cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Irregular antibodies: an assessment of routine prenatal screening

In a review of the antenatal-postnatal records of 6062 patients attending the prenatal clinic at a large university perinatal center during 1980, 8.3% of the pregnant patients seen were Rho(D) negative and 91.7% were Rho(D) positive. Through routine antibody screening of all patients, 115 were found to have irregular antibodies which would otherwise not have been detected. Fifteen of these patients were Rho(D) negative, but they would have been included for antibody screening due to their Rho(D) negative status. Of the remaining 100 Rho(D) positive patients, clinically significant antibodies were observed in six patients; however, no maternal morbidity or hemolytic disease of the newborn was reported. Antecedent maternal risk factors for development of irregular antibodies were not sufficiently selective for predicting outcomes of such pregnancies. Furthermore, the only four patients with irregular antibodies requiring blood transfusion were cross-matched without difficulties. Findings suggest that screening all patients for irregular antibodies cannot be justified due to the prohibitive costs involved. However, because of the racially homogeneous population studied, variations in the frequency of red blood cell genotypes between racial groups, and the irregular pattern of occurrence of irregular antibodies, the authors believe that further studies on the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of screening all antenatal patients for presence of irregular antibodies are necessary.
ACTIVITY OF LIVER ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASES ON STEROIDS

Four mammalian class I liver alcohol dehydrogenases catalyze stereospecific oxidoreduction at the 3-position of 5β-steroids: the horse S, human γ, rat and rabbit enzymes (Waller et al., 1965; McEvily et al., 1988; Reynier et al., 1975; Hoog et al., 1993). These enzymes may provide a connection between the metabolism of ethanol and steroids, since alcohol oxidation raises the NADH/NAD+ ratio in the liver and thus shifts the redox state in favor of the reduced steroid (Anderson et al., 1986). Evaluating the role of liver alcohol dehydrogenase in steroid metabolism requires more complete knowledge of substrate specificities, kinetic parameters and species variation.
Benzodiazepinas e risco de demência: qual a evidência?

Aim: To determine if long-term use of benzodiazepines on people aged ≥ 65 years is associated with an increased dementia risk. Data sources: National Guideline Clearinghouse, NHS Evidence, CMA InfoBase, Cochrane, DARE, MEDLINE/PubMed. Review methods: Guidelines, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and observational studies in English and Portuguese, published between January of 2006 and March of 2016, were searched, using the MeSH terms ‘benzodiazepines’ and ‘dementia’. Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) scale from the American Family Physician was applied to evaluate the levels of evidence (LE) and the strength of recommendation (SR). Results: There were obtained 209 articles and five of these met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis and systematic review revealed an association between benzodiazepines use and increased risk of dementia (LE 3). This risk increases with treatment duration, cumulative doses of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepines with long duration of action (LE 3). Nonetheless, observational studies did not reveal this association (LE 3). Conclusions: There is limited evidence (SR C) for the association between benzodiazepines use and risk of dementia. Therefore, more prospective cohort studies, with a long follow-up and adjusted for confounding variables, is needed to clarify the existence of a possible causal association and to decrease the reverse causality bias. However, the implementation of these studies presents several methodological difficulties. This study reinforces the already existing concern about the chronic use of benzodiazepines in the elderly population, in the treatment of anxiety and sleep disorders and emphasize the role of the Family Physician as a longitudinal health care provider.
Abstract TP366: Last Known Well To Acute Stroke Treatment Time Is the Key Factor For A Good Outcome As Measured by Modified Rankin Score at 1-Year post Discharge Follow-Up

Last Known Well To Acute Stroke Treatment Time Is the Key Factor For A Good Outcome As Measured by Modified Rankin Score at 1-Year post Discharge Follow-Up Background/Purpose: The modified Rankin S...
The impact of acute kidney injury on frailty status in critical illness survivors-is there enough evidence?

Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in approximately 20% of hospitalized patients, and the incidence doubles in patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) (1,2). AKI carries high morbidity, resource utilization and mortality, particularly in critically ill patients in whom mortality rates could be as high as 50% (3-5).
Priming the Pump: Public Investment, Private Mortgage Investment, and Violent Crime:

Recent neighborhood crime research suggests that increased mortgage investment in local communities can help reduce street crime by defending against physical decline and improving perceptions of t...
Power Plus Persuasion: The Anatomy of Kennedy’s Housing Order

We examine the influence of various political actors on the substance and timing of presidential orders. Specifically, we analyze President John F. Kennedy’s decision to issue E. O. 11063, which di...
Integrating Students’ Behavioral Signals and Academic Profiles in Early Warning System

In this paper, we investigated how students’ behavioral signals and incoming profiles can be integrated to describe and predict student success in a higher education’s STEM course. The results include three major findings. First, we found behavioral signals like the number of correct responses to in-class questions, the number of confusing slides, and the number of viewed slides and videos are stable predictors of student success across different periods of a semester. Second, from the mixed-effect modeling results, we could identify significant gender gaps between mid-level incoming GPA student groups. We also showed some possible course advising scenarios based on the interaction between student behaviors and incoming profile factors. Third, using both behavioral signals and incoming profiles, our weekly forecast model on student success achieved a 72% prediction accuracy. We believe these findings can set the stage for subsequent early warning system studies that use different types of student data. Further investigations on the causal relationships for suggested results and developing other novel predictive features for student success would be beneficial for designing a better early warning system.
Methodological considerations for potential improvement of this study.

To the Editor Nestelberger et al 1 performed a prospective observational study of patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) and suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) to further elucidate the optimal strategy of evaluation for this population. Unfortunately there are several methodological problems which prevent the authors from realising the full clinical potential of their dataset. First, the study uses the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as the primary outcome against which the ECG findings are judged, implying both that the role of the ECG is to diagnose all types of AMI, and that the authors expect such accuracy. This logic runs counter to the role of …
Sustainable smartphone-based healthcare systems: A systems engineering approach to assess the efficacy of respiratory monitoring apps

Recent technological developments along with advances in smart healthcare have been rapidly changing the healthcare industry and improving outcomes for patients. To ensure reliable smartphone-based healthcare interfaces with high levels of efficacy, a system dynamics model with sustainability indicators is proposed. The focus of this paper is smartphone-based breathing monitoring systems that could possibly use breathing sounds as the data acquisition input. This can especially be useful for the self-testing procedure of the ongoing global COVID-19 crisis in which the lungs are attacked and breathing is affected. The method of investigation is based on a systems engineering approach using system dynamics modeling. In this paper, first, a causal model for a smartphone-based respiratory function monitoring is introduced. Then, a systems thinking approach is applied to propose a system dynamics model of the smartphone-based respiratory function monitoring system. The system dynamics model investigates the level of efficacy and sustainability of the system by studying the behavior of various factors of the system including patient wellbeing and care, cost, convenience, user friendliness, in addition to other embedded software and hardware breathing monitoring system design and performance metrics (e.g., accuracy, real-time response, etc.). The sustainability level is also studied through introducing various indicators that directly relate to the three pillars of sustainability. Various scenarios have been applied and tested on the proposed model. The results depict the dynamics of the model for the efficacy and sustainability of smartphone-based breathing monitoring systems. The proposed ideas provide a clear insight to envision sustainable and effective smartphone-based healthcare monitoring systems.
A PVT-Resilient, Highly-Linear Fifth-Order Ring-Oscillator-Based Filter

This paper introduces a new class of ring oscillator (RO)-based filters that address linearity and process variance limitation of existing RO-based filters. A highly-linear process-tolerant RO filter topology is achieved by imitating the widely known active-RC topology in the phase domain. We propose utilizing a set of frequency detectors (FDs) and phase detectors (PDs) to extract both the frequency and phase information of an inverter-based RO to synthesize active filters in a way similar to integrator-based active-RC filters, which are synthesized using a set of capacitors and resistors, respectively. A zero compensation technique is proposed to extend the achievable bandwidth of the proposed topology. Also, a delay-locked loop (DLL)-based tuning scheme is introduced to achieve resilience over PVT variations. A prototype 5th-order, 2–22 MHz continuous-time Butterworth filter is presented in 130 nm CMOS technology to demonstrate the proposed topology. The filter consumes 6.2–8.9 mA from a 1 V supply and achieves 26.2 dB in-band IIP3. The filter achieves bandwidth variation less than ±3.5% over a temperature range of −40 °C to 85 °C and supply voltage range of 0.9–1.2 V.
Auditory-perceptual voice and speech evaluation in ATP1A3 positive patients.

Abstract Introduction Bulbar symptoms are frequent in patients with rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism (RDP). RDP is caused by ATP1A3 mutations, with onset typically within 30 days of stressor exposure. Most patients have impairments in speech (dysarthria) and voice (dysphonia). These have not been quantified. We aimed to formally characterize these in RDP subjects as compared to mutation negative family controls. Methods We analyzed recordings in 32 RDP subjects (male = 21, female = 11) and 29 mutation negative controls (male = 15, female = 14). Three raters, blinded to mutation status, rated speech and vocal quality. Dysarthria was classified by subtype. Dysphonia was rated via the GRBAS (Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, Strain) scale. We used general neurological exams and the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS) to assess dysarthria, dystonia, and speech/swallowing dysfunction. Results The presence of dysarthria was more frequent in RDP subjects compared to controls (72% vs. 17%, p Conclusions Quantitative voice and speech analyses are important in assessing RDP. Subjects frequently experience dysarthria and dysphonia. Dystonia is not the exclusive voice abnormality present in this population. In our analysis, RDP subjects more frequently experienced bulbar symptoms than controls. GRBAS scores are useful in quantifying voice impairment, potentially allowing for better assessments of progression or treatment effects. Future directions include using task-specific diagnostic and perceptual voice evaluation tools to further assess laryngeal dystonia.
Nested Reduction Algorithms for Generating a Rank-Minimized ℋ 2 -Matrix From FMM for Electrically Large Analysis

In this work, we develop efficient algorithms to generate a rank-minimized ${\mathcal{ H}}^{2}$ -matrix to represent electrically large surface integral operators for a prescribed accuracy. We first generate an ${\mathcal{ H}}^{2}$ -matrix using the fast multipole method (FMM), and hence, the complexity for ${\mathcal{ H}}^{2}$ -construction is as low as $O(NlogN)$ for solving electrically large surface integral equations. We then develop fast algorithms to convert the FMM-based ${\mathcal{ H}}^{2}$ -matrix whose rank is full asymptotically to a new ${\mathcal{ H}}^{2}$ -representation, whose rank is minimized based on accuracy. The proposed algorithms cost $O(k^{3})$ in time for each cluster in cluster basis generation and $O(k^{2})$ in memory, where $k$ is the minimal rank of the cluster basis required by accuracy. When the rank of the ${\mathcal{ H}}^{2}$ -matrix is a constant, the complexity of the proposed algorithms is $O(N)$ in both time and memory consumption. When the rank is a variable dependent on electrical size, the total complexity can be evaluated based on the rank’s behavior. The resultant rank-minimized ${\mathcal{ H}}^{2}$ -matrix has been employed to accelerate both iterative and direct solutions. Numerical experiments on large-scale surface integral equation-based scattering analysis have demonstrated its accuracy and efficiency.
Cyber Autonomy in Software Security: Techniques and Tactics

Software security research traditionally focuses on the development of specific offense and defense techniques on software vulnerabilities. Software security techniques are useful in practice only to the extent they can be leveraged to achieve a goal. Different parties‐individuals, companies, or nations‐implement offensive and defensive techniques as components in holistic systems, and these systems strategically interact with each other.This chapter aims to introduce to the reader cyber autonomy in software security. We will offer a holistic view on this topic by presenting both techniques and tactics in software security. This chapter will introduce the high‐level model of cyber autonomy in software security and explain how techniques and tactics co‐work in software security, discuss current software security techniques (including vulnerability discovery, exploit generation, vulnerability patching, and vulnerability ricochet) and, once the readers have gained familiarity with the background and the context in software security that serves as the prerequisites for building a game theoretical model, will introduce the autonomous computer security game, which is the core of the chapter.
Debunking the ‘model minority’ myth: How positive attitudes toward Asian Americans influence perceptions of racial microaggressions

Abstract The study examined how positive attitudes toward Asian Americans impact perceptions of the harmful effects of workplace racial microaggressions enacted against Asian Americans. Positive stereotypes based on the model minority myth portray Asian Americans as hard-working, industrious, and technically competent. Such positive stereotypes can influence individuals' attitudes toward Asian Americans, and as a result, also affect their ability to perceive the harmful effects of subtle types of racial microaggressions, which can be just as harmful, if not more so, than blatant microaggressions. To examine this, we asked participants to read a series of vignettes depicting blatant (microassault) and various types of subtle (microinsult, microinvalidation, and overvalidation) racial microaggressions. As expected, individuals with more positive attitudes toward Asian Americans viewed the blatant microaggressions against Asians as more harmful compared to those who held less positive attitudes. Results also revealed that positive attitudes toward Asian Americans did not influence perceptions of the harmful effects of the subtler microaggressions (overvalidation and microinvalidation). We discuss the implications of these findings.
Operant conditioning of infant behavior: a review.

Publisher Summary This chapter covers published investigations in which infant behaviors are followed by positive reinforcement. The age range of infancy is considered to be from birth to 18 months. This is the conventional age range for infancy, but the primary advantage of this limit is that the lower age range for children in other reviews of operant conditioning begins at about this age. Experimental spaces used in these investigations have been reviewed and different aspects of experimental sessions are discussed as well. The essential design characteristics of each experiment are outlined. The infant behaviors that have received experimental attention are discussed. Among the behaviors which have been studied are sucking, head turning, visual attending, vocalization, smiling, kicking, and touching or grasping objects. To aid presentation, behaviors have been classified into three categories: neonatal behaviors, social behaviors, and behaviors involving the hands, arms, or legs. Age classification is incorporated such that within the discussion of each behavior, the general order is according to the age of subjects.
The Gold Standard and Center-Periphery Interactions

The Gold Standard was an asymmetrical system, with different rules of the game for the Center and the Periphery. The periphery was for most of the time off the gold standard system, and effectively in an exchange-gold system. This paper will analyze the main effects of this hybrid system on the balance of payments adjustment mechanism of central and peripheral countries. It will be argued that the conventional wisdom that assumed a smooth and symmetrical adjustment of the balance of payments in the center and periphery is incorrect.
A novel graph partitioning technique for enhancing the computational efficiency of the loop-tree generalized PEEC modeling of 3D interconnects

A novel graph partitioning technique is proposed for the computationally-efficient and numerically robust implementation of a loop-tree, generalized, partial-element-equivalent-circuit (G-PEEC) modeling of the electromagnetic response of interconnect structures. The proposed technique allows for the identification of loops with controllable profiles and the minimum number of associated branches. The resulting G-PEEC model is successfully applied to the electromagnetic modeling of interconnect structures from almost DC to multiple-tens-of-GHz frequencies.
How Shall the People of the United States of America Reform Their Legal Procedure So as to Make It an Instrument of Justice

There is a general feeling among the people of the United States that they are not securing justice under our present system for the administration of justice, and that the time for another great law reform is near at hand. It is not an unusual thing to hear such charges as the following: That the average length of a law suit, civil or criminal, is about three years; that most courts are from one year to five years behind their dockets, though this country has twenty times as many judges as England has; that, as a result of the failure of our criminal procedure, our country, in proportion to its population, has eight times as many homicides as Italy, nine times as many as Canada, thirteen times as many as Great Britain, and twenty times as many as Germany; that in both state and federal courts nearly fifty per cent of the cases appealed have been reversed; that over fifty per cent of the questions appealed have turned upon questions of pleading and practice (while in Europe new trials are unknown; and in England, since 1890, new trials have been granted in less than four per cent of the cases, and there has been no second trial for thirty years in a common law case and none for fifty years in an equity case); that in criminal cases especially failures to convict are largely due to perjury, suppression of testimony, dispersion of witnesses, manufacturing of evidence and bribery of jurors; that the real cases of litigants are often not presented for trial, because of mistakes in pleadings; that the expense of trials is so great that only the rich can afford them and the state could make money in damage cases by paying the amount of the judgments instead of trying the cases; that witnesses are partizan; that clients with good cases are often defeated, without their fault; that the situation has become
Age‐specific breeding probability in black brant: effects of population density

Summary 1. We estimated age-specific probability of breeding for black brant ( Branta bernicla nigricans Lawrence) (hereafter brant) at the Tutakoke River Colony, Alaska, during a series of years in which local breeding density and juvenile mortality both increased. We use these analyses to examine demographic responses to increased population density. 2. Estimates of breeding probability were based on Kendall & Nichols (1995) fulllikelihood modification of Pollock’s (1982) robust design applied to observations of uniquely colour-banded brant. 3. Breeding probability varied with female age but not across years, indicating lack of response to increased population density. Annual probability of breeding increased from 0·67 ∠ 0·042 for 2-year-old females to 0·90 ∠ 0·024 for females 5 years old or older. 4. Annual breeding probability of males ♢ 5 years old was 0·78 ∠ 0·03. Lower breeding probability of males compared to females probably reflects dispersal of males whose mates died. 5. Lower juvenile survival appears to be a general response to increased density in large herbivorous birds and mammals, while changes in adult survival and reproductive investment may be more variable.
Human red cell antigens. V. Expression of In(Lu)-related p80 antigens by recessive-type Lu(a-b-) red cells.

The In(Lu) gene, which inhibits the expression of Lutheran blood group antigens by red cells (RBCs), also down-regulates the expression of an 80-kD glycoprotein, In(Lu)-related p80, by both RBCs and a subset of white cells. This study examined the expression of multiple-RBC p80 epitopes by autosomal and X-linked recessive-type Lu(a−b−) RBCs in order to explore the relationship, if any, between expression of In(Lu)- related p80 and Lutheran antigens. Both autosomal and X-linked types of recessive Lu(a+b−) RBCs expressed near-normal to increased amounts of p80 antigens, as measured by radioimmunoassay. P80 from both types of recessive Lu(a−b−) RBCs had apparently normal molecular weight in denaturing polyacrylamide gels and showed normal sensitivity to digestion by trypsin and chymotrypsin. Thus, the absence of Lutheran antigens on recessive-type Lu(a−b−) RBCs is not associated with decreased or absent p80 antigens. Furthermore, the XS2 gene probably does not act via a mechanism similar to that of the In(Lu) gene, since the expression of p80 remains undiminished in X-linked recessive-type Lu(a−b−) RBCs.
Effects of food mastication on rat parotid gland adrenergic and cholinergic cell surface receptors.

Adult male rats were fed diets of differing texture (liquid, powder, standard pelleted, or bulk pelleted) to alter food mastication. After 2 weeks, the parotid glands were removed and adrenergic and muscarinic-cholinergic cell surface receptor density (fM bound/mg protein) and ligand binding dissociation constants (Kd in nM) were determined by radioligand binding techniques on a crude membrane fraction. For all diets, gland weight increased as the requirement for food mastication increased (i.e., liquid < powder < standard pelleted < bulk pelleted). Among the diets, neither beta-two nor alpha-two receptor density was altered. Beta-one receptor density was directly related to dietary mastication. Compared with the standard pelleted diet, beta-one receptor density was reduced 21% for the liquid diet and 7% for the powdered diet; for the bulk-pelleted diet, beta-one receptor density was increased 11%. With respect to alpha-one receptor density, it was not affected by the liquid or powdered diet when compared...
Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid Improves Cognitive Function, Tissue Sparing, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Indices of Edema and White Matter Injury in the Immature Rat after Traumatic Brain Injury.

Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of acquired neurologic disability in children. Specific therapies to treat acute TBI are lacking. Cognitive impairment from TBI may be blunted by decreasing inflammation and oxidative damage after injury. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) decreases cognitive impairment, oxidative stress, and white matter injury in adult rats after TBI. Effects of DHA on cognitive outcome, oxidative stress, and white matter injury in the developing rat after experimental TBI are unknown. We hypothesized that DHA would decrease early inflammatory markers and oxidative stress, and improve cognitive, imaging and histologic outcomes in rat pups after controlled cortical impact (CCI). CCI or sham surgery was delivered to 17 d old male rat pups exposed to DHA or standard diet for the duration of the experiments. DHA was introduced into the dam diet the day before CCI to allow timely DHA delivery to the pre-weanling pups. Inflammatory cytokines and nitrates/nitrites were measure...
Tomographic Imaging of Oxygen in Tissue by Phosphorescence Lifetime: A Computational Study

In this paper using numerical simulations we demonstrate feasibility of near infrared oxygen imaging in tissue by phosphorescence lifetime in time-domain and show reconstructions of hypoxic phantoms in cylindrical model.
The incidence of burnout or compassion fatigue in medical dosimetrists as a function of various stress and psychologic factors

Burnout and compassion fatigue (CF) adversely affect medical professionals, including those employed in radiation oncology. Previously conducted research acknowledged the presence of burnout in populations of radiation therapists, radiation oncologists, and oncology nursing staff. The aim of the following research was to measure the incidence of burnout or CF in the specific population of medical dosimetrists surveyed. As professional members of the radiation oncology team, this group had not been included in published research data to date. The hypothesis of the subsequent study stated that a comparable incidence of burnout would be observed among medical dosimetrists as had been reported by earlier researchers for a population of radiation therapists. A survey tool based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and distributed to full members of the American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD) was utilized as the research measurement method. Results obtained indicated an incidence rates of burnout or CF for medical dosimetrists were less than the rates previously measured for radiation therapists (53% vs 11% for emotional exhaustion [EE] and 45% vs 27% for depersonalization [DP]). The incidence of burnout was based on the Burnout Inventory (BI) developed for the research project. Each of the subscales, EE, DP, and decreased personal accomplishment (PA), was considered and analyzed independently. Although not as prevalent among medical dosimetrists as a variety of additional radiation oncology professionals, a significant portion of the population demonstrated signs of burnout or CF. Future concerns abound for the population of medical dosimetrists as a large number of members scored positive for intermediate risk of burnout and CF. Additionally, a large portion of the population was found to be rapidly approaching retirement.
An electrostatically rebalanced micromechanical accelerometer

This paper discusses the results of testing a micromechanical accelerometer with integral electrodes. It is suitable for use with the CSDL micromechanical gyro, previously described in last years' conference, (Ref. 1) and could be fabricated on the same chip. The accelerometer has a capacitive sensor and electrostatic torquer. It was operated in a closed-loop mode, and tested by rotating it in a g-field on a dividing head. The bandwidth was on the order of one Hertz. The best results give a scale-factor error (SFE) of 480 ppm. The bias of 261 micro-g was stable over the test time (203 min.). These results are to be considered short term. The effect of device temperature was determined to be 2100 micro-g per decree C on bias, and -123 parts per million on scale factor. Turn-on shifts were very large, on the order of 10 milli-g. The integral electrode structure is truly monolithic in that no assembly is required other than standard packaging. It could be made at very low cost. Accelerometer Descri~tion The accelerometer is a monolithic structure (no assembly of component parts) consisting of a torsional pendulum with capacitive readout and electrostatic torquer. A sketch of the configuration is shown in Fig. 1. The device is about 300 by 600 microns in size. The pendulum is supported by a pair of flexure pivots. The readout and torquing electrodes are built into the device beneath the tilt plate. Figure 1 also shows a side view of the device. The device is made on a silicon wafer, and is all silicon except for the deposited gold on one side of the tilt plate which provides the pendulosity. The electrodes are separated electrically from the body of the device by p-n junction isolation. Fabrication details are being presented elsewhere. (Ref. 2)
Urban fuel economy: an alternate interpretation of recent computer simulation calculations

Estimates of the effect of different traffic control scenarios on vehicular fuel consumption in an urban network were obtained in a recent report using detailed computer simulation. In the present work it is shown that these computer simulation results are consistent with a previously developed model of fuel consumption in urban traffic systems derived by conducting experiments in street traffic.
Diode laser line strength measurements of the (ν4 + ν5)0 band of 12C2H2

Abstract A diode laser spectrometer that was operated in sweep integration mode was used to measure individual line strengths for 17 R -branch transitions of the ( ν 4 + ν 5 ) 0 combination band of 12 C 2 H 2 at 7.4 μm. Analysis of these results gives a band strength S v = 64.4 ± 2.0 cm −2 atm −1 at 296 K. Line-broadening parameters for several of these transitions were determined by using both N 2 and He as broadening gases.
Textures and the Shapes of Domains in Langmuir Monolayers

Two-dimensional domains containing an XY-like order parameter exhibit non-trivial internal structure and take on shapes controlled by the configuration that the order parameter adopts. The textures exhibited by the order parameter in such domains are controlled by the interplay between bulk and surface contributions to the energy. We report calculations of the internal texture and the shape of such domains. These calculations lead to the determination of the equilibrium properties of two-dimensional domains, such as those observed in Langmuir monolayers. This allows for the unambiguous exploration of the implications of experimental findings.
Primary neuroendocrine breast cancer, how much do we know so far?

Primary neuroendocrine cancer of the breast (NECB) is an extremely rare tumor. In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized this category with three well-described subtypes: small cell, large cell, and carcinoid-like carcinoma; very few peer-review publications based on the WHO definition were encountered in the literature, and we conducted a literature search to investigate the reported incidence, diagnosis, prognosis, hormone receptor status, and treatment options for this rare tumor. Confirming the breast as an origin of neuroendocrine tumor represents a challenge. The diagnosis is mainly dependent on the exclusion of other extra-mammary organs based on clinical, radiological, and pathological data. Except for the very rare type small cell carcinoma, estrogen and progesterone receptors were reported to be expressed in 90 and 83 % of NECB, respectively. It is hypothesized that primary breast neuroendocrine carcinoma differentiates from the epithelial cells during the carcinogenesis process; the prognosis of non-small cell primary NECB seems to improve as the amount of mucinous component increases in the tumor specimen. Management similar to interventions utilized to manage the usual ductal-type carcinoma has been attempted in the past, such as chemotherapy and hormonal therapy; however, due to the rarity of the tumor, none of the published studies are randomized nor do they have a large number of patients. Additionally, none of reports analyzed NECB based on its distinct subtypes. These limitations make recommendations largely based on anecdotal and small observatory studies and call for the need for further research in this extremely rare tumor.
Identification of follicles with fertilizable oocytes by sequential ultrasound measurements during follicular development

Patients undergoing ovulation induction for in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) were monitored daily with serum estradiol-17β (E2) and ultrasound. The location of each individual follicle was established by taking ultrasound images through serial sections of the ovary. The diameter of each follicle and the volume of its follicular wall (FW) were determined from ultrasound images using a computer-controlled image analyzer. A total of 44 follicles from nine patients was studied, with an overall fertilization rate of 46%. In all patients, serum E2 levels increased prior to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Whereas changes in either the average diameter or the volume of the entire follicle did not identify follicles with fertilizable oocytes, FW volume measurements were predictive. Prior to hCG, FW volume increased 24±8%/day in follicles with fertilizable oocytes but decreased 3±6%/day in follicles with nonfertilizable oocytes (P<0.05). Three major patterns of follicular development were observed for follicles with nonfertilizable oocytes: slow growing (<20% increase in FW volume), nongrowing (no change in the FW volume), and “degenerating” (a decrease in the FW volume), suggesting that these follicles are “postmature.” These data demonstrate that FW volume measurements made from sequential ultrasound images provide an accurate method to identify those follicles that contain fertilizable oocytes.
Interpretation of some metallic phase diagrams—I. Asymmetry of enthalpy of mixing☆

A general result is presented for the enthalpy of mixing of metals (solid or liquid) which shows clearly the contributions important in regular solutions and in non-regular solutions. An ab initio calculation of the partial enthalpy at infinite dilution ΔHαi is made for two systems, Al-Ga and Al-Sn, by the ‘constant-volume’ method of calculation of Desre and Leribaux. A simple asymmetry obtains from our results, i.e. ΔHαi is larger when i corresponds to the ‘large atom’ dissolved in the ‘small-atom’ metal than in the opposite case. We use (in principle) exact pseudopotential theory to obtain these results. Finally, we show that the ΔH of these systems falls into the Scatchard-Barker type of expansion because the metallic bonds follow simple relations.
In situ spectroscopic ellipsometric investigation of argon ion bombardment of single-crystal silicon and silicon dioxide films

Abstract Ion-bombarded single-crystal silicon surfaces, maintained in ultrahigh vacuum, are characterized by in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry over the photon energy range 2.0–5.5 eV. The incident energies of argon ions from a Kaufman ion source are 100 to 1500 eV. Spectroscopic ellipsometry, SE, was found to be a very sensitive tool for characterization of these samples. The computer modeling analysis of this data demonstrated the ability of SE to determine the crucial parameters describing the damage to these samples. It is shown that SE with effective models can yield information on the depth profile of multilayer structures, quantitative information on the thicknesses of each layer, and the microstructure (crystalline, amorphous, or oxide). Argon ion beam etching (IBE) of silicon dioxide on crystalline silicon substrates at incident energies of 300 and 1200 eV and the substrate damage induced by IBE was investigated by means of in situ SE.
A distinct chondrodysplasia resembling Kniest dysplasia: Clinical, roentgenographic, histologic, and ultrastructural findings

Two sibs, one girl and one boy, were observed in infancy with a severe lethal skeletal dysplasia syndrome that radiologically and histologically resembled Kniest dysplasia but clearly differed in clinical course and inheritance. Kniest dysplasia is a nonlethal syndrome, whereas both of these infants died in the neonatal period. Kniest dysplasia appears to be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait; the likely transmission in this family was autosomal recessive. Roentgenograms revealed dumbbell-shaped long bones superficially similar to Kniest dysplasia, but with markedly shortened diaphyses and metaphyseal irregularities. Chondro-osseous morphology demonstrated a superficially similar foamy "Swiss cheese" appearance to the cartilage matrix, as seen in Kniest dysplasia, but there were distinctly different changes in the growth plate and resting cartilage. Ultrastructurally, the chondrocytic endoplasmic reticulum was found to have an appearance different from that observed in either normal or Kniest cartilage. These cases likely represent a distinct chondrodysplasia.
Uncertainty quantification of an inflatable/rigidizable torus

There is an increasing interest in lightweight inflatable structures for space missions. The dynamic testing and model updating of these types of structures present many challenges in terms of model uncertainty and structural nonlinearity. This paper presents an experimental study of uncertainty quantification of a 3m-diameter inflatable torus. Model uncertainty can be thought of as coming from two different sources, uncertainty due to changes in controlled conditions, such as temperature and input force level, and uncertainty associated with others random factors, such as measurement noise, etc. To precisely investigate and quantify model uncertainty from different sources, experiments, using sine-sweep excitation in the specified narrow frequency bands, are conducted to collect frequency response function (FRF) under various test conditions. To model the variation of the identified parameters, a singular value decomposition technique is applied to extract the principal components of the parameter change.
A survey of mutation techniques in genetic programming

The importance of mutation varies across evolutionary computation domains including: genetic programming, evolution strategies, and genetic algorithms. In the genetic programming community, researchers' view of mutation's effectiveness spans the range from an ineffective or marginal operator, to a neutral operator, to a highly effective operator that evolves solutions more effectively than genetic programming with crossover alone. Mutation implementation and associated parameters are often under reported in genetic programming research and typically lack context that justifies the technique and parameter selection. In part, reporting variance stems from the adaptation of mutation developed by the genetic algorithm community, and the creation of new mutation techniques in genetic programming. This survey describes the controversial operator in genetic programming applications, mutation selection operators, mutation techniques and offers an organization of mutation characteristics. We suggest methodologies to improve reporting of mutation parameters and related individual selection methods.
Public values in risk debates

Both the issues inherent in regulation of specific risks and the contexts in which such regulatory processes occur are often characterized by confusion and controversy. Tools based on multiattribute utility measurement (MAUT) can help to clarify public values in risk debates and thus to facilitate option invention and decision making. Stakeholder group representatives, in interaction with an analyst, structure their values relevant to the problem into a value tree. The analyst prepares a common tree, iterating until all stakeholder representatives accept it. Stakeholders express their values as weights on the common tree. This provides a basis for option invention and negotiation. The paper presents three illustrative applications.
Pacemaker complication during magnetic resonance imaging.

The article by Martin et al. ([1][1]) suggesting that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations are safe in qualified pacemaker patients should lead to improved care, especially for cancer patients. Encouraged by this article, we have taken two patients into a Signa LX EchoSpeed 1.5-T MRI (GE
STYLE REVISITED: THE DIALECTICS OF ESTABLISHED AND AD HOC USAGE IN EUROPEAN AESTHETICS

Abstract The tradition of Western stylistics, initiated by Aristotle, is impregnated with the dialectics between established and unconventional usage. In the twentieth century, Bakhtin acknowledged this dynamic through his conception of the dialectical nature of language. Concepts of the plain style, many of them emanating from the United States, deviated from this dynamic. Prestigious style handbooks such as The Elements of Style and Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, which championed a form of the plain style based on empiricism, offered advice that undermined the dialectical, dynamic nature of language. At the same time, calls for cavalier self-expression, e.g., experimentation in Baudrillard and experimentalism in Lloyd, could not account for the great achievements of Western stylistics. A paucity of stylistic diversity led Foucault to promote “heterotopias.” Cixous proposed a three-stage model for linguistic development designed to heighten dialectical interplay between tradition and novelty. Attuned ...
A split delta-V technique for drift control of geosynchronous spacecraft

A split-delta-V technique is presented for the east-west stationkeeping of geosynchronous spacecraft using the linearized optimal transfer strategies for near-circular coplanar orbits. The maneuvers are carried out by taking advantage of the dynamics of the spacecraft in order to cancel out the effect of the drift accumulated between successive impulsive delta-V's. A stability analysis is then carried out in order to determine the effect of implementing a series of precanned maneuvers at the end of each drift cycle in an autonomous mode by taking into account initial orbit determination uncertainties and execution errors emanating from each delta-V. It is shown that small tolerance deadbands are violated after only a few cycles and the system is unstable.
Measures and markers of biological aging: 'a great clamoring.., of fleeting significance'

In response to Dean and Morgan (1988), we review our position on approaches to functional or biological aging. Researchers have attempted to assess an hypothesized underlying 'rate of aging' by combining information from the functioning of several different physical or psychological systems. None of these attempts has yet demonstrated success; because many different processes contribute to what we call 'aging', the concept of a single biological age is itself probably fundamentally flawed. We advocate more sophisticated interdisciplinary and longitudinal research as the best hope for understanding and ameliorating the effects of aging processes.
Using Mitrion-C to Implement Floating-Point Arithmetic on a Cray XD1

Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are of interest to the high performance computing (HPC) computing community because they offer lower power consumption and higher throughput compared to traditional processors. Recently, the implementation of floating-point operations on FPGAs has become possible as the amount of memory available on FGPAs has increased. Unfortunately, advances in technology have also increased the complexity of creating hardware designs for FPGAs. In this project, we describe our experiences using the Mitrion-C high-level language to implement floating-point calculations on a Cray XD1. We report resource consumption, throughput, and power consumption and conclude that Mitrion simplifies the hardware design process while successfully harnessing the computational power of FPGAs at little additional cost to power consumption.
Release of norepinephrine from brain vesicular preparations: effects of an adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin, and a phosphodiesterase inhibitor.

1. The calcium-dependent K+-evoked release of [3H]norepinephrine from guinea pig cerebral cortical vesicular preparations is inhibited by norepinephrine, clonidine, and epinephrine. Isoproterenol has no effect and phentolamine prevents the inhibition by norepinephrine. The results indicate that anα-adrenergic receptor mediates an inhibitory input to the calcium-dependent release process. The inhibition by norepinephrine is prevented by high concentrations (3.0 mM) of calcium ions. 2. A cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor, ZK 62771, slightly elevates [3H]cyclic AMP levels in the guinea pig cerebral cortical preparation and potentiates the marked elevation of [3H]cyclic AMP elicited by the adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin. 3. Neither ZK 62771 nor forskolin alone has significant effects on K+-evoked release of [3H]norepinephrine from the cerebral cortical vesicular preparation; however, a combination of ZK 62771 and forskolin inhibits K+-evoked release by as much as 60%. The inhibition is reversed by high concentrations (2.0 mM) of calcium ions. The results suggest that a marked accumulation of cyclic AMP elicited via both activation of adenylate cyclase and inhibition of phosphodiesterase can be inhibitory to neurotransmitter release from central synaptic terminals.
The importance of TSLP in allergic disease and its role as a potential therapeutic target

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial-derived cytokine similar to IL- 7, whose gene is located on chromosome 5q22.1 and it exerts its biological function through the TSLP-Receptor (TSLP-R). TSLP is expressed primarily by epithelial cells at barrier surfaces such as the skin, gut and lung in response to danger signals. Since it was cloned in 1994, there has been accumulating evidence that TSLP is crucial for the maturation of antigen presenting cells and hematopoietic cells. TSLP genetic variants and its dysregulated expression have been linked to atopic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis and eosinophilic esophagitis.
Path of a beam of light through an optical coating

A simple model for the path of a light beam through an optical coating is the path of a ray predicted by Snell's law. By determining the exit point of a beam for various types of coating, one finds that the simple model is a good approximation in the case of antireflection coatings, but not for coatings of other designs. An approximate method for determining the correct path of a beam through the coating is derived and the path is illustrated using a Gaussian incident beam and tracing the position of the peak field of the beam as it traverses the coating.