cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laryngeal Desiccation Challenge and Nebulized Isotonic Saline in Healthy Male Singers and Nonsingers: Effects on Acoustic, Aerodynamic, and Self-Perceived Effort and Dryness Measures.

Summary Objectives This study examined the effects of a laryngeal desiccation challenge and nebulized isotonic saline on voice production in young, healthy male singers and nonsingers. Study design This is a prospective, double-blind, within-subjects experimental design. Methods Participants included 10 male university-trained singers and 10 age-matched nonsingers (mean age, 21.8 years; range, 18–26 years) who underwent a 30-minute oral breathing laryngeal desiccation challenge using medical grade dry air ( + Cl − ); order of administration was counterbalanced. Phonation threshold pressure (PTP), the cepstral spectral index of dysphonia (CSID) for sustained vowels and connected speech, and self-perceived vocal effort, mouth dryness, and throat dryness were measured at each recording (baseline, after challenge, and at 5, 35, and 65 minutes after treatment). Results Self-perceived effort and dryness measures increased (worsened) after desiccation challenge and decreased (improved) after nebulized treatment ( P Conclusions Young, vocally healthy men may not experience physiologic changes in voice production associated with laryngeal desiccation and nebulized saline treatments; however, self-reported increases in vocal effort which are associated with dryness symptoms might improve with nebulized treatments. Future hydration research should consider age and sex variables.
AN OPEN TRIAL OF EMOTION REGULATION THERAPY FOR GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AND COOCCURRING DEPRESSION

BACKGROUND: Although CBT is efficacious for a wide variety of psychiatric conditions, relatively fewer GAD patients achieve high endstate functioning as compared to patients receiving CBTs for other disorders. Moreover, GAD trials that utilized patient samples without prominent depression have tended to report that effect sizes for depressive outcomes were small or diminished to pretreatment levels in the follow-up period. Emotion regulation therapy (ERT) integrates principles from traditional and contemporary cognitive behavioral treatments with basic and translational findings from affect science to offer a blueprint for improving intervention by focusing on motivational, regulatory, and contextual learning mechanisms. METHOD: The purpose of this investigation was to provide initial support for the efficacy of ERT in an open trial of patients with GAD and cooccurring depressive symptoms. Twenty-one patients received a 20-session version of ERT delivered in weekly individual sessions. Standardized clinician ratings and self-report measures were assessed at pre-, mid-, and posttreatment as well as at three- and nine-month follow-ups. Intent-to-treat analyzes were utilized. RESULTS: GAD patients, half with comorbid major depression, evidenced statistically, and clinically meaningful improvements in symptom severity, impairment, quality of life, and in model-related outcomes including emotional/motivational intensity, mindful attending/acceptance, decentering, and cognitive reappraisal. Patients maintained gains across the three and nine month follow-up periods. CONCLUSIONS: These findings, although preliminary, provide additional evidence for the role of emotion dysregulation in the onset, maintenance, and now treatment of conditions such as GAD and cooccurring depressive symptoms. Language: en
Developing analytical approaches to explore the connection between endocrine-active pharmaceuticals in water to effects in fish

The emphasis of this research project was to develop and optimize a solid-phase extraction method and high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry method, such that a linkage between the detection of endocrine-active pharmaceuticals (EAPs) in the aquatic environment and subsequent effects on fish populations could eventually be studied. Four EAPs were studied: tamoxifen (TAM), exemestane (EXE), letrozole (LET), anastrozole (ANA); and three TAM metabolites: 4-hydroxytamoxifen, e/z endoxifen, and n-desmethyl tamoxifen. In aqueous matrices, the use of isotopically labeled standards for the EAPs allowed for the generation of good recoveries, greater than 80 %, and low relative standard deviations (% RSDs) (3 to 27 %). TAM metabolites had lower recoveries in the spiked water matrices: 35 to 93 % in waste/source water compared to 58 to 110 % in DI water. The precision in DI water was acceptable ranging from 8 to 38 % RSD. However, the precision in real environmental wastewaters could be poor, ranging from 15 to 120 % RSD, dependent upon unique matrix effects. In plasma, the overall recoveries of the EAPs were acceptable: 88 to 110 %, with %RSDs of 6 to 18 % (Table 3). The spiked recoveries of the TAM metabolites from plasma were good, ranging from 77 to 120 %, with %RSDs ranging from 27 to 32 %. Two of the TAM metabolites, 4-hydroxytamoxifen and n-desmethyl tamoxifen, were confirmed in most of the environmental aqueous samples. The discovery of TAM metabolites demonstrates that the source of the TAM metabolites, TAM, is constant, introducing a pseudo-persistence of this chemical into the environment.
Intrinsic Regression Models for Manifold-Valued Data

In medical imaging analysis and computer vision, there is a growing interest in analyzing various manifold-valued data including 3D rotations, planar shapes, oriented or directed directions, the Grassmann manifold, deformation field, symmetric positive definite (SPD) matrices and medial shape representations (m-rep) of subcortical structures. Particularly, the scientific interests of most population studies focus on establishing the associations between a set of covariates (e.g., diagnostic status, age, and gender) and manifold-valued data for characterizing brain structure and shape differences, thus requiring a regression modeling framework for manifold-valued data. The aim of this paper is to develop an intrinsic regression model for the analysis of manifold-valued data as responses in a Riemannian manifold and their association with a set of covariates, such as age and gender, in Euclidean space. Because manifold-valued data do not form a vector space, directly applying classical multivariate regression may be inadequate in establishing the relationship between manifold-valued data and covariates of interest, such as age and gender, in real applications. Our intrinsic regression model, which is a semiparametric model, uses a link function to map from the Euclidean space of covariates to the Riemannian manifold of manifold data. We develop an estimation procedure to calculate an intrinsic least square estimator and establish its limiting distribution. We develop score statistics to test linear hypotheses on unknown parameters. We apply our methods to the detection of the difference in the morphological changes of the left and right hippocampi between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls using medial shape description.
An Introduction to Hydrogen in Alloys

Substitutional alloys, both those that form hydrides and those that do not, are discussed, but with more emphasis on the former than the latter. This overview includes the following closely related subjects: 1) the significant effects of substitutional solutes on the pressure-composition-temperature (PCT) equilibria of metal-hydrogen systems, 2) the changes in thermodynamic properties resulting from differences in atom size and from modifications of electronic structure, 3) attractive and repulsive interactions between H and solute atoms and the effects of such interactions on the pressure dependent solubility for H, 4) “H trapping” in alloys of Group V metals and its effect on the terminal solubility for H (TSH), 5) some other mechanisms invoked to explain the enhancement (due to alloying) of the (TSH) in Group V metals, and 6) “H-impurity complexes” in alloys of the metals Ni, Co, and Fe. Some results showing that an enhanced TSH may ameliorate the resistance of a metal to hydrogen embrittlement are presented. Recent studies of resistivity and of elastic constants are summarized as just two examples of the important effects that interstitial hydrogen can have on the properties of metals and their alloys. Finally, a potential hydrogen storage material, ZrNi, is considered. From empirical rules, predictions are made regarding both the particular sites that can be occupied by hydrogen in this intermetallic compound and the resultant stoichiometries.
Social Cognitive Variables as Correlates of Physical Activity in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis: Findings from a Longitudinal, Observational Study

There is a lack of data regarding the associations among changes in social cognitive variables and physical activity over time in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). To that end, the current study adopted a panel design and analysis for examining hypothesized relationships among changes in social cognitive variables and physical activity over time in persons with MS, and this is necessary for designing effective behavioral interventions. On two occasions separated by an 18-month period, persons (N = 218) with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), who were initially recruited by telephone for a cross-sectional study, completed a battery of questionnaires that assessed social cognitive variables and physical activity. Those study materials were delivered and returned via the United State Postal Service. The 18-month changes in self-efficacy (path coefficient = .25, p < .01) and goal setting (path coefficient = .26, p < .01) had direct effects on residual change in physical activity. The change in self-efficacy f...
Lithium and the kidney: an updated review.

Despite the availability of alternative agents, lithium continues to be the standard against which all mood stabilisers, prescribed for acute and maintenance treatment of bipolar (and, to a lesser extent, unipolar) mood disorders, are compared. As a medication often used on a maintenance basis for a lifelong disorder, the potential for lithium to cause long term organ toxicity has generated appropriate concern. Foremost among these concerns are its renal effects. Lithium adversely affects renal tubular function, causing polyuria secondary to a deficit in urine concentrating ability. This effect is probably progressive for the first decade of lithium therapy, i.e. it correlates with duration of lithium therapy. Although this effect of lithium is probably functional and reversible early in treatment, it may become structural and irreversible over time. In contrast, the effect of lithium on glomerular function is not progressive. Conclusions in this area are hampered by the evidence that patients with psychiatric disorders who are not receiving lithium also show defects in certain aspects of renal function. Despite the generally sanguine data on glomerular function, a very small group of patients may develop renal insufficiency due to lithium (possibly in conjunction with other somatic factors) in the form of interstitial nephritis. However, for the vast majority of patients, the renal effects of lithium are benign. Current strategies for minimising the renal effects of lithium include: (i) assiduously avoiding episodes of renal toxicity; (ii) monitoring serum lithium concentrations in order to achieve optimal efficacy at the lowest possible concentration; (iii) monitoring serum creatinine levels on a yearly basis, getting further medical evaluation when the serum creatinine level consistently rises above 140 mmol/L (1.6 mg/dl); and (iv) possibly administering lithium once a day.
The Hypnotic Induction Profile and hypnotic susceptibility.

Abstract The Hypnotic Induction Profile (Spiegel & Bridger, 1970) and the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (Shor & E. Orne, 1962) were compared using 47 nursing students. A significant positive relationship between these 2 scales was found. The eye-roll, which is the ability to roll one's eyes upward and slowly close the lids, was also compared to the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility and found not to be related. These results suggest the possibility of using the Hypnotic Induction Profile, which takes only 5 to 10 min. to perform, for rapid screening of experimental Ss and possibly of patients.
Robust image modeling for classification of surface defects on wood boards

The classification of surface defects on wood boards using random field models is presented. The gray levels of images of wood boards are assumed to be governed by causal autoregressive models. The parameters of the model equations are used to form a feature vector that characterizes the board images. These parameters are estimated by two robust algorithms: an algorithm that combines the data cleaning procedure and the two-dimensional M-estimation method, and an algorithm based on the two-dimensional generalized M-estimation method. The estimated parameters are used in the classification of sample boards into the nine classes: eight types of surface defect, and clear wood (no defects). The construction of the hierarchical tree classifiers is described. The experimental testing of the constructed classifiers is described. The accuracy of the classification is discussed. >
Negative dielectrophoretic capture and repulsion of single cells at a bipolar electrode: the impact of faradaic ion enrichment and depletion.

This paper describes the dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces generated by a bipolar electrode (BPE) in a microfluidic device and elucidates the impact of faradaic ion enrichment and depletion (FIE and FID) on electric field gradients. DEP technologies for manipulating biological cells provide several distinct advantages over other cell-handling techniques including label-free selectivity, inexpensive device components, and amenability to single-cell and array-based applications. However, extension to the array format is nontrivial, and DEP forces are notoriously short-range, limiting device dimensions and throughput. BPEs present an attractive option for DEP because of the ease with which they can be arrayed. Here, we present experimental results demonstrating both negative DEP (nDEP) attraction and repulsion of B-cells from each a BPE cathode and anode. The direction of nDEP force in each case was determined by whether the conditions for FIE or FID were chosen in the experimental design. We conclude that FIE ...
Skin-selective lymphocyte homing mechanisms in the pathogenesis of leukemic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

The concept of skin-associated lymphoid tissue embraces those cells and functions that are integrated in the cutaneous host defense. Recently, it has been possible to identify those circulating T-cells that are skin associated. These cells display the cell-surface phenotype of memory T cells (CD45RO+) and express the cutaneous lymphocyte antigen, a tissue-selective homing receptor involved in directing T-cell traffic to inflamed skin. To investigate the participation of this skin-associated T-cell subset in the pathogenesis of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, we studied 16 patients with erythrodermic cutaneous T-ceIl lymphoma for the presence of these surface proteins on circulating cells. Results were compared with eight patients in remission and eight with minimal patch-plaque cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The mean expression of both CD45RO and cutaneous lymphocyte antigen were significantly greater in the erythrodermic patients than in the other two patient groups. Expression of these markers was shown to be on the cells of the malignant clone by two-color flow cytometry. These results demonstrate that the malignant cells of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma express the markers of skin homing lymphocytes and that their levels are increased in the erythrodermic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients. Moreover, the findings suggest a critical role for the skin-selective homing receptor cutaneous lymphocyte antigen in the pathogenesis of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Expediting factor-type fast finite field transform algorithms

Schemes are developed whereby the number of arithmetic operations needed in a fast finite field transform employing factor-type algorithms are decreased by using a chord property of the intermediate variables. Noticeable improvements in both the Good and the Cooley-Tukey forms of fast algorithms are possible. A proof of the limited chord properties of the intermediate variable is included, and several numerical examples for comparison purposes are given.
Naw Bahar District 2010–11: A case study of counterinsurgency Conducted by Naval Special Warfare in Afghanistan

This article provides a critical analysis of counterinsurgency in Afghanistan at the tactical level. The efforts of several Naval Special Warfare detachments deployed to Naw Bahar district in Zabul Province, Afghanistan are examined in detail to identify key successes and failures in planning and execution. It defines the operating environment in which the detachments worked and identifies the goals and outcomes of the first and second phases of the counterinsurgency effort. The article concludes by placing the tactical effort in the context of the overall strategy in Afghanistan and suggests that time is the limiting factor to success.
Rethinking the synthesis of buses, data mapping, and memory allocation for MPSoC

Heterogeneous multiprocessors are emerging as the dominant implementation approach to embedded multiprocessor systems. In addition to having processing elements suited to the target applications, these systems will also have custom memory and bus architectures. Because of performance and cost constraints, these systems must be carefully designed to balance system partitioning and resource sharing. The sheer size of the design space requires that tools be able to do this balancing. We have developed an augmented simulated annealing synthesis tool that uses system performance and layout evaluation to drive simultaneous data mapping, memory allocation and bus synthesis. Exploring these optimizations at the same time, our approach reverses traditional techniques and determines bus topology first rather than last, thereby exposing a larger design space and taking advantage of cost-saving resource sharing unavailable to previous approaches that allocate memories first. This results in 20% cost reduction for high-performance designs as well as 27% for low-cost designs in comparison with an approach that performs memory allocation and data mapping separately from bus synthesis.
Parkes revisited: On rigid-plastic and elastic-plastic dynamic structural analysis

Abstract In this paper we re-examine a classical problem of rigid-plastic structural dynamics solved by Parkes [1], namely that of finding the deformations of a beam carrying a mass at its tip which is subjected to a short pulse loading. A considerable body of “elementary rigid-plastic theory” has been developed based on the neglect of elastic strain components, the idealization of perfectly plastic behavior (absence of strain hardening or strain rate sensitivity), and the assumption of linear field equations ignoring effects of geometry changes. This theory provides a valuable conceptual framework for problems of dynamic plastic structural response, although corrections are required for many practical applications; for example, Parkes introduced a correction for effects of high strain rates shown to be needed by his experiments on steel beams. The neglect of elastic strains — elastic moduli taken infinite — is a crucial assumption, and its validity is the subject of the present paper. We study it by making comparison between “exact” numerical solutions furnished by an advanced finite element computer program for an elastic-plastic beam, and the rigid-plastic solution slightly modified to allow for large deflections. Further insight is gained by comparisons also with a simplified elastic-plastic approach based on treatment of elastic and plastic action in artificially separated stages. The main conclusions are that the initial travelling-hinge phase of the rigid-plastic solution is essentially a fiction, but that the subsequent mode form phase is a prominent and significant feature of the late-time part of the “actual” elastic-plastic response.
Surface modification and evaluation of some commonly used catheter materials. I. Surface properties

Double catheter systems consisting of a stiff outer catheter and a flexible, buoyant, flow-directed, inner catheter which is often balloon-tipped have been employed with increasing frequency recently in both therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. Their use, however, has been restricted because of the excessive friction generated between the two catheters. In an attempt to decrease friction between polymers commonly used as catheter materials, oxidation of polyethylene, fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer, poly(vinyl chloride), silicone rubber, and polystyrene surfaces was induced by exposing the polymers to radio frequency glow discharge (RFGD) in a helium environment. All polymers were surface characterized utilizing x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and contact angle measurements before and after oxidation. This article describes the materials and methods used to fabricate and characterize the polymer surfaces and the results of the characterization. The results indicate that increases in oxygen concentration at the surface of the polymers and decreases in air-water contact angles occur with increased RFGD exposure time. Plateau values were usually obtained after 5-30 s exposure time, yet no apparent changes in surface topography were noted by scanning electron microscopy. The hydrophilic surfaces produced were stable for up to three months storage time in air.
CTLA-4 downregulates epitope spreading and mediates remission in relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Abstract During the progression of relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (R-EAE), in SJL mice, disease relapses are mediated by T cells specific for non-cross-reactive myelin epitopes, a process termed ‘epitope spreading’. CTLA-4, a negative regulator of T cell function modulates R-EAE, in that CTLA-4 blockade exacerbates clinical R-EAE. Herein, we show that CTLA-4-mediated signaling negatively regulates the dynamic spread of autoreactive T cell responses during the course of autoimmune disease. Anti-CTLA-4 mAb, administration at various points during the progression of R-EAE exacerbated subsequent clinical disease and enhanced T cell reactivity to both inducing and relapse-associated epitopes. In addition, CTLA-4 blockade during acute disease inhibited clinical remission. Thus, CTLA-4-mediated events are critical for intrinsic regulation of epitope spreading during autoimmune disease.
Motion of a Ball Wheel Based Omnidirectional Platform Over Uneven Terrain

Recent work by the present authors has presented a redundant, reconfigurable ball wheel mechanism, and the motion of an associated omnidirectional platform was simulated on flat terrain (Lee et al., 2007). The outdoor environment usually contains uneven terrain, and in this article, motion of an omnidirectional-wheeled mobile platform based on three ball wheel drive mechanisms is studied when the platform moves on uneven terrain that is modeled as a smooth surface. A critical issue that arises for uneven terrain is that the point of contact of the wheel and the terrain is changing. This introduces three more degrees of freedom, which cannot be directly controlled and should also be considered in uneven terrain motion. Herein, Euler-Rodrigues parameters are used to derive the necessary transformations, and Montana's contact equations with the geometric parameters of the terrain are used for tracing the contact point. Simulation results are then presented for motion on flat terrain and both concave and convex spherically shaped terrain. The results clearly show the effectiveness of the proposed method, which can accommodate other more complex terrains provided that the surface configuration is given in an orthogonal coordinate chart.
Effects of pH on the binding of hematoporphyrin derivative to monolayer and bilayer membranes

Abstract The effects of pH on the binding of hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD) to monolayer and bilayer membranes have been studied. Absorption spectra of HpD bound to phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes indicate that there is greater binding of HpD to lipid films at acidic, tumorcidal pH conditions than at normal tissue pH. These results were found to correlate with surface pressure measurements of monolayer films formed under similar conditions. Surface potential measurements in conjunction with surface pressure measurements from monolayer films suggest that at low pH (i.e. ≤ 6.6) porphyrin intercalates within the lipid film to reach relatively high concentrations, while at higher pH (i.e. ≥ 7.4) the porphyrin preferably adsorbs to the lipid film at the monolayer/water interface.
Inhibition of oxygen utilization by substances in combination.

Measurement of concentrations at which substances in combination become toxic is complex, especially if quantitative definition of additive, antagonistic or synergistric toxicity is desired. Using inhibition of oxygen utilized by aerobic micro-organisms in their metabolism of a standard substrate, seven chemicals were tested singly and in eight combinations for their graded toxic effects. In two of the experimental investigations the combined effects of three chemicals were determined. By comparing summations of the measured effects of the chemicals tested singly with similar results from testing the toxicity of actual combinations of the chemicals in solution it was found that the actual inhibitions of the oxygen utilization were essentially the same as predicted inhibitions over a range of aqueous concentrations. Statistical analysis of all combinations tested indicated the effects to be addivtive. Neither synergism nor antagonism was shown. the pure compounds tested were: mercuric chloride, potassium cyanide, nickel chloride, potassium chromate, copper sulfate, phenol and nitrobenzene. Although the toxicity of each chemical has been quite extensively studied, results regarding combined effects are relatively few. The methods presented here are applicable to many compounds in combination.
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction: burden and prevalence.

Abstract Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is common in asthma patients as well as athletes. This article provides an overview of the prevalence and impact on quality of life (QoL) of EIB based on an analysis review of selected literature. The term EIB is preferred to exercise-induced asthma because EIB does not cause asthma, and asthma is not a prerequisite to have EIB. EIB is extremely common in asthma patients and is reported in most asthma patients. Several factors may increase the prevalence of EIB including severity of asthma, family history of asthma, atopy, respiratory infections, and urbanization. Some studies also suggest EIB is more common in girls than boys and in younger-age children. EIB also occurs in athletes, even without asthma. The prevalence of EIB varies among sports with some of the highest rates observed in Nordic combined, cross-country, and short track Winter Olympic athletes. Environmental factors may have a role in EIB including chlorine in swimmers and particulate matter exposure from fossil-fueled ice resurfacing machines in ice arena athletes. Accumulating evidence indicates that the burden of EIB impairs QoL. EIB is a common condition in asthma patients and athletes and adversely affects the QoL and the ability to participate in sports.
A Small Act of Creativity: Fostering Creativity in Clinical Social Work Practice:

A naturalistic view of creativity, as developed in scientific circles by those who adhere to quantum theory and chaos theory, suggests that the human mind is naturally creative and is made to creat...
Nitriloxide, XV. Zur Kenntnis der thermischen Umlagerung von Nitriloxiden in Isocyanate

Die Nitriloxid/Isocyanat-Isomerisierung (1→2) verlauft unter vollstandiger Erhaltung der optischen Asymmetrie und der stereochemischen Konfiguration, wie an der Umlagerung von (-)-2-Methyl-2-phenyl-butyronitriloxid (11) sowie an Camphenilan- und endo-2-Methyl-norbornyl-exo-2-nitriloxid (14 bzw. 15, X = CNO) gezeigt wird. Die Reaktion ist ferner strikt intramolekular, wie das Fehlen von cross-over-Produkten bei der gleichzeitigen Isomerisierung eines deuterierten (31) und eines mit 13C markierten Benzonitriloxids (32) beweist. Die Bedeutung dieser und andere Ergebnisse fur einen moglichen Mechanismus der Umlagerung wird diskutiert.
Implementation of an Evidence-Based Weight Loss Intervention Among Low-Income, Overweight Women

Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program Obesity is epidemic in the United States and is considered a national health threat and public health challenge. Although obesity prevalence among all Americans has increased, data from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System demonstrate that there are disparities among racial and ethnic groups, gender, and the less educated. The number of obese minority women is disproportionally high with 41.9% of non-Hispanic Black women and 30.8% of Hispanic women reported as obese in 2009. More women than men age 20 to 59 years have class II and class III obesity. Female-specific health risks associated with obesity include breast and endometrial cancer, prenatal complications, and infertility. As primary care providers, advanced practice nurses should prescribe weight loss in a manner that is effective and lasting in the population served.
City and suburb: Urban models with more than one employment center

Abstract Using a transportation system with a dense network of circular streets, this paper provides complete solutions to two urban models with a discrete suburban employment center as well as a central business district. In many cases, particularly when suburban workers have higher incomes than city workers, the suburban residential zone in these models takes the shape of a heart. These models reveal the impact of a new suburban worksite on a metropolitan housing market and show how changes in suburban income alter an urban area's spatial structure.
A longitudinal test of the attributional vulnerability model in children at risk for depression

The attributional vulnerability model of depression has rarely been tested in prospective designs, or as an interaction of stressful events and cognitions, or with depression as a specific response outcome. Moreover, the model has rarely been applied to children. All these issues were addressed in this study of prediction of diagnoses during a six-month follow-up for a sample of children that included offspring of women with affective disorders presumed to be at high risk for depression. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses failed to support the attributional hypotheses: depression was best predicted by initial symptoms and by life stress but not by attributions for negative outcomes or the interaction of attributions and life-events. Non-affective diagnoses, on the other hand, were predicted by an interaction of life-events and attributions. The results suggest limitations in the range of application of the attributional model in clinical samples, at least with children and adolescents at risk.
Economic analysis requirements in support of orbital debris regulatory policy

As the number of Earth orbiting objects increases so does the potential for generating orbital debris with the consequent increase in the likelihood of impacting and damaging operating satellites. Various debris remediation approaches are being considered that encompass both in-orbit and return-to-Earth schema and have varying degrees of operations, cost, international competitiveness, and safety implications. Because of the diversity of issues, concerns and long-term impacts, there is a clear need for the setting of government policies that will lead to an orderly abatement of the potential orbital debris hazards. These policies may require the establishment of a supportive regulatory regime. The Department of Transportation is likely to have regulatory responsibilities relating to orbital debris stemming from its charge to protect the public health and safety, safety of property, and national security interests and foreign policy interests of the United States. This paper describes DOT's potential regulatory role relating to orbital debris remediation, the myriad of issues concerning the need for establishing government policies relating to orbital debris remediation and their regulatory implications, the proposed technological solutions and their economic and safety implications. Particular emphasis is placed upon addressing cost-effectiveness and economic analyses as they relate to economic impact analysis in support of regulatory impact analysis.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Molecular relaxation phenomena during accelerated weathering of a polyurethane coating

Results from a polyester-urethane (PU) coating system under accelerated weathering showed that crosslink density, obtained from high-temperature modulus data, diminished due to chain scission. However, T g and room-temperature tensile modulus both increased with weathering. Molecular relaxation phenomena in polymers have long been investigated to explore changes occurring in a polymer at temperatures below its glass transition and were explored for an explanation to supplement chemical degradation for these observations. Relaxation was quantified using “enthalpy recovery” which first increased with exposure, then diminished. The concurrent physical and chemical aging effects were characterized by tracking nonexponentiality in the spectrum of relaxation times, and the size of “co-operatively relaxing regions” deduced from relaxation around the glass transition. Mechanical relaxation in this coating extended longer than cycle periods typical of accelerated weathering, suggesting that frequency effects might be important when comparing accelerated to natural weathering.
Cementing Class Differences: Globalization in Peru

Abstract Critics of globalization address how international trade creates inequality and induces class differences in the international global system. Reflecting these thoughts, this paper examines the effects of economic globalization, international trade, and neoliberal-oriented economic policies on cementing class differences in Peru. Through a qualitative assessment of various international trade agreements, Peru’s membership in the regional trade bloc, and the continuing flow of foreign investment into Peru’s textile and natural resource industries, I determine that the so-called “benefits” of economic globalization have yet to reach the Peruvian socio-economic minority and have instead helped in maintaining the class differences in this South American state.
The Encyclopedia of Bioethics

Published in its first edition in 1978, the Encyclopedia of Bioethics already deserves landmark status for several reasons including uniqueness of concept, overall quality and broad appeal. Previous articles in this column have traced the historical development of longstanding reference classics. Because the Encyclopedia is a relatively young tool, the substance of this review will depart somewhat from other essays in the series by focusing more on the content, organization and scope of the work rather than its evolution.
Challenges and Advances in Nanotoxicology.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials examines the potential for engineered nanomaterials to negatively impact biological systems and highlights some advances in evaluating key areas of their hazard potential. Nanomaterial science is evolving rapidly with the generation of more complex nanostructures with exciting potential applications. Keeping modern toxicology abreast of this innovation to the point that it guides a safer nanotechnology presents an equally exciting and eminently worthwhile challenge. [...]
Developing a management information system for a hospital: a case study on vendor selection

This study examines the decision-making process that a medium-sized hospital took to develop a management information system. Since system developers in this particular hospital were all users without system expertise, a substantial amount of time was devoted to their search for relevant information. Outside consulting, literature review, and a market survey were conducted for the developers to understand the characteristics of systems products on the market. Developers also invited extended user participation in vendor evaluation. The authors analyzed the reasoning process behind the successful selection of a vendor-supported information system. The findings provide hospitals of similar characteristics a decision model to follow in their search for a vendor-supported information system.
Effect of various chemicals on the metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene by cultured rat colon.

Abstract The effect of various co- and anti-carcinogens of colon carcinogenesis on the metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene (BP) in cultured rat colon is reported. Rat colon enzymatically converted BP into metabolites which bind to cellular macromolecules i.e., DNA and protein. Activity of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity and binding levels of BP to macromolecules were higher in the descending colon when compared to other segments. The major metabolites of BP, extractable with ethylacetate, were quinones, tetrols, 7,8-diol and a peak containing 9,10-dihydroxy-9,10-dihydrobenzo(a)pyrene and 7,8,9-trihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo(a)pyrene. The binding levels of BP to DNA and protein in the explant was lowered by co-incubation with 7,8-benzoflavone (7,8-BF) (3.6 and 18.0 μM), a known inhibitor of AHH, and with disulfiram (100 μM), an anti-oxidant. The absence of vitamin A in the media also resulted in a lower level of BP binding to DNA and protein and in lower activity of AHH. Pretreatment with known inducers of AHH such as phenobarbital (PB) or benz(a)anthracene (BA), did not have any significant effect on the binding levels of BP to DNA or on the AHH activity. of the bile acids investigated only taurodeoxycholic acid significantly increased the binding level of BP to DNA.
Thermally Stimulated Current Measurement of Traps in Detector-Grade CdTe

Thermally stimulated current (TSC) has been measured in ? detector-grade, high resistivity CdTe:In and CdTe:In,Cl. Electron mobility-trapping time products, ??+, measured at room temperature correlate strongly with the shape and magnitude of a prominent TSC band observed at 40 K. This correlation is used as the basis for a simple method of selecting samples appropriate for detector applications.
Zyflamend, a Combination of Herbal Extracts, Attenuates Tumor Growth in Murine Xenograft Models of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PrC) is the second deadliest cancer of males in the United States Hormone deprivation therapy (HDT), a common therapy for advanced forms of the disease, results in tumor regression; unfortunately, tumors inevitably become castrate-resistant. Diet is not an appropriate primary therapy for refractory forms of the disease; however, diet may be effective as an adjuvant to HDT, potentially extending the latency period and delaying relapse and/or inhibiting refractory growth. Zyflamend® is a combination of extracts from multiple herbs, each with reported anticancer properties. Zyflamend can inhibit growth of various PrC cell lines, but no studies have investigated its potential use in vivo using a model of castrate-resistant PrC. In this study, oral doses of Zyflamend at human equivalent doses inhibited androgen-dependent and castrate-resistant tumor growth in a mouse model that mimics advanced stages of the disease, and reduced the expression of a number of biomarkers linked to PrC progression including pAKT, prostate specific antigen, histone deacetylases, and androgen receptor. In summary, this is the first article to report that Zyflamend, when provided at human equivalent doses, can potentiate the effects of hormone deprivation on tumor regression and growth inhibition of androgen-dependent and castrate-resistant PrC tumors in vivo.
Observer based online current offset compensation method for single-phase photovoltaic inverter applications

An online current offset compensation method is proposed for photovoltaic (PV) inverter applications. In order to detect a current offset in the system, a simple full order observer is designed. By assuming the current offset to be a DC component in steady state, the observer gain selection becomes extremely easy. After that, a simple feed-forward compensation method is applied to eliminate the current offset. The proposed method is experimentally verified by using a PV inverter prototype.
Clinical interventions by psychologists with lesbians and gay men.

A questionnaire that assesses methods of intervention with, and attitudes toward, lesbians and gay men was completed by 139 clinical psychologists. None claimed to use aversion techniques to change sexual orientation. Eleven percent reported use of alternative methods (e.g., psychoanalytic techniques) to change sexual orientation, whereas 5.8% supported the use of aversion therapy for this purpose. Viewing homosexuality as "unacceptable" predicted both the use of alternative therapies and support of aversion therapy to change sexual orientation.
Disability in Older Adults: Evidence Regarding Significance, Etiology, and Risk

OBJECTIVES: This article synthesizes and assesses current evidence about the importance of physical disability to older adults. It then considers the applications of research findings to clinical geriatrics practice. RESULTS: Physical disability is a major adverse health outcome associated with aging. Certain subgroups of older adults, including individuals with mobility difficulty, with preclinical functional changes, and persons who are hospitalized, are at particularly high risk of becoming disabled or experiencing disability progression. The major underlying causes of physical disability are chronic diseases, including both acute events, such as hip fracture and stroke and slowly progressive diseases such as arthritis and heart disease. These diseases appear to have task-specific effects; understanding this may assist in setting treatment and prevention goals. Comorbidity, particularly certain combinations of chronic diseases, is a strong risk factor for disability in itself. Recent trials indicate that clinical interventions may be able to prevent onset or progression of disability. CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence now suggests clinical approaches to both treatment and prevention of disability and directions for defining optimal clinical care for the future.
Fourier descriptors and handwritten digit recognition

This paper presents the results of a comparative study of various Fourier descriptor representations and their use in recognition of unconstrained handwritten digits. Certain characteristics of five distinct Fourier descriptor representations of handwritten digits are discussed, and illustrations of ambiguous digit classes introduced by use of these Fourier descriptor representations are presented. It is concluded that Fourier descriptors are practically effective only within the framework of an intelligent system, capable of reasoning about digit hypotheses. We describe a hypothesisgenerating algorithm based on Fourier descriptors which allows a classifier to associate more than one digit class with each input. Such hypothesis-generating schemes can be very effective in systems employing multiple classifiers. We compare the performance of the five Fourier descriptor representations based on experiment results produced by a particular hypothesis-generating classifier for a test set of 14000 handwritten digits. It is found that some Fourier descriptor formulations are more successful than others for handwritten digit recognition.
Application of Karnaugh maps to Maitra cascades

A Maitra cascade, as shown in Fig. 8, is a one dimensional cellular array whose cells have only one output and two inputs. At the output of the last cell the function is performed whose independent variables are introduced at the free inputs of the cascade cells. There are two different kinds of Maitra cascades according to whether a different binary variable is introduced or not at each independent input. In the first case the cascade is an irredundant one, in the second it is said to be redundant. The most important results about the synthesis of Maitra cascade are given in Refs. 1--5. In Ref. 6 it is proved that a sufficient condition for a cellular cascade to reach its optimal synthesis possibility is that every cell can perform the set of five functions shown in Fig. 1a, 1b, 1c.
New complete Latin squares of odd order

Let m be an odd powerful number. We show that there is a sequenceable group of order 3m and hence a complete Latin square of that order. Further, the sequencings we construct are starter-translate and so they may be combined with themselves and other sequencings to construct complete Latin squares for many more orders. We also consider square-free m with all prime divisors congruent to 1 modulo 6: there is a sequenceable group, and hence a complete Latin square, of order 3m in this case too. This work gives 104 new orders less than 10,000 for which a complete Latin square is known to exist, the smallest of which is 75.
Effects of Gonadal Steroid Withdrawal on Serum Phosphate and FGF-23 Levels in Men

Introduction Fibroblast growth factor (FGF-23) is a novel phosphaturic factor. Current data suggest that serum phosphate, dietary phosphate and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D regulate circulating FGF-23 levels in vivo. We examined if hypogonadism-induced increases in serum phosphate are associated with increases in circulating FGF-23 in healthy men in the absence of dietary manipulation.
Evaluation of J-initiation fracture toughness of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene used in total joint replacements.

Abstract Fracture of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) total joint replacement components is a clinical concern. Thus, it is important to characterize the fracture resistance of UHMWPE. To determine J-initiation fracture toughness ( J Q ) for metals and metallic alloys, ASTM E1820 recommends a procedure based on an empirical crack blunting line. This approach has been found to overestimate the initiation toughness of tough polymers like UHMWPE. Therefore, in this study, a novel experimental approach based on crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) was utilized to evaluate J Q of UHMWPE materials. J-initiation fracture toughness was experimentally measured in ambient air and a physiologically relevant 37 °C PBS environment for three different formulations of UHMWPE and compared to the blunting line approach. The CTOD method was found to provide J Q values comparable to the blunting line approach for the UHMWPE materials and environments examined in this study. The CTOD method used in this study is based on experimental observation, and thus, does not rely on an empirical relationship or fracture surface measurements. Therefore, determining J Q using the experimentally based CTOD method proposed in this study may be a more reliable approach for UHMWPE and other tough polymers than the blunting line approach.
Evoked release of aspartate and glutamate: disparities between prelabeling and direct measurement.

Slices prepared from hippocampus were dual prelabeled with [14C] l -glutamate and [3H] d -aspartate and superfused in the presence or absence of kainic acid (KA; 1 mM) or KCl (40 mM). Drug-evoked release of radioactivity as well as the endogenous amino acids, glutamate and aspartate were determined. Whereas KCl-induced a Ca2+-dependent release of all compounds, only the release of the endogenous amino acids was stimulated by KA. The results of the present study demonstrate that disparities exist between the Ca2+-dependent drug-evoked release of exogenously supplied and endogenous acidic amino acid neurotransmitters.