the identification of this species. Similar experiments involving (CH 3 ) 3 Al and H 2 O did not lead to any new product bands, although reaction apparently occurred in the reaction zone, as evidenced the growth of strong bands due to CH 4 .
Divided Berlin: One Past and Three Futures:

Postwar developments in divided Berlin have much to tell us about political integration and disintegration. The city endured successive waves of wartime destruction, postwar dismantling, and, after 1948, political division. Structural division was made more permanent after 1961. Not until 1970-1972 could the wartime allies and the two postwar Germanies work out contractual arrange ments to regulate interaction between East and West Berlin. Despite cultural, geographic, and other affinities, the two cities have become and remain separate entities.One possible but improbable future development is the failure of some party to fulfill the letter and spirit of these agreements, leading to a renewal of cold war tension. Another equally improbable scenario envisions the internal decay of West Berlin or its eventual abandonment by the Federal Republic, leading to its absorption by the German Democratic Republic. A more probable scenario sees East and West Berlin developing as sister cities in separate countries. ...
Design, implementation, and assessment of an Integrated Pharmacy Applications course series

Abstract The McWhorter School of Pharmacy implemented a new curriculum in 2009 that sought to integrate information horizontally and vertically throughout the entire curriculum. A six-semester Integrated Pharmacy Applications (IPA) course series was designed to accomplish this. The objective of this article is to describe the design, implementation, and assessment of the integrated applications course sequence. Each semester of the didactic curriculum contains a one-credit-hour IPA course. The course has a weekly laboratory component and a two-hour time block on Fridays for discussion sessions. A framework for developing and facilitating sessions was created and provided to faculty. Example sessions include increasingly complex patient case discussion, technique demonstration, and simulations. Friday discussion sessions are designed to illustrate application of didactic course content to direct patient care. Students are charged a laboratory fee each semester to provide funds necessary to purchase supplies and equipment. The course series was implemented over a period of three years. An administrative position was created to oversee the series and ensure assessment of curricular integration efforts. Course topics are selected by this person in collaboration with faculty. Assessment of student performance in the course is formative and includes rubrics for direct observations, case notes, care plans, group work, and reflections. Course evaluations and student focus groups are used to obtain student feedback about the course. Deliberate planning and coordination of the IPA course series has fostered maximization of student learning, achievement of curricular integration, and compliance with accreditation standards.
Modeling autostimulation of growth in multicellular tumor spheroids

We report the development of a growth model that includes the positive regulatory feedback by cell-cell interactions. It is based on the model by Wheldon et al. (J Theor Biol, 38 (1973) 627) and Cox et al. (Comput Biomed Res, 13 (1980) 445) and is characterized by biologically interpretable parameters. We applied the model to growth of multicellular spheroids formed by V79 Chinese hamster fibroblasts. The new model resulted in a statistically sound fit. We compared the applicability of our model, of the model by Wheldon et al. and Cox et al. as well as of the related model by Piantadosi (Comput Biomed Res, 18 (1985) 220). We affiliated the models with each other within a nesting scheme and compared their respective fits to data by the F-test. Our model yielded a fit statistically equivalent to the fit by the model of Piantadosi. However, in distinction to other models, the estimated cellular doubling time in our model agreed better with the respective experimentally determined value.
Mechanical Alternans Strongly Correlates With T Wave Alternans and Predicts Death in Mild and Moderate, but Not End-Stage Heart Failure Patients

Background: Alternans of calcium cycling and action potential voltage is associated with ventricular arrhythmia. Mechanical alternans (MA) has been observed in heart failure (HF) patients. However, predictive value of MA in comparison with T wave alternans (TWA) has not been studied in prospective cohort study. Methods: We prospectively studied 74 patients (mean age 59.6 15.7; 53 male [72%], ejection fraction 28.7 18.7%) admitted to the intensive cardiac care unit due to congestive HF exacerbation (54 patients, 73%) or acute myocardial infarction (20 patients, 27%). Patients with pericardial effusion or valvular heart disease were excluded. About half of patients population (N 34, 46%) had an ICD or CRT-D implanted. Digital surface ECG was recorded simultaneously with arterial pressure via peripheral arterial line for at least 12 hours. Recordings with frequent premature ventricular complexes and atrial fibrillation were excluded. MA and TWA were measured by correlation method and enhanced modified moving average method from a nonoverlapping sliding window of successive 10 pairs. Sustained MA was defined as arterial pressure alternans that lasted 20 beats with alternating pressure 4 mmHg. Sustained TWA was defined as TWA 20 V that lasted 20 beats. Patients were folowed prospectively; all-cause mortality served as end-point. esults: Both sustained MA and TWA were detected in 35 patients (47.3%). WA without MA was detected in 1 patient (1.4%), whereas sustained MA ithout TWA was found in 3 patients (4.1%). Overall 7725 sustained alternans vents were analyzed. Clusters of sustained MA and TWA events occurred at he same time. Sustained MA immediately preceded TWA in 1593 (20.6%) vents, occurred simultaneously with TWA in 4587 (59.4%) events, was receded by TWA in 641 (8.3%) events, and was isolated in 904 (11.7%). uring 111 132 days of follow-up 18 patients (24.3%) died. In patients with YHA class I-III HF the Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that both MA and WA were associated with increased risk of all-cause death (log rank test P 05). In patients with NYHA class IV neither MA nor TWA predicted outome. onclusions: Sustained MA strongly correlates with TWA and predicts eath in mild and moderate, but not end-stage HF patients.
Adhesive evaluation of LARC-TPI and a water-soluble version of LARC-TPI

The results of a study to evaluate two Langley Research Center thermoplastic polimide (TPI) materials, identified as TPI/MTC for the material from Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals Inc. and TPI/H2O for the material from United Technologies Research Center, as high temperature thermoplastic adhesives and primers for bonding titanium (6AL-4V) adherends are discussed. A limited characterization of the materials was performed using a Diffuse Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (DR-FTIR) technique. Thermomechanical Analysis (TMA) and torsional braid techniques were used to determine glass transition temperature. The adhesive's strength, as determined by simple lap shear tests, as used to evaluate the effects of long term thermal exposure (up to 1000 hrs) at 204 deg C and a 72-hour water-boil.
The Incidence of Tumours in Renal Transplant Recipients with Long-Term Immunosuppressive Therapy

INTRODUCTION The incidence of cancers after renal transplantation is significantly higher than in population that have not undergone transplantation. It is increased by a long-term survival of functional graft requiring long-term immunosuppressive therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Since 1972, 620 renal transplantations have been performed for different causes of end stage renal disease. The authors report a group of 18 renal transplant patients (2.9%) who had cancer. Patients with malignancies are reviewed according to their age, sex, type of immunosuppression, interval between transplantation and the diagnosis of cancer, method of treatment and survival. RESULTS All patients received cadaver kidneys, and secondary transplantation was performed in two patients. Five patients received conventional immunosuppression--azathioprine with prednisone, another 13 patients received cyclosporine with prednisone and/or azathioprine. In 13 males and 5 females (mean age 46.1 years) the malignant disease developed about 62.4 months after renal transplantation. Six patients had epithelial skin cancers (four of them had squamous cell carcinomas and two basal cell carcinomas). Two patients had breast cancer, colorectal carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma and bladder cancer, respectively, one patient had gastric cancer, thyroid carcinoma, carcinoma of tonsilla, and monocytic leukaemia with blastic transformation, respectively. The average survival of patients with malignancies was 20.3 months. Of 17 patients with cancer, 13 underwent surgical treatment, four patients with advanced disease received radiotherapy, hormonal treatment or only symptomatic therapy. In one patient the malignant disease was only discovered at autopsy. Five patients died of progressive malignant disease, four of intercurrent disease. Nine (50%) patients are alive, with no evidence of disease (NED), 31.9 months in average following the diagnosis of malignancy. Three patients returned to dialysis treatment, other 6 patients live with well functioning graft. CONCLUSIONS In patients surviving long time after kidney transplantation the possibility of development of malignant disease should be considered. Preventive evaluation should guarantee early detection of cancer. Appropriate treatment, without cessation of immunosuppressive therapy, is indicated with the intention to prolong the patients' life with a functional graft and without dialysis treatment.
Remarks on viewing situation in a rotating frame

Representations of centrifugal forces are derived in a variety of rotating frames. Although the rotating angle of a point mass relative to an inertial frame is often confused with the rotating angle of a rotating frame relative to the inertial frame, they should be differentiated.
Measurements of Electrical Conductivity and Magnetoresistance of Gray Tin Filaments

A method for the preparation of gray tin filaments suitable for electrical measurements is described. Results of measurements of the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity and of the magnetoresistance on pure gray tin and on alloys containing various amounts of Sb, As, In, Al, and Zn are reported. For 99.998 percent pure tin the activation energy is 0.082 ev and the conductivity at 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C is 2090 ${\mathrm{ohm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. Addition of impurities results in an increase in the "intrinsic" activation energy and a decrease in the absolute value of the conductivity in the "intrinsic" range. Samples doped with $n$-type impurities exhibit a positive temperature coefficient of resistance at low temperatures whereas the low-temperature conductivity of $p$-type samples becomes temperature-independent at high impurity concentrations. The three $p$-type impurities In, Zn, and Al show marked differences in their effectiveness in producing $p$-type conductivity, In being 40 times more effective than Al. The magnetoresistance coefficient in the lattice-scattering region shows a stronger temperature dependence than is predicted by the simple theory. Impurity scattering appears to be relatively more important in $p$-type than in $n$-type material.
Justice and Diversity: Michigan's Response to Gratz, Grutter, and the Affirmative Action Debate.

In 1997, the Center for Individuals’ Rights filed two lawsuits against the University of Michigan on behalf of two White plaintiffs who believed they were denied admission due to racial preferences. The diversity rationale, Michigan’s counter-argument, underscored the links between racial diversity and institutional mission but rejected social justice arguments of equity and remediation. Through qualitative inquiry, this study explores how Michigan shifts the focus of the affirmative action debate from social justice to a narrower diversity argument, which garners broad support and neutralizes the racial preferences rhetoric.
Isolation of a Polar Aldosterone-like Substance from the Urine and Adrenal Incubates of Patients with Arterial Hypertension

A CONJECTURED role of disordered sodium-retaining function of the adrenal cortex in the genesis of essential hypertension has been largely founded on indirect evidence1,2, including the rationale of low-sodium intake3,4 and of naturetic agents5,6 in therapy; and on direct steroid measurements7,8. These latter have shown hyper-excretion of the mineralocorticoid, aldosterone (11β,21-dihydroxy-20-oxo-pregn-4-ene-18-al), arid its major metabolite, tetrahydroaldosterone (3α, 11β,21-trihydroxy-20-oxo-5β-pregnane-18-al), in uncomplicated as well as complicated forms of this disease. These observations have favoured the hypothesis that essential hypertension may represent, in effect, a special form of hyperadrenocorticism. Correlation of normal aldosterone regulation with the renin-angiotensin mechanism in the kidney9,10 has further focused attention on possible regulatory abnormalities of aldosterone in the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension.
Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) in the ovaries of healthy women and those with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common cause of oligo-ovulation, affecting ~4% of women. A primary defect of steroidogenesis resulting in increased ovarian and adrenal androgen production may be responsible for polycystic ovary syndrome, at least in some patients. Because the action of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) initiates the process of steroidogenesis, we proceeded to test the hypothesis that increased production or concentration of StAR may result in the abnormality of steroidogenesis found in polycystic ovary syndrome. Study Design: We examined the ovaries from 10 healthy women and 7 women with polycystic ovary syndrome, determining the relative concentration of StAR in total protein extracts by use of Western blotting, and the overall distribution and staining intensity of StAR in prepared tissue sections. Results: Overall the ovaries of healthy women and women with polycystic ovary syndrome demonstrated a similar prevalence and size of follicular cysts, although the ovaries of women with polycystic ovary syndrome had a greater mean number of follicular cysts. In general, the distribution of StAR immunoreactivity within most of the ovarian structures was not different in the ovaries of women with polycystic ovary syndrome compared to those of the healthy ovaries. However, the ovaries from the cases demonstrated a significantly greater number of follicular cysts with staining for StAR immunoreactivity in the thecal cells than did the ovaries from healthy women (100% vs 38%, P Conclusion: These data suggest that the exaggeration in androgen biosynthesis in the ovaries of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome may be occurring at its earliest step (ie, that involving StAR), such that an increased amount of cholesterol is made available for androgen biosynthesis in the polycystic ovary. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;185:1381-7.)
Integrating Knowledge for Subjectivity Sense Labeling

This paper introduces an integrative approach to automatic word sense subjectivity annotation. We use features that exploit the hierarchical structure and domain information in lexical resources such as WordNet, as well as other types of features that measure the similarity of glosses and the overlap among sets of semantically related words. Integrated in a machine learning framework, the entire set of features is found to give better results than any individual type of feature.
Biopolymers Produced by Cross-linking Soybean 11S Globulin with Whey Proteins using Transglutaminase

Heterogeneity of biopolymers was determined by cross-linking acetylated-11S acidic subunits (Ac-11S) of soy protein with α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin. The extent of polymerization was determined by electrophoresis and HPLC. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine thermal properties of starting proteins and biopolymers. HPLC data demonstrated the absence of biopolymers from Ac-11S, acetylated α-lactalbumin and acetylated β-lactoglobulin when each was incubated separately with transglutaminase (TG). However, Ac-11 S formed biopolymers with α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin when TG was added. TG catalyzed the formation of heterologous and homologous biopolymers from whey protein isolate (WPI) and soybean 11S globulin (11S). Cross-linking WPI and 11S provided biopolymers with improved heat stability which may be useful to provide functionality to food products.
Glycerides of Lard as an Extender for Cue-lure, Medlure, and Methyl Eugenol in Formulations for Programs of Male Annihilation

Tray tests were conducted to determine the comparative efficiency of carriers and extenders for cuelure, medlure, and methyl eugenol in programs of male annihilation. Certain so-called glycerides of lard extended the attractancy of all 3 lures when 7–10% of Myverol was added to 100 ml of lure. This thickening-agent may make it possible to eliminate male melon flies, Dacus cucurbilae Coquillett, and Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceralitis Capetata (Wiedemann), without use of solid carriers and could he a valuable addition to eradication programs against the oriental fruit fly, D. dorsalis Hendel, when it is used in conjunction with cane-fiber squares.
Tuning the surfaces of palladium nanoparticles for the catalytic conversion of Cr(VI) to Cr(III).

This work reports the feasibility of using Pd nanoparticles as innovative catalysts in the conversion of reducible contaminants from toxic to benign forms. Cr(VI) is a known carcinogen while the trivalent chromium salts are believed to be non-toxic. The ability of Pd nanoparticles to catalyze the rapid reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) using reactive sulfur intermediates produced in situ was therefore studied. Using a microchamber set at 130 °C, the reduction mixture consists of palladium nanoparticles and sulfur (PdNPs/S), which generated highly reducing sulfur intermediates that effected the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) by 1st order reaction kinetics. UV-visible spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry were employed to monitor the reduction process. The results showed that 99.8% of 400 μM Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III) by PdNPs/S in one hour compared to 2.1% by a control experiment consisting of sulfur only. The rate of Cr(VI) reduction was found to be dependent on temperature and pH and was greatly enhanced by the addition of PdNPs. Subsequent application of this approach in the reduction of Cr(VI) in soil and aqueous media was conducted. In contrast to the control experiments with and without PdNPs or sulfur, greater than 92% conversion rate was obtained in the presence of PdNPs/S within 1 hour. This represents over a 500-fold improvement in conversion rate compared to current microbial approaches. XPS analysis provided the confirmation regarding the oxidation states of Cr(VI), Cr(III) and the nature of the reactive intermediates. This work offers PdNPs/S as a new interface for the reduction of high oxidation state heavy metal pollutants.
Implementation and performance testing of the SQUASH RFID authentication protocol

We implement and test the performance of an RFID hash algorithm recently proposed by Adi Shamir [1] using a C++ simulation. The algorithm, called SQUASH (short for “SQUarehASH”), allows for an RFID tag design that is simple enough to be implemented on low-cost RFID tags. Shamir has proved mathematically that his SQUASH algorithm is at least as secure as the Rabin cryptosystem [2], which has been extensively tested and scrutinized for nearly 30 years. The SQUASH algorithm is designed to minimize processing time and cost without sacrificing security. Shamir's SQUASH algorithm was developed as a lightweight version of a hash function from the Rabin cryptosystem, c = m2 mod n. The SQUASH algorithm is theoretically faster because rather than storing, computing, and transmitting a large ciphertext, the algorithm allows a low cost RFID tag to compute the bits of the ciphertext in real-time, bit by bit, transmitting them as they are calculated. Although the SQUASH algorithm is provably as secure as the Rabin cryptosystem, the performance of the algorithm has not been carefully scrutinized. Shamir writes that the performance of the SQUASH algorithm should scale linearly as the size of a tag's register increases; we attempt to test this specific claim by using a software simulation.
Mutation in the silencing gene SIR4 can delay aging in S. cerevisiae.

Summary Aging in S. cerevisiae is exemplified by the fixed number of cell divisions that mother cells undergo (termed their life span). We have exploited a correlation between life span and stress resistance to identify mutations in four genes that extend life span. One of these, SIR4, encodes a component of the silencing apparatus at HM loci and telomeres. The sir4.42 mutation extends life span by more than 30% and is semidominant. Our findings suggest that sir4.42 extends life span by preventing recruitment of the SIR proteins to HM loci and telomeres, thereby increasing their concentration at other chromosomal regions. Maintaining silencing at these other regions may be critical in preventing aging. Consistent with this view, expression of only the carboxyl terminus of SIR4 interferes with silencing at HM loci and telomeres, which also extends life span. Possible links among silencing, telomere maintenance, and aging in other organisms are discussed.
Volatile Growth Inhibitors Produced by Aromatic Shrubs

Root growth of Cucumis and Avena seedlings is inhibited by volatile materials produced by leaves of Salvia leucophylla, S. apiana, and Artemisia californica. The toxic substance may be deposited when dew condenses on affected seedlings in the field.
Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis of Cotton Contamination

The universal attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (UATR-FTIR) equipped with a ZnSe—Diamond composite crystal was used to analyze contaminated cotton fibers. Cotton samples were selected based on their high speed stickiness detector readings and sugar content as determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Trehalulose (dominant sugar in whitefly honeydew) was identified at 3280, 1622, and 1018 cm—1. Integrated intensities I3280, I1622, and I1018 showed high correlations with the trehalulose content on the contaminated lint. Principal component analysis of the FTIR spectra showed that it is possible to discriminate between contaminated and non-contaminated cotton and indicated that FTIR spectra of cotton lint fall into different clusters corresponding to different levels of contamination. The results obtained showed that the ZnSe—Diamond composite crystal FTIR accessory could be used as a fast and precise nondestructive method to discriminate between contaminated and non-contami...
An automated feature-localisation algorithm for a feature-specific modular approach for face recognition

Novel techniques for accurate location of the eyes and nose of a person in a complex-lighting environment are presented in this paper. An adaptive progressive thresholding technique is applied to spot the darkest regions representing the eyes in a face. The nose region is located by performing cumulative histogram-based thresholding of the gradient image formed below the eye region. A feature-specific modular Principal Component Analysis (PCA) approach on face images is performed with the identified features for face recognition. Principal components are extracted from non-overlapping modules of the image and are concatenated to make a single signature vector to represent the face in a particular viewing angle. Additional principal components are extracted from the key facial features and are added as an extension to the signature vector. The feature-specific modular PCA approach is capable of recognising faces in varying illumination conditions and facial expressions, as the modular components represent the local information of the facial regions.
Homoepitaxial growth on Pd(100)

Abstract We have studied the temperature- and coverage-dependent variation of diffraction-spot profiles during growth of Pd on Pd(100), using conventional low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). The crystal temperature is varied from 100 to 500 K during deposition, and the coverage is varied from 0 to 5 monolayers. The diffraction spot profiles are separable into two components: the Bragg peak, reflecting layer occupations; and a broad “foot”, reflecting the distribution of particles within layers. Between 200 and 400 K, the broad component adopts a ring-like appearance, with intensity maxima bracketing the Bragg peak. Development of the ring structure is associated with the onset of diffusion at 170–200 K (activation barrier of 12–14 kcal/mol). The diameter of the ring indicates an average separation between island centers of 28 ± 5 A, at 300 K and at coverages below the onset of coalescence. Oscillations in the ring intensity as a function of coverage occur out-of-phase with oscillations in the Bragg intensity, and are associated with the successive filling of individual layers. By 500 K, both oscillations disappear, apparently due to the advent of step propagation as a major mechanism for film growth when diffusional processes accelerate.
Effect of Medical Malpractice on Resource Use and Mortality of AMI Patients

We estimate the effect of medical malpractice on physician behavior and health outcomes of AMI patients. The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) has been combined with the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). Frequency of paid claims and claims severity are used as measures of medical malpractice risk in each state. Results suggest that an increase in medical malpractice risk leads to a reduction in resource use and improvement in health outcome for patients with less severe medical conditions. For patients with more severe medical conditions, medical malpractice is associated with an improvement in mortality. Therefore, we find no evidence that the costs of defensive medicine for most AMI patients are escalating. Threat of a malpractice lawsuit lowers the mortality rate of AMI patients, contradicting the widely held view that defensive medicine has no positive effect on health status of patients.
Seeing Stem Cells at Work In Vivo

Stem cell based-therapies are novel therapeutic strategies that hold key for developing new treatments for diseases conditions with very few or no cures. Although there has been an increase in the number of clinical trials involving stem cell-based therapies in the last few years, the long-term risks and benefits of these therapies are still unknown. Detailed in vivo studies are needed to monitor the fate of transplanted cells, including their distribution, differentiation, and longevity over time. Advancements in non-invasive cellular imaging techniques to track engrafted cells in real-time present a powerful tool for determining the efficacy of stem cell-based therapies. In this review, we describe the latest approaches to stem cell labeling and tracking using different imaging modalities.
An Escherichia coli homologue of eukaryotic potassium channel proteins

Abstract A DNA sequence in Escherichia coli K-12 contains an evident gene, kch, which predicts a protein 417 residues long with extensive similarity to a group of eukaryotic potassium channel proteins in amino acid sequence, in the presence of six apparent transmembrane (S) regions, and in the potassium-specific P (or H5) "pore" region found between S5 and S6. Most of the kch gene, including all of these regions and the 5' flanking region, have been sequenced in 38 wild reference (ECOR) strains as well; variation is conservative, indicating the protein's importance to the species, possibly as a defense against osmotic shock. Since the major family of eukaryotic potassium channel proteins is thought to have evolved from a common ancestor, the evolutionary position of this evident bacterial homologue is of interest, particularly since its function may have changed less than those of eukaryotic channels in the last billion years. While cases of probable importation of eukaryotic genes into bacteria are known, there is no evidence that kch has been imported. The relevant properties of the Kch protein and further ways to investigate its evolutionary position are discussed.
Application of multidimensional quality measures to reconstructed medical images

Lossy compression drastically reduces the operating costs of digital medical imaging systems by enabling more efficient use of transmission and archival facilities in hospitals and doctor’s offices. To be able to develop standards for the application of this technology, reliable tools are needed for measuring the quality of reconstructed images. Among the most common measures presently used, the normalized mean squared error (NMSE) does not provide any information concerning the type of impairment, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses are expensive and time-consuming. This paper evaluates the performance of three quantitative multidimensional measures for image quality. Mimicking the human visual system, they compute local features, and produce a graphical output. Improved Eskicioglu charts, in particular, are shown to be appropriate tools for characterizing compression losses in reconstructed medical images.
Haloperidol impairs classical nictitating membrane conditioning in rabbits when stimulation of the pontine nuclei is used as a conditioned stimulus.

Abstract Rabbits classically conditioned with stimulation of the pontine nuclei as a conditioned stimulus (CS) and a corneal air puff as an unconditioned stimulus (US) were injected with haloperidol (250 μg/kg). Three different stimulation CS intensity levels were used. Haloperidol administration significantly decreased the number of conditioned responses during training at all CS intensity levels with the greatest impairment seen when medium and low levels of stimulation were delivered as a CS. These results provide evidence that haloperidol disrupts classical conditioning through actions at central brain sites (i.e., sites at or efferent to the point of stimulation) and not in pathways normally involved in projecting peripheral CSs to more central locations.
Nonconvergence, undecidability, and intractability in asymptotic problems

Abstract Results delimiting the logical and effective content of asymptotic combinatorics are presented. For the class of binary relations with an underlying linear order, and the class of binary functions, there are properties, given by first-order sentences, without asymptotic probabilities; every first-order asymptotic problem (i.e., set of first-order sentences with asymptotic probabilities bounded by a given rational number between zero and one) for these two classes is undecidable. For the class of pairs of unary functions or permutations, there are monadic second-order properties without asymptotic probabilities; every monadic second-order asymptotic problem for this class is undecidable. No first-order asymptotic problem for the class of unary functions is elementary recursive.
Outwardly rectifying potassium currents in lens epithelial cell membranes

Isolated epithelial cells from chick, pig, monkey, rabbit, bovine, and human lenses contain K+ channels that often turn on with a delay after a voltage step and have a larger macroscopic conductance for outward currents than for inward currents even with the same K+ concentration on both sides of the membrane. These outward rectifiers are quite diverse between different lens types and more than one kind can be present even within a single lens species. The channels differ substantially in the voltage dependence of their opening, their deactivation time constants, and the time course of their inactivation. Most produce currents of the delayed rectifier type but others show similarities to A-type currents. Because these different channels open at different voltages, inactivate to different degrees and represent different fractions of the total conductance from one lens cell to another, their contribution to the resting voltage is not the same in all cells investigated. These currents are the most frequently...
Evidence of species interactions within an ectomycorrhizal fungal community

Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities can be structured by abiotic and biotic factors. Here, we present evidence for community structuring by species interactions. We sampled ectomycorrhizas and forest floor seven times during a 13-month period. The presence of various ectomycorrhizal fungal species was determined for each sample, and species co-occurrence analyses were performed. For both ectomycorrhizas and forest floor samples there was significantly less co-occurrence among species within the community than expected by chance, mostly because of negative associations involving Cenococcum geophilum or Clavulina cinerea. For some species pairs, there was significantly more co-occurrence than expected by chance. Both nitrogen and tannin additions to the forest floor altered some interactions among species. The causes of these nonrandom distributions are currently unknown. Future investigations on competition, antibiosis, parasitism and facilitation among ectomycorrhizal fungal species appear to be warranted.
Ultrasonic attenuation and internal friction in (AgI)x(AgPO3)1-x superionic glasses.

Les effets observes indiquent que les processus de relaxation de l'ion Ag sont impliques. On ajuste les pics d'attenuation et les pics du frottement interne de Liu et Angell en utilisant une modification de la fonction de relaxation «universelle» developpee par Jonscher pour rendre compte de la relaxation dielectrique differente de celle du type Debye. Deduction: des enthalpies d'activation de la relaxation, des exposants du produit frequence-temps de relaxation, et des amplitudes de la relaxation
Logarithmic arithmetic as an alternative to floating-point: A review

The logarithmic number system (LNS) has found appeal in digital arithmetic because it allows multiplication and division to be performed much faster and more accurately than with the widely used floating-point (FP) number formats. We review the sign/logarithmic number system and present a comparison of various techniques and architectures for performing arithmetic operations efficiently in LNS. As a case study, we describe the European logarithmic microprocessor, a device built in the framework of a research project launched in 1999. Comparison of the arithmetic performance of this microprocessor with that of a commercial superscalar pipelined FP processor leads to the conclusion that LNS can be successfully deployed in general-purpose systems.