cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 2694: DNA copy number aberrant profiles predict complete pathologic tumor response to preoperative chemoradiation therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Purpose: The treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer includes chemoradiation (CRT) followed by surgical resection. The response of rectal cancers to the CRT is variable. The finding that up to 25% of tumor seem to be totally eradicated by the CRT has raised the question as to whether surgery can be avoided in these patients. Findings predictors or response or resistance to CRT could potentially change the treatment paradigm of rectal cancer patients. In this study we explored DNA copy number alterations as predictors of rectal cancer response to preoperative CRT. Patients and Methods: High-density oligonucleotide-based comparative genomic hybridization (human 244k aCGH kit, Agilent Cor.) was employed to identify the DNA copy number alterations in 89 pretreatment tumor biopsy specimens and paired normal surgical specimens collected from stage II and III rectal cancer patients treated in a prospective multi-institutional study. Data analysis was performed using Nexus Copy Number and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. A pathologic complete response (pCR), defined as absence of cancer cells in the surgical specimen, was used as clinical end-point. Results: A total of 25 (28%) patients had a pCR. The pCR rate was higher among tumors with low fractional genomic alterations (FGA, ≤21%) (12/26 or 46.1%) compared to tumors with high FGA (>21%) (13/63 or 20.6%) (p<0.02). Gain or losses of individual chromosome segments containing individual candidate genes and miRNAs in tumors with or without pCR are presented in table 1. View this table: Conclusion: This study shows that DNA copy number aberrations, measured as a FGA and individual chromosome regions gain and loses, may be predictors of rectal cancer resistance to CRT. This information could be used to select patients that may not benefit from a non-surgical treatment. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2694.
Vasopressin-like effects of adenosine 3′,5′,-phosphate (cyclic 3′,5′-AMP) and theophylline in the toad bladder

Abstract Vasopressin exerts a unique effect on frog skin ( Ussing and Zerahn, 1951 ) and toad bladder ( Leaf, 1960 ; Bentley, 1958 ). Addition of the hormone to the serosal surface of the bladder results in an increase in the net flow of water along an osmotic gradient and a rise in both short-circuit current and potential difference (P.D.) across the membrane. These affects are specific for neurohypophyseal extracts, are reversible, and can be prevented by acidification of the bathing medium or the addition of certain sulfhydryl blocking agents ( Rasmussen et al , 1960 ). Vasopressin also stimulates the release of hydrocortisone from the adrenal ( Hilton et al , 1960 ) as does ACTH, and glucose from liver ( Bergen et al , 1960 ) as does epinephrine. Since the effects of the latter hormones involve the intermediacy of cyclic 3′,5′-AMP (C-AMP) and phosphorylase activation ( Sutherland and Rall, 1960 ; Haynes, 1958 ) the present studies were designed to test the hypothesis that vasopressin alters permeability by stimulating the production of cyclic AMP from ATP in toad bladder. Since conversion of C-AMP to inactive 5′ AMP is prevented by theophylline ( Butcher and Sutherland, 1959 ) the effect of theophylline on the toad bladder was also examined.
Pi2 pulsations with second harmonic: CRRES observations in the plasmasphere

[1] Pi2 pulsations observed on the ground at low latitudes often exhibit multiple spectral peaks, and this property has been attributed to the harmonics of plasmaspheric cavity mode resonance. We show that multifrequency Pi2 pulsations simultaneously observed from the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) and at Kakioka (L = 1.26) can be explained by the cavity mode. The pulsations occurred in a 40-min time span on 20 January 1991. CRRES was within the plasmasphere at L = 6.1, on the dipole equator, and very near midnight. Kakioka was also very close to midnight. The pulsations consisted of two spectral components, ∼7 mHz (f1, fundamental) and ∼12 mHz (f2, second harmonic). At CRRES, the f1 oscillation was observed in the azimuthal component, Eφ, of the electric field, while the f2 oscillation was observed in the compressional component, Bz, of the magnetic field. At Kakioka, by contrast, both the fundamental and second harmonic oscillations were detected in the horizontal component, H. The spectral separation between Eφ and Bz implies that the spacecraft was located near the node/antinode of cavity mode resonance excited at multiple harmonics. Further support for this interpretation is provided from analyses of the phase of Eφ and Bz.
LAS inhibition of diffusion and uptake of tritiated uridine during teleost embryogenesis

Fathead minnow embryos (Pimephales promelas Rafinesque) of 5 different developmental ages (5, 33, 48, 72 and 96 hrs after fertilization) were used as controls and exposed for 2 hrs to a solution of 0.25 μCi ml−1 of3H-Uridine. Another set of embryos (5, 33, 48, 72 and 96 hrs after fertilization) were subjected to the same treatment except that during the one hour immediately preceding the3H-Uridine incubation, the control embryos were placed in water while the experimental embryos were placed in water containing 15 ppm 11.2 LAS. In both cases, radiation counts minute−1 embryo−1 and per milligram of embryo increased over the 4 day developmental period. The embryos with LAS treatment displayed lower radiation counts at all ages as compared to controls, indicating an inhibition of diffusion and uptake of3H-Uridine and/or RNA synthesis. The possible mechanism of LAS is discussed.
The protective effects of religiousness and parent involvement on the development of conduct problems among youth exposed to violence

This study examined the protective effects of religiousness and parent involvement for the development of conduct problems beyond the effects of risk factors. Measures of violence exposure, conduct problems, parent involvement, and religiousness, from the longitudinal Social and Health Assessment survey, were completed by 1,703 high-risk urban adolescents (12.5 +/- 1.7 years; 53% female). Witnessing of and victimization by community violence appeared to be significant risk factors for an increase in conduct problems over a 1-year period. Religiousness and parental involvement were each uniquely associated with a decrease in conduct problems. Moreover, several dimensions of religiousness moderated the relationship between violence exposure and conduct problems, buffering the negative effects of violence exposure. Implications of these findings for prevention efforts are discussed.
A VLBA movie of the jet launch region in M87

M87 has one of the largest angular size black holes known. It also has a bright jet that is well resolved across the jet near the core using high frequency VLBI. As such it is the best object to observe to study the launch region of jets where the physical sizes of structures of interest scale with the gravitational radius. Modern numerical simulations suggest that the jet formation extends over 100-1000 Rs. M87 has been observed with a resolution of about 60 Rs at 43 GHz with the VLBA every 3 weeks through 2007, and every 5 days between January and April 2008. A preliminary movie, made from the first 11 observations in 2007, shows fast (~2c) and complex motions in an edge brightened structure with a wide opening angle at the base.
Evaluating the risk and attractiveness of romantic partners when confronted with contradictory cues.

Research shows that people engage in “risky” sex with “safe” partners and in “safer” sex with “riskier” partners. How is the determination of “risky” or “safe” status made? Factorial survey methodology was used to randomly construct descriptions of romantic partners based on attractive and/or risky characteristics. Respondents evaluated 20 descriptions for attractiveness, health risk, likelihood of going on a date, likelihood of unprotected sex, and likelihood of STD/HIV infection. Respondents were most attracted to and perceived the least risk from attractive descriptions and were least attracted to and perceived the most risk from the risky descriptions. The differences between the “conflicting information” descriptions are attributable to a primacy effect: descriptions that began with attractiveness information but end with risk information were evaluated more positively than those that began with risk and ended with attractive information.
Casper: A Program for Psychometrics and Factor Analysis:

CASPER is a computer program for modeling psychometrics and factor analysis and was designed for students in tests and measurements courses. Data may be directly entered or simulated. A partial list of analyses include: reliability, correlation, multiple regression, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Various file handling, editing, transformation, and graphing procedures are included.
Diffraction of Waves by a Dielectric Parabolic Cylinder

The exact solution of the diffraction of waves by a dielectric parabolic cylinder is obtained. Results are given in terms of parabolic-cylinder functions. It is found that each expansion coefficient of the scattered or transmitted wave is coupled to all coefficients of the series expansion for the incident wave, even for very thin cylinders. Both polarizations of the incident wave are considered: one with the incident electric vector in the axial direction and the other with the incident magnetic vector in the axial direction. Numerical computations are carried out for the backscattering cross section and the radiation patterns of the scattered wave.
Diagnosis and treatment of upper respiratory tract infections in the primary care setting

Abstract Background: Acute respiratory tract infections such as acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECB), acute otitis media (AOM), and acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (ABRS) account for ∼75% of antibiotic prescriptions written and are among the leading reasons for physician office visits in the United States. Resistance of the predominant pathogens in respiratory tract infections ( Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae , and Moraxella catarrhalis ) to available antibiotics has led clinicians to reevaluate the diagnosis and management of these infections. Objective: The purpose of this review is to provide primary care practitioners with an accessible combined resource for the management of AECB, AOM, and ABRS. Methods: This review was based on discussions from a roundtable meeting (sponsored by an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline) that convened clinicians versed in the management of upper and lower respiratory tract infections. In addition, primary articles were identified by a MEDLINE search and through secondary sources. Results: To reduce the prevalence of resistance, judicious and appropriate use of antibiotics must be implemented in clinical practice. With accurate diagnosis of bacterial and nonbacterial conditions, and patient education on antibiotic use and misuse, the excessive use of antibiotics and ensuing resistance can be reduced. The incorporation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data with minimum inhibitory concentration values can provide a more comprehensive assessment of antibiotic activity in vivo. Stratification of patients with AECB according to patient characteristics and frequency of exacerbation can be used to determine which patients will benefit from antibiotic treatment and to guide clinicians in their choice of antibiotic. The Drug-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae Therapeutic Working Group has issued recommendations on the management of AOM based on prior antibiotic therapy, which is a risk factor for antimicrobial resistance. The Sinus and Allergy Health Partnership guidelines for the treatment of ABRS in adults and children are based on the predicted efficacy of various antibiotics as well as patient age, severity of disease, likelihood of bacterial infection, likelihood of spontaneous resolution, and in vitro susceptibility of the predominant pathogens based on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic breakpoints. Conclusions: Guidelines for the management of AECB, AOM, and ABRS emphasize the importance of differentiating between bacterial and nonbacterial infections, choosing an antibiotic based on the likelihood of infection with resistant pathogens, and providing coverage against the predominant pathogens. The judicious use of antibiotics also has been identified as an instrumental part of controlling unnecessary antibiotic use and subsequent resistance.
CD engagement of critical parameters in chemically amplified resists process and advanced mask lithography using 50keV electron beam

Chemically amplified resist (CAR) is proven to have high resolution of 100 nm on the mask using 50 keV electron beam. Conveniently, PEB temperature, time and dose should be optimized to bring about stable cross-linking, and the process must be controlled to keep up good CD uniformity. CAR resist has intrinsic characteristics that act on temperature or energy differently each other as a chemistry of resist. Moreover, mask processes are reacted very differentially because different material, tool, and environment should be used in the process. In this paper, process and tool parameters are analyzed and optimized to get high performance for 65nm node technology, which can affect on CD and its signatures.
A Grounded Theory of Counseling Students Who Report Problematic Peers

All counselors, including students, are responsible for intervening when a colleague shows signs of impairment. This grounded theory study investigated experiences of 12 counseling students who reported problematic peers. An emergent theory of the peer reporting process is presented, along with implications for counselor educators and suggestions for future research.
Responding to Our Critics : From Crisis to Opportunity in Research on Teacher Education.

This article uses Andrew Abbott's concept of jurisdictional challenge to analyze the current challenges facing university-based teacher educators. The author suggests that teacher educators are dan...
Job Responsibility, Pay and Promotion

How are pay and promotion prospects related to job responsibility? A job entails responsibility to the extent that the value of the job outcome is sensitive to the worker's input of effort. In the author's model, an employer uses termination contracts to elicit effort from workers. The optimal wage increases with responsibility. The author shows that the employer can reduce incentive costs by structuring a job ladder and offering workers a self-enforcing prospect of promotion. In fact, the employers will choose to pay differentiated wages to identical workers in identical jobs, promoting workers from the lower-paying to the higher-paying positions as vacancies occur. Copyright 1997 by Royal Economic Society.
Analysis of discontinuities in double‐negative (DNG) slab waveguides

In this paper, we discuss new physical insights regarding the anomalous dispersion in the double-negative (DNG) waveguide. Base on our analysis, the discontinuity structure of a grounded DNG slab waveguide, sandwiched between two dielectric slab waveguides, is investigated and the physical insights are also presented. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 39: 483–488, 2003
Recent considerations in recurrent cellulitis

Cellulitis is a frequently diagnosed syndrome that causes considerable morbidity. For a subset of patients, recurrent bouts of infection impact their quality of life. Most cases are due to b-hemolytic streptococci or Staphylococcus aureus. Inclusion of interdigital space (toe web) or mucosal (anal) swab cultures may increase the ability to define pathogens among patients with lower extremity cellulitis. The pathogenesis of cellulitis is complex, and more work is needed so that novel therapies and vaccines can be developed to improve treatment and prevention of this disorder.
Method for Determination of Water in Butteroil by Near-Infrared Spectrophotometry

Abstract A double beam near-infrared spectrophotometer has been used to quantitatively measure the amount of water in butteroil. For an analysis, the sample under investigation is dissolved in carbon tetrachloride, split, and one-half of the material dried by addition of calcium hydride. The difference in absorption at 1.9 μ between the moisture-containing portion and the dried portion of the sample is equated with the moisture content of the original sample. By use of this relatively fast and accurate method, it was found that butteroil can be rapidly dried by contact with calcium hydride, anhydrous calcium chloride, and Linde Molecular Sieve 4A. 1 Water could also be removed from butteroil by vacuum drying of thin films of the material. In water-saturated atmospheres butteroil absorbs water at a relatively rapid rate, dependent upon temperature.
Background concentrations of photochemically active trace constituents in the stratosphere and upper troposphere.

High resolution absorption spectroscopy can be used for obtaining very small background concentrations or very low upper limits of trace constituents, particularly from measurements inQ-branches of fundamental vibration-rotation bands. As examples, the results of a search for NH3 and SO2 in the Vermande and Dionne Mont-Louis solar spectra will be reported. The relative concentration of NH3 is very much lower above the Pyrenees than the generally accepted minimum background concentrations near sea-level.
Acts of Activism: Human Rights as Radical Performance

D. Soyini Madison, Acts of Activism: Human Rights as Radical Performance (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), xi + 322 pp. $99.00 (cloth), $79.00 (e-book). Several years ago, I had the op...
Feminine role concepts of young women

A summary of three studies of feminine role concepts is reported. Different samples were used in each study. The findings indicate: (1). Housewives had a discrepancy between their own and their ideal feminine role while graduate students and club women expressed no significant differences. All three groups expressed differences between their own feminine role and their concept of man's ideal feminine role. (2). High school girls and their mothers showed no significant differences between their own and their ideal feminine role concepts. (3). The high school girls with more traditional feminine role self-concepts were significantly less verbal in the classroom.
Direct marketing and the use of individual-level consumer information: Determining how and when “privacy” matters

Abstract The desire to maximize marketing effectiveness and reduce communication costs has increased direct marketers’ reliance on computerized databases, customized persuasion, and other consumer information intensive strategies and tactics (28,54). The belief that the success of marketing efforts is positively related to the amount and specificity of individual-level consumer information (7), however, has raised questions about how far companies should be allowed to go in learning about or attempting to persuade consumers (6,40). In the process, privacy has become widely evoked, but often elusive concept. This article develops a framework for addressing privacy concerns that arise when direct marketers utilize consumer information. It does so by identifying the underlying dimensions of the privacy construct and examining the relationships between those dimensions and direct marketers’ consumer information practices. This approach not only helps identify situations when privacy matters, but suggests productive strategies and tactics for alleviating consumer concerns related to the use of individual-level consumer information.
Preterm infant massage elicits consistent increases in vagal activity and gastric motility that are associated with greater weight gain

Aim: To determine whether preterm infant massage leads to consistent increases in vagal activity and gastric motility and whether these increases are associated with greater weight gain. Methods: EKG and EGG were recorded in 80 preterm infants randomly assigned to a moderate pressure massage therapy group or to a standard care control group to assess vagal activity and gastric motility responses to massage therapy. Results: Massaged infants exhibited consistent short-term increases in vagal activity and gastric motility on both the first and the last days of the 5-day study that were associated with weight gain during the 5-day treatment period. No changes in basal vagal activity or gastric motility were noted across the 5-day treatment period. Conclusion: Preterm infant massage is consistently associated with increases in vagal activity and gastric motility that may underlie the effects of massage therapy on preterm infant weight gain.
Caffeine Use Affects Pregnancy Outcome

ABSTRACT A sample of 750 women were interviewed during pregnancy on their depression and anxiety symptoms, substance use and demographic variables. A subsample was seen again at the neonatal stage (n = 152), and their infants were observed for sleep-wake behavior. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were related to caffeine use. Mothers who consumed more caffeine also smoked more often, were younger, were less educated, reported less sleep effectiveness and more obstetric complications. Their newborns were lower birthweight, they spent less time in REM sleep, and they showed more stress behaviors including hiccups, tremors and jerkiness.
Generalization of a Tailored Approach for Process Optimization

This study describes a general framework for coupling and optimizing multiple models with multiplier-free reduced Hessian successive quadratic programming. This tailored approach enables the use of existing process simulators/models simultaneously with the optimizer, and this leads to efficient solution of process optimization problems. In this paper, a unified strategy is proposed to combine the model information and then decompose the sensitivity matrices that arise from the connections of the streams. With the proposed decomposition approach, the need for storing a large constraint matrix is avoided and individual models that only pass their Newton corrections and sensitivity information are left. The solution avoids problems due to model failure and can save a lot of time because models are not converged at intermediate optimization iterations. The resulting tailored optimization approach is illustrated on the dynamic optimization of a batch reactor/column system selected from Yi and Luyben (Comput. C...
Structure and optical properties of ScN thin films

Abstract More than 100 ScN films ranging from 50 to 1000 nm thickness on quartz, silicon and sapphire substrates were grown by evaporation of Sc in the beam of an atomic nitrogen source and reactive sputtering from a Sc-metal target in a pure nitrogen atmosphere. ScN is the semiconductor. The refractive index in the infrared is n=2.46±0.15 for thin film ScN and the bandgap is 2.26 eV.
Embodied learning across the life span

Developmental psychologists have long recognized the extraordinary influence of action on learning (Held & Hein, 1963; Piaget, 1952). Action experiences begin to shape our perception of the world during infancy (e.g., as infants gain an understanding of others’ goal-directed actions; Woodward, 2009) and these effects persist into adulthood (e.g., as adults learn about complex concepts in the physical sciences; Kontra, Lyons, Fischer, & Beilock, 2012). Theories of embodied cognition provide a structure within which we can investigate the mechanisms underlying action’s impact on thinking and reasoning. We argue that theories of embodiment can shed light on the role of action experience in early learning contexts, and further that these theories hold promise for using action to scaffold learning in more formal educational settings later in development.
Designing Bézier conic segments with monotone curvature

Abstract For some applications of computer-aided geometric design it is important to maintain strictly monotone curvature along a curve segment. Here we analyze the curvature distributions of segments of conic sections represented as rational quadratic Bezier curves in standard form. We show that if the end points and the weight are fixed, then the curvature of the conic segment will be strictly monotone if and only if the other control point lies inside well-defined regions bounded by circular arcs. We also show that if the turning angle of the curve is less than or equal to 90°, then there are always values of the weight that ensure strict monotonicity of the curvature distribution. Furthermore, bounds on such values of the weight are easily computed.
Test, revise, retest: usability testing and library Web sites

ABSTRACT Usability is a field that has drawn considerable attention in recentyears, particularly in the area of the World Wide Web. Usability asks, “Can someone use this product without it being more trouble than it is worth?” This article describes a usability study of the library Web site at the University of Southern California, Norris Medical Library.
Sediment biogeochemistry of iron and sulfur in an acidic lake

Abstract The biogeochemical cycling of Fe and S in the sediments of acidic Big Moose Lake, Adirondack Park, NY, U.S.A., was investigated. Sediment cores and porewater samples were collected along a depth transect from the hypolimnion (24 m water depth), metalimnion (17 m), and epilimion (8, 12 m). Four vertically distinguishable zones in the sediment environment were observed at each site: 1. 1) NO3− disappearance near the sediment/water interface; 2. 2) accumulation of solid-phase Fe in the top 5 cm; 3. 3) coincident accumulation of chromium reducible sulfur (CRS), disappearance of SO4− and minima in C:S and δ34S at or slightly below maxima in oxide-bound Fe; and 4. 4) homogenous background concentrations in S and Fe below 30 and 10 cm, respectively. Iron and sulfur accumulations in the upper 10 cm occurred at the same depths in cores of different ages, indicating that diagenetic rather than depositional processes played a dominant role in determining near-surface Fe and S profiles. Although sediment accumulation rates varied along the transect, the four zones were located at similar depths in the sediment column at all sites. Diagenetic processes play a major role in the development of these features in Big Moose Lake. The extent of Fe enrichment was considerably greater in the metalimnetic and epilimnetic sediments. In contrast, concentrations of Fe were lower in hypolimnetic sediments, which appeared to be losing Fe to the water column. At all sites, increases in total S from a background concentration of 60–80 μmol g−1 of dry mass occurred in sediments dated approximately 1850. More recent increases to 560 μmol Sg−1 occurred asynchronously in the cores, indicating an important role of sulfate reduction in adding S to sediments. However, organic sulfur accumulation accounted for 22–56% of the recent increase in sediment S. Concentrations of iron and organic carbon were high in lake sediments and probably do not limit S storage in this lake.
Microstructures of the oxides on the activated AB2 and AB5 metal hydride alloys surface

The surface oxides of the activated metal hydride alloys used as the negative electrode for nickel–metal hydride battery were studied by both scanning and transmission electron microscope techniques. In transition metal based AB2 metal hydride alloys, the surface of the powder is covered with oxides as a product of oxidation from the electrolyte and protected by zirconium oxide and vanadium-rich BCC-structured secondary phase. In the rare-earth based AB5 and A2B7 metal hydride alloys, the surface is decorated with nano-structured needles and larger-scaled rods of hydroxides from the precipitation of rare earth ions after the oxidation by the electrolyte. Further TEM studies show the existence of a buffer oxide layer sandwiched between the inclusion-embedded surface oxide and alloy bulk in both AB2 and AB5 alloys. In both cases, the inclusions are found to be metallic nanocrystals mainly composed of Ni and Co as determined by electron energy loss spectroscopy, selective area electron diffraction, transmission electron atomic image, and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The Co-to-Ni ratio in the inclusion is larger than that in the bulk due to the less corrosive nature of Co. The additions of Co and Al in the AB2 are found to reduce number of activation cycles needed to generate a surface oxide with proper catalytic capability.
The Parametric Studies of Brain Materials in the Analysis of Head Impact

Crash analysis and head injury biomechanics are very important fields in biomedical research due to the devastating consequences of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Complex geometry and constitutive models of multiple materials can be combined with the loading conditions in finite element head model to study the dynamic behavior of brain and the TBI. In such a modeling, the proper regional material properties of brain tissues are important. Brain tissues material properties have not been finally determined by experiments, and large variations in the test data still exist and the data is very much situation-dependent. Therefore, parametric analysis should be performed to study the relationship between the material properties and the brain response. The main purpose of presenting this paper is to identify the influence of material constitutive properties on brain impact response, to search for an improved material model and to arrive at a better correlation between the finite element model and the cadaver tests data. In this paper a 3-D nonlinear finite element method will be used to study the dynamic response of the human head under dynamic loading. The finite element formulation includes detailed model of the skull, brain, cerebral-spinal fluid (CSF), dura mater, pia mater, falx and tentorium membranes. The brain is modeled as linear viscoelastic material, whereas linear elastic material behavior is assumed for all the other tissue components. The proper contact and compatibility conditions between different components have been implemented in the modeling procedure. The results for the direct frontal impacts will be shown for three groups of material parameters. The parametrical analysis of tissue material models allows to examines the accuracy of three different set of material parameters for brain in a comparison with the prediction of the head dynamic response of Nahum's human cadaver direct impact experiment. Three sets of suggested material parameters are examined. It is concluded that although all three groups of material models will follow the dynamic behavior of the head and brain behavior, but the parametric data considered in this paper have a closer resemblance to the experimental behavior.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Transfer of matching performance in pigeons.

Three pigeons were given extensive training on three-key simultaneous matching problems using geometric-form and hue stimuli. After acquisition of matching, the birds were tested with pairs of stimuli involving one or both novel members. Matching during the test stimuli occurred less often than during the later stages of the acquisition phase, but more often than would occur if no transfer had taken place. Greater positive transfer was observed for problems that involved one, rather than two, novel stimuli. In the second phase of the experiment, previously trained birds were shifted to problems that required symbolic matching, i.e., the pigeons had to associate a particular center-key stimulus with a particular side-key stimulus. On each trial, one of two simuli was presented on the center key, and two other stimuli, different from those used on the center key, were displayed on the side keys. When the problem shift was introduced, correct responding was impaired, but remained considerably above chance level and quickly recovered in following sessions. The results were interpreted as favoring a stimulus-response-chaining account of matching behavior.
Ventromedial prefrontal cortex mediates visual attention during facial emotion recognition.

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is known to play a crucial role in regulating human social and emotional behaviour, yet the precise mechanisms by which it subserves this broad function remain unclear. Whereas previous neuropsychological studies have largely focused on the role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in higher-order deliberative processes related to valuation and decision-making, here we test whether ventromedial prefrontal cortex may also be critical for more basic aspects of orienting attention to socially and emotionally meaningful stimuli. Using eye tracking during a test of facial emotion recognition in a sample of lesion patients, we show that bilateral ventromedial prefrontal cortex damage impairs visual attention to the eye regions of faces, particularly for fearful faces. This finding demonstrates a heretofore unrecognized function of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—the basic attentional process of controlling eye movements to faces expressing emotion.
Phase I study and pharmacokinetics of weekly high-dose 13-cis-retinoic acid.

In an attempt to increase the peak plasma levels of 13- cis -retinoic acid (13- cis -RA) and its efficacy in vivo , a Phase I study and pharmacokinetics of weekly high-dose, oral 13- cis -RA was conducted in 23 cancer patients who were refractory to conventional treatments. At 200 mg/sq m, the mean peak plasma level of 13- cis -RA was 1.5 ± 0.1 (SE) µg/ml; at 400 mg/sq m, the mean peak plasma level increased to 3.8 ± 0.7 µg/ml. Further increases of the 13- cis -RA dose up to 1800 mg/sq m did not lead to proportional increases in either the mean peak plasma levels or area under the curve, indicating a saturable absorption phenomenon. The terminal half-life was highly variable (range, 2.8 to 101.3 h) and was not related to the dose given. A secondary peak plasma concentration was seen in five patients, suggesting enterohepatic circulation. The toxicities such as headache, cheilitis, dry skin, and dry eyes were frequent on the weekly schedule but were not dose-limiting. One patient had an elevation of the triglycerides of 2 to 5 times the upper limit of normal; five patients had an elevation of 1.1 to 2 times normal. No objective responses were observed to treatment with 13- cis -RA. Of 20 patients receiving an adequate trial of the drug, 18 showed progression of their cancer, and two had stable disease.
Lessons in Control: Prenatal Education in the Hospital

As childbirth has become medicalized, a gap has opened between the needs and wishes of the individual woman giving birth and the dictates of the institution where birth occurs, the hospital. One way the medical establishment has sought to reconcile these differences is through prenatal education. Drawing on participant observation of a series of prenatal classes for poor and working-class women at a large urban hospital and interviews with the participants in the program, I argue, however, that the class neglected many of the needs that pregnant women and their partners expressed. Moreover, the class engaged a variety of strategies to socialize women to comply with hospital routines and expectations, even at the expense of their own interests. This process, through which organizational needs are defined as therapeutic needs, was first described by Erving Goffman in Asylums (1961). Using Goffman's “medical service model,” I contend that hospital-based prenatal education is primarily organized and designed to meet not individual, but institutional needs. Rather than empowering women to achieve their own goals in birth, the classes teach women to be compliant with the institutionally determined regimen for labor and delivery. Thus, prenatal education illustrates the growing gap between individual needs and institutional needs in the realm of health care in the U.S., as well as the growing burden placed on individuals to be responsible for their own health regardless of the powerful social configurations that constrain individual choices and experiences.
Entropy, character theory and centrality of finite quasigroups

The paper introduces concepts of entropy and asymptotic entropy for finite quasigroups. A quasigroup is abelian if and only if its entropy is maximal. It is a З-quasigroup if and only if its asymptotic entropy is maximal.
Electron microscopy of degenerative changes in the chick basilar papilla after gentamicin exposure.

We present a sequential study of the substructural alterations in the chick basilar papilla at the earliest signs of hair cell degeneration. Three-day posthatch chicks received a single injection of gentamicin (300 mg/kg) and were killed at 6, 8, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 hours after the injection. The basilar papillae were studied by conventional transmission electron microscopy. Examination was limited to the basal region, where all hair cells are eliminated by this treatment. As early as 8 hours and clearly by 12 hours, altered fine structure was seen in hair cells. Changes included rounding and swelling of the hair cells, condensation of nuclear chromatin, dissolution of ribosomes, dilatation of the mitochondria, and accumulation of inclusion bodies and lysosomes. By 15–18 hours, lysosomes increased and became denser, afferent terminals appeared swollen, and the first cell extrusion was seen. Efferents were unaffected, and supporting cells, though having inclusion bodies now, retained normal intercellular junctions. By 21–24 hours, large regions of complete hair cell loss were composed of expanded supporting cell processes with normal-appearing intercellular junctions and portions of extruded hair cells, partially attached to the supporting cell surface. These observations demonstrate that auditory hair cells undergo a rapid and controlled process of hair cell extrusion that allows preservation of the reticular lamina and minimal contamination of surrounding structures by intracytoplasmic contents of the damaged hair cells. J. Comp. Neurol. 470:164 –180, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Indexing terms: ototoxicity; hearing loss; inner ear; cochlea
Efficiency testing of motors powered from pulse-width modulated adjustable speed drives

This is a report of efficiency testing of an induction motor powered from three different pulse width modulated adjustable speed drives. The motor was operated at a range of speeds and torques, and each drive was operated at the highest, lowest, and an in-between carrier frequency. The motor was a typical NEMA design B motor, and the drives were typical, industrial scalar drives using the default volts/Hz setting. The testing showed that the drive efficiencies remained above 90% until torque was lowered to below 20% of rated torque. Combined motor and drive efficiencies remained above 80% until speeds or horsepower loads were lowered to below 20% of rated torque. The test was performed using a unique data acquisition scheme that permitted acquisition of a large number of torque settings for each speed selection.
Object-oriented design for sparse direct solvers

We discuss the object-oriented design of a software package for solving sparse, symmetric systems of equations (positive definite and indefinite) by direct methods. At the highest layers, we decouple data structure classes from algorithmic classes for flexibility. We describe the important structural and algorithmic classes in our design, and discuss the trade-offs we made for high performance. The kernels at the lower layers were optimized by hand. Our results show no performance loss from our object-oriented design, while providing flexibility, ease of use, and extensibility over solvers using procedural design.
Notes on Love and Photography

OCTOBER 116, Spring 2006, pp. 3–34. © 2006 October Magazine, Ltd. and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Is Roland Barthes dreaming when he writes Camera Lucida? Does he think of his mother every day, or of the mother of whom he dreams every day (he tells us at one point that he only dreams of his mother), or of the mother that he both knew and did not know, saw and did not see, or of the mother that was never herself? Is he haunted by the ruin of all the memories of her that he wished to capture, in the writing of this book, for every day and always? Or by what happens, one day, between photographic technology and the light that helps bring to life a photograph of his mother when she was five years old—a photograph in which he claims to find the truth of the face he loved, and from which he seeks to “derive” all photography? Or
Activities of arginase I and II are limiting for endothelial cell proliferation

Polyamines are essential for cell proliferation; therefore, we hypothesized that arginase I or arginase II activities, via production of ornithine for polyamine synthesis, may be limiting for proli...
The authors of the article cited above respond

We thank Holmes and Buhr for their thoughtful critique of our letter (1). We offer the following comments to help clarify the assumptions used in our model and to assist the reader in critically reviewing both the original letter and Holmes and Buhr’s response. First, with respect to the mathematical model used, we based our piecewise linear precision profile on a precision profile that appeared in an article previously published in Clinical Chemistry (2). The within-run imprecision (CV) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentration pairs we derived from that study produce an SD profile that decreases slightly for cTnI concentrations of 0.05 to 0.14 μg/L. However, over this relatively narrow range of …
A RAPID MICRO BLOOD VOLUME METHOD IN LABORATORY ANIMALS.

SummaryA micro-method of blood volume determination using commercially available I131-human serum albumin has been described. From a single sample of 25 μl of blood withdrawn from a peripheral site, it is possible to obtain total blood volume, plasma volume and hematocrit in not more than 15 minutes. Normal values are presented for these parameters in the mouse, hamster, rat, guinea pig and rabbit. The normal value for total blood volume by this method was 7.0 to 8.3 ml/100 g of body weight in the rat, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit. A value of 13.3 ml/100 g of body weight was found for the mouse. The plasma volume for all the animal species tested was 3.9 to 5.0 ml/100 g of body weight, with the exception of the mouse. The plasma volume found in the mouse was 8.8 ml/100 g of body weight. There was good agreement of these results when compared to the macro-method which requires a minimum of 2 ml of blood.
Maternal intrusiveness in infancy and child maladaptation in early school years

Using longitudinal data, a subsample of 37 high-risk children whose mothers were observed to be intrusive in their interactions with their 6-month-old infants in feeding and play situations were compared to 145 children from the same environmental risk sample. The children of mothers judged to be intrusive were doing poorly academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally in first and second grades. The findings were robust even after covarying out the effects of a maternal social/affective interaction factor, IQ, and stressful life events experienced by the family. The relation between an intrusive style of caretaking in infancy and child maladaptation in the early school years is viewed as support for a mutual regulation model of social engagement.
Computational fluid dynamics of ventricular ejection on the CRAY Y-MP

Computational fluid dynamics was used to model the effects of left ventricular geometry on intraventricular pressure gradients. The Navier-Stokes equations were solved on the CRAY Y-MP supercomputer using finite element analysis. The Fluid Dynamics Analysis Package (FIDAP) and custom made software simulated unsteady-ventricular ejection. A FORTRAN code was developed to process digitized ejection velocity data, left ventricular volume, long to short axis ratio, and aortic ring area, and to create FIDAP source files which model the ejecting chamber, including initial and boundary conditions representing wall velocities and accelerations. The model was used to simulate different left ventricular geometries under normal and pathologic conditions. Simulations showed that eccentric chamber shapes require higher pressure gradients than spherical, and convective acceleration effects are intensified with outflow orifice stenosis. >
Two crystal forms of helix II of Xenopus laevis 5S rRNA with a cytosine bulge.

The crystal structure of r(GCCACCCUG).r(CAGGGUCGGC), helix II of the Xenopus laevis 5S rRNA with a cytosine bulge (underlined), has been determined in two forms at 2.2 A (Form I, space group P4(2)2(1)2, a = b = 57.15 A and c = 43.54 A) and 1.7 A (Form II, space group P4(3)2(1)2, a = b = 32.78 A and c = 102.5 A). The helical regions of the nonamers are found in the standard A-RNA conformations and the two forms have an RMS deviation of 0.75 A. However, the cytosine bulge adopts two significantly different conformations with an RMS deviation of 3.9 A. In Form I, the cytosine bulge forms an intermolecular C+*G.C triple in the major groove of a symmetry-related duplex with intermolecular hydrogen bonds between N4C and O6G, and between protonated N3+C and N7G. In contrast, a minor groove C*G.C triple is formed in Form II with intermolecular hydrogen bonds between O2C and N2G, and between N3C and N3G with a water bridge. A partial major groove opening was observed in Form I structure at the bulge site. Two Ca2+ ions were found in Form I helix whereas there were none in Form II. The structural comparison of these two forms indicates that bulged residues can adopt a variety of conformations with little perturbation to the global helix structure. This suggests that bulged residues could function as flexible latches in bridging double helical motifs and facilitate the folding of large RNA molecules.
Finnish Bottlenecks Enrich Risk-Conferring Deletion of TOP3β

Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA, and Program in Medical and Population Genetics and Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. E-mail: bneale{at}broadinstitute.org The
A Basis for Orbital Symmetry Rules

The influence of molecular symmetry on reaction rates is examined with an approach in which reactions are viewed as electronic transitions between states of reacants and products (described, in turn by quasiadiabatic potential surface). The moleculer Hamiltonian is used to derive selection rules for these transitions. The complete Hamilatonian has no useful symmetery. Neglect of non-Born-Oppenheimer and spin-orbit terms (and of other angular momentum coupling terms) leads to an apporixmate Hamiltonian and to selection rules which from the basis of the Woodward-Hoffmann rules. This apporch provides an alternative to the adiabatic potantial surfaces, reaction coordinates, and transition state theory used in more familiar discussions of the Woodward-Hoffmann rules. Further, it provides a particulary clear method for discussing violations of these symmetry rules, and for differentiating concerted and nonconcerted reactions.