cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of advanced pseudomyxoma peritonei using cytoreductive surgery including total gastrectomy and perioperative chemotherapy.

Background Pseudomyxoma peritonei is a disease caused by the widespread distribution of mucinous tumor into the peritoneal space from a perforated appendiceal neoplasm. Methods All patients in this study had cytoreductive surgery with total gastrectomy plus perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy. A high diverting jejunostomy was used on all patients. Patient characteristics, adverse events, and survival were accumulated prospectively. Results Fifty-eight patients were available for long-term follow-up. In the univariate analysis, features associated with a less favorable outcome included female gender (p = 0.0127), intestinal obstruction before treatment (p = 0.00791), and prior surgical score (PSS) (p = 0.0054). In the multivariate analysis, the two significant variables were grade (p = 0.0458) and PSS (p = 0.0041). Median survival was 12 years with a 5-, 10-, and 20-year survival of 76%, 58%, and 37%, respectively. There were two postoperative deaths (3.4%) and Grades 3 and 4 adverse events in 20 (34.5%) patients. Conclusions A 10-year survival after cytoreductive surgery, total gastrectomy with temporary high diverting jejunostomy, and perioperative chemotherapy occurred in 58% of these patients with advanced pseudomyxoma peritonei. High-grade disease and extensive prior surgery with a high PSS were associated with reduced benefit.
Moral Uncertainty and Distributive Sufficiency

According to the sufficiency principle, distributive justice requires that everyone have some sufficient level of resources or well-being, but inequalities above this threshold have no moral significance. This paper defends a version of the sufficiency principle as the appropriate response to moral uncertainty about distributive justice. Assuming that the appropriate response to moral uncertainty is to maximize expected choiceworthiness, and given a reasonable distribution of credence in some familiar views about distributive justice (including libertarianism, sufficientarianism, and egalitarianism), a version of the sufficiency principle strikes the optimal balance between the competing moral risks posed by implementing these views. In particular, it avoids the moral risk posed by views like Nozick’s libertarianism, which forbid redistributive taxation even for the sake of helping to provide for people’s basic needs: failing to do the latter, if it turns out that justice does require it, would be very morally wrong. This “uncertainty argument” has the advantage of minimizing reliance on controversial intuitions about distributive justice, helps to specifying a non-arbitrary threshold for sufficiency, and shows that the substantive moral implications of moral uncertainty are not limited to high-stakes applied ethics issues such as abortion and vegetarianism but instead extend to an issue at the heart of political philosophy.
Radiographic Sarcopenia and Self-reported Exhaustion Independently Predict NSQIP Serious Complications After Pancreaticoduodenectomy in Older Adults

Sarcopenia is linked to poor outcomes after abdominal surgery. We hypothesized that radiographic sarcopenia metrics enhance prediction of complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) when combined with clinical and frailty data. Preoperative geriatric assessments and CT scans of patients undergoing PD were reviewed. Sarcopenia was assessed at L3 using total psoas area index (TPAI) and weighted average Hounsfield units (HU), i.e., estimates of psoas muscle volume and density. Outcomes included 30-day American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) serious complications, Clavien–Dindo complications, unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admission, hospital length of stay (LOS), non-home facility (NHF) discharge, and readmission rates. Low HU score correlated with NSQIP serious complications (r = −0.31, p = 0.0098), Clavien–Dindo complication grade (r = −0.29, p = 0.0183), unplanned ICU admission (r = −0.28, p = 0.0239), and NHF discharge (r = −0.25, p = 0.0426). Controlling for a “base model” of age, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, and comorbidity burden, Fried’s exhaustion (odds ratio [OR] 4.72 [1.23–17.71], p = 0.021), and HU (OR 0.88 [0.79–0.98], p = 0.024) predicted NSQIP serious complications. Area under the receiver-operator characteristic (AUC) curves demonstrated that the combination of the base model, exhaustion, and HU trended towards improving the prediction of NSQIP serious complications compared with the base model alone (AUC = 0.81 vs. 0.70; p = 0.09). Additionally, when controlling for the base model, TPAI (β-coefficient = 0.55 [0.10–1.01], p = 0.018) and exhaustion (β-coefficient = 2.47 [0.75–4.20], p = 0.005) predicted LOS and exhaustion (OR 4.14 [1.48–11.6], p = 0.007) predicted readmissions. When combined with clinical and frailty assessments, radiographic sarcopenia metrics enhance prediction of post-PD outcomes.
Differential restoration of prothrombin time / INR in plasma from warfarin-treated patients by various prothrombin complex concentrates (833.6)

Introduction - Conventional oral anticoagulant drugs produce their effects by suppressing the synthesis of functional forms of clotting factors II, VII, IX and X. Excessive inhibition of these fact...
Colonialism, Anthropology of

The article surveys aspects of the history of the anthropology of colonialism conceived as a story of successive contexts of questions in which the problem about colonialism for anthropology has been shaped and reshaped. It begins in the 1970s with the concern with the role of the discipline in the colonial/imperial project, and with the ethics/politics of its practitioners. These concerns with the effects of world politics are displaced in the 1980s by questions that turn on the problem of colonialist representation, the imbrication of power and discourse in the making of anthropological knowledge. In the context of the realignment of disciplines in the 1980s, there is also a reformulation of relation between anthropology and history. In the 1990s there is another shift, one away from an interest in textuality towards a concern with the relationship between colonialism and modernity. Here issues such as nationalism and the colonial state are reconceived. Finally, it is suggested that because the anthropology of colonialism has been oriented towards understanding the present as much as the past it has been importantly a critical enterprise. The article urges that to retain this critical purchase it has to more adequately specify the domain of contemporary postcolonial questions that theorizing colonialism is meant to illuminate.
Ascendancy of the `Black Bottle'

In Reply.— It was not our intent to undermine confidence in syrup of ipecac as a useful and effective means of inducing emesis when indicated, particularly as a home first aid measure. However, it must be recognized that activated charcoal has definite advantages in inactivating larger quantities of ingested substances particularly in circumstances in which the use of syrup of ipecac would no longer be of great benefit. We pointed out that resistance to acceptance of activated charcoal by children limits present use predominantly to emergency departments where compliance can be assured.
Transposons as Natural and Experimental Mutagens

Transposons are sequences of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that have the ability to move from one genome location to another causing deleterious mutations and chromosome rearrangements. These elements, which are under self-regulation and regulation by their hosts, are used as vectors to move foreign DNA into transgenic plants and animals and as experimental mutagens to tag genes. Transposons are also occasionally used in adaptive ways by the host in spite of their short-term deleterious effects on fitness. Keywords: transposons; transposable DNA elements; mutation; LINEs; SINEs
Control of mRNA Stability in Fungi by NMD, EJC and CBC Factors Through 3’UTR Introns

In higher eukaryotes the accelerated degradation of mRNAs harboring premature termination codons is controlled by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), exon junction complex (EJC), and nuclear cap-binding complex (CBC) factors, but the mechanistic basis for this quality-control system and the specific roles of the individual factors remain unclear. Using Neurospora crassa as a model system, we analyzed the mechanisms by which NMD is induced by spliced 3′-UTR introns or upstream open reading frames and observed that the former requires NMD, EJC, and CBC factors whereas the latter requires only the NMD factors. The transcripts for EJC components eIF4A3 and Y14, and translation termination factor eRF1, contain spliced 3′-UTR introns and each was stabilized in NMD, EJC, and CBC mutants. Reporter mRNAs containing spliced 3′-UTR introns, but not matched intronless controls, were stabilized in these mutants and were enriched in mRNPs immunopurified from wild-type cells with antibody directed against human Y14, demonstrating a direct role for spliced 3′-UTR introns in triggering EJC-mediated NMD. These results demonstrate conclusively that NMD, EJC, and CBC factors have essential roles in controlling mRNA stability and that, based on differential requirements for these factors, there are branched mechanisms for NMD. They demonstrate for the first time autoregulatory control of expression at the level of mRNA stability through the EJC/CBC branch of NMD for EJC core components, eIF4A3 and Y14, and for eRF1, which recognizes termination codons. Finally, these results show that EJC-mediated NMD occurs in fungi and thus is an evolutionarily conserved quality-control mechanism.
Interruption of the connections of the mammillary bodies protects against generalized pentylenetetrazol seizures in guinea pigs

Electrolytic lesions in the anterior and mid-diencephalon and ventral midbrain in guinea pigs were produced to examine the effects of interruption of the fornix (FX), mammillothalamic tracts (MT), and mammillary peduncles (MP), respectively, on the expression of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) seizures. As a group, all mid-diencephalic lesioned animals had some degree of protection from the electroencephalographic and behavioral convulsant and lethal effects of the drug. Through a composite volume analysis of protected versus unprotected animals, as well as a retrospective comparison between MT and non-MT lesioned animals, it was demonstrated that small mid- diencephalic lesions incorporating only the MTs and their immediate vicinity were capable of completely preventing the convulsant and lethal effects of PTZ. Lesions of the FX and MP were also protective against PTZ seizures but to a lesser degree than the MT lesions. These results demonstrate that the major afferent and efferent connections of the mammillary bodies are involved in expressing PTZ seizure activity and suggest that the MT may be the major pathway mediating paroxysmal activity from brain stem to the thalamus.
Medial preoptic lesions and male sexual behavior: age and environmental interactions

In all species studied, the medial preoptic area has been found to be necessary for male copulatory behavior. No recovery of sexual function from the medial preoptic area lesions appears to have been reported. This study demonstrates that rats with large lesions of the medial preoptic area exhibit adult male sexual behavior when the surgery is performed prepuberally and the rats have interacted socially with peers.
Carcinogen-DNA and protein adducts: biomarkers for cohort selection and modifiable endpoints in chemoprevention trials.

Chemical-specific markers have been developed for a number of environmental carcinogens for use as molecular dosimeters of individual exposure. In addition to contributing substantially to the specificity and sensitivity of epidemiological studies aimed at determining the role of environmental agents in the etiology of human cancers, some of these biomarkers may prove to be useful endpoints for assessing the efficacy of preventive interventions, including exposure avoidance or remediation and chemoprevention. Biomarkers of the biologically effective dose may be particularly useful in this context in that they provide a mechanistic linkage between exposure and disease outcome. The biologically effective dose reflects the amount of toxicant that has interacted with its critical molecular target and can be measured through a variety of analytical techniques as either carcinogen-DNA or -protein adducts. Approaches for the development and validation of aflatoxin adduct biomarkers are presented as a paradigm for the application of carcinogen-specific markers for cohort selection and as modifiable endpoints for assessing efficacy in chemoprevention trials. J. Cell. Biochem. 25S:85–91. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Parent playfulness: a case study of infant twins with handicaps.

Summary This longitudinal case study was designed to provide descriptive data on game playing between one mother and father and their infant twin sons, each of whom had handicaps. Specific issues addressed were the proportion of interaction time spent playing parent/infant games, the types and characteristics of the games played, whether these varied between the mother and father, and whether there was a relationship between parental game playing and the developing but different abilities of the infants. Results showed many parallels with existing literature on parent/infant games and on differences between mothers and fathers. Results also indicated variations in game playing in relation to the extent of handicap in the infant.
Analysis of Microwave Fast-Passage Effects in Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance Spectra

Abstract Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) transitions of photo-excited triplet states in zero magnetic field usually are not measured under slow-passage conditions. At a typical temperature of about 1.2 K, spin–lattice relaxation is largely quenched; return to steady-state sublevel populations occurs primarily by electronic decay and optical pumping via the ground state. This process is often slower than the microwave passage time through the homogeneous line, leading to fast-passage effects observable in the inhomogeneously broadened ODMR band. These include a sweep-rate-dependent shift of the peak frequency and distortion of the band shape. A mathematical model that predicts the spectrum of phosphorescence-detected ODMR as a function of microwave sweep rate is presented. The independent variables are band center, band shape and width, sublevel decay constants, and radiative decay-constant ratio. The model is applied to the |D| − |E|, and 2|E| transitions of tryptophan in lysozyme, and to the 4.36 GHz transition of 1-methyl-2-thiouracil. Nonlinear least-squares fitting of the spectra to the model produces consistent band center frequencies and widths, independent of microwave sweep rate. The reliability of a decay constant increases with its radiative quantum yield. The peak frequency shift with sweep rate is very nonlinear; its determination by extrapolation to zero rate is not reliable.
The columnar lined oesophagus: a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma

See article on page585 Just a few years ago, the definition and pathogenesis of Barrett’s oesophagus seemed straightforward. Barrett’s oesophagus was the condition in which metaplastic columnar epithelium replaced oesophageal squamous mucosa that had been damaged by exposure to refluxed gastric juice. The condition was sought primarily in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), and was identified when endoscopic examination revealed long segments of columnar epithelium extending well up the oesophagus. Biopsy specimens taken from the oesophageal columnar lining usually showed a peculiar form of intestinal metaplasia called specialised columnar epithelium or specialised intestinal metaplasia. In patients who developed adenocarcinomas in Barrett’s oesophagus, the columnar epithelium surrounding the oesophageal tumour invariably contained specialised intestinal metaplasia that often exhibited dysplastic changes. Eventually, Barrett’s oesophagus with specialised intestinal metaplasia became recognised as the major risk factor for adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus and oesophagogastric junction.1 Over the past two decades, the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus and oesophagogastric junction has been rising dramatically in the United …
Classical and quantum scattering on a cone

The “topological” scattering of a quantized test particle in the locally flat conical geometry of a localized source in 2+1-dimensional gravity is analyzed. Wave functions and scattering amplitudes are obtained and compared with those recently found in a different approach by ‘t Hooft. The propagator [heat kernel] is also determined.
Understanding lookup performance deficiencies in the KAD network

The KAD network is one of the largest distributed hash tables utilized by the popular P2P file-sharing systems: aMule and eMule. However, its lookup performance is recognized as inefficient. In this work, based on the fact that peers publish and retrieve information with the help of their routing tables and publishing tables, we evaluate this inefficiency problem via a series of real world tests. Our measurements show that even though the maintenance policy of routing tables is well designed, the current refresh scheme of the publishing table and the selfishness of publishing peers cause the poor lookup performance. To mitigate this problem, we propose there different modifications and analyze their advantages and weaknesses.
Colorless green ideals in the language of bibliographic description: Making sense and nonsense in libraries

Abstract Cataloguing in libraries was formerly done by cataloguers with a wide range of academic backgrounds and linguistic abilities. With the rise of networked databases much of this work is now automated, outsourced to vendors, or done by persons lacking the requisite skills. The removal of this activity from libraries leads to a generic product produced for a generic user, with no possibility for a library-internal evaluation of the product. Librarians demand “a bibliographic record” of a certain form in a manner analogous to the generative grammar’s production of sentences. So long as the form is correct, it is not evaluated for appropriateness or usefulness. The resulting information is often equivalent to colorless green ideas.
Therapeutic Options in the Management of Febrile Seizures

Febrile seizures are common events, affecting at least 2 to 5% of children. They occur more often in boys. Most are ‘simple’, i.e. are generalised, shorter than 15 minutes in duration, and do not recur within 24 hours. When the seizures are focal or prolonged, or recur within a day, they are called ‘complex’. One-third of febrile seizures recur, with recurrences more frequent when febrile seizures begin in the first year of life, the initial febrile seizure is complex, the fever triggering the first febrile seizure has been brief and of low grade, there is a family history of febrile seizures or epilepsy, and the child is developmentally or neurologically abnormal. Children with febrile seizures are at an increased risk for later epilepsy, particularly when febrile seizures recur and especially when they are complex.
Molecular genetic control of axis patterning during early embryogenesis of vertebrates.

: Formation of the axis and its subsequent patterning to establish the tube-within-a-tube body plan characteristic of vertebrates are initiated during gastrulation. In higher vertebrates (i.e., birds and mammals), gastrulation involves six key events: establishment of the rostrocaudal/mediolateral axis; formation and progression of the primitive streak and organizer; epiboly of the epiblast, ingression of prospective mesodermal and endodermal cells through the primitive streak, and migration of cells away from the primitive streak; regression of the primitive streak; establishment of the right-left axis; and formation of the tail bud. Over 50 years of study of these processes have provided a morphological framework for understanding how these events occur, and recent advances in imaging, microsurgical intervention, and cell tracking are beginning to elucidate the underlying cell behaviors that drive morphogenetic movements. Moreover, homotopic transplantation and dye microinjection studies are being used to generate high-resolution fate maps, and heterotopic transplantation studies are revealing the cell-cell interactions that are sufficient as well as required for mesodermal and ectodermal commitment. Additionally, the roles of the organizer and secondary signaling centers in establishing the body plan are being defined. With the advent of the molecular/genetic age, the molecular basis for axis formation is beginning to become understood. Thus, it is becoming clear that secreted growth factors/signaling molecules produced by localized signaling centers induce and pattern the axis, presumably through downstream activation of signal-transduction proteins and cascades of transcription factors.
Interferon-α Inhibits Cyclin E- and Cyclin D1-Dependent CDK-2 Kinase Activity Associated with RB Protein and E2F in Daudi Cells

Abstract The state of phosphorylation of retinoblastoma (RB) protein is regulated by CDK2 and CDC2 kinases. In the studies presented here, we have investigated the effect of interferon-α (IFN-α) on cyclin-dependent kinases in Daudi cells which were synchronized at different points of the cell cycle progression. We observed that the IFN-α enhances the expression of underphosphorylated RB protein in Daudi cells released from the G1/S, and this was closely associated with the inhibition of CDK2 kinase and not CDC2 kinase activity. The observed IFN-α-sensitive CDK2 kinase activity was dependent on Cyclin E and cyclin D1 but not on cyclin A and was physically associated with transcriptional factors: RB and E2F. In addition, treatment of G1/S Daudi cells with IFN-α also inhibited the ability of CDK2 enzyme to phosphorylate the RB protein in vitro. These results suggest possible involvement of cell cycle kinases in IFN-α action.
Diffuse Cosmic Gamma-Ray Background as a Probe of Cosmological Gravitino Regeneration and Decay

We predict the presence of a spectral feature in the isotropic cosmic gamma-ray background associated with gravitino decays at high red shifts. With a gravitino abundance that falls in the relatively narrow range expected for thermally regenerated gravitinos following an inflationary epoch in the very early universe, gravitinos of mass several gigaelectronvolts are found to yield an appreciable flux of 1---10-MeV diffuse gamma rays.
Novel Fiber Bragg Grating sensor applicable for fault detection in high voltage transformers

In this paper, a fiber optic based sensor capable of fault detection in the high voltage transformers is investigated. Bragg wavelength shift is used to detect fault in power systems. Magnetic fields generated by fault currents in the transformer cause a strain in magnetostrictive material which is then detected by Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG). Fiber Bragg interrogator senses the reflected FBG signals, and the Bragg wavelength shift is calculated and signals are processed. It is shown that the faults in both primary and secondary of transformers cause a detectable wavelength shift in the Fiber Bragg Grating.
A simple procedure to use whole serum as a source of either IgG- or IgM-specific antibody

Absorption of rabbit antiserum to Forssman antigen with immobilized staphylococcal Protein A or concanavalin A selectively removed IgG or IgM antibodies, respectively. This absorption procedure was more rapid than ion exchange chromatography on DEAE cellulose or molecular sieving on Sephadex G-200 and gave a better yield of functionally purer antibody. This absorption method gave antiserum suitable for the preparation of either IgM or IgG sensitized sheep erythrocytes and should be of value for the large-scale preparation of indicator cells required for the study of complement action and for detection of specific receptors on cell surfaces.
Drug-exposed infant cases in juvenile court: risk factors and court outcomes

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine which factors were significantly associated with court outcomes for drug exposed infants in dependency court. Method: A longitudinal study of 118 drug exposed infant social services and juvenile court files of petitioned cases through all court hearings, using chi-squares and logistic regressions data analysis. Results: There was an overrepresentation of minority mothers who were poor, unemployed, undereducated, and single, with prior referrals to the dependency system and criminal records. The chi-square analysis suggested that variables such as ethnicity, past referrals, and criminal record were significantly associated with court outcomes for all hearings, with minority cases less likely to receive family maintenance orders, and more likely to have their children placed out of home. The regression analysis however showed a different pattern. Ethnicity and prior referrals disappeared as significant risk factors altogether. Only at the initial dispositional hearing did a criminal record significantly influence court decisions. In subsequent hearings, mothers’ compliance with court orders and attending court hearings became the significant factors associated with court outcomes. Conclusions: Mothers’ behavior was more important for court outcomes than ethnicity, past referrals, and criminal record. It is therefore imperative that mothers are motivated to successfully comply with court orders by offering culturally appropriate services and facilitating attendance at court hearings.
Criminal Justice and Sensitivity Analysis

Abstract Sensitivity analysis refers to determining what it would take so that a second-best alternative, combination, allocation, decision rule, or other conclusion would become the best conclusion. Examples relate to conclusions as to whether to go to trial or settle for a plea bargain, whether to adopt or reject a proposed legal policy, whether to consider a hypothesis to be confirmed about differences or similarities, and how much a prediction concerning sentence length is likely to change as a result of changes in the characteristics of the defendant or the case.
Biblical criticism and cultural Zionism prior to the first world war

This essay examines the initial stages of the relationship between Jewish nationalism and modern biblical criticism. Its point of departure is Ahad Ha’am, the founder of cultural Zionism, who kept his distance from biblical criticism, and proceeds with Joseph Klausner, Ahad Ha’am’s successor as the editor of Ha-shiloah, who moved in the opposite direction by incorporating biblical criticism into his own writing and teaching. After examining the opposition to Klausner, the essay turns to the work of Ben-Zion Mossinson, who introduced the results of biblical criticism into the teaching of the Bible in the modern schools of the Yishuv. This initiative generated controversy and broad opposition, especially in the European Hebrew press. Shortly before World War I, and in this controversy’s immediate aftermath, Joseph Klausner, then in Palestine, published a small pamphlet in Hebrew making the case for biblical criticism. At about the same time, in Russia, Max Soloveitchik made a similar argument in a book of his own. Neither of these two works had resounding significance, but each testifies to the growing self-confidence of the exponents of cultural Zionist in promoting modern biblical criticism in the Jewish school.
Carbonate Debris Flows, Cow Head Group, Western Newfoundland

ABSTRACT The Cow Head Group is an allochthonous Cambro-Ordovician sequence of deep-water limestone conglomerates, mudstones to grainstones, minor quartz sandstones, siltstones and shales. Platy-clast conglomerates and boulder-rich megaconglomerates as much as 100 m thick exhibit features similar to those described for subaerial debris flows; that is, flat, sharp bases with only minor evidence for erosion, poorly developed clast fabric with tilting of platy clasts at right angles to the flow direction, boulders floating within flows or projecting above the tops of flows, irregular flow tops indicating primary relief above the sea floor, and tapered flow margins (snouts). Snout geometry and the extent of boulder projection both allow calculation of debris static strength. These results, combined with measured flow thickness, permit calculation of minimum and maximum paleoslope gradients. Original debris static strengths were in the range of 103 to 105 dynes/cm2, similar to the observed range in subaerial flows. Calculations yield bottom gradients of l-l 8°, but independent field data suggest that the paleoslope dip was on the order of only a few degrees. This constraint suggests that debris strength was substantially reduced during flow, probably by excess pore-fluid pressures, thus permitting flow on very gentle slopes. The paleoslope orientations used in this study are substantially different from those previously published by Hubert et at. (1977).
Capitalism in Colonial Puerto Rico

Capitalism in Colonial Puerto Rico. TERESITA MARTINEZ-VERGNE. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1992. xiv + 189 pp., photographs, maps, figures, bibliography, index. $27.95 (cloth). ISBN0–8130–1110–8.
Electrokymographic Studies of the Left Atrium in Normal and Diseased Hearts

Electrokymographic tracings of left auricular pulsations in normal and diseased states are described. A characteristic abnormality observed in persons with organic mitral valve insufficiency is believed to be graphic evidence of regurgitation of blood from ventricle into atrium. Electrokymographic evidence of regurgitation was found in persons with mitral stenosis without an audible systolic murmur but instances of mitral stenosis without insufficiency were recorded. Patients with Austin Flint murmurs and individuals with murmurs mimicking mitral insufficiency showed uniformly normal atrial pulsations.
Fast and efficient voltage scheduling by evolutionary slack distribution

To minimize energy consumption by voltage scaling in design of heterogeneous real-time embedded systems, it is necessary to perform two distinct tasks: task scheduling (TS) and voltage selection (VS). Techniques proposed to date either are fast but yield inefficient results, or output efficient solutions after many slow iterations. As a core problem to solve in the inner loop of a system-level optimization cycle, it is critical that the algorithm be fast while producing high quality results. This paper presents a new technique called Evolutionary Relative Slack Distribution Voltage Scheduling (ERSD-VS) that achieves both speed and efficiency. It addresses priority adjustment and slack distribution issues with low cost heuristics. Experimental results from running publicly available testbenches show up to 42% energy saving compared to a published technique called EVEN-VS. It also shows up to 70 times speed improvement compared to an efficient technique called EE-GLSA.
Differences in ovarian hormones in relation to parity and time since last birth

Objective To examine ovarian function in relation to parity and time since last birth. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Health-care program in California. Patient(s) 346 naturally cycling women, aged 18 to 39 years. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Mean follicular urinary estradiol metabolite concentration (E1C) (cycle days −8 to −1), mean luteal progesterone metabolite concentration (PdG) (days 0 to +10), and cycle phase lengths in ovulatory cycles. Result(s) After the women had collected daily urine samples for up to eight menstrual cycles, we measured the E1C and PdG using enzyme-linked immunoassay. The cycle phase lengths were calculated from the hormone profiles and daily diaries. Women who had given birth within the previous 3 years had lower E1C than the nulliparous women and women who last given birth >3 years earlier. Among the parous women, E1C was positively associated with the time since last birth. Women who last gave birth >3 years earlier had longer follicular phases than the nulliparous women. There were no associations between parity and PdG or luteal phase length. Conclusion(s) Our cross-sectional data suggest that ovarian function differs in nulliparous and parous women and is positively associated with the time since last birth. Longitudinal research is needed to explore within-woman changes in ovarian function prepartum and postpartum.
FREQUENCY OF SALMONELLA, CAMPYLOBACTER, LISTERIA AND ENTEROBACTERIACEAE DETECTION IN COMMERCIALLY COOL WATER‐WASHED SHELL EGGS

The effect of cool water washing on shell egg temperature and pathogen detection was examined. Three temperature schemes were utilized in commercial dual washer systems: (1) HH = 48.9C, 48.9C; (2) HC = 48.9C, 23.9C; and (3) CC = 23.9C, 23.9C. HH eggs maintained the highest surface temperature (26.25C in-line, 20.25C off-line and 23.25C combined, P 0.05). The lowest temperatures were found in the CC eggs (21.25C in-line, 17.25C off-line and 19.25C combined). The frequency of Enterobacteriaceae detection in shell and membrane emulsions was greatest for the CC eggs (P 0.05 for in-line and combined). There was no difference in Enterobacteriaceae detection for the off-line facility. Salmonella was detected in three of 384 samples from the in-line facility. They were found in HC (2) and CC (1) shell emulsions. Two of 384 samples were positive for Campylobacter from the in-line facility (CC). Three wash water samples were positive for Listeria in the off-line facility (1 HC, 2 CC). No pathogens were detected in the egg contents during this study. The results of this study indicate that warm followed by cool water washing has the potential of decreasing egg temperature while maintaining surface microbiology at an acceptable level.
Genetic engineering of novel genomes of large DNA viruses

Analyses of the function of specific genes and sequences of large DNA viruses such as herpesviruses and poxviruses present special problems because of the size of their genomes (120 to 250 kilobase pairs). Various methods for engineering site-specific insertions or deletions based on the use of selectable markers have been developed and applied for the elucidation of the function of specific DNA sequences, the identification of genes nonessential for virus growth in cell culture, and the expression of foreign genes. These methods should also make possible the construction of viral vectors capable of delivering genes specifying antigens for the prevention of infectious diseases in humans and animals.
Comparisons Of Observed And Simulated Atomic Structures Of Pd/NiO Heterophase Interfaces

High-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and image simulation using the multislice algorithm were used to study the atomic structure of a Pd/NiO (111) interface in an internally oxidized sample. These samples have cube-on-cube oriented or twin-related precipitates whose (111) interfaces exhibit a contrast modulation along the boundary plane in the HREM image. Previous studies have reported that the observed structural period of this modulation corresponds qualitatively to the expected spacing if the boundary were composed of a network of misfit dislocations. In this study, rigid models of the (111) interface as viewed from the [110] direction were simulated using the EMS suite of programs. The questions addressed are whether the terminating plane on the oxide side is made up of a Ni or an O layer, and whether a rigid body translation normal to the interface exists. Results of simulations are compared and contrasted to through-focal experimental images to investigate the origin of the contrast modulations and their possible relation to the extent of the misfit localization in these systems. 6 figs, 1 tab, 11 refs.
Electron microscopy study of precipitates in FeNiMn maraging alloys

Abstract The age-hardening characteristics of Fe-20wt.%Ni-1.27wt.%Mn (alloy A–O) and Fe-20wt.%Ni-3.23wt.%Mn (alloy B-0) maraging alloys have been studied in detail using analytical electron microscopy and computer simulation of selected-area diffraction patterns (SADPs). Only alloy B-0 showed substantial maraging response and the activation energy of 24.3 kcal mol −1 obtained suggests the nucleation and growth of precipitates along dislocations. An ordered f.c.t. Θ-NiMn precipitate was identified in overaged samples and confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and computer simulation of SADPs. The shape of precipitates depends on the aging temperature. Lower temperature aging resulted in rod-shaped precipitates, while disc-shaped precipitates appeared at higher temperatures. Rod-shaped Widmanstatten austenite, having the Kurdyumov-Sachs orientation relationship with the matrix, appeared simultaneously within the lath martensite.
Photoperiod, sex, gonadal steroids, and housing density affect body fat in hamsters

Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus sungorus) show seasonal cycles in body mass with the peak mass occurring in the summer and the nadir in the winter. These naturally occurring changes in body mass are triggered by changes in the photoperiod and are mimicked in the laboratory by transferring male or female hamsters from long "summer-like" days (LDs) to short "winter-like" days (SDs). During the initial exposure to SDs (1-6 weeks), the decreases in body fat are not uniform and are associated with the relative preferential depletion of internally located intraperitoneal white adipose tissue (WAT) pads compared with the more externally located subcutaneous WAT pads. This pattern of lipid depletion only occurs in males. The purpose of the present experiments was to explore further the SD-induced gender- and fat pad-specific relative decreases in fat pad mass by answering the following questions: 1) What are the underlying alterations in adipose tissue cellularity associated with the SD-induced changes in fat pad mass? 2) Does housing density affect these decreases in fat pad mass? and 3) Can these changes in WAT mass be altered by gonadal steroid manipulation? In Experiment 1, adult male and female gonadally intact Siberian hamsters were housed singly or 10 hamsters per cage. In Experiment 2, adult male and female hamsters were left gonadally intact or gonadectomized. Castrated males received a cholesterol control (CHOL), testosterone (T), or dihydrotestosterone (DHT) implant, whereas ovariectomized females received CHOL or estradiol implant. Six weeks after surgery and implantation, half the animals in each group in both experiments were transferred to SDs for an additional 6 weeks, whereas the others remained in LDs. It was found that: 1) the SD-induced decrease in fat pad mass was reflected primarily as decreased fat cell size, 2) the relative pattern of SD-induced lipid depletion only was seen in single-housed males, 3) T or estradiol treatment reversed the effects of gonadectomy in both photoperiods, 4) despite the restoration of LD serum concentrations for both hormones, T only reversed the SD-induced decrease in body mass and food intake, whereas estradiol only reversed the SD-induced decrease in RWAT pad mass, and 5) DHT treatment exaggerated the SD-induced decreases in body mass and food intake. Collectively, these results showed that: a) short photoperiod-mediated changes in fat pad mass are due to fluctuations only in fat cell size, b) housing density affected the relative pattern of SD-induced lipid depletion in males, whereas most other photosensitive responses did not differ between single- and group-housed hamsters, and c) many of the SD-induced responses were gonadal steroid independent.
Comparison of various loose fill cushioning materials based on protective and environmental performance

This paper compares various loose fill packaging materials based on the amount of material required for a given level of protection. A methodology developed to evaluate and compare package cushioning materials on the basis of environmental concerns relative to disposal and recycling is used to compare seven different loose fill materials. The materials compared include recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS), starch and paper based materials, wood shavings and popcorn. The shock level G was related to the amount of cushion material needed both by weight and by volume. The results show that starch-based loose fill materials (Naturpack and Eco-Foam) and Fiberflow showed the best protective performance and minimum material utilization by volume. 100% recycled EPS showed the best performance in terms of percent weight utilization. Other materials tested, like popcorn and wood shavings, showed poor material utilization.
I feel for my avatar: embodied perception in VEs

Visual perception is dependent upon one's physical state. The apparent inclination of a hill is overestimated when the observer is carrying a heavy backpack. But, what if the hill is a virtual one and the user is about to navigate the virtual environment through an avatar? In a 2 (user with a backpack vs. user without the backpack) × 2 (avatar with a virtual backpack vs. avatar without a virtual backpack) × 2 (customized avatar vs. assigned avatar) between-subjects experiment (N = 121), participants estimated the hill as being steeper when using a customized avatar rather than an assigned one. When the avatar is encumbered by a heavy virtual backpack, those with a customized avatar perceived the virtual hill as being more difficult to climb. Avatar customization and the physical resources of the avatar (operationalized here in the form of a 'virtual' backpack) were found to be key predictors of embodied perception in virtual environments (VE). This has implications for the design of games and interventions that make use of VEs.
Phase I trial of sunitinib and temsirolimus in metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Abstract Background Preclinical data suggest that anti–vascular endothelial growth factor agents combined with mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors yield synergistic antitumor effects. A phase I trial with a 3+3 dose escalation design of S with T was stopped after the first dose pair led to 2 of 3 patients experiencing dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). Patients and Methods To explore multiple potential dosing pairs of S and T, a 2-stage outcome-adaptive Bayesian dose-finding method was designed. The primary objective was to find the MTD of S and T in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. A 3-week treatment cycle consisted of daily S, 2 weeks of treatment, 1 week without treatment, and weekly T. Results Twenty patients received study drugs; the median number of previous therapies was 1. The number of patients (S and T doses in mg) was: 2 (S, 12.5; T, 6), 1 (S, 25; T, 12.5), 1 (S, 12.5; T, 8), 8 (S, 12.5 alternate 25; T, 9), 2 (S, 25; T, 6), 2 (S, 25 alternate 37.5; T, 6), 2 (S, 37.5; T, 6), and 2 (S, 37.5; T, 8). Six patients required dose reduction, 3 because of Grade 3 stomatitis, 2 because of Grade 3 thrombocytopenia; the mean number of cycles was 6.6 ± 5.3, the mean time during study was 159 ± 120 days. One patient experienced a DLT in cycle 1 and was nonevaluable, 1 had a partial response, 16 had stable disease, and 2 had progressive disease as best response. There were 21 Grade 3/4 adverse events but no treatment-related deaths. Conclusion The MTD of S and T were not determined because of premature trial closure. S 37.5 mg/d, 2 weeks of treatment, 1 week with no treatment, and T 8 mg to 10 mg weekly are close to the MTD.
Recent Advances in Impedance-Based Wireless Sensor Nodes

This paper presents recent developments in an extremely compact, wireless impedance sensor node for use in structural health monitoring (SHM). The sensor node uses a low-cost integrated circuit that can measure and record the electric impedance of a piezoelectric active-sensor. The sensor node also integrates several components, including a microcontroller for local computing, telemetry for wireless data transmission, multiplexers for managing up to seven piezoelectric transducers per node, energy storage mediums, and several triggering options including a wireless triggering circuit into one package to truly realize a comprehensive, self-contained wireless active-sensor node for SHM applications. It is estimated that this sensor node requires less than 75 mW of total power to operate measurement, computation and data transmission. In addition, the sensor node can also be used for the active-sensor self-diagnostic process that can monitor the operational condition of piezoelectric transducers used in SHM applications. The performance of this miniaturized and portable device is compared to our previous results and its broader capabilities are demonstrated.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Family Involvement in Expanded School Mental Health.

Expanded school mental health (ESMH) programs address the limitations of traditional mental health agencies in meeting the needs of youth by providing a full range of services in a familiar and nonstigmatizing setting. Because of the central role families play in the lives of children, their involvement in ESMH can enhance the effectiveness of treatments and ensure that services are responsive to the needs of the larger community. Increasing family involvement, however, is a complex and resource-intensive endeavor, and requires consideration of the goals of the ESMH program and potential obstacles to meeting those goals. The challenges of involving family members in ESMH, guidelines for determining the program's goals with respect to family involvement, and strategies for achieving these goals are described. Underlying the strategies is the need to be flexible, creative, and respectful of the beliefs and concerns of the families served by the ESMH program. Language: en
Determination of earthquake focal depths and source time functions in central Asia using teleseismic P waveforms

We developed a new method to determine earthquake source time functions and focal depths. It uses theoretical Green's function and a time-domain deconvolution with positivity constraint to estimate the source time function from the teleseismic P waveforms. The earthquake focal depth is also determined in the process by using the time separations of the direct P and depth phases. We applied this method to 606 earthquakes between 1990 and 2005 in Central Asia. The results show that the Centroid Moment Tensor solutions, which are routinely computed for earthquake larger than M5.0 globally using very long period body and surface waves, systematically over-estimated the source depths and durations, especially for shallow events. Away from the subduction zone, most of the 606 earthquakes occurred within the top 20 km of crust. This shallow distribution of earthquakes suggests a high geotherm and a weak ductile lower crust in the region.
If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It: Humans Flaunt Attractive Partners to Enhance Their Status and Desirability

Mating decisions are influenced by conspecifics’ mate choices in many species including humans. Recent research has shown that women are more attracted to men with attractive putative partners than those with less attractive partners. We integrate these findings with traditional accounts of social signaling and test five hypotheses derived from it. In our study, 64 men and 75 women were paired with attractive and unattractive opposite-sex putative partners and asked whether they would prefer to give surveys to peers or to older adults. Consistent with predictions, both men and women wanted to show off (flaunt) attractive partners by administering surveys to peers and both men and women wanted to hide (conceal) unattractive partners from peers by administering surveys to older adults. These decisions were mediated by how participants expected others to evaluate their status and desirability when they administered the surveys, consistent with partners serving a social signaling function in humans.