cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The temporal dynamics of tics in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome

Abstract Background: Statistical characterization of tic behavior in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) may provide insight into the dynamic functioning of the human central nervous system, as well as improve the quantitative assessment of tic symptom severity. Methods: Twenty-two medication-free GTS subjects underwent videotaping of their tics. The intervals between temporally adjacent tics were measured, and the statistical properties of these intervals were assessed through graphical representation of frequency distributions, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modeling, spectral analysis, and construction of first return maps. Results: The frequency distribution of tic interval durations followed an inverse power law of temporal scaling. Spectral analyses similarly demonstrated that the spectral power density of tic interval duration scales inversely with frequency. ARIMA modeling suggested that the time series for tics are nonstationary as well as moving average processes. The first return maps demonstrated "burstlike" behavior and short-term periodicity in tics, and proved that successive tic intervals are not statistically independent. Graphic display of the time series confirmed short-term periodicity, and in addition suggested the presence of period doubling. Conclusions: These findings are suggestive though not conclusive evidence for the presence of a fractal, deterministic, and possibly chaotic process in the tic time series. These analytic methods provide insight into the temporal features of tics that commonly are described clinically (such as short-term bouts or bursting, and longer term waxing and waning), and they reveal certain important temporal features of tics that have not been clinically described. The methods may also prove useful in the improved characterization of tic symptom severity. Biol Psychiatry 1998;44:1337–1348 © 1998 Society of Biological Psychiatry
Mapping abstract queries to big data web resources for on-the-fly data integration and information retrieval

The emergence of technologies such as XML, web services and cloud computing have helped, the proliferation of databases and their diversity pose serious barriers to meaningful information extraction from these “big databases”. Research in intention recognition has also progressed substantially, yet very little has been done to recognize query intents to search, select, map and extract responses from such enormous pools of candidate databases. Query mapping becomes truly complicated particularly in scientific databases where tools and functions are needed to interpret the database contents, semantics of which are usually hidden inside the functions. In this paper, we present a declarative meta-language, called BioVis, using which biologists potentially are able to express their “intentional queries” with the expectation that a mapping function μ is able to accurately understand the meaning of the queries and map them to the underlying resources appropriately. We show that such a function is technically feasible if we can design a schema mapping function that can tailor itself according to a knowledgebase and recognize entities in schema graphs. We offer this idea as a possible research problem for the community to address.
Standards for vacuum fittings

Abstract A REPORT ON A SYSTEM of vacuum flanges sealed by O-rings which is being considered for presentation to the American Standards Association by a committee of the technical society ‘The Committee on Vacuum Techniques’ for adoption as an American Standard. Comments are solicited by the author.
Internal energy deposition in chemical ionization/tandem mass spectrometry

The efficiency of the collision-induced dissociation (CID) process as a function of the internal energy deposited into the ion during the ionization event was evaluated. (M + H)+ ions of pyrrole, pyrrolidine, pyridine and piperidine (five and six-membered ring heterocyclics) were generated by chemical ionization (CI). The internal energy of the ions was varied by using different reagent gases. Both high-energy (keV) and low-energy (eV) CID were performed on these ions. The experiments showed that the (M + H)+ ions of the five-membered ring compounds, pyrrole and pyrrolidine, have higher fragmentation efficiencies than the six-membered ring compounds, pyridine and piperidine. Fragmentation efficiencies in high-energy CID clearly correlate with the internal energy deposited by the ionization technique. Experiments showed that the low-energy CID process is more sensitive than high-energy CID to changes in internal energy.
On pathological conditions and fresnel coefficients

Pathological conditions at bimaterial interfaces have been examined by looking at the Fresnel reflection and transmission coefficients of optically smooth interfaces.
Wnt signaling in disease and in development

The highly conserved Wnt secreted proteins are critical mediators of cell-to-cell signaling during development of animals. Recent biochemical and genetic analyses have led to significant insight into understanding how Wnt signals work. The catalogue of Wnt signaling components has exploded. We now realize that multiple extracellular, cytoplasmic, and nuclear components modulate Wnt signaling. Moreover, receptor-ligand specificity and multiple feedback loops determine Wnt signaling outputs. It is also clear that Wnt signals are required for adult tissue maintenance. Perturbations in Wnt signaling cause human degenerative diseases as well as cancer.
On-demand retrieval paradigm

The University of Pennsylvania Medical Center has been operating a prototype clinical PACS for a number of years. The details of this implementation have been described elsewhere. Early on in the design phase we realized the need to pre-fetch images on a PACS network and incorporated rule-based pre-fetch mechanisms into our Folder Manager software suite. As our PACS expanded and as the pool of users increased to include MR technologies and researchers in addition to radiologists, the case for an on-demand retrieval mechanism became compelling. The design of such a paradigm posed special problems in that the system had to be robust and user-friendly. This paper discusses the design and implementation of such a system. Usage statistics collected over a one-year period are also presented. The retrieval profile shows certain patterns that can be exploited to improve the design of the PACS.
An efficient synthesis of δ-amino[3-13C]levulinic acid

A new convenient synthesis of [3-13C]ALA, using 13C-methyl phenyl sulfone, with 62% overall yield in six steps, is described. The overall yield of this synthesis exceeds that of previously reported methods.
Neutron scattering study of the diffuse critical scattering associated with the Verwey transition in magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 )

The temperature-dependent diffuse critical scattering associated with the Verwey ordering (${T}_{V}=122$ K) in magnetite (${\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$) is extensively studied by means of neutron scattering experiments. The $q$ dependence of the scattering reveals that it is planar in nature and shown to arise from one-dimensional (1-D) correlations along a cube edge. The diffuse scattering is observable at high temperatures ($T\ensuremath{-}{T}_{V}l100$ K) and increases rapidly as ${T}_{V}$ is approached. Near ${T}_{V}$, the spotlike 3-D critical scattering studied by Fujii etal appears. At ${T}_{V}$ the diffuse scattering shows an abrupt decrease and is absent below. Inelastic studies show that the diffuse scattering is predominantly inelastic and couples strongly to the transverse acoustic phonons propagating with $q$ in the plane of diffuse scattering. The spectra are interpreted via a pseudospin-phonon theory and the significant parameters are derived.
Role of retrograde flow in the shear stimulus associated with exercise blood flow

Summary To test the hypothesis that retrograde flow influences the shear stimulus of exercise blood flow, eight healthy men [25·6 ± 3·1 years (SD)] performed 20 min of single-leg knee-extension exercise at two contraction velocities: fast (FR, 1·5 m s−1) and slow (SR, 0·4 m s−1). Contraction frequency (30 cpm) and workload (5 kg) were kept constant resulting in a work rate of 15·25 W for both contraction velocities. Common femoral artery diameter and blood velocity were measured at rest and during exercise using ultrasound Doppler. Mean blood flow was not different between contraction velocities while antegrade (2012·4 ± 379·9 versus 1745·6 ± 601·5 ml min−1; P = 0·05) and retrograde (121·7 ± 43·0 versus 11·2 ± 6·6 ml min−1; P<0·001) flows were higher during FR than SR contractions, respectively. Despite the similar mean blood flow response, vascular resistance was lower during FR than SR contractions (0·06 ± 0·01 versus 0·08 ± 0·03 units; P = 0·03) and was closely related to shear rate (pooled data: r = −0·77, P<0·01). Retrograde flow was associated with a lower vascular resistance during exercise (pooled data: r = −0·48, P≤0·05). In addition, calculated oscillatory flow indices were higher during FR than SR contractions and were significantly correlated to retrograde flow, shear rate and vascular resistance. These results indicate that retrograde blood flow influences the shear stimulus of exercise blood flow by enhancing the oscillatory behaviour of flow.
Monte Carlo simulation of mass transfer in liquid-liquid dispersions

Abstract A simulation technique is developed to predict the performance of a two phase liquid-liquid continuous flow stirred tank reactor as an extractor. The dynamics of the dispersed phase droplet interactions and the microscopic interphase mass transfer in the turbulent flow field are digitally simulated using the interval of quiescence method. The use of realistic breakage and coalescence functions together with the natural evolution of the interactive drop population has made it possible to predict the dispersed phase drop size distribution and mass transfer efficiency in a rational manner from the known physicochemical properties of the dispersion and the operating conditions of the extractor.
The temperatures and oxygen-isotope composition of early Devonian oceans

THE oxygen isotope composition of pre-Carboniferous (>360 Myr old) marine carbonates, cherts and phosphates has been reported1–8 to be lower than that of later (post-Devonian) samples. According to one explanation1,3, this is a reflection of warmer (generally ≥40°C) pre-Carboniferous oceans relative to modern oceans. Alternatively, it has been proposed5,7 that the pre-Carboniferous oceans were depleted in 18O (by 2‰ SMOW) relative to modern oceans. Here I report high δ18O values (−1.9 to −2.9‰ PDB) in normal, shallow-marine limestones (and three brachiopod shells) from the Lower Devonian Haragan and Bois d'Arc formations in south-central Oklahoma. I interpret these values as near-primary, and therefore constraining the temperature and oxygen isotope composition of early Devonian sea water to 25±7 °C and 0±1‰ SMOW respectively. In conjunction with similarly high δ18O values obtained from older (Ordovician and Silurian) samples8, these results imply that the temperature and oxygen isotope composition of pre-Carboniferous oceans may, at least during some time intervals, have been similar to those of modern oceans.
Phenethyl isothiocyanate induces cell cycle arrest and reduction of α- and β- tubulin isotypes in human prostate cancer cells

This study was to investigate the effect of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a constituent of many edible cruciferous vegetables, on the expression of α- and β-tubulins, which are the main components of microtubules in prostate cancer cells. Flow cytometry, light microscopy and western blot were used to study the cell cycle distribution, morphology changes and the expression of α- and β-tubulins in prostate cancer cells treated with PEITC. The results showed that PEITC-induced G2–M cell phase arrest and inhibited the expression of α- and β-tubulin proteins in a number of human prostatic carcinoma cell lines. Further, it is showed that this inhibitory effect could be reversed by antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine and proteasome inhibitor MG132. Finally, it is concluded that PEITC inhibited the expression of α- and β-tubulins in prostate cancer cells, which is at least related to the oxygen reaction species and protein degradation.
Continuity, the medical home, and retail-based clinics.

The emergence and rapid spread of walk-in clinics staffed with nurse clinicians in retail stores and shopping malls challenges both medical and nonmedical communities to consider the relative priorities of continuity and the medical home compared with convenience and cost. Continuity of care has 3 dimensions: time, accessibility, and setting. The time dimension refers to having the same pediatrician (or clinician team) care for a child over a considerable period of time, optimally for many years, so that the pediatrician can develop a long-lasting relationship with the child and his or her family. Having continuous care allows for deeper understanding of the past as well as present issues that impact the child's development, health, and well-being. The accessibility dimension refers to ensuring that the family will be able to contact the pediatrician or a member of the coverage team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and be able to get needed care promptly in an appropriate medical setting. The setting dimension refers to coordinating care across multiple settings including the hospital, physician outpatient office, school, home health care agency, and, if necessary, hospice program. Continuity of care is important for both pediatric primary and subspecialty care. In several situations a subspecialty pediatrician, such as an oncologist, may provide continuous care and assume the care-coordination responsibilities. For more than 3 decades pediatric residency training programs have attempted to “teach continuity” through the establishment of continuity clinics in which residents care for a panel of patients. Because most residents only attend these clinics 1 or 2 half-days per week, continuity over time tends to be limited to scheduled preventive care and chronic care visits. However, even this limited amount of continuity is being … Address correspondence to Stephen Berman, MD, Children's Hospital, 1056 E 19th Ave, B032, Denver, CO 80218. E-mail: berman.stephen{at}tchden.org
Stripping voltammetry of trace metals in resistive solutions with mercury microelectrodes

Abstract Mercury-coated microcylindrical carbon-fiber electrodes (7-μm diameter) are suitable for anodic-stripping voltammetric quantitation of trace metals in non-aqueous solvents. The stripping voltammograms show no distortion resulting from uncompensated ohmic drops when traces of lead, cadmium, and zinc are quantified in acetonitrile, methanol or ethylene glycol. In contrast, analogous measurements at macro-sized electrodes exhibit severe ohmic effects. Organic solutions containing extremely dilute electrolyte (or no deliberately added electrolyte) can be assayed. A two-electrode configuration yields virtually undistorted stripping voltammograms in methanol and acetonitrile. High sensitivity and good precision are obtained by using quiescent solutions.
Estimate of anti-Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite activity in humans vaccinated with synthetic circumsporozoite protein (NANP)3.

Abstract A mathematical model was defined to estimate the degree of in vivo activity against Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites expressed by volunteers vaccinated with a synthetic peptide comprising the immunodominant epitope of the circumsporozoite protein. Relative to the course of infection in non-immunized controls, infections in vaccinated volunteers corresponded to the neutralization or delay of development of > 99% of challenge sporozoites.
Walker Percy: Autobiographical fiction and the aging process

Abstract Although the Southern novelist Walker Percy has reached the age of full maturity, his fiction continues to reflect themes arising from reactions to familial and personal traumas that occurred early in this life or were part of a tragic family heritage. The result has been a lessening of creative rigor and intellectual seriousness despite a noticeable although unintended acceptance of life's limitations that comes with age.
Composition of High and Low Moisture Coastal Bermudagrass Ensiled under Laboratory Conditions

Chemical composition after 0, 30, and 60 days was measured on good quality high and low moisture Coastal bermudagrass silage prepared in laboratory silos. Crude protein content in the high and low moisture silages remained relatively constant throughout ensiling periods. Total amino acids decreased 25% with a concurrent 50% increase in non-amino acid nitrogen during the ensiling periods in both high and low moisture silage. Cystine was the only amino acid which increased relative to total protein. Formic, acetic, lactic, and succinic acid were quantitated in all silage samples. Traces of caproic acid were detected only in high moisture silage. Carotene, xanthophyll, and proximate constituent losses during ensiling also were determined. A high quality silage can be prepared in the laboratory from Coastal bermudagrass.
Origin and consequences of a weak deconfining transition in QCD

Abstract The weakly first order nature of the deconfinement transition in pure finite temperature QCD can be understood using a blend of computer simulation and analytic techniques. Monte Carlo simulation of pure QCD shows that the effective action for Polyakov loops has a negative adjoint coupling, as expected from renormalization group arguments. The negative adjoint coupling in turn softens the phase transition, in turn effecting all nonuniversal critical behavior.
Mental Health, Mental Illnesses, Poverty, Justice, and Social Justice

In 2002, my colleagues and I at the then Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research at the University of Pennsylvania published a paper in Psychiatric Services on the role of social disa...
Imaging with unfocused regions of focused ultrasound beams

This article gives an analytical, computational, and experimental treatment of the spatial resolution encoded in unfocused regions of focused ultrasound beams. This topic is important in diagnostic ultrasound since ultrasound array systems are limited to a single transmit focal point per acoustic transmission, hence there is a loss of spatial resolution away from the transmit focus, even with the use of dynamic receive focusing. It is demonstrated that the spatial bandwidth of a Gaussian-apodized beam is approximately constant with depth, which means that there is just as much encoded spatial resolution away from the transmit focus as there is in the focal region. The practical application of this principle is discussed, an algorithm for retrospectively focusing signals from unfocused regions of fixed-focus beams is presented, and a quantitative comparison between the authors' methods and dynamic-receive beamforming is provided.
Simulation Study Of STIRA For TOFPET Systems

A computer simulation of pre-image data obtained in a Time-of-Flight Positron Emission Tomogrophy (TOFPET) system was implemented to demonstrate the Sine Transform Image Reconstruction Algorithm (STIRA).
The importance of what we care about

1. Philosophers have for some time devoted their most systematic attention primarily to two large sets of questions, each of which develops out of concern with a pervasively compelling and trouble some aspect of our lives. In the first set, which constitutes the domain of epistemology, the questions derive in one way or another from our interest in deciding what to believe. The general topic of those in the second set is how to behave, insofar as this is the subject matter of ethics. It is also possible to delineate a third branch of inquiry, concerned with a cluster of questions which pertain to another thematic and fundamental preoccupation of human existence namely, what to care about. It is not properly within the scope either of epistemology or of ethics to investigate the various distinctive conceptual questions to which this third preoccupation leads. Those disciplines need not reflect upon the nature of caring as such, nor are they obliged to consider what is implied by the fact that we are creatures to whom things matter. I shall not attempt to provide a formal and exhaustive account of the branch of inquiry that does specifically attend to such things. I propose in this essay merely to broach, in a somewhat tentative and fragmentary way, a few of its central concepts and issues. 2. There is naturally an intimate connection between what a person cares about and what he will, generally or under certain conditions, think it best for himself to do. But while the third branch of inquiry therefore resembles ethics in its concern with problems of evaluation and of action, it differs significantly from ethics in its generative concepts and in its motivating concerns. Ethics focusses on the problem of ordering our relations with other people. It is concerned especially with the contrast between right and wrong, and with the grounds and limits of moral obligation. We are led into the third branch of inquiry, on the other hand, because we are interested in deciding what to do with ourselves and because we therefore need to understand what is important or, rather, what is important to us.
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Special Report: the maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists' role within a health care system

A maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) subspecialist has advanced knowledge of the medical, surgical, obstetrical, fetal, and genetic complications of pregnancy and their effects on both the mother and fetus. MFM subspecialists are complementary to obstetric care providers in providing consultations, co-management, or transfer of care for complicated patients before, during, and after pregnancy. The MFM subspecialist provides peer and patient education and performs research concerning the most recent approaches and treatments for obstetrical problems, thus promoting risk-appropriate care for these complicated pregnancies. The relationship between the obstetric care provider and the MFM subspecialist depends on the acuity of the maternal and/or fetal condition and the local resources. To achieve the goal of promoting early access and sustained adequate prenatal care for all pregnant women, we encourage collaboration with obstetricians, family physicians, certified midwives, and others, and we also encourage providing preconception, prenatal, and postpartum care counseling and coordination. Effective communication between all obstetric care team members is imperative. This special report was written with the intent that it would be broad in scope and appeal to a diverse readership, including administrators, allowing it to be applied to various systems of care both horizontally and vertically. We understand that these relationships are often complex and there are more models of care than could be addressed in this document. However, we aimed to promote the development of a highly effective team approach to the care of the high-risk pregnancy that will be useful in the most common models for obstetric care in the United States. The MFM subspecialist functions most effectively within a fully integrated and collaborative health care environment. This document defines the various roles that the MFM subspecialist can fulfill within different heath care systems through consultation, co-management, and transfer of care, as well as education, research, and leadership.
Blood studies in allergy

Abstract A white cell diluent of phloxine and methylene blue dissolved in equal parts of propylene glycol and water permits the counting chamber differentiation of eosinophils on the same specimen used in determining the total leucocyte count. This technique has numerous advantages in comparison with previously described direct methods of enumerating eosinophils and would appear to be more accurate than the indirect method now in general use.
Spaces of smooth functions and distributions on infinite-dimensional compact groups

Abstract Several scales of smooth functions are introduced in the setting of connected infinite-dimensional compact groups. These are spaces of functions on the group with continuous derivatives in certain directions. We study properties of these spaces and of associated distribution spaces. Some of these spaces are intrinsically associated with the infinitesimal generator of a given Gaussian convolution semigroup. One of the reasons for studying these smooth function and distribution spaces is to obtain sharp results concerning the hypoellipticity of the infinitesimal generators of Gaussian convolution semigroups, i.e., invariant sub-Laplacians on compact groups.
Metal chelates and antitubercular activity. II. p‐Aminosalicylic acid

Para-aminosalicylic acid has been found to form complexes, which are probably not chelate structures, in aqueous alkaline solution with Cu++, Fe++, Co++, Mn++, and Cr+++ ions.Analytical evidence indicates the complexes to be double hydroxides having a ratio of metal to p-aminosalicylic acid of 2-4:1, except in the case of copper where a 1:2 ratio exists.These complexes showed lower in vivo antitubercular activities than p-aminosalicylic acid itself, using mice.
Electrogasdynamic energy conversion

Like the earlier magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) concept, EGD conversion is being seriously considered by the utilities as a possible future means for obtaining large-scale production of electric power. Probably the principal advantage of the EGD converter is that a high gas temperature is not a basic requirement. In addition, the EGD system is potentially capable of generating ac power directly at transmission-line voltages with the use of conventional or nuclear energy sources. Following a brief discussion of MHD conversion, this article reviews the basic theory of EGD conversion and describes a converter system now under development.
Calculation of the vapor-saturated liquidus for the NaCl-CO2-H2O system

Abstract The polybaric liquidus surface for the H2O-rich corner of the NaCl-CO2-H2O ternary is calculated, relying heavily on 1. (1) a Henry's law equation for CO2 in brines (modified from Drummond, 1981), 2. (2) the assumption that the contributions of dissolved NaCl and CO2 in lowering the activity of H2O are additive, and 3. (3) data on the CO2 clathrate solid solution (nominally CO2 · 7.3H2O, but ranging from 5.75 to 8 or 9 H2O) from Bozzo et al. (1975). The variation with composition of the activity of CO2·7.3H2O, or any other composition within the clathrate field, is small, thereby simplifying the calculations appreciably. Ternary invariant points are 1. (1) ternary eutectic at −21.5°C, with ice + clathrate + hydrohalite NaCl-·H2O + brine mNaCl = 5.15, mco2 = 0.22 + vaporPtotal ≈ Pco2 = 5.7 atm; 2. (2) peritectic at −9.6°C, with clathrate + hydrohalite + liquid CO2 + brine mNaCl = 5.18, mco2 = 0.55 + vapor (Ptotal ≈ Pco2 = 26.47 atm); and 3. (3) peritectic slightly below +0.1 °C, with halite + hydrohalite + liquid CO2 + brine (mNaCl ≈ 5.5, mco2 ≈ 0.64) + vapor (Ptotal ≈ Pco2 ≈ 34 atm). CO2 isobars have been contoured on the ternary liquidus and also on the 25°C isotherm. An important caveat regarding the application of this information to the interpretation of the freezing-thawing behavior of fluid inclusions is that metastable behavior is a common characteristic of the clathrate.
Meridional differences in internal dimensions of the anterior segment in human eyes evaluated with 2 imaging systems.

Purpose To evaluate meridional differences in angle-to-angle (A–A) and sulcus-to-sulcus (S–S) dimensions in human eyes using very high frequency ultrasound (VHF US) and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Setting John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, USA; Berlin Eye Research Institute, Germany; Quattroelle Centri Oftalmochirurgici, Italy. Methods Human autopsy eyes were fixated to special eye holders and had anterior segment scanning using 50 MHz ultrasound (Artemis, Ultralink) (20 eyes) and AS-OCT (SL-OCT, Heidelberg Engineering) (24 eyes). Seventy-three eyes (58 patients) also had anterior segment scanning using the same systems (Artemis, 50 eyes; SL-OCT, 23 eyes). Four meridians were evaluated in each eye. The A–A dimensions were measured by VHF US and AS-OCT. The S–S dimensions were also measured by VHF US. Statistical analyses were done with the Huynh-Feldt test. Results In the autopsy-eye study, the differences in A–A and S–S dimensions between the 4 meridians in eyes analyzed with VHF US were statistically significant ( P = .002 and P = .009, respectively). The differences in A–A dimensions in eyes analyzed with the AS-OCT were also significant ( P = .005). The same findings were observed in the clinical study (VHF US, P = .001 for A–A and P P Conclusions This study suggests that the internal geometry of the anterior segment of human eyes does not constitute a circle. This may have significant relevance for the accurate sizing of phakic intraocular lenses.
Patterns of exercise across the cancer trajectory in brain tumor patients.

BACKGROUND Exercise may represent a supportive intervention that may complement existing neurooncologic therapies and address a multitude of therapy-induced debilitating side effects in patients with brain tumors. Given the limited evidence, the authors conducted a survey to examine the exercise patterns of brain tumor patients across the cancer trajectory. METHODS Using a cross-sectional design, 386 brain tumor patients who received treatment at the Brain Tumor Center at Duke University were sent a questionnaire that assessed self-reported exercise behavior prior to diagnosis, during adjuvant therapy, and after the completion of therapy. RESULTS The response rate was 28% (106 of 383 patients). Descriptive analyses indicated that 42%, 38%, and 41% of participants, respectively, met national exercise prescription guidelines prior to diagnosis, during treatment, and after the completion of adjuvant therapy. Repeated measures analyses indicated no significant changes in the majority of exercise behavior outcomes over the cancer trajectory. However, exploratory analyses indicated that males and younger participants may be at the greatest risk of reducing exercise levels after a brain tumor diagnosis. These analyses remained unchanged after controlling for relevant demographic and medical covariates. CONCLUSIONS A relatively high percentage of brain tumor patients are exercising at recommended levels across the cancer trajectory. Moreover, these patients have unique exercise patterns that may be modified by select demographic variables. This preliminary study provides important informative data for future studies examining the potential role of exercise in patients diagnosed with neurologic malignancies. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Opiate antagonists and sexual behavior in female hamsters

Abstract Mating or administration of morphine to female hamsters reliably decreases lateral displacement, a sensitive index of female sexual responsivity. Morphine's effects are antagonized by naloxone. We asked whether endogenous opiates are significantly involved in the mating-induced inhibition of sexual responsivity by testing whether naloxone or naltrexone attenuated the mating-induced decreases in lateral displacement. Naloxone (4 mg/kg) increased lateral displacement in only one of three tests in females before mating. Naloxone did not attenuate the mating-induced decreases in lateral displacement or lordosis behavior in either ovariectomized, hormonally supplemented or intact females. Large doses of naltrexone produced no reliable effects on sexual behavior during estrus in unmated females, nor did it attenuate the mating-induced decreases in sexual responding, regardless of the time of day of mating. Naloxone often increases the variability of sexual responding. We conclude that naloxone-sensitive mechanisms do not play a critical role in the expression of sexual behavior in female hamsters.
Characterization of spore coat proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus cereus

Abstract 1. 1. Spore coat extracts from Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki and israelensis and Bacillus cereus T and B. cereus NRRL 569 were characterized by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate and by amino acid analysis. 2. 2. Both B. cereus spore coats had similar electrophoretic profiles. 3. 3. The B. thuringiensis spore coats contained crystal proteins as major components as well as lower mol. wt proteins. 4. 4. B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis had a unique coat protein profile which was different from B. cereus and B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki coats. 5. 5. Insecticidal activity of spores against the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, and the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, also was determined. 6. 6. B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki spores were lethally toxic to the tobacco hornworm (Lepidoptera) larvae, whereas spores of the other subspecies were not. 7. 7. Except for subspecies israelensis, none of the spores was effective against the mosquito (Diptera) larvae.
Productivity measurement within an input-output framework

Abstract Input-output provides features for the measurement and analysis of total factor productivity (TFP) growth. First, TFP growth can be measured using gross output and incorporating materials as an input. Second, a growth accounting framework can be developed to measure the effect of final output mix changes on aggregate productivity growth. Third, capital can be treated as a produced means of production. Fourth, measures of composite technical change can overcome difficulties engendered by the substitution of externally providedinputs for those previously provided by the firm. Fifth, TFP growth of secondary production can be analytically separated from that of primary output.
Optimization of PECVD Sin Films Using A Statistically Designed Experiment

A statistically designed experiment was run to optimize the deposition of PECVD SiN on GaAs substrates. Five deposition parameters were varied: RF power, temperature, pressure, plasma frequency, and ammonia/silane ratio. Four film properties were used to evaluate the quality of the nitride: the fraction of hydrogen bound to nitrogen atoms, the index of refraction (and its uniformity), thickness uniformity, and stress. From the screening phase of the experiment, it was determined that only the plasma frequency and ammonia/silane ratio influenced the quality of the nitride film. High frequency deposition was preferable to low frequency deposition since it resulted in lower film stress. The results of the optimization phase showed that SiN films with near-zero stress, low N-H bond density and good index of refraction could be obtained by deposition at a very low ammonia/silane ratio.
Effects of Temperature on Diapausing Cocoons of the Yellowheaded Spruce Sawfly, Pikonema alaskensis

This study sought optimal laboratory temperature conditions for obtaining adult yellowheaded spruce sawflies, Pikonema alaskensis (Rohwer) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), from cocoons of field-collected larvae. One month prechill at 23°C, 4 to 8 months chill at 0°C, and 15°C postchill temperature resulted in greater than 70% emergence within 8 weeks of warming. Extending the prechill period or using 8Â°C for the initial and final months of chill did not yield earlier or significantly higher emergence. Adult emergence was greatly reduced after 1 month prechill at 23°C and 1.5 to 3 or 9+ months chill at 0°C. When the prechill and chill periods totaled less than 3 months, emergence was extended, spanning 12 to 20 weeks, but when these periods totaled 7 months or more, emergence was very uniform, spanning 3 to 4 weeks in most cases. When the prechill and chill periods totaled 3 to 6 months, the effects of prechill duration and chill temperature on emergence pattern were complex. The relationship between emergence pattern and diapause is discussed. Diapause occurred under all the temperature regimes, and its duration at 15°C would prevent fall emergence in the field. Lower temperatures did not generally accelerate diapause development. Zero-degree cold prevented postdiapause development, which required ca. 4 to 5 weeks at 15°C.
Tending the Flock Latino Religious Commitments and Political Preferences

This study investigates the direction and extent to which religious belonging and regular church attendance are related to distinct political preferences among U.S. Latinos. The key question is whether Latino churchgoers are more committed than infrequent attenders to liberal policy views and the Democratic Party, or whether Latino religious commitments are related to conservative policy views and Republican Party support. Findings indicate that Latino Protestants are more likely to hold conservative views, while Latino Catholics—the vast majority of religious Latinos—are more likely to hold liberal views, or show no political differences, if they attend church regularly.
Effects of Primer-Template Sequence on ATP-dependent Removal of Chain-terminating Nucleotide Analogues by HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase *

HIV-1 reverse transcriptase can remove chain terminators from blocked DNA ends through a nucleotide-dependent mechanism. We show that the catalytic efficiency of the removal reaction can vary several hundred-fold in different sequence contexts and is most strongly affected by the nature of the base pair at the 3′-primer terminus and the six base pairs upstream of it. Similar effects of the upstream sequence were observed with primer-templates terminated with 2′,3′-dideoxy-AMP, 2′,3′-dideoxy-CMP, or 2′,3′-dideoxy-GMP. However, the removal of 2′,3′-dideoxy-TMP or 3′-azido-2′,3′-dideoxy-TMP was much less influenced by upstream primer-template sequence, and the rate of excision of these thymidylate analogues was greater than or equal to that of the other chain-terminating residues in each sequence context tested. These results strongly indicate that the primer terminus and adjacent upstream base pairs interact with reverse transcriptase in a sequence-dependent manner that affects the removal reaction. We conclude that primer-template sequence context is a major factor to consider when evaluating the removal of different chain terminators by HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.
Object browsing and searching in a camera network using graph models

This paper proposes a novel system to assist human image analysts to effectively browse and search for objects in a camera network. In contrast to the existing approaches that focus on finding global trajectories across cameras, the proposed approach directly models the relationship among raw camera observations. A graph model is proposed to represent detected/tracked objects, their appearance and spatial-temporal relationships. In order to minimize communication requirements, we assume that raw video is processed at camera nodes independently to compute object identities and trajectories at video rate. However, this would result in unreliable object locations and/or trajectories. The proposed graph structure captures the uncertainty in these camera observations by effectively modeling their global relationships, and enables a human analyst to query, browse and search the data collected from the camera network. A novel graph ranking framework is proposed for the search and retrieval task, and the absorbing random walk algorithm is adapted to retrieve a representative and diverse set of video frames from the cameras in response to a user query. Preliminary results on a wide area camera network are presented.1
Potentiometric enzyme channelling immunosensor for proteins

A potentiometric immunosensor for the detection of human IgG has been developed using an asymmetric, ion-selective membrane with immobilized adenosine deaminase and IgG. A protein A-alkaline phosphatase conjugate binds to the immobilized IgG, creating a bienzymatic catalytic layer. In the presence of sample IgG, the conjugate does not bind to the membrane. Instead, the intermediate in the two-step reaction (adenosine) must diffuse to the membrane surface, reducing the rate of product (ammonium) formation within the diffusion layer detected by the membrane. The immunosensor demonstrated is for the determination of IgG. A simplified model is described to predict the maximum rate enhancement for the 'channeled' versus 'unchanneled' reaction mechanisms.
Management of Acute Variceal Bleeding

Acute variceal bleeding (AVB) is the most common cause of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in patients with cirrhosis. Advances in the management of AVB have resulted in decreased mortality. To minimize mortality, a multidisciplinary approach addressing airway safety, prompt judicious volume resuscitation, vasoactive and antimicrobial pharmacotherapy, and early endoscopy to obliterate varices is necessary. Placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) has been used as rescue therapy for patients failing initial attempts at hemostasis. Patients who have a high likelihood of failing initial attempts at hemostasis may benefit from a more aggressive approach using TIPS earlier in their management.
Modeling and analyzing the impact of interdependency between natural gas and electricity infrastructures

With increasing investment in natural gas powered generation technologies, limitations in gas delivery capabilities are becoming increasingly relevant to operational planning for electric power systems. Thus it is essential to model and analyze the impact of the interdependency between natural gas and electricity infrastructures. This paper tries to convey the idea that, through an integrated modeling of the two infrastructures, critical energy infrastructure vulnerabilities can be identified, which provides useful information for future planning of natural gas delivery system and electric power system. The IEEE 118-bus power system and an assumed natural gas delivery system are used to illustrate the impact of interdependency between natural gas and electricity infrastructures.
Data parallel logic programming in &ACE

&ACE is a high performance parallel Prolog system developed at the Laboratory for Logic, Databases, and Advanced Programming that exploits and-parallelism from Prolog programs. &ACE was developed to exploit MIMD parallelism. However, SPMD parallelism also arises naturally in many Prolog programs. In this paper we develop runtime techniques that allow systems that have primarily been designed to exploit MIMD parallelism (such as &ACE) to also efficiently exploit SPMD parallelism. These runtime techniques have been incorporated in the &ACE system. Performance of &ACE augmented with these techniques on programs containing SPMD parallelism is presented.
The Antitrust Implications of Capacity Reallocation by a Dominant Firm

When a firm acquires rival firms in one market, and moves their capacity to another market, should antitrust authorities be concerned? We address this question by studying a multi-stage game. A dominant firm has the opportunity to acquire fringe firms that operate in the same market. Then, the dominant firm has the opportunity to move capacity from that market to a second market. The model is motivated by a series of acquisitions in the Specialized Mobile Radio industry aimed at establishing a new cellular carrier. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the dominant firm to acquire too little capacity relative to the social optimum. The results shed light on the Consent Decree negotiated in US v. Motorola Inc. and Nextel Communications Inc., 1994.
Inhibition of angiogenesis by extracellular protein kinase A

The cyclic-AMP dependent protein kinase (PKA) signaling pathway regulates cell growth, development, metabolism, and gene expression. Peripheral blood of cancer patients but not normal individuals, shows increased catalytic subunit levels of PKA (PKAc). We showed here that this extracellular form of PKAc (ECPKA) from conditioned media of cultured cancer cells as well as purified PKAc inhibit angiogenesis, using the in utero chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane assay. Inhibition of angiogenesis is partially reversed by PKI, a peptide inhibitor of PKA, thus suggesting an anti-angiogenic role for ECPKA. The significance of ECPKA in cancer is discussed.
Fair group mutual exclusion

In the group mutual exclusion problem [6], which generalizes mutual exclusion [2], a process chooses a session when it requests entry to the Critical Section. A group mutual exclusion algorithm must ensure that the mutual exclusion property holds: If two processes are in the Critical Section at the same time, then they request the same session. In addition to mutual exclusion, lockout freedom, bounded exit and concurrent entering are basic properties that are desirable in any group mutual exclusion algorithm.Hadzilacos in [4] first introduced a fairness condition, called first-come-first-served (FCFS), for group mutual exclusion. The only known FCFS group mutual exclusion algorithm is due to Hadzilacos [4], and requires Θ(N2) bounded shared registers, where N is the number of processes. We present a FCFS group mutual exclusion algorithm that uses only Θ(N) bounded shared registers. (The existence of such an algorithm was posed as an open problem by Hadzilacos.)Next, we demonstrate that the FCFS property does not fully capture our intuitive notion of fairness. We therefore propose an additional fairness property, called first-in-first-enabled (FIFE). Finally, we present a reduction that transforms any "abortable" FCFS mutual exclusion algorithm M into a group mutual exclusion algorithm G. Thus, different group mutual exclusion algorithms can be obtained by instantiating M with different abortable FCFS mutual exclusion algorithms. The group mutual exclusion algorithms so obtained satisfy all of the properties mentioned above: mutual exclusion, lockout freedom, bounded exit, concurrent entering, FCFS, and FIFE.
A heparin-binding activity on Leishmania amastigotes which mediates adhesion to cellular proteoglycans.

The intracellular amastigote form of leishmania is responsible for the cell-to-cell spread of leishmania infection in the mammalian host. In this report, we identify a high-affinity, heparin-binding activity on the surface of the amastigote form of leishmania. Amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis bound approximately 120,000 molecules of heparin per cell, with a Kd of 8.8 x 10(-8) M. This heparin-binding activity mediates the adhesion of amastigotes to mammalian cells via heparan sulfate proteoglycans, which are expressed on the surface of mammalian cells. Amastigotes bound efficiently to a variety of adherent cells which express cell-surface proteoglycans. Unlike wild-type CHO cells, which bound amastigotes avidly, CHO cells with genetic deficiencies in heparan sulfate proteoglycan biosynthesis or cells treated with heparitinase failed to bind amastigotes even at high parasite-input dosages. Cells which express normal levels of undersulfated heparan bound amastigotes nearly as efficiently as did wild-type cells. The adhesion of amastigotes to wild-type nonmyeloid cells was almost completely inhibited by the addition of micromolar amounts of soluble heparin or heparan sulfate but not by the addition of other sulfated polysaccharides.l Binding of amastigotes to macrophages, however, was inhibited by only 60% after pretreatment of amastigotes with heparin, suggesting that macrophages have an additional mechanism for recognizing amastigotes. These results suggest that leishmania amastigotes express a high-affinity, heparin-binding activity on their surface which can interact with heparan sulfate proteoglycans on mammalian cells. This interaction may represent an important first step in the invasion of host cells by amastigotes.