cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of anion channel antagonists in canine colonic myocytes: comparative pharmacology of Cl−, Ca2+ and K+ currents

Volume-Sensitive, Outwardly Rectifying (VSOR) Cl− currents were measured in canine colonic myocytes by whole-cell patch clamp. Decreasing extracellular osmolarity 50 milliosmoles l−1 activated current that was carried by Cl− and 5–7 times greater in the outward direction. Niflumic acid, an inhibitor of Ca2+-activated Cl− channels, did not inhibit VSOR Cl− current. Glibenclamide, an antagonist of CFTR, and anthracene-9-carboxylate (9-AC) inhibited current less than 25% at 100 μM. DIDS (4,4-diisothiocyanato-stilbene-2,2′disulphonate) inhibited VSOR Cl− current more potently than SITS (4-acetamido-4′-isothiocyanato-stilbene-2,2′-disulphonate). IC50s were 0.84 and 226 μM, respectively. VSOR Cl− current was strongly inhibited by tamoxifen ([Z]-1-[p-dimethylaminoethoxy-phenyl]-1,2-diphenyl-1-butene), an anti-oestrogen compound (IC50=0.57 μM). Gd3+ antagonized VSOR Cl− current more potently than La3+. The IC50 for Gd3+ was 23 μM. In contrast, 100 μM La3+ inhibited current only 35±7%. Antagonists of VSOR Cl− current had non-specific effects. These compounds blocked voltage-dependent K+ and Ca2+ currents in colonic myocytes. Tamoxifen (10 μM) and DIDS (10 μM) inhibited L-type Ca2+ current 87±7 and 31±5%, respectively. Additionally, in the presence of 300 nM charybdotoxin, tamoxifen (1 μM) and DIDS (10 μM) inhibited delayed rectifier K+ current 38±8 and 10±2%, respectively. The pharmacology of VSOR Cl− channels overlaps with voltage-dependent cation channels. DIDS and tamoxifen inhibited VSOR Cl− equally. However, because DIDS had much less effect on L-type Ca2+ and delayed rectifier K+ channels than did tamoxifen, it might be useful in experiments to investigate the physiological and pathophysiological role of this conductance in whole tissues. British Journal of Pharmacology (1999) 127, 1819–1831; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0702730
Pictorial representation of solid-gas equilibria at high temperatures

A pictorial representation of solid-gas equilibria is useful for studying the thermodynamics of a system under consideration. These diagrams show the stability regions of the species involved in a system as functions of pressures of two reacting gases. A computer program initially developed to plot the predominance area diagrams for metal-sulfur-oxygen (M-S-O) systems in roasting processes has been modified and generalized to handle any solid-gas system. This program has been utilized to plot the predominance area diagrams (PAD) for metal-sulfur-oxygen and metal-oxygen systems. The only data input required by the computer are the standard free energy values of all species existing in a system.
Bridging the expectations gap

The term expectations gap describes the difference between investors' ideas of a financial statement audit and what standards actually require. Despite many changes in auditing standards, investors still misunderstand the auditor's report. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lessons Learned: Year-by-Year Improvement of a Required Information Competency Course

At the Ohio State University, a health sciences librarian is the co-instructor in a required information competencies course for first-year undergraduate students in the Honors Biomedical Science Major. This article discusses the creation and development of the credit-bearing, in-person course from the curriculum planning phase in 2005 to present. Improvements to the course are described by year. Student feedback, student performance, and reflection by the co-instructors influenced the course improvements, including changes in content, delivery, student feedback mechanisms, and assessment of student learning. The course teaches students to access, organize, read, and analyze the biomedical research literature.
Ambiguity in the Determination of Crystal Structures: 2-Phenylazulene

OUR previous communication1 that 2-phenylazulene, like azulene itself2,3, was disordered in the crystal, with the longest molecular axis reversed at random, must now be amended as a result of the additional refinements to which we referred in ref. 1.
Phase I clinical trial of 7-cyanoquinocarcinol (DX-52-1) in adult patients with refractory solid malignancies

Purpose: A phase I study of the antitumor antibiotic 7-cyanoquinocarcinol, DX-52-1, was conducted in patients with refractory solid malignancies. This study sought to determine the maximum tolerated dose and principal toxicities of this agent and to characterize its pharmacokinetic behavior. Methods: Patients were required to have adequate bone marrow, renal and hepatic function. DX-52-1 was administered by i.v. continuous infusion over a 6-h period each week for four consecutive weeks followed by a 2-week rest period, which constituted one cycle of treatment. Results: Initial dose levels were 3, 6, and 10 mg/m2. An intermediate dose level of 8 mg/m2 was added after acceptable toxicity was observed at the 6 mg/m2 dose level, but dose-limiting toxicities, including life-threatening ones, were seen at the 10 mg/m2 dose level in all three patients. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was subsequently determined to be 6 mg/m2. Because a clear pattern of toxicities was not initially evident, a larger than usual number of additional patients (16) were enrolled at the MTD to better distinguish toxicities due to the study drug from those secondary to the patients' underlying malignancies. Even at the MTD, the drug was poorly tolerated, with gastrointestinal toxicities (abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and increased liver function tests) predominating and dose-limiting. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed that the mean maximum plasma concentration of DX-52-1 in patients evaluated at the MTD (138.8±59.3 ng/ml, n=19) was considerably lower than the concentrations required for cytostatic or cytotoxic activity against sensitive human tumor cell lines in vitro. Further, the weekly dose intensity of the most efficacious treatment schedule identified during in vivo antitumor efficacy studies was 60 times greater than the 6 mg/m2 weekly dose tolerated by cancer patients. None of the 33 patients participating in this study, including the 22 patients evaluated at the MTD, had any response to treatment. Conclusion: Given the poor tolerability, the inability to achieve drug levels necessary to inhibit in vitro or in vivo tumor growth, and the lack of any responses in our study, DX-52-1, as given by this schedule, does not appear to warrant further investigation in phase II studies.
Effects of shear bands in glassy alloy ribbons on some magnetic properties

Metallic glasses deformed in an inhomogeneous manner show degradation of structure-sensitive soft magnetic properties. Ribbons of different magnetostriction have been magnetically measured in the as-cast and in the cold-rolled state. Subsequent isochronal annealing and retesting indicates that recovery of magnetic properties may be rationalized on the basis of competition between stress relief and incipient crystallization, both of which occur during annealing. The minimum coercivity to which an inhomogeneously deformed sample may be annealed is limited primarily by magnetostriction and thermal stability of a particular metallic glass. Stress relaxation and Curie temperature measurements suggest the creation of free volume during the formation of shear bands.
Deformation and stresses in non-homogeneous earth models with a rigid core

Small-strain theory has been applied to find out the deformation and stresses in the interior of the earth considered as a self-gravitating, non-homogeneous, isotropic sphere of heterogeneous density distribution. Stresses have been compared at different layers due to different density distributions.
ROADSIDE EMISSION TESTING--BAD LAW IN A GOOD CAUSE?

In 1998, legislation was introduced in the U.K. on a trial basis that created the offense of failing a roadside emission test and which was punishable by a stiff penalty. Despite the severity of the measure, no involved party has any means of knowing whether the vehicle will pass or fail the test. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that "failures" are being recorded on vehicles that both before and after the roadside test satisfied the emission criteria. As a consequence of these and other features of the test procedure, there has been substantial criticism of these measures by motoring and consumer groups. This article reviews the environmental and legal issues associated with such testing regimes, and examines the potential likelihood of achieving an equitable scheme that will yield air quality improvements.
Surface-Tension-Driven Biologically Inspired Water Strider Robots: Theory and Experiments

Recent biological studies on water strider insects revealed how they maintain stability and maneuver on the surface of water. While macroscale bodies use buoyancy, these very small insects use surface tension force to balance their weight on water. This paper proposes a biologically inspired miniature robot that utilizes the unique scaling advantage of these insects. The paper focuses on understanding the physics of the interaction between the insect and the surface of water and on designing a robot that mimics their key features. Hydrophobic Teflon coated wire legs optimized to take the most advantage of the surface tension force are used to support the weight of the 1-g robot. It is shown that twelve of these legs can support up to 9.3 g of payload. A T-shape actuation mechanism with three piezoelectric unimorph actuators is designed and studied to enable controlled locomotion. Static and dynamic properties of the robot are analyzed and compared with the experimental results. The tethered robot can successfully make both linear and rotational motions. Maximum forward speed is measured to be 3 cm/s, and the rotational speed is 0.5 rad/s. This robot proposes a new way of locomotion on water surface for future robots and devices.
Characterization of diffraction gratings for use in wavelength beam combining at high average power

Wavelength beam combined architectures typically depend on the use of diffraction gratings. We explore the high average power limitations of commercial gratings using experiments and theoretical modeling.
Differentiating opioids by their pupillary effects in the rat.

Abstract Pupillary effects of several opioids were examined as part of a broader in vivo study of multiple opioid receptors in the rat. Agonist activity, stereospecificity, and naloxone sensitivity were determined by methadone (Me), ethylketocyclazocine (EK), and N-allylnormetazocine (SKF 10, 047), selected for their purportedly predominant actions at μ, κ, and σ receptors, respectively. After an acute, subcutaneous injection of each drug, pupil area and fluctuations in pupil size were measured by means of an infrared video pupillometer on line with a microcomputer data processing and storage system. Despite differences in the magnitude of the response, each opioid tested produced an increase in pupil size which was stereospecific, independent of behavioral responses to the drugs and, for 1 -Me and 1 -SKF 10, 047, dose-related. Other differences among the opioids were found in their ability to induce fluctuations ( 1 -Me and 1 -EK) and a pendular nystagmus ( 1 -SKF 10, 047 only), and in their sensitivity to naloxone. Although 1.0 mg/kg naloxone completely reversed 1 -Me-induced mydriasis, 10 mg/kg was needed to reverse 1 -EK, and this dose only partially antagonized 1 -SKF 10, 047. These characteristic patterns of pupillary responses to opioids in terms of agonist activities and naloxone sensitivities indicate that the different opioid receptor types subserve different functions with respect to pupillary control.
Analytical model of hyperspectral system performance

In support of hyperspectral sensor system design and parameter tradeoff investigations, an analytical end-to-end remote sensing system performance forecasting model is being developed. The model uses statistical descriptions of class reflectances in a scene and propagates them through the effects of the atmosphere, the sensor, and any processing transformations. A resultant system performance metric is then calculated based on these propagated statistics. The model divides a remote sensing system into three main components: the scene, the sensor, and the processing algorithms. Scene effects modeled include the solar illumination, atmospheric transmittance, shade effects, adjacency effects, and overcast clouds. Sensor effects modeled include the following radiometric noise sources: shot noise, thermal noise, detector readout noise, quantization noise, and relative calibration error. The processing component includes atmospheric compensation, various linear transformations, and a spectral matched filter used to obtain detection probabilities. This model has been developed for the HYDICE airborne imaging spectrometer covering the reflective solar spectral region from 0.4 to 2.5 micrometers . The paper presents the theory and operation of the model, as well as provides the results of validation studies comparing the model predictions to results obtained using HYDICE data. An example parameter trade study is also included to show the utility of the model for system design and operation applications.
Critical methods and ideology: An international perspective

This article describes approaches to rhetorical criticism used in recent years, reviews the Critical Systems perspective, and examines the relevance of Critical Systems to rhetorical criticism. The argument is that rhetorical criticism must advance the position for improving the human condition, not simply advance our understanding of human communication.
Social Movements and Party Politics: The Case of the Christian Right

This paper explores the uneasy relationship between social movements and major political parties by considering the case of the Christian Right and the Republican Party in the 1994 elections. We look at four states where the movement was active in party politics and where Republican electoral fortunes varied from failure to success. We found that the degree of intraparty division generated by the Christian Right seemed to hurt Republicans at the polls, but the level of movement activity in itself apparently helped the Republicans. Most factors associated with support for the Christian Right did not help account for electoral outcomes across the states. Instead, the accessibility of the political party nomination processes to the movement best accounted for the election results: greater party openness was associated with poor results and more limited access with greater success for the GOP.
Application of artificial intelligence for chemical inference. XXV. A computer program for automated empirical 13C NMR rule formation

A computer program which generates empirical rules associating 13C NMR shifts with local structural environments is described. The program uses a heuristic method to search for common structural features for those carbon atoms exhibiting similar shifts. Rules have been generated by our program from a combined set of acyclic amine and paraffin data. Examples of these rules are presented, and their performance as a tool for structure elucidation is examined.
Methods for Conducting a Field Study of Young Children

Concern about children's environmental health is increasing as newly characterized risks are identified. Often little data is available to guide policy decisions. Research on ambient exposures to environmental contaminants is essential to understand the magnitude and nature of risks to children's environmental health. However, the study of very young children is difficult due to logistical and societal limitations. The most successful field studies include recognition and accommodation of the study family's needs and the child's age and developmental-stage-specific characteristics. We will discuss specific elements to consider when designing and implementing field studies of pre-school children: site selection; development of the study plan and study team; screening and recruitment; informed consent; study implementation; data and sample collection; quality assurance/quality control; and study family communication.
Microwave permittivity of dry sand

The relative dielectric constant, or relative permittivity, /spl epsiv/ of dry snow, is independent of frequency from about 1 MHz up to the microwave range of at least 10 GHz. New measurements of with improved accuracy were made with a specially designed resonator operating near 1 GHz. The coaxial sensor accurately defines the sample volume whose actual mass can be determined to give the density of the snow sample. A special electronic instrument, called a resometer, enabled accurate and rapid measurements under field conditions. Some 90 measurements of different kinds of dry snow (fresh, old, wind-pressed snow, depth hear, and refrozen crusts) were made at test sites in the Swiss and Austrian Alps. The data indicate that /spl epsiv/ is a function of snow density only, given that the standard deviation of 0.006 from the fitted curve is just due to the expected measurement errors. The interpretation of these data in terms of physical mixing theory favors the effective medium formula of Polder and van Santen (1946). The data allow to relate the average axial ratio X as a function of ice volume fraction. Both prolate and oblate spheroids can explain the data. Independent reasoning gives preference to oblate particles. In both cases, the axial ratio increases with increasing fraction up to a critical value of 0.33, followed by a decrease at still higher fractions. The destructive metamorphism of slowly compacting snow explains the increase of X, while the following decrease might be due to sintering. So far, no effect on /spl epsiv/ by a liquid-like surface layer on the ice grains at temperatures between -10/spl deg/C and 0/spl deg/C has been observed.
Application of the Anatomic Double-Bundle Reconstruction Concept to Revision and Augmentation Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgeries

Anatomy is the basis of orthopaedic surgery. Our approach to anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery is governed by this principle. In this article, we describe the concept of anatomic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction as well as its application to single and double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, revision anterior cruciate ligament surgery, and anteromedial and posterolateral-bundle anterior cruciate ligament augmentation surgery. Traditional single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has been shown to achieve good-to-excellent results in only 60% of patients1. As many as 20% to 30% of athletes fail to achieve their previous level of performance, suggesting that there is room for improvement. Because of this high failure rate, we have been driven to explore alternative reconstruction techniques. Our goal is to restore the native anatomy, which we believe will result in superior outcomes and performance levels. Double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is an application of the concept of anatomic reconstruction. Since the native anterior cruciate ligament is composed of two functional bundles, we believe that it is crucial to restore the function of both. The anteromedial bundle is the main contributor to anterior-posterior stability, while the posterolateral bundle mainly controls rotational stability, especially in deep knee flexion2,3. Cadaver biomechanical studies demonstrate that single-bundle reconstruction fails to restore the rotational stability of the knee4, whereas double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction effectively restores rotational stability5. Recent Level-I and II short-term studies6-11 also suggest that double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction results in superior clinical outcomes. ### Definition of Failure of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction We define failure of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction by both objective and subjective parameters. Objectively, a knee lacking 10° of extension or 10° of flexion or a knee that demonstrates instability and giving-way is considered a failure. Furthermore, we recognize that a patient's perception of failure …
Immunization with recombinant aerolysin and haemolysin protected channel catfish against virulent Aeromonas hydrophila.

Aeromonas hydrophila is emerging as one of the major concerns in catfish aquaculture in the Southeastern United States due to recent outbreaks of motile aeromonad septicaemia (MAS) caused by virulent clonal isolates. There is no effective vaccine currently available for the prevention of MAS. In this study, two virulence-associated proteins of A. hydrophila, aerolysin and haemolysin, were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli cells. Recombinant aerolysin (rArl) and haemolysin (rHly) were used to immunize catfish. Both rArl- and rHly-induced humoral immune response as evidenced by immunoblotting and cell agglutination; immunized fish had significantly less mortality as compared to control fish upon challenge with virulent A. hydrophila. When a mixture of rArl and rHly was used to immunize the fish, significantly higher relative per cent survival (RPS) was obtained. Sustained RPS of 71–78% were observed at 2–5 weeks post immunization. The results of this study indicated that immunization against aerolysin and haemolysin had significant impact on the establishment of pathogenesis by A. hydrophila, suggesting that these two proteins could serve as general immunogens for future development of recombinant protein vaccines.
Spread-Spectrum Despreading Without the Code

A new method for despreading direct-sequence spreadspectrum signals, without use of the spreading code, is evaluated by analysis and simulation. The new method exploits the cyclic autocorrelation in place of the conventional autocorrelation, which was used in a prior method. Both methods require that the period of the code be equal to a multiple of the data symbol interval. Broad-band noise and narrowband interference rejection capabilities of both methods are compared. It is shown that the new method, unlike the prior method, can provide substantial immunity to strong narrow-band interference.
OA05.01. Altering nutrition-related behaviors of healthcare professionals through CME involving nutrition experts and chefs

Purpose For healthcare professionals, practicing a healthful behavior oneself is a powerful predictor of counseling patients about these same self-care behaviors (e.g. exercise, wearing seat belts, etc). We explored the feasibility of altering healthcare professionals’ personal and professional behaviors with regard to diet, food preparation, and their ability to advise patients who are overweight or obese as a result of a four-day continuing medical education (CME) conference, “Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives–Caring for Our Patients and Ourselves,” which combines both medical and culinary education.
Riparian disturbance restricts in-stream movement of salamanders

SUMMARY 1. Long-term population persistence or population rescue require dispersal from other source populations. Barriers to movement can effectively fragment and isolate populations, reducing persistence and recolonisation. For stream organisms that depend heavily on movement within dendritic networks, research is needed to identify and estimate the effects of such barriers on connectivity. 2. We used capture–mark–recapture of displaced larval and adult salamanders to estimate return rates across gaps (length 13–85 m) in the riparian canopy and thus to assess the fragmentation of salamander populations within otherwise fully forested catchments. 3. Relative to salamanders in fully forested reaches, displaced salamanders were 86% less likely to return to their capture location when required to cross gaps in the canopy as short as 13 m, and the likelihood of return declined with increasing gap length. The effects of gaps on return rates were consistent among life stages and for up- and downstream movement. 4. Our study suggests that riparian disturbance can reduce permeability to salamanders, even in the absence of additional land-use change. Because anthropogenic features, such as roads and powerlines, frequently cross small streams, the accumulation of apparently small land-cover changes has the potential to reduce continuous populations to small fragments with limited connectivity.
Sound the Alarm: The Effect of Narcissism on Retaliatory Aggression Is Moderated by dACC Reactivity to Rejection.

Narcissists behave aggressively when their egos are threatened by interpersonal insults. This effect has been explained in terms of narcissists' motivation to reduce the discrepancy between their grandiose self and its threatened version, though no research has directly tested this hypothesis. If this notion is true, the link between narcissism and retaliatory aggression should be moderated by neural structures that subserve discrepancy detection, such as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). This study tested the hypothesis that narcissism would only predict greater retaliatory aggression in response to social rejection when the dACC was recruited by the threat. Thirty participants (15 females; Mage = 18.86, SD = 1.25; 77% White) completed a trait narcissism inventory, were socially accepted and then rejected while undergoing fMRI, and then could behave aggressively toward one of the rejecters by blasting him or her with unpleasant noise. When narcissists displayed greater dACC activation during rejection, they behaved aggressively. But there was only a weak or nonsignificant relation between narcissism and aggression among participants with a blunted dACC response. Narcissism's role in aggressive retaliation to interpersonal threats is likely determined by the extent to which the brain's discrepancy detector registers the newly created gap between the grandiose and threatened selves.
Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking Without Scalar Mesons

By combining the ideas of Nambu in his study of superconductivity and of Johnson, Baker, and Willey in their approach to electrodynamics we construct a gauge theory of spontaneous symmetry breaking which is free of elementary spin-zero fields. The theory contains two fermions and two vector mesons, one of which acquires a mass via the Higgs mechanism. A formula for this vector-meson mass is derived which becomes exact, and nonzero, in the limit as the strength of interaction is appropriately scaled to zero. The vacuum energy is also discussed.
Surgical management of glaucoma in pseudophakic patients

Pseudophakic patients that require surgical management of glaucoma have many of the same options as phakic patients. Considerations when performing incisional glaucoma surgery (trabeculectomy with adjunctive antimetabolites and glaucoma drainage device implantation) and laser glaucoma surgery (laser trabeculoplasty and laser cyclophotocoagulation) in pseudophakic patients are reviewed here. The decision to operate and the choice of surgical procedure must be individualized for each patient.
Comment on: Successful treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus mitral valve endocarditis with sequential linezolid and telavancin monotherapy following daptomycin failure

Sir, Joson et al. recently published a report using telavancin to complete treatment of endocarditis due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. While in agreement with their discussion and informative thoughts, some other points should also be considered. While the authors correctly point out the initial underdosing of daptomycin and its potential contribution to the subsequent emergence of daptomycin-non-susceptible isolates, they did not comment on the vancomycin dose (which was also underdosed initially). This may also contribute to future issues with reduced antimicrobial susceptibilities. Persistent bacteraemia should prompt consideration of a search for an undrained focus of infection. While paraspinal fluid collections were found and drained under CT guidance, the report does not mention any follow-up imaging performed to assess the adequacy of drainage. Transoesophageal echocardiography, if performed earlier in the hospital course, might have demonstrated the mitral valve vegetation and have led to more expeditious surgery. Blood cultures appear to have cleared with linezolid and surgery. Linezolid has been previously used as therapy for staphylococcal endocarditis. In the reported case, thrombocytopenia, which developed after an 3 week course of linezolid, led to the use of telavancin. While not disagreeing with the use of telavancin or discounting its role in the successful treatment of the patient, difficulty exists in quantifying the contribution of telavancin to the clinical success. The removal of the foci of infection and lengthy course of antimicrobials prior to the telavancin probably played a more significant role than telavancin in achieving cure. We are appreciative of the authors’ sharing of their case and of the Journal for publishing it. Clinical circumstances often lead to the need for unlabelled use of antimicrobials and communication about this serves the medical community well in the care of our patients.
An analysis of measured and estimated creatinine clearance rates in normal weight, overweight, and obese patients with gynecologic cancers

Study objective: Different equations used to estimate creatinine clearance (Clcr) in obese oncology patients can produce divergent estimated creatinine clearance values, which in turn can result in significantly different calculated carboplatin doses. Standardization of the calculation of creatinine clearance in patients of all body types is a desirable goal. The objective of our study was to examine the impact of increasing body mass index on the accuracy of creatinine clearance estimation methods and to determine the optimal equation for creatinine clearance estimation in the obese adult female cancer patient.Design: Retrospective data analysis.Patients: We compared the estimated creatinine clearance values produced by each of 11 equations to 24-hour creatinine clearance values measured in 119 adult female patients with gynecologic cancers grouped according to body composition.Measurements and main results: We applied simple linear regression and Tukey mean-difference analysis to assess the relationship...
A library to support a graphics-based object-first approach to CS 1

In this paper we describe a library we have developed that supports an "OO-from-the-beginning" approach to CS 1. The use of real graphics "objects" and event-driven programming are important components of our approach. The design of interactive graphical programs helps students to both use objects and write methods early while designing and implementing interesting programs.
Partisan and Electoral Motivations and the Choice of Monetary Institutions Under Fully Mobile Capital

Central bank independence and pegged exchange rates have each been viewed as solutions to the inflationary bias resulting from the time inconsistency of discretionary monetary policy. While it is obvious that a benevolent social planner would opt for such an institutional solution, it is less obvious that a real-world incumbent facing short-term partisan or electoral pressures would do so. In this article, I model the choice of monetary institutions from the standpoint of a survival-maximizing incumbent. It turns out that a wide range of survival-maximizing incumbents do best by forfeiting control over monetary policy. While political pressures do not, in general, discourage monetary commitments, they can influence the choice between fixed exchange rates and central bank independence. I highlight the importance of viewing fiscal policy and monetary policy as substitutes and identify the conditions under which survival-maximizing incumbents will view fixed exchange rates and central bank independence as substitutes. In so doing, I provide a framework for integrating other contributions to this volume.
Single‐arm phase II study of multiagent concurrent chemoradiotherapy and gefitinib in locoregionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Background This phase II study tested the addition of the oral epidermal growth factor receptor gefitinib to multiagent concurrent chemoradiotherapy regimen in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). Methods Patients with stage III–IV HNSCC received hyperfractionated radiation (72–74.4 Gy at 120 cGy twice daily), with concurrent 96-hour infusions of cisplatin 20 mg/m2/day and fluorouracil 1000 mg/m2/day given during weeks 1 and 4. Daily gefitinib 250 mg was started on day 1 of radiation and continued for 2 years. Results were retrospectively compared with our previous study using identical chemoradiotherapy without gefitinib. Results Sixty patients were enrolled in the study; 80% had stage IV disease and 68% had oropharyngeal primary tumors. The full course of gefitinib was not tolerated by 42%; there were 5 treatment-related deaths (8%). With a median follow-up of 54 months, 2- and 3-year overall survival estimates were 80% and 71%, respectively. Projected distant metastatic control at 2 and 3 years was 88%. When compared with our historical cohort, acute toxicities including renal dysfunction and unplanned rehospitalization were worse in the study patients. Projected outcome estimates did not differ between the 2 cohorts. Conclusions Addition of gefitinib to concurrent chemoradiotherapy was difficult to complete, did not improve outcomes, and increased toxicity. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011
Use of Hair Dyes, Hematopoietic Neoplasms, and Lymphomas: A Literature Review. II. Lymphomas and Multiple Myeloma

We review studies on hair dyes and lymphomas and multiple myeloma (MM). A computerized literature search for the years 1966 through 1996 was conducted. Data were extracted using a standardized form that recorded study design, study population, type of cases, comparison group, sources of data on personal exposure to hair dyes, method of data collection, type of exposure data collected, covariates, and results. This review identified 10 epidemiologic studies published in the English literature that examined personal use of hair dyes and lymphomas or MM. These studies include three evaluations of Hodgkin's disease, five of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), two of lymphomas with type not specified, and six of MM. For Hodgkin's disease, one case-control study reported some positive associations with use of permanent hair dyes, whereas two cohort studies found no associations with ever use of hair dyes. For NHL and MM, several evaluations suggest associations with use of permanent dyes, particularly with duration, frequency, age at first use, and dark colors. However, these associations are not consistent within and between studies. For lymphomas with type not specified, one study was superseded by a more recent report with NHL specific data and a second study was limited by small numbers of exposed subjects. At this time, it is not possible to determine if the inconsistent associations between permanent hair dyes and NHL and MM reflect sampling variability or differences in methods between studies. Because an appreciable fraction of the population has potential exposure to permanent hair dyes, elucidation of such issues may be warranted with studies that include adequate numbers of exposed subjects and that elicit information on personal use of hair dyes over time.
Social Justice: Pushing Past Boundaries in Graduate Training

This article explores definitions and integration of social justice in graduate training in counseling and psychology. We examine both the professional literature and our own process in pushing past curricular and administrative boundaries by establishing an extra- or co-curricular component to graduate training that supports the further infusion of social justice principles in graduate training. We conclude with a call for further dialogue and action.
L-ascorbic acid regulates growth and metabolism of renal cells: improvements in cell culture

The addition of L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AscP) to primary cultures of rabbit renal proximal tubular cells (RPTC) grown under improved culture conditions resulted in an extended growth phase and...
Attention in Image Sequences: Biology, Computational Models, and Applications

The ability to automatically detect visually interesting regions in images and video has many practical applications, especially in the design of active machine vision and automatic visual surveillance systems.
Border Petrol: U.S. Challenges to Canadian Tar Sands Development

In 1999, Canadian oil became the United States’ largest source of petroleum, surpassing Saudi Arabian and Mexican oil. There is little question that U.S. demand is driving the rapid development of the Canadian oil sands. With this in mind, this paper asks the question: What legal levers exist for Americans who are against oil sands development to challenge it? The paper describes the avenues of challenge available and assesses their relative merits and their difficulties. Some of the avenues discussed are hortatory, some exert indirect financial pressure, and others attack development directly through regulation or lawsuits. Part I gives a short introduction to oil sands development, the associated environmental problems, and the lobbies in favor of and against development, and considers the reasons Americans might want to discourage development. Part II focuses on current and potential future challenges under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its side agreement, the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). Part III discusses the importance of pipeline construction to oil sands development and the legal barriers the construction is facing. Part IV considers low carbon fuel standards (LCFS), which limit fuel imports based on the carbon-intensity of fuel production, and therefore have great potential to affect oil sands development. Part V discusses climate litigation, specifically lawsuits against oil sands producers for climate harms. Part VI considers a number of quasi-legal policy and market approaches and lists potential further areas of consideration and research.
Synovectomy in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Indications and short-term results.

A study of sixty-eight cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in conjunction with a review of the literature resulted in the establishment of criteria defining indications for synovectomy which make it extremely unlikely that remission would have occurred without surgical treatment.Evaluation of for
Renal Perfusion/Excretion Determination Renogram: A New Tool in the Diagnostic Evaluation of Renovascular Hypertension

Presented herein are initial experiences with the RP/ED renogram, a unique radioisotope differential split function study, which can be performed with a minimum of discomfort to the patient. This test should totally supplant the existing renogram and, with additional experience, may replace the use of split function studies in the evaluation of renovascular hypertension.
Analysis on the kalman filter performance in GPS/INS integration at different noise levels, sampling periods and curvatures

Kalman filters (KF) have been extensively used in the integration of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) data. Often, the GPS data is used as a benchmark to update the INS data. In this study, an analysis of integration of GPS data with INS data using an Extended Kalman filter is performed in terms of the filter's performance with respect to the amount of noise in the GPS data and the sampling time of the vehicle position. The study further analyzes and compares the pattern of error at varying sampling periods in vehicle trajectories with high curvature path segments and low curvature path segments. Simulation results are presented at the end. The results show that the performance of the KF depends linearly on the amount of noise and sampling times. The relationship between the curvature of the road and the performance of the KF was found to be quadratic.
A dual-polarized cross-stacked patch antenna with wide-angle and low cross-polarization for fully digital multifunction phased array radars

In the following contribution, the design of a high performance antenna element with dual-polarization, wide scan angle, and low cross-polarization levels for phased array radars is reported. The antenna was optimized to operate in the federal radio navigation and meteorological band (2.7–2.9 GHz). Cross-polarization levels for E-, D-, and H-plane ≤ −45 dB based on Ludwig's 3rd definition were obtained. Scanning performance of ± 60° for all scanning ranges in the frequency band was achieved. Isolation greater than −40 dB and bandwidths greater than 10 % were reached at the array level.
The evolving role of government in the adaptive governance of freshwater social-ecological systems in the western US

Abstract The role of government within the western United States is shifting, as government command and control policies inadequately address freshwater management complexity. As growing human and environmental needs intensify water resource governance challenges, government is increasingly combining existing regulatory structures with collaborative exchange mechanisms, such as Investments in Watershed Services (IWS). We explored the changing role of government through IWS in the west, a region that holds one of the highest concentrations of IWS globally. Through a survey, we collected and analysed information on the influence of government in IWS. All 48 identified IWS contained some form of government presence: as program participants, regulation drivers, or land managers, and in both voluntary and regulatory contexts. Government influence on IWS varies across water issue (in-stream flow, water quality, and source water protection), and level of government (local, state and federal). Our work demonstrates how the government is expanding its roles and responsibilities, moving beyond historic command and control roles to support and facilitate new mechanisms. Although most government presence in early IWS was regulatory, local, state and federal governments are increasingly participating directly in IWS. State government have expanded regulatory structures for instream flow, and federal and local government are collaborating in source water protection. We found that government is reactionary, pragmatic, and incremental in their responses to water management. Our work provides the first government-specific analysis of IWS in the western US, and provides insights into the evolving role of government in adaptive governance of freshwater resources.
An Abstract Interpretation Framework for the Round-Off Error Analysis of Floating-Point Programs

This paper presents an abstract interpretation framework for the round-off error analysis of floating-point programs. This framework defines a parametric abstract analysis that computes, for each combination of ideal and floating-point execution path of the program, a sound over-approximation of the accumulated floating-point round-off error that may occur. In addition, a Boolean expression that characterizes the input values leading to the computed error approximation is also computed. An abstraction on the control flow of the program is proposed to mitigate the explosion of the number of elements generated by the analysis. Additionally, a widening operator is defined to ensure the convergence of recursive functions and loops. An instantiation of this framework is implemented in the prototype tool PRECiSA that generates formal proof certificates stating the correctness of the computed round-off errors.
Universal Hybrid Probabilistic-geometric Shaping Based on Two-dimensional Distribution Matchers

We propose universal distribution matchers applicable to any two-dimensional signal constellation. We experimentally demonstrate that the performance of 32-ary QAM, based on hybrid probabilistic-geometric shaping, is superior to probabilistically shaped 32QAM and regular 32QAM.
Intended and unintended effects of student performance measurement reform in China

Abstract In the past few decades, the Chinese Ministry of Education has promoted “suzhi jiaoyu” (quality education) reforms. However, little is known about their impact. This paper evaluates an important component of the reforms that replaces using total scores with a letter grade system in high school admissions. I find that this change in student performance measurement achieved its intended goal of balancing learning across subjects but hindered high achievers with imbalanced performance. This paper also discusses how the measurement reform influenced the gender gap in achievements.
High-dimensional multivariate additive regression for uncovering contributing factors to healthcare expenditure

Many studies in health services research rely on regression models with a large number of covariates or predictors. In this article, we introduce novel methodology to estimate and perform model selection for high-dimensional non-parametric multivariate regression problems, with application to many healthcare studies. We particularly focus on multi-responses or multi-task regression models. Because of the complexity of the dependence between predictors and the multiple responses, we exploit model selection approaches that consider various level of groupings between and within responses. The novelty of the method lies in its ability to account simultaneously for between and within group sparsity in the presence of non-linear effects. We also propose a new set of algorithms that can identify inactive and active predictors that are common to all responses or to a subset of responses. Our modeling approach is applied to uncover factors that impact healthcare expenditure for children insured through the Medicaid benefits program. We provide important findings on the association between healthcare expenditure and a large number of well-cited factors for two neighboring states, Georgia and North Carolina, which have similar demographics but different Medicaid systems. We also validate our methods with a benchmark cancer data set and simulated data examples.
Quantitative Fluorescence Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM)

The confocal imaging geometry provides a dramatic optical advantage for fluorescence microscopy by discriminating against out-of-focus background with minimal loss of image-forming signal. Significant enhancement of both axial and lateral imaging resolution is also available but only with substantial signal loss. Because of these optical advantages, the confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) can clearly image thin optical sections from within thick fluorescence-labeled living specimens. A stack of optical sections is easily combined to reveal three-dimensional (3D) fluorescent marker distributions with diffraction-limited spatial resolution. When bright stable fluorophores are available, cellular dynamics can be measured by recording a time series of CLSM images.
CAPILLARY RHEOLOGY OF EXTRUDED CEMENT-BASED MATERIALS

Extrusion processing is a technique used to produce high-performance fiber-reinforced cement-based composites (HPFRCC), which has shown great promise for manufacturing materials that are strong, ductile, durable, design versatile and environmentally friendly. Despite these advantages, extrusion is still primarily limited to laboratory-scale work. One reason this technology has not been adopted by industry is the high cost of the cellulose ether processing aids that are required for extrusion. In this research, the possibility of partially replacing cellulose ethers with less expensive clay binders is investigated. Extrudable and not extrudable mixes are identified and capillary rheology is used to describe the rheological parameters of the various mixes. The results indicate that clay binders can be used as a partial replacement for cellulose ethers and that capillary rheology can be used to describe extrudability. Extrusion, capillary rheology, processing, clay, cellulose ether
Standoff Detection of Uranyl Fluoride Using Ultrafast Laser Filamentation-Induced Fluorescence

We demonstrate that femtosecond laser filamentation combined with time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy is viable for remote detection of uranyl fluoride, a powerful indicator of uranium enrichment activity. © 2019 The Author(s)