cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cytosine Arabinoside Induces Programmed Endothelial Cell Death Through the Caspase-3 Pathway:

The anti-cancer effects of cytosine arabinoside (ARA-C) are well known. However, effects on nonmalignant cells have not been elucidated and may be important to understanding treatment-related toxicity. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of ARA-C on nondividing vascular endothelial cells. The objectives were to determine the effects of ARA-C on cell viability and to ascertain whether ARA-C caused apoptosis in cultured vascular endothelial cells and hydrocortisone blunted caspase-3-induced apoptosis. Endothelial cells were cultured until confluent and mitotically quiescent then exposed to ARA-C (10(-7)to 10(-3) M) for 1 to 4 days. Some experiments involved cotreatment with hydrocortisone (10(-11),10(-10),10(-4), and 10(-3) M). Light microscopy and the colorimetric MTS assay were used to measure viability. Fluorescent annexin-V and DNA fragmentation assays were used to measure apoptosis, and a fluorescence-based enzymatic assay was used to measure caspase-3 activity, which is one pathway involved in the apoptosis cascade. Two-way ANOVA or the appropriate nonparametric test was used to determine statistical significance in studies of viability and apoptosis. Oneway ANOVA was used to determine statistical significance for caspase-3 activity. Viability was decreased with higher concentrations of ARA-C and increased days of treatment. The percentage of apoptotic cells increased with higher concentrations of ARA-C and increased days of treatment. ARA-C-treated samples showed DNA fragmentation, indicative of apoptosis. Caspase-3 activity increased after ARA-C addition; hydrocortisone blunted this increase. ARA-C caused apoptosis in nondividing endothelial cells in culture. Hydrocortisone may protect against ARA-C-induced apoptosis by reducing caspase-3 activity.
743-1 Quantitative Transthoracic Three-dimensional Voxel Imaging of the Left Ventricle: Clinical Validation

Recent computational advances have permitted 3-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of echo intensities over the cardiac volume from rotated 2D echo views gated to ECG and respiration. Unlike approaches using selected 2D views, such automated voxel acquisitions conveniently provide rapid spatial appreciation in animated views from multiple perspectives. However, only limited data are available regarding the accuracy of such reconstructions in patients, particularly using the transthoracic approach without the need for TEE. We therefore reconstructed the left ventricles of 10 consecutive patients referred for cardiac gated blood pool scan (GBPS) by transthoracic apical rotation, 5 with abnormal wall motion. LV volume was calculated by summing endocardial areas in parallel cross-sections derived from the voxel data, and compared to GBPS values by validated techniques to normalize counts for attenuation and countstvolume of blood sample. Results Reconstructed volumes (vol) agreed well with those from GBPS: y = r SEE Mean Error End-diastolic vol 0.85x + 17.2 098 8.66 cc 1.4% End-systolic vol 0.89x + 9.42 099 5.29 cc 4.6% Stroke vol 0.93x + 0.64 095 6.01 cc 2.4% Ejection fraction 0.94x - 0.23 0.99 2.59% 5.5% Conclusion 3D volumetric reconstruction of the LV not only provides convenient gated acquisition and ready spatial appreciation from multiple perspectives, but is also quantitatively accurate for LV size and function in patients by the transthoracic approach. This study supports the use of this technique to address clinical and research questions.
Feature-similarity visualization of MRI cortical surface data

We present an analytics-based framework for simultaneous visualization of large surface data collections arising in clinical neuroimaging studies. Termed Informatics Visualization for Neuroimaging (INVIZIAN), this framework allows the visualization of both cortical surfaces characteristics and feature relatedness in unison. It also uses dimension reduction methods to derive new coordinate systems using a Jensen-Shannon divergence metric for positioning cortical surfaces in a metric space such that the proximity in location is proportional to neuroanatomical similarity. Feature data such as thickness and volume are colored on the cortical surfaces and used to display both subject-specific feature values and global trends within the population. Additionally, a query-based framework allows the neuroscience researcher to investigate probable correlations between neuroanatomical and subject patient attribute values such as age and diagnosis.
Oscillatory shear flow behaviour of a thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer

Abstract The oscillatory shear flow properties, dynamic storage and loss moduli (G′ and G″), of a thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer (TLCP) in both the isotropic and nematic regions were measured as functions of angular frequency (ω), using a cone-and-plate rheometer. For the study, an aromatic polyester, poly[(phenyl sulfonyl)-p-phenylene 1,10-decamethylene-bis(4-oxybenzoate)] (PSHQ10), was synthesized in our laboratory. The PSHQ10 was found to have (1) a glass transition temperature of 88°C, (2) a melting point of 115°C, and (3) a nematic-to-isotropic transition temperature of 175°C. We found that the oscillatory shear flow properties of PSHQ10 in the nematic region were strongly dependent on its thermal history (i.e. annealing temperature and the duration of annealing) and shear history. Thus, in order to completely erase the thermal history associated with polymerization and sample preparation, a solvent-cast PSHQ10 specimen was first heated to the isotropic region (e.g. 190°C), sheared there at a very low shear rate (0.0085 s−1) for ∼5 min, and then cooled very slowly down to a predetermined temperature (130, 140, 150, 160 or 170°C) in the nematic region. We found that in the isotropic region time-temperature superposition holds and plots of log G″ versus log G″ give rise to a temperature-independent correlation. On the other hand, we found that in the nematic region preshearing has a profound influence on the oscillatory shear flow properties and log G″ versus log G″ plots show temperature dependency. This suggests that time-temperature superposition would not hold in the nematic region of PSHQ10 (and also of other types of TLCPs). We thus conclude that log G′ versus log G″ plots are very sensitive to variations in the morphological state of PSHQ10 as the temperature varies in the nematic region. We found that the Cox-Merz rule holds for PSHQ10 in the isotropic region and the morphological state of a specimen plays an important role in determining whether or not the Cox-Merz rule holds in the nematic region; specifically an unsheared specimen does not follow the Cox-Merz rule, whereas a sheared specimen does.
Coding of the speech spectrum in three time-varying sinusoids

Recent perceptual experiments with normal adult listeners show that phonetic information can readily be conveyed by sinewave replicas of speech signals. These tonal patterns are made of three sinusoids set equal in frequency and amplitude to the respective peaks of the first three formants of natural-speech utterances. Unlike natural and most synthetic speech, the spectrum of sinusoidal patterns contains neither harmonics nor broadband formants, and is identified as grossly unnatural in voice timbre. Despite this drastic recoding of the short-time speech spectrum, listeners perceive the phonetic content if the temporal properties of spectrum variation are preserved. These observations suggest that phonetic perception may depend on properties of coherent spectrum variation, a second-order property of the acoustic signal, rather than any particular set of acoustic elements present in speech signals.
On designing a SWIR multi-wavelength facial-based acquisition system

In harsh environmental conditions characterized by unfavorable lighting and pronounced shadows, human recognition based on Short-Wave Infrared (0.9-1.7 microns) images may be advantageous. SWIR imagery (i) is more tolerant to low levels of obscurants like fog and smoke; (ii) the active illumination source can be eye-safe and (iii) the active illumination source is invisible to the human eye making it suitable for surveillance applications. The key drawback of current SWIR-based acquisition systems is that they lack the capability of real-time simultaneous acquisition of multiple SWIR wavelengths. The contributions of our work are four-fold. First, we constructed a SWIR multi-wavelength acquisition system (MWAS) that can capture face images at 5 different wavelengths (1150, 1250, 1350, 1450, 1550 nm) in rapid succession using a 5-filter rotating filter wheel. Each filter has a band pass of 100 nm and all 5 images are acquired within 260 milliseconds. The acquisition system utilizes a reflective optical sensor to generate a timing signal corresponding to the filter wheel position that is used to trigger each camera image acquisition when the appropriate filter is in front of the camera. The timing signal from the reflective sensor transmits to a display panel to confirm the synchronization of the camera with the wheel. Second, we performed an empirical optimization on the adjustment of the exposure time of the camera and speed of the wheel when different light sources (fluorescent, tungsten, both) were used. This improved the quality of the images acquired. Third, a SWIR spectrometer was used to measure the response from the different light sources and was used to evaluate which one provides better images as a function of wavelength. Finally, the selection of the band pass filter, to focus the camera to acquire the good quality SWIR images was done by using a number of image quality and distortion metrics (e.g. universal quality index and Structural index method).
“The World's Local Bank”: HSBC's Expansion in the US, Canada and Mexico

ABSTRACT HSBC has built up a major retail banking presence in Canada, the US, and Mexico. This strategy is unusual both in its conception and execution. HSBC has pursued its strategy through an aggressive series of acquisitions, and its strategy in North America may prefigure its strategy for Europe and South America. The evidence suggests that HSBC first aimed to diversify out of Hong Kong and then to overcome limits on domestic growth. HSBC's continuing success will depend on its ability to acquire and integrate its acquisitions, and to be better than its local competitors at managing a multi-unit organization. RESUMEN. El HSBC se ha ido expandiendo, hasta convertirse en el banco comercial con mayor presencia en Canada, los Estados Unidos y Mexico. Esta estrategia es poco comun, tanto en su concepcion como en su ejecucion. El HSBC ha implementado esta estrategia a traves de una serie de adquisiciones agresivas, y a traves de su estrategia en los Estados Unidos se puede pronosticar la que utilizara en Eu...
Current Management of Rectal Cancer: Total Mesorectal Excision (Nerve Sparing) Technique and Clinical Outcome

Over the last two decades, total mesorectal excision (TME) has brought a dramatic improvement in the outcome of surgery for rectal cancer. The impressively low local recurrence rates seen with TME, and the major improvements in survival, sphincter preservation, and preservation of autonomic pelvic nerve function, have been consistent and reproducible in many trials, setting new quality standards in rectal cancer surgery. This article reviews the studies that set the background for TME, describes the present authors’ surgical technique, and discusses the impact of TME on cancer recurrence and survival, sphincter preservation, and autonomic nerve preservation. Finally, the article reviews TME-based trials that investigate the role of radiation and chemotherapy in the treatment of rectal cancer.
The Service Hub Concept in Human Services Planning

Abstract. Acknowledgements. Introduction: The Problematic of Human Services Planning. The service hub concept. Planning for human services. A note on terminology. The Service Hub Concept. The service hub: some definitions. The assignment process in human services delivery. Service hubs and social support networks. Service Hubs in Practice. Case study 1: Rose Avenue, Venice. Case study 2: Raymond Avenue, Pasadena. The social structure of homeless communities. Building service hubs. Overcoming Community Opposition to Human Services. The rise of NIMBY-ism. Understanding the NIMBY response. Factors determining community attitudes. Alternative approaches to the host community. A blueprint for community outreach. Difference and Social Justice in Human Services Planning. A fair-share framework for human services planning. Interrogating difference. Extending the problematic: city life and difference. 17 line drawings, 122 lit. refs.
A 12-bit interleaved opamp-sharing pipeline ADC for extreme environment applications

This paper presents a 12-bit 5MS/s pipeline analog-to-digital converter implemented in a 0.5µm CMOS technology for aerospace extreme environment applications with cryogenic and radiation tolerant capability. It is capable of working under ultra-wide temperature range from −180°C to +120°C and at ultra low temperature of −230°C. To achieve higher sampling rate and lower power, time-interleaved architecture and operational amplifiers sharing technique are used. The cryogenic ADC chip consumes only 30.4mW at −230°C from a 3.3V supply voltage. Experimental results show that the proposed ADC can operate under aerospace extreme environment with low power and good robustness.
Reconstructing sex chromosome evolution

The mammalian X and Y chromosomes evolved from an ordinary pair of autosomes that existed in a reptilian ancestor that probably relied on temperature-dependent sex determination, as in crocodiles today. Independently and concurrently, the avian Z and W chromosomes (ZZ males, ZW females) evolved from a different pair of autosomes that was present in the same ancestor. Both the mammalian XY pair and the avian ZW pair have emerged with specialized and disproportionate roles in germ cell development. These germ cell specializations are best understood in the mammalian Y chromosomes and are only now being appreciated in the mammalian X chromosomes and the avian ZW pair. To reconstruct and better understand nature's sex chromosome experiment, we have set out to comprehensively sequence and compare the sex chromosomes of four primates, two rodents, an ungulate, a marsupial and a bird. I will describe insights that have emerged from this ongoing effort.
MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING IN LIBRARIES

When librarians think of accounting, they generally think of budgets. However, accounting includes planning and control activities broader than creating budgets. Managerial accounting concentrates on internal decision‐making processes. In many libraries, external budgetary reports have mandated techniques that the library is expected to use. Internal reports and operational budgets are designed by the librarian. The question is: How can internal reporting and operational budgets be used advantageously in the library? Using managerial accounting is one answer.
Quantitative FT-NIR of thermochemical properties of industrial organic fluids

Near-IR quantitative analysis is now well-established using multivariate statistical expressions. This has been particularly useful for routine industrial applications. Mainly filter instruments have been used industrially. However grating monochromators, and more recently acousto- optic tunable filter and FT-NIR instruments are available for use. The practicality of FT-NIR for industrial quantitative monitoring has been subject to question. In this work, quantitation was performed on all three types of scanning instruments. Unlike mid-IR, in near-IR it is necessary to quantitate relatively weak absorption differences measured in a few milliabsorbance units. In the past, most FT-NIR was done with modified FT-IR instruments. Dedicated FT-NIR instruments are now commercially available. Quantitative performance of such an instrument for routine use on industrial samples has been demonstrated. Results presented show success for the chemical mixtures used. Ruggedness, wavelength reproducibility, and cost make such equipment appropriate for near-IR quantitative analysis.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
On the use of information criteria in analytic hierarchy process

Abstract In this article, we discuss how the model-selection procedures such as Akaike's information criteria (AIC) can be used for selecting the most appropriate one out of several existing statistical models in the literature for the judgment data used in analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Furthermore, once the appropriate model is selected, a procedure is proposed on the basis of AIC for statistical ranking of the alternatives. This ranking procedure does not suffer from the problem of intransitivity and can be based on non-normal distribution. It enables one to obtain the detailed pattern for the ordered priorities of the alternatives in the decision process involving AHP.
Abstruse neologisms, retrieval deficits and the random generator

Abstract Early theories of neologistic jargon held that the bizarre and unrecognizable lexical forms of Wernicke's aphasics resulted from an accretion of phonemic alterations to either the desired target word or to some semantic associate of that word. Recently, it has been proposed that in many instances a “random generator” could construct the neologism, in which cases the neologism would not have spun off some certain lexical item and accordingly could be produced under the condition of a complete lexical block. The negative reaction to the notion of the “random generator” in these cases has centered around the argument that brain lesions should not create de novo mechanisms. The present paper attempts to demonstrate that the characterization of the “random generator” is merely an alternative way of describing a system of phonological knowledge that all normal speakers possess as part of their cognitive linguistic machinery, and that therefore the mechanism is not created by the lesion at all but rather is simply a normal, albeit underused, capacity that is incorporated at certain points in the speech output of severely anomic Wernicke's aphasics where content words are sought but unsuccessfully retrieved. Evidence from other realms of speech production is presented to demonstrate the wide range of utility this system of phonological knowledge has.
Analysis of acids in high-boiling petroleum distillates

Abstract The major acidic compound types in ten high-boiling crude-oil distillates were identified as carboxylic acids, phenols, carbazoles, and amides. Acids from crude oils having different geological characteristics were separated using a standardized separation scheme involving the use of gel permeation, adsorption, and thin-layer chromatography, and preliminary comparisons have been made between the compositional results. In one method, compound types were isolated and the percentage of each was determined gravimetrically; in two other methods infrared spectrometry was used to estimate the relative amounts of individual types. The structures of the acidic compounds were examined in detail using mass, fluorescence, and nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectrometry. Trace amounts of pericondensed polyaromatic hydrocarbons were found in all the acid samples.
Dynamic solvation in phosphonium ionic liquids: comparison of bulk and micellar systems and considerations for the construction of the solvation correlation function, C(t).

Dynamic solvation of the dye coumarin 153 is studied in a phosphonium ionic liquid: hexadecyltributylphosphonium bromide, [(C4)3C16P+][Br-]. It forms micelles in water, and the bulk also exists as a liquid under our experimental conditions. This system permits a comparison with an imidazolium ionic liquid studied earlier, which also formed micelles in water (J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 10725−10730). We conclude that our analysis of the comparable situation in a phosphonium liquid is not as definitive as we had proposed earlier, i.e., that the majority of the early-time solvation arises from the organic cation. Part of the difficulty in performing this analysis is most likely due to the amount of water that is associated with the micelle. In the course of this work, we have focused on the calculation of the solvation correlation function, C(t), and investigated how it depends upon the methods with which the “zero-time” spectrum is constructed.
Impact of dust aerosols on Hurricane Helene's early development through the deliquescent heterogeneous freezing mode

Abstract. An ice nucleation parameterization accounting for the deliquescent heterogeneous freezing (DHF) mode was implemented into the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model. The DHF mode refers to the freezing process for internally mixed aerosols with soluble and insoluble species that can serve as both cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN), such as dust. A modified version of WRF was used to examine the effect of Saharan dust on the early development of Hurricane Helene (2006) via acting as CCN and IN. The WRF simulations showed the tendency of DHF mode to promote ice formation at lower altitudes in strong updraft cores, increase the local latent heat release, and produce more low clouds and less high clouds. The inclusion of dust acting as CCN and IN through the DHF mode modified the storm intensity, track, hydrometeor distribution, cloud top temperature (hence the storm radiative energy budget), and precipitation and latent heat distribution. However, changes in storm intensity, latent heating rate, and total precipitation exhibit nonlinear dependence on the dust concentration. Improvement in the representation of atmospheric aerosols and cloud microphysics has the potential to contribute to better prediction of tropical cyclone development.
MRI Distortion and Stereotactic Neurosurgery Using the Cosman-Roberts-Wells and Leksell Frames

When not corrected, geometrically distorted magnetic resonance images may be unsuitable for stereotactic intracranial neurosurgical procedures where accuracy of target localization is critical. On a GE Signa 1.5-tesla system, we implemented an imaging protocol designed to improve the accuracy of the determination of target coordinates by means of multiple scans utilizing reversal of the frequency-encoded readout gradient. Using a Cosman-Roberts-Wells (CRW) frame and a phantom, geometric shifts of important image features were found to occur. In patients undergoing functional neurosurgical procedures with the CRW system, localization of the posterior commissure by corrected MR images was compared to that obtained by intraoperative ventriculography. Unexpectedly, severe distortions in MR images were revealed by the studies, with shifts of some fiducial markers of 10 mm from their estimated true position. Most of this distortion was attributable to the magnetic properties of the stereotactic frame, and could be eliminated by appropriate design and manufacture of the frame system. Images obtained with an MRI-compatible Leksell stereotactic frame were found to be relatively free of major geometric distortion. This study points out that properties of frame systems used for stereotactic neurosurgery may greatly influence the accuracy of frame-based stereotactic neurosurgery, and that the accuracy of these frame systems is testable.
Enhancement of tumor immunotherapy by deletion of the A2A adenosine receptor

The A2A adenosine receptor plays a critical and non-redundant role in suppressing inflammation at sites of hypoxia and tissue damage. The tumor microenvironment has high levels of adenosine as a result of hypoxia and ectopic expression of enzymes responsible for the generation of extracellular adenosine. Thus, we sought to determine the ability of A2A receptor null mice to immunologically reject tumors. We observed that mice lacking the A2A adenosine receptor showed significantly delayed growth of lymphoma cells when compared to WT mice. Furthermore, when immunized with a low dose of tumor or with an irradiated GM-CSF–secreting tumor vaccine, A2A receptor null mice showed significantly enhanced protection from a subsequent high-dose challenge from both immunogenic and poorly immunogenic tumor lines. This increase in protection was accompanied by an increase in the number of tumor-antigen-specific CD8 T cells at the vaccine-site draining lymph node. Finally, we found that A2A receptor null mice displayed more robust anti-tumor responses than WT mice when they were treated with a soluble B7-DC/Fc fusion protein designed to antagonize B7-H1-mediated co-inhibition. This combinatorial immunotherapy strategy could also be recapitulated with pharmacological A2A receptor blockade paired with B7-DC/Fc administration. In light of these data, we believe that blockade of the A2A adenosine receptor is an attractive target for tumor immunotherapy that synergizes with other immunomodulatory approaches currently in clinical trials.
Nuclear medicine in problems of fertility and impotence

Nuclear medicine techniques may be used to test fallopian tube patency and penile vascular inflow and outflow. Radionuclide hysterosalpingography (HSP) is a readily performed method of evaluating fallopian tube patency, and is believed to be more physiologic and functionally informative than the accepted radiologic method of contrast HSP. The test is simple to perform and interpret and offers an accurate alternative to the contrast examination. For scintigraphic evaluation of impotence, blood pool studies are most useful in assessing the integrity of arterial inflow, but may also be used to generate indices of venous leak. Washout of xenon after subcutaneous injection, in the flaccid state, has been used as a measure of baseline penile perfusion, as has intracavernosal injections in the flaccid penis. Intracavernosal xenon washout during erection seems the most useful method of testing venous integrity. Washout using technetium-99m (99mTc)-labeled red blood cells (99mTc-RBC) may emerge as a convenient alternative to the more technically difficult xenon examinations.
Stimulus characteristics that can enhance or decrease aggression: Associations with prior positive or negative reinforcements for aggression

To establish an analogue of the “weapons effect,” male university subjects were required to use a distinctive apparatus in delivering noxious sounds to a peer in an adjoining room, and then were either (a) positively reinforced, or (b) negatively reinforced, or (c) not given any reaction by the experimenter, for what they had done. Immediately after this, each person had to administer other noise blasts to someone else in a different manner, but with the previous noise machines (the fist “weapon”) being either present or not present. The initial “weapon's” presence augmented the effects of the prior reinforcement; the second victim was attacked most strongly after the men had been positively reinforced and the earlier “weapon” was nearby, whereas he received the fewest blasts if the subjects had been negatively reinforced and the earlier noise machine was present. Other evidence indicates (1) that the aggressive cue, the “weapon,” had not affected the subjects' aggressive intentions, (2) the results are not due simply to differences in moods or general arousal, and (3) the subjects were not aware of the hypothesis regarding the interaction of reinforcement and cue presence.
Direct imaging of room temperature optical absorption with subnanometer spatial resolution.

Optical absorption can detect individual molecules and nanostructures even in dissipative or strongly quenching environments where fluorescence signals are weak. Here we image optical absorption of individual carbon nanotubes with subnanometer resolution. We show that we can discriminate adjacent nanotubes on a length scale far below the diffraction limit. Then we compare optical absorption imaging of a defect in a single carbon nanotube (CNT) with conventional scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and conventional current−voltage scan (I−V) bandgap profiles. We directly visualize the penetration depth σ′ = 0.9 ± 0.3 nm of the CNT exciton state into the smaller bandgap region of the defect and derive a size σ = 1.8 ± 0.6 nm for the exciton state. Optical absorption provides a spectroscopic map of molecules simultaneously with conventional STM.
The Accurate Distribution of the Kolmogorov Statistic with Applications to Bootstrap Approximation

Suppose that x1,..., xm are i.i.d. variables with distribution F(·). When F(·) is continuous, the accurate distribution of the Kolmogorov statistic was obtained by Zhang. In this paper, a discrete distribution F(·) which masses value 1/n at each point yi, i = 1,..., n is considered, the obtained accurate distribution of the Kolmogorov, statistic has the same form as that of Zhang?s. By this result, the bootstrap approximation of the distribution of the Kolmogorov statistic is investigated, and the ?n -asymptotic rate is obtained.
Antigen-antibody diffusion-limited binding kinetics for biosensors: a fractal analysis☆

Abstract A fractal analysis is presented for the binding of benzopyrene-tetraol (BPT) in solution to anti-BPT attached to diol silica beads in a fiber-optic antibody-based biosensor. The binding rate coefficient, k 1 , and the fractal dimension, D f both increase as the BPT concentration in solution increases from 3 × 10 −9 to 1.59 × 10 −8 M. Predictive relations for k 1 (Sets 1 and 2) and for D f (Set 2 only) as a function of BPT concentration are provided. These relations fit the calculated k 1 and D f values in the BPT concentration range reasonably well. Fractal analysis data seem to indicate that an increase in the BPT concentration in solution increases the ‘roughness’ or the state of disorder on the fiber-optic biosensor surface. Fractal analysis data provide novel physical insights into the reactions occurring on the fiber-optic biosensor surface and should assist in the design of fiber-optic biosensors.
The Process of Program Phaseout: An Examination of the Dismantling of the US Public Service Employment Program

This article examines the dynamics of the dismantling of a large US federal grant-in-aid program, the Public Service Employment Program (PSEP), to determine whether the same factors that affect program expansion affect program contraction, and in a similar manner. Specifically, an examination is made of: (1) the impact local fiscal and political pressures have on the reactions of three groups of local policymakers (elected officials; PSEP administrators; administrators of agencies employing PSEP workers); and (2) the relationship between these policymakers' reactions and changes in PSEP objectives. The units of analysis are forty-two local governments located across the USA (a representative sample). The time frame of the analysis is December 1979–December 1980—a period of rapid phaseout in the PSEP. The results show that the same factors which dictate the actions of different sets of policymakers during program expansion also determine their relative levels of involvement in the phaseout period and their...
MANAGEMENT OF HORMONE REFRACTORY PROSTATE CANCER: CURRENT STANDARDS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

AbstractPurpose: Recent advances in the biology and treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer are reviewed.Materials and Methods: A MEDLINE literature search of secondary hormonal therapy and chemotherapy for hormone refractory prostate cancer was performed. Recent advances in the biology of hormone refractory prostate cancer, changes in the measurement of response to therapy, and testing of new drugs and combinations of drugs were reviewed.Results: Historically the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer has been disappointing. Useful parameters to monitor clinical response have been lacking but perhaps more importantly a scarcity of apparently active drugs has contributed to these results. Recently several developments have improved the outlook for treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer. Recognition of antiandrogen withdrawal responses has had important ramifications for clinical trial interpretation and patient care. Secondary hormonal therapies, such as alternative antiandrogens...
Optical phase feed network and ultra-wideband phased array

An optically addressed phase feed network for an ultra-wideband RF phased array is proposed. The architecture leverages recent advances in the development of optical RF source generation and coherent optical system in the fiber optics. By using polarization maintaining (PM) fibers two coherent optical tones can be encoded in two orthogonal states and transmitted to a high-speed photomixer at the antenna head for RF signal transmission. The copropagation in the same fiber enables two optical signals experience same environmental impact, thereby significantly minimizing phase fluctuation. To phase the antenna array, electro-optic z-cut LiNbO3 phase modulators are used, in which phase modulation is dominated at one of the polarizations, consequently leading to electrically addressed phase shift at the mixer. In addition, dynamic polarization control is also investigated to compensate the polarization fluctuation due to bending, thermal and mechanical stresses. A 1×2 array is implemented to demonstrate the feasibility and robustness of the proposed system.
Prostaglandin E1 receptors on chick embryo myoblasts.

Abstract Differentiation of chick embryo myoblasts in , vitro requires both cell-cell recognition and cell-cell fusion. Prostaglandin E1 is known to play a role in controlling fusion, and a specific receptor has been postulated. We demonstrate two peaks of specific binding activity for prostaglandin E1 during myoblast differentiation in , vitro : one at 36 hours and one at 44 hours of culture. The prostaglandin binding activity of both peaks is sensitive to the inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis, indomethacin and aspirin, and to the antibiotic tunicamycin. The 36 hour peak of binding activity occurs at the same time as the process of cell-cell recognition (24–36 hours) and recognition and prostaglandin binding exhibit similar sensitivity to indomethacin, aspirin and tunicamycin.
The location and effects of genes modifying the response of wheat to the herbicide difenzoquat

Single chromosome substitution lines of hexaploid wheat were developed using a variety resistant to difenzoquat, Chinese Spring, as donor and a susceptible variety, Sicco, as recipient, and were used to identify chromosomes carrying genes which modify the responses of these varieties. It was found that chromosomes 3B and 5D from Chinese Spring might act to reduce the amount of damage caused by the herbicide in the presence of the allele for susceptibility at the Dfql locus. The intermediate response to the herbicide, which is shown by some commerical varieties, was also investigated using a backcross reciprocal monosomic analysis (...)
Functional outcome in children with multiple trauma without significant head injury.

Abstract Objective: To assess functional outcome and describe disability at discharge in children who have had trauma without significant head injury. Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: National Pediatric Trauma Registry, 1988–1994. Participants: Patients of ages 7 to 18 years with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 13 to 15 without significant anatomic head injury. Results: Functional Independence Measure (FIM) at discharge was used to assess patient outcome. There were 13,649 children meeting study criteria who had sustained 34,254 injuries. Fractures constituted 30% of all injuries. As measured by FIM, 1,522 (11.2%) patients had mild disability at discharge; 1,983 (14.5%) had moderate disability. After adjustment for age and injury severity, children with lower extremity fractures were more likely to be discharged with functional limitations than those without (relative risk, 5.43; 95% confidence interval: 5.06, 5.84). Of children with moderate disability at discharge, less than 50% were referred for rehabilitation evaluation and less than 25% for physical therapy. Conclusion: Functional dependence is present in a large proportion of injured children, even without significant head injury. Rehabilitation and other services may be underused in this population. Further study is required to fully assess the degree and duration of disability in these patients.
Modeling the effect of information quality on risk behavior change and the transmission of infectious diseases.

Abstract How the quality of information about the prevalence of an infectious disease affects individuals’ incentives to adopt self-protective actions to reduce the risk of infection is studied using an economic/game-theoretic model of epidemics. In the model, agents make inferences regarding the current prevalence of a disease by observing the health status of a subset of the population. Therefore, the higher the number of agents whose infection status can be observed, the better one’s information about the current prevalence is. In particular, it is assumed that an agent’s estimate of the current prevalence depends on observations of the current health status of other agents and on the agent’s estimate of past prevalence, and that the agent places more weight on the current observations in forming an estimate of the prevailing prevalence when the number of observations increases. It is shown that the likelihood of eradicating an infectious disease through behavioral changes depends critically on the amount of information that individuals have access to, which also determines whether prevalence will be relatively stable or will exhibit cyclical patterns over time. Increasing the amount of information that individuals possess may lower the likelihood of eradication.
Numerical Simulation of Ringing Response in Marine Platforms

In this paper, ringing phenomenon in a drag dominated marine platform is studied numerically using linear transverse and nonlinear coupled axial and transverse beam models. The effects of inertia, added mass, and relative velocity of the structure on ringing are investigated. It is found that, for the structure considered, inertia and added mass have little effect on ringing, while the relative velocity had a significant effect on its duration. The maximum ringing amplitude predicted by the nonlinear beam model is similar to that predicted by the linear beam model. When a smaller second impact is introduced, ringing stops when the nonlinear beam model is used.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Comments on 'Inference of cloud temperature and thickness by microwave radiometry from space'

The method proposed by Pandey et al. (1983) for estimating the temperature differential and thickness of clouds from microwave data obtained with the scanning multichannel microwave radiometers of the Seasat and Nimbus-7 satellites is examined critically. It is pointed out that both the thicknesses and the temperature differentials derived from them may not be meaningful unless accurate measurements of cloud-top height (from IR radiometry) and reliable data on liquid-water content are available. It is suggested that the good fits obtained in generating regression coefficients for the proposed method may be artifacts of the fixed or limited-range liquid-water densities of the cloud models used. With respect to cloud-top height, the need to quantify and account for differences in the fields of view and spatial resolutions of the IR and microwave radiometers, as undertaken for the case of precipitating clouds by Yeh and Liou (1983), is stressed.
Subclasses of IgG Antibodies in Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)

The subclasses of platelet-associated IgG were measured on the platelets of patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) by modification of the antiglobulin consumption test. All subclasses were found. In most patients, one subclass was predominant; this was usually IgG1. The platelet-associated IgG in normal donors is predominantly IgG1 and IgG2.
Influence of low-strain deformation characteristics of high strength sheet steel on curl and springback in bend-under-tension tests

The influence of low-strain deformation behavior on curl and springback in advanced high strength steels (AHSS) was assessed using a bend-under-tension test. The effect of yielding behavior on curl and springback was examined by heat-treating two dual-phase steels to induce yield point elongation, while keeping a relatively constant tensile strength and a constant sheet thickness. A dual-phase and TRIP steel with similar initial thickness and tensile strengths were also examined to investigate the effect of work-hardening on curl and springback. It is shown that while current understanding limits prediction of curl and springback in bending under tension using only the initial sheet thickness and tensile strength, both the yielding and work-hardening behavior can affect the results. Explanations for these effects are proposed in terms of the discontinuous yielding and flow stress in the materials.
σ-Aromaticity and σ-Antiaromaticity in Alkali Metal and Alkaline Earth Metal Small Clusters

We extended the aromaticity concept to small σ-aromatic alkali metal and alkaline earth metal clusters. We performed ab initio calculations (B3LYP/6-311+G* and CCSD(T)/6-311+G*) on a selected group...
Role of weight history on functional limitations and disability in late adulthood: the ARIC study.

Objective: To examine associations of weight history with functional limitations and disability in white and African-American men and women. Research Methods and Procedures: Data were from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (n = 11, 177). Associations of recalled weight status at age 25 and weight change from age 25 to ages 45 to 64 with functional limitations, activities of daily living (ADLs), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) at follow-up (ages 52 to 75) were examined using logistic regression. Results: Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) at age 25 was associated with functional limitations and ADL and IADL impairment at follow-up in white and African-American men and women. For example, obese compared with normal weight (BMI, 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2) white women had higher odds of mild [odds ratio (95% confidence interval), 1.97 (1.18 to 3.29)] and severe [9.81 (5.92 to 16.27)] functional limitations and ADL [3.48 (2.36 to 5.13)] and IADL [2.95 (2.00 to 4.33)] impairment. In African-American women, obesity was associated with higher odds of mild [2.71 (1.14 to 6.41)] and severe [6.01 (2.53 to 14.26)] functional limitations and ADL [1.82 (1.10 to 3.00)] and IADL [2.39 (1.47 to 3.90)] impairment. Similar associations were found in men. Compared with weight maintenance (±10 lbs), large weight gain (>30 lbs) from age 25 to ages 45 to 64 was also associated with functional limitations and ADL and IADL impairment in white and African-American men and women. Discussion: Maintenance of a healthy body weight throughout adulthood may play a role in preventing or delaying the onset of functional limitations and disability, resulting in increased quality of life and decreased health care costs.
Identification of e.m. spectrum by known pole sets

A procedure for obtaining the e.m. poles of an object from its frequency-domain transfer function is applied to the scattered fields of three shiplike wire models. The possibility for identifying a particular ship model in the set of three from its pole set is examined.
Role selection in the service of self-presentation.

Two experiments were conducted to examine the general hypothesis that a person’s behavior in a social situation is a function of the kind of impression he wants to make on the other person, and that the kind of impression that he wants to make is influenced by the characteristics of the other person. Two experiments were conducted in which male subjects anticipated interaction with either an attractive female (attractive condition), an unattractive female (unattractive condition), or a female whose attractiveness was unknown (control). Each subject first chose either a high, medium, or low status role to enact during the interaction with the female. He then indicated the role which most closely corresponded to his true role. In Experiment I, role choices were significantly biased in the direction of higher status roles in the attractive condition but not in the unattractive or control conditions. These findings were partially replicated in Experiment II, but difference was shown to be a consequence of the fact that the experimenter was an attractive female. The subjects biased their reports of true role status in the direction of higher status, thus leaving little room for change in the selection of role to be enacted during the social interaction. These findings are consistent with the general hypothesis and with exchange theory predictions.
The effect of salicylate on prostaglandin levels in rabbit knees following inducement of osteoarthritic changes

Surgical inducement of medial instability in the right knee of rabbits was used to produce joint changes which resemble those observed in human osteoarthritis. Ordinary tap water was supplied to half of the rabbits and tap water plus sodium salicylate to the others. Determinations of prostaglandin were made on the synovial fluid and cartilage from all rabbits five months after surgery. In both groups, the concentration of prostaglandin in synovial fluid was lower in the operated knees, but the total amount of prostaglandin was found to be approximately equal to that in the unoperated knees. The development of degenerative joint changes therefore was not accompanied by increases in prostaglandin content. Salicylate treatment did not alter this observation, however, it did reduce overall prostaglandin levels. These results suggest that prostaglandin interaction is not involved in osteoarthritic joint degeneration.
Quasi-phasematched optical parametric oscillators using bulk periodically poled LiNbO3

We review progress of quasi-phasematched (QPM) optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) in bulk periodically poled LiNbO3. Using the electric field poling process, we can reliably fabricate 0.5-mm thick crystals with uniform domain structures over 15-mm long. Periodically poled material retains the low loss and bulk power handling properties of single domain LiNbO3, and QPM allows noncritical phasematching with the highest value of the nonlinear coefficient. OPOs pumped by 1.064-micrometers pulsed Nd:YAG lasers have been operated over the wavelength range 1.45 micrometers to 4.0 micrometers with tuning by temperature or QPM period. We have shown oscillation threshold as low as 0.020 mJ with a Q-switched pump laser, and pumping over two times threshold without damage. We have also demonstrated a doubly resonant oscillator near 1.96 micrometers pumped directly with a cw diode laser at 978 nm.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.