cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Infants and Children Exposed to HIV and Substance Abuse

Much has been written about the physical and neurodevelopmental effects of drug exposure on developing babies, infants, children, and adolescents. Despite the available information, there has been an increase in the use and misuse of legal and illegal drugs, including opioids. Drug use and addiction also places families and their children at greater risk for HIV/AIDS. The stigma associated with drug use, drug exposure and HIV/AIDS adds to the challenges faced by children with such histories. One of these challenges is impaired language and communication skills, including pragmatic language skills. In this chapter, we summarize the current information on the histories of children exposed to HIV and substance abuse. We present four cases to provide examples of such histories and illuminate examples of valid, reliable, culturally sensitive assessment and treatment practices that speech-language pathologists use when working with this population.
Genetic Signatures of Glucose Homeostasis: Synergistic Interplay With Long-Term Exposure to Cigarette Smoking in Development of Primary Colorectal Cancer Among African American Women

Author(s): Jung, Su Yon | Abstract: IntroductionInsulin resistance (IR)/glucose intolerance is a critical biologic mechanism for the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) in postmenopausal women. Whereas IR and excessive adiposity are more prevalent in African American (AA) women than in White women, AA women are underrepresented in genome-wide studies for systemic regulation of IR and the association with CRC risk.MethodsWith 780 genome-wide IR single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among 4,692 AA women, we tested for a causal inference between genetically elevated IR and CRC risk. Furthermore, by incorporating CRC-associated lifestyle factors, we established a prediction model on the basis of gene-environment interactions to generate risk profiles for CRC with the most influential genetic and lifestyle factors.ResutlsIn the pooled Mendelian randomization analysis, the genetically elevated IR was associated with 9 times increased risk of CRC, but with lack of analytic power. By addressing the variation of individual SNPs in CRC in the prediction model, we detected 4 fasting glucose-specific SNPs in GCK, PCSK1, and MTNR1B and 4 lifestyles, including smoking, aging, prolonged lifetime exposure to endogenous estrogen, and high fat intake, as the most predictive markers of CRC risk. Our joint test for those risk genotypes and lifestyles with smoking revealed the synergistically increased CRC risk, more substantially in women with longer-term exposure to cigarette smoking.DiscussionOur findings may improve CRC prediction ability among medically underrepresented AA women and highlight genetically informed preventive interventions (e.g., smoking cessation; CRC screening to longer-term smokers) for those women at high risk with risk genotypes and behavioral patterns.
Role of Late Renal Revascularization in Functional Renal Salvage

Abstract: The duration of renal parenchyma tolerating ischemia is still a subject of debate. We report three patients who underwent revascularization procedures with successful return of baseline renal function after prolonged renal artery occlusion of 14 days to 3 months. These cases highlight that aggressive revascularization can lead to successful renal salvage in selected patients. We examined the characteristics of these patients and others in the literature and reviewed factors favoring recovery.
Birds versus fish: Nest flooding introduces predator–prey interactions in Georgia's coastal marshes

We document the first recorded instance of a fish depredating a hatchling bird while in the nest. Some coastal marsh-nesting avian species, such as the Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima), experience tradeoffs between the threat of nest predation and nest flooding. Nesting too low may result in nest flooding during the twice-daily high tides and increasing nest height increases the risk of nest predation. However, not much is known about how nest height affects exposure to different predators. We observed a mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) enter a Seaside Sparrow nest during a nest flooding event and depredate a hatchling. This observation expands our understanding of the predator–prey relationships experienced by coastal marsh-nesting birds, and the potential detriments of intensifying sea level rise on their nesting success.
In our own backyard: when a less inclusive community challenges organizational inclusion

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to build insight into how the local community impacts an organization’s ability to develop an inclusive culture. The paper introduces the concept of inclusion disconnects as incongruent experiences of inclusion between an organization and its community. Then, using the case of teaching hospitals, the paper empirically demonstrates how individuals and organizations experience and deal with inclusion disconnects across the boundaries of organization and community. Design/methodology/approach – A multi-method qualitative study was conducted in hospitals located in the same city. Focus groups were conducted with 11 medical trainees from underrepresented backgrounds and semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten leaders involved with diversity efforts at two hospitals. Data analysis followed an iterative approach built from Miles and Huberman (1994). Findings – The findings demonstrate how boundary conflicts arise from disconnected experiences of organizational an...
Characterization of the repair of injury induced by freezing Salmonella anatum.

Fast freezing and slow thawing of Salmonella anatum cells suspended in water resulted in injury of more than 90% of the cells that survived the treatment. The injured cells failed to form colonies on the selective medium (xyloselysine-peptone-agar with 0.2% sodium deoxycholate) but did form colonies on a nonselective (xylose-lysine-peptone-agar) plating medium. In Tryptic soy plus 0.3% yeast extract broth or minimal broth, most of the injured cells repaired within 1 to 2 hr at 25 C. Tryptic soy plus yeast extract broth supported repair to a greater extent than minimal broth. Phosphate or citrate at concentrations found in minimal broth supported repair of some cells. MgSO4, when present with inorganic phosphate or citrate or both, increased the extent of repair. The repair process in the presence of phosphate was not prevented by actinomycin D, chloramphenicol, and D-cycloserine, but was prevented by cyanide and 2,4-dinitrophenol (only at pH 6). This suggested that the repair process might involve energy metabolism in the form of adenosine triphosphate. The freeze-injured cells were highly sensitive to lysozyme, whereas unfrozen fresh cells were not. In the presence of phosphate or minimal broth this sensitivity was greatly reduced. This suggested that, at least in some of the cells, the injury involved the lipopolysaccharide of the cell wall and adenosine triphosphate synthesis was required for repair.
The renal excretion of hydrogen ion in renal tubular acidosis. II. Quantitative response to the carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, acetazolamide.

Abstract A single test dose of the carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, acetazolamide, was given to ten normal non-acidotic subjects, two normal subjects made acidotic with ammonium chloride, four patients with renal tubular acidosis, and four patients with generalized renal disease. Changes relative to the control level were measured in the renal excretion of bicarbonate and of total hydrogen ion during the second and third hour after the administration of the drug, and the changes in the tubular reabsorption of bicarbonate were calculated. Changes in the rate of excretion of bicarbonate and in the tubular reabsorption of bicarbonate per unit of glomerular filtrate were diminished relative to the non-acidotic normal subjects in most of the patients with both types of renal disease; there was no difference relative to the normal subjects made acidotic with ammonium chloride. The change in rate of excretion of bicarbonate following enzyme inhibition varied with the filtered load of bicarbonate, and to the same extent in all groups; the same was true with respect to the relation of the serum bicarbonate concentration to the amount of bicarbonate reabsorbed per unit of glomerular filtrate. It is concluded that these observations are consistent with, but neither rule in nor rule out, deficient activity of carbonic anhydrase as one factor in the tubular impairment of proton donation in renal tubular acidosis.
Sulfur-containing amino acids as precursors of thiols in anoxic coastal sediments.

Sulfur-containing amino acids were examined as precursors for thiols in anoxic coastal sediments. Substrates (10 to 100 μM) were anaerobically incubated with sediment slurries; thiols were assayed as isoindole derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography; and microbial transformations of thiols, in contrast to their chemical binding by sediment particles, were identified by inhibition with a mixture of chloramphenicol and tetracycline. Methionine and homocysteine were transformed to methanethiol and 3-mercaptopropionate (3-MPA); methionine stimulated mainly methanethiol production, whereas homocysteine generated more 3-MPA than methanethiol. 2-Keto-4-methiolbutyrate yielded results similar to those with methionine, indicating that demethiolation yields methanethiol at the keto-acid level. Glutathione gave rise to cysteine, which was further transformed to 3-mercaptopyruvate and thence to mercaptoacetate and mercaptoethanol. Mercaptoethanol was oxidized to mercaptoacetate, which was biologically consumed. In conclusion, sulfurcontaining amino acids contribute to the range of thiols that occur in anoxic coastal sediments. New metabolic and environmental transformations were identified: the production of 3-MPA as a metabolite of methionine and the transformation of mercaptopyruvate to mercaptoethanol and mercaptoacetate.
Bimodal Distribution of α-Galactosidase Activities in Mouse Embryos

It is widely accepted that only one of two X chromosomes present in the somatic cells of female mammals is active (Lyon 1961). This results in a similar dosage relationship between functional X chromosomes and autosomes in females and males. This compensation occurs early in development between the 2-cell stage (Hoppe and Whitten 1972) and the time of implantation of the embryo into the uterus (Gardner and Lyon 1971). An important issue concerning X-chromosome differentiation is the functional state of X chromosomes during early embryogenesis, before irreversible dosage compensation occurs. That is, does X-chromosome differentiation involve a process of X-chromosome inactivation or X-chromosome activation? Choosing between these alternatives is important for understanding a number of features of X-chromosome differentiation, including: (1) the derivation of molecular and genetic models of this process, and (2) the determination of the timing of this differentiation.
Antiproliferative Effects of Allium Derivatives from Garlic

There is increasing evidence that allium derivatives from garlic have significant antiproliferative actions on human cancers. Both hormone-responsive and hormone-unresponsive cells lines respond to these derivatives. The effects shown by allium derivatives include induction of apoptosis, regulation of cell cycle progression and modification of pathways of signal transduction. Allium derivatives appear to regulate nuclear factors involved in immune function and inflammation, as well as in cellular proliferation. Our own studies indicate that allium derivatives inhibit proliferation of the human prostate cancer cell line (LNCaP) and the human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Further research is required to clarify the mechanisms of inhibition of cellular proliferation by allium derivatives and to explore their potential application to cancer prevention and control.
Will Women Lead the Way? Gender and Information Preferences in Investment Decisions

Decisions on whether to invest or not in an organization may involve a wide variety of information, from financial reports, to assumptions about industry sectors, to evaluations of the quality of corporate management. Prior research demonstrates that investors may rely heavily upon non-financial information provided by a company. We examine the demand for Corporate Social Responsibility information and the demand for informational materials that are easier to read and quicker to assimilate and conclude that females differ significantly from males in their demand for both of these items. Integration of these findings with extant research addressing the supply of information suggests that female's information needs are not attended to the same degree as the information needs of males. The economic power and independence of females is increasing, while time poverty and related resource constraints remain strong; the potential for marginalization of this investing group may represent a cause for concern among regulatory bodies tasked with maintaining a level playing field in the capital markets.
The role of culture‐specific schemata in the comprehension and recall of stories∗

Experiment I shows that readers write better summaries of stories for which they have an appropriate schema than for stories for which they lack a schema, and that this effect is related to the overall organization of the story and does not lie at the level of single sentences. Raters who judged the quality of the summaries found summaries from stories that corresponded to a familiar story schema more informative than those from stories for which they did not have an appropriate schema, even when the latter accurately summarized the story in question. In Experiment II, sequential recall of a story which deviated in various ways from the subjects’ story schema resulted in poor performance: the stories tended to break up after a chain of five sequential recalls, in contrast to a well‐structured, schema‐based story that was usually recalled quite completely and without serious distortions. It was suggested that a culture‐specific schema aids both in comprehending and reconstructing stories.
BASIS-SET CONVERGENCE OF HIGHLY DEFECTED SITES IN AMORPHOUS CARBON

A systematic first-principles pseudopotential plane-wave and linear combination of atomic orbitals basis-set convergence study has been performed for a 64-atom amorphous ``tetrahedral`` carbon network (Drabold {ital et} {ital al}.). Converged results of the two methods are consistent with each other and indicate that when large, site-dependent bond-angle and bond-length distortions are present, variational freedom within a basis-set representation is crucial for an accurate representation of atomic forces. Minimal basis-set/non-self-consistent methods are not adequate for these systems, but are more applicable to systems with minimal site-dependent, electron-density distortions.
TU-A-12A-11: Improved Airway Measurement Accuracy for Low Dose Quantitative CT (qCT) Using Statistical (ASIR), at Reduced DFOV, and High Resolution Kernels in a Phantom and Swine Model

Purpose: To improve the accuracy of airway measures and reduce x-ray dose in quantitative CT (qCT) of the lung. Methods: qCT was performed on an airway phantom (COPD gene) and a swine model. The airway phantom was used to identify expected improvements in spatial resolution and noise tradeoffs for choice of CT reconstruction kernel and display FOV (DFOV). Results in the phantom were then applied to the swine model. Images were obtained via helical scans that were performed using a GE Discovery CT750 HD with the COPD Gene/SARP protocols except tube current was varied from 790 to 50 mA, and lung inflation was fixed via mechanical ventilator. CT data were reconstructed using STANDARD (Std) and Bone reconstruction kernels for FBP and 100% ASIR at half and full DFOV. Inner Diameter(ID) and wall area percent (WA%) of selected airway sizes were matched across the swine lung and phantom and performed using Airway Inspector (Surgical Planning Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA). For the swine lung the CT acquisition at 790 mA with ASIR and Bone kernel at half DFOV parameters was the reference standard for comparison to the lower dose scans. Results: The accuracy of the ID and WA% improved by ∼24% and ∼23% for half DFOV with the Bone kernel and ASIR reconstruction for both phantom and swine models for all airways investigated. For low dose qCT, the difference between the reference standard measures and the measures obtained with half DFOV with Bone+ASIR remained much lower than those using current clinical parameters (FBP at full DFOV) even at one fourth the dose for all airways investigated as is shown in Table 1. Conclusion: The combination of ASIR with higher spatial resolution reconstruction shows promise to reduce x-ray dose and improve qCT of lung airways. NIBIB PB EB 1010 159 JKS Recovery Quantitative Imaging Biomarker Alliance (QIBA) U10 HL109168 SARP
Development of a Pulsed-Field Differential Mobility Analyzer: A Method for Measuring Shape Parameters for Nonspherical Particles

For a nonspherical particle, a standard differential mobility analyzer (DMA) measurement yields a mobility-equivalent spherical diameter, but provides no information about the degree of sphericity. However, given that the electrical mobility for nonspheres is orientation-dependent, and that orientation can be manipulated using electric fields of varying strength, one can, in principle, extract some type of shape information through a systematic measurement of mobility as a function of particle orientation. Here, we describe the development of a pulsed-field differential mobility analyzer (PFDMA) which enables one to change the peak E-field experienced by the particle to induce orientation, while still maintaining the same time-averaged field strength as a standard DMA experiment. The instrument is validated with polystyrene latex (PSL) spheres with accurately known size, and gold rods with dimensions accurately determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We demonstrate how the instrument can be ...
HF Accelerated Electron Fluxes, Spectra, and Ionization

Wave particle interactions, an essential aspect of laboratory, terrestrial, and astrophysical plasmas, have been studied for decades by transmitting high power HF radio waves into Earth’s weakly ionized space plasma, to use it as a laboratory without walls. Application to HF electron acceleration remains an active area of research (Gurevich in Usp Fizicheskikh Nauk 177(11):1145–1177, 2007) today. HF electron acceleration studies began when plasma line observations proved (Carlson et al. in J Atmos Terr Phys 44:1089–1100, 1982) that high power HF radio wave-excited processes accelerated electrons not to ~eV, but instead to −100 times thermal energy (10 s of eV), as a consequence of inelastic collision effects on electron transport. Gurevich et al (J Atmos Terr Phys 47:1057–1070, 1985) quantified the theory of this transport effect. Merging experiment with theory in plasma physics and aeronomy, enabled prediction (Carlson in Adv Space Res 13:1015–1024, 1993) of creating artificial ionospheres once ~GW HF effective radiated power could be achieved. Eventual confirmation of this prediction (Pedersen et al. in Geophys Res Lett 36:L18107, 2009; Pedersen et al. in Geophys Res Lett 37:L02106, 2010; Blagoveshchenskaya et al. in Ann Geophys 27:131–145, 2009) sparked renewed interest in optical inversion to estimate electron spectra in terrestrial (Hysell et al. in J Geophys Res Space Phys 119:2038–2045, 2014) and planetary (Simon et al. in Ann Geophys 29:187–195, 2011) atmospheres. Here we present our unpublished optical data, which combined with our modeling, lead to conclusions that should meaningfully improve future estimates of the spectrum of HF accelerated electron fluxes. Photometric imaging data can significantly improve detection of emissions near ionization threshold, and confirm depth of penetration of accelerated electrons many km below the excitation altitude. Comparing observed to modeled emission altitude shows future experiments need electron density profiles to derive more accurate HF electron flux spectra.
Ghana’s Construction Industry and Global Competition: A Research Note

Doing business in Ghana could not have come at a better time. In the name of globalization, the government of President Kufuor has liberalized trade so that foreign construction companies easily compete with Ghana's own construction firms for big-ticket contracts. A major consequence of the bidding policy, however, is that globalization has negatively affected the nation's indigenous construction contractors in competing with large, international, private corporations for public contracts in Ghana. The situation has rendered indigenous entrepreneurs not only virtually helpless but also continually lacking vital resources. This article examines the current predicament of Ghana's indigenous construction businesses in terms of their inability to effectively compete with foreign construction firms. The author proposes meaningful ways in which the government should formulate a much-needed framework for developing, nurturing, and sustaining their operational infrastructure with the view to preparing them to com...
Reduced spontaneous activity in the dorsal cochlear nucleus of Scn8a mutant mice

Spontaneous activity was recorded in the dorsal cochlear nucleus of brain slices from mice homozygous for the med-J and jolting mutations in the neuronal sodium channel α-subunit Scn8a. Densities of spontaneously active neurons in slices from both mutants were significantly lower than in control slices. Spontaneous firing patterns with bursts of action potentials were recorded from approximately 50% of the neurons in control slices, but the typical bursting patterns were not observed in neurons of med-J and jolting mouse slices. The results suggest that this voltage-gated sodium channel is essential for the spontaneous bursting firing of cochlear nucleus cartwheel neurons. This mutant animal model may be useful for the study of the functional roles of cochlear nucleus neurons.
Spatial and temporal variation in carbon isotope discrimination in prairie graminoids

We present the results of a 5-year examination of variation in the stable carbon isotope composition (δ) of three C3 graminoid species from a Sandhills prairie: Agropyron smithii, Carex heliophila and Stipa comata. Although consistent species-specific patterns for mean δ were seen, there was also significant and substantial among-year and within-season variation in δ. A smaller contribution to variation in δ came from topographic variation among sampling sites. Effects of species, year, season and topography contribute to variation in δ in an additive manner. An association between climate and δ exists that is consistent with previous work suggesting that δ reflects the interplay between photosynthetic gas exchange and plant water relations. Within the growing season, the time over which δ integrates plant response to the environment ranges from days to months.
Specificities and properties of three reduced pyridine nucleotide-flavin mononucleotide reductases coupling to bacterial luciferase

Three different NAD(P)H-FMN reductases were extracted from Beneckea harveyi MB-20 cells and separated by DEAE-Sephadex A50 column chromatography. Further purification was achieved by affinity chromatography. In determinations of Km values for NADH, NADPH, and FMN, these three reductases exhibited different specificities and kinetic parameters. One reductase utilizes NADH, whereas a second one utilizes NADPH as the preferred substrate. The third, a newly described reductase species, exhibits about the same reaction rates with NADH and NADPH. The reaction mechanisms of the three enzyme forms have been deduced by steady state kinetic analysis. The highly pure (based on gel electrophoresis) NADPH-FMN reductase still exhibited a low (approximately 2%) activity for NADH, which activity was increased upon storage at 4° but suppressed completely by the replacement of the phosphate buffer with sodium citrate buffer. This high specificity of NADPH-FMN reductase for NADPH under these conditions is useful for the assay of NADPH, notably in systems coupled to bacterial luciferase.
The first decade of the Congressional Budget Act: Legislative imitation and adaptation in budgeting

The influence of institutions on budgetary behavior at the federal level is the subject of this article, which examines the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. While its impact on budgetary priorities and growth seems modest at best, the Act has had a substantial impact on the process of budgetary decisionmaking, the nature of budgetary debate, and the budgetary strategies employed within Congress. These new and generally dysfunctional forms of congessional budgetary behavior are consequences of a budgetary reform that attempted to transfer many of the resource allocation procedures of the Executive branch to a legislative context. The transfer of many Executive branch budgetary procedures has led to the appearance within Congress of budgetary behavior previously confined largely to the Executive branch. The article also discusses attempts to render the congressional budget process more compatible with the legislative environment, analyzing the modifications in the original budget process that have been effected and proposed in recent years.
The linear regulator problem for parabolic systems

An approximation framework is presented for computation (in finite imensional spaces) of Riccati operators that can be guaranteed to converge to the Riccati operator in feedback controls for abstract evolution systems in a Hilbert space. It is shown how these results may be used in the linear optimal regulator problem for a large class of parabolic systems.
Angiotensin-(1–7) prevents radiation-induced inflammation in rat primary astrocytes through regulation of MAP kinase signaling

About 500,000 new cancer patients will develop brain metastases in 2013. The primary treatment modality for these patients is partial or whole brain irradiation which leads to a progressive, irreversible cognitive impairment. Although the exact mechanisms behind this radiation-induced brain injury are unknown, neuroinflammation in glial populations is hypothesized to play a role. Blockers of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) prevent radiation-induced cognitive impairment and modulate radiation-induced neuroinflammation. Recent studies suggest that RAS blockers may reduce inflammation by increasing endogenous concentrations of the anti-inflammatory heptapeptide angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)]. Ang-(1-7) binds to the AT(1-7) receptor and inhibits MAP kinase activity to prevent inflammation. This study describes the inflammatory response to radiation in astrocytes characterized by radiation-induced increases in (i) IL-1β and IL-6 gene expression; (ii) COX-2 and GFAP immunoreactivity; (iii) activation of AP-1 and NF-κB transcription factors; and (iv) PKCα, MEK, and ERK (MAP kinase) activation. Treatment with U-0126, a MEK inhibitor, demonstrates that this radiation-induced inflammation in astrocytes is mediated through the MAP kinase pathway. Ang-(1-7) inhibits radiation-induced inflammation, increases in PKCα, and MAP kinase pathway activation (phosphorylation of MEK and ERK). Additionally Ang-(1-7) treatment leads to an increase in dual specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1). Furthermore, treatment with sodium vanadate (Na3VO4), a phosphatase inhibitor, blocks Ang-(1-7) inhibition of radiation-induced inflammation and MAP kinase activation, suggesting that Ang-(1-7) alters phosphatase activity to inhibit radiation-induced inflammation. These data suggest that RAS blockers inhibit radiation-induced inflammation and prevent radiation-induced cognitive impairment not only by reducing Ang II but also by increasing Ang-(1-7) levels.
Selectivity in synaptic changes caudal to acute spinal cord transection

The amplitude of monosynaptic EPSPs produced by the action of single semitendinosus (ST) Ia afferent fibers in ST motoneurons display little or no increase in amplitude within hours of a spinal cord transection performed at the thirteenth thoracic segment. This finding is in marked contrast to results obtained at the medial gastrocnemius (MG) Ia fiber-motoneuron synapse, where EPSPs have been shown to be enlarged, even in preparations with normal ST EPSPs. The increase in EPSP amplitude reported previously at the MG Ia-motoneurons synapse is selective and therefore is probably not a direct consequence of injury to the isolated segment of the spinal cord.
The effects of health, environmental, and socio-psychological variables on fear of crime and its consequences among urban black elderly individuals.

Despite extensive research on fear of crime among elder members of the population, little attention has been paid to the fear of crime among Black urban elderly individuals. Using a sample of 372 low income urban Black persons aged sixty-two and over the causes and consequences of such fear were investigated. Fear of crime reduces subjective well-being of these older adults and limits their mobility. Age, gender, education, marital status, loneliness, self-reported health status, previous victimization experience, media exposure, trust of neighbors, length of residence, and type of housing were tested to identify significant predictors of fear of crime. Some of these variables had a diverse impact on fear of crime at home versus outside of the home. For example, while gender was the strongest predictor of fear of crime outside the home, it was not significantly associated with fear inside the home. Surprisingly, self-reported health status was not related to fear of crime among this sample of urban Black ...
A mathematical description of transient crack growth behaviour in glass

Transient crack growth behaviour resulting from time-dependent changes in crack-tip radius can occur near the fatigue limit. In the present work, mathematical expressions describing this transient behaviour are developed assuming that a dissolution reaction is responsible for changes in crack geometry. An elliptical crack is analysed because of its mathematical simplicity. The theoretical model slightly underestimates the extent of crack-tip blunting occurring below the fatigue limit. However, the predicted transient behaviour associated with the crack-tip sharpening processes which take place above the fatigue limit compares favourably with experimental data for glass.
Determinants of immigrant's mental health

Výzkumne studie prokazaly, že nejen rozdily v pohlavi maji vliv na zdravotni stav imigrantů. K významným determinantům patři take etnicka přislusnost, konzistence kulturniho dědictvi a spolecenska třida. Ve vztahu ke svemu statusu patři imigranti ke zranitelne skupině, u niž se ve vyssi miře objevuje cela řada onemocněni ve srovnani s majoritni spolecnosti [1, 2]. Předkladaný přispěvek je zaměřen na zmapovani vlivu ctyř zakladnich faktorů - etnicity, stupně akulturace, imigracniho statusu a socioprofesni pozice na zdravi imigrantů. K popsani tohoto vlivu bylo využito sekundarni analýzy relevantnich zdrojů s využitim elektronických databazi, jako je Scopus, ProQuest, EBSCO, PubMed apod. Pro zmapovani zjistěných faktorů byl vytvořen Koncepcni model zakladnich determinant ovlivňujicich zdravi imigrantů, v němž je zdravi považovano za multidimenzionalni výslednici podlehajici vnějsim a vnitřnim determinantům se zdůrazněnim klicových aspektů. Tyto aspekty byly dale analyzovany a konfrontovany s výzkumnými projekty a zavěry realizovanými v Ceske republice i v jiných zemich světa. Z analýzy determinant vyplýva uzke propojeni jednotlivých prvků ve vztahu ke zdravi a naslednemu procesu integrace cizinců. Ackoli se jedna o determinanty, jejichž vzajemný vliv byl studiemi doložen, je v evropskem regionu stale prioritou spise socialni a ekonomicka soběstacnost jedince. Zdravotni stav imigrantů je spise opomijen a stale neni dostatecně zmapovan, jak doklada přehled výzkumných aktivit zaměřených na tuto problematiku v Ceske republice.
Ten Dreams of Technology

This article presents the ten dreams of technology that frame the author/ c urator's selection of ten new media artworks. The “dreams” or themes presented by the author have been developed and/or questioned by artists throughout the history of the intersection of art and technology. This history emerges through artworks that the author describes as containing a “compelling vitality that we must admire.” The collection of dreams includes: Symbiosis, Emergence, Immersion, World Peace, Transparency, Flows, Open Work, Other, New Art, and Hacking. The author notes that these dreams of technology have a future, even if it is not yet determined.
Evaluation of multi-brush anode systems in microbial fuel cells

Abstract The packing density of anodes in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was examined here using four different graphite fiber brush anode configurations. The impact of anodes on performance was studied in terms of carbon fiber length (brush diameter), the number of brushes connected in parallel, and the wire current collector gage. MFCs with different numbers of brushes (one, three or six) set perpendicular to the cathode all produced similar power densities (1200 ± 40 mW/m 2 ) and coulombic efficiencies (60% ± 5%). Reducing the number of brushes by either disconnecting or removing them reduced power, demonstrating the importance of anode projected area covering the cathode, and therefore the need to match electrode projected areas to maintain high performance. Multi-brush reactors had the same COD removal as single-brush systems (>90%). The use of smaller Ti wire gages did not affect power generation, which will enable the use of less metal, reducing material costs.
Radiation therapy of brain tumors

Results of radiation therapy obtained at the University of California, San Francisco, over approximately the past 20 years for various histologic types of brain tumors are presented. Included are astrocytomas, malignant gliomas, medulloblastomas, ependymomas, oligodendrogliomas, and brain stem tumors. Degree of malignancy and tendency to disseminate within the central nervous system are also reviewed. For each tumor type and grade considered, the survival rate appeared improved when incomplete resection was followed by irradiation. The increase in survival rate for glioblastomas was only evident for 1-2 years, but for the remainder the improvement extends to 5-10 years. Since many patients were still alive at the time of review, it is possible that permanent control of many intracranial neoplasms may be induced by radiation therapy.
Serum levels of endothelial and neural cell adhesion molecules in prostate cancer

BACKGROUND Tumorigenesis and progression to metastatic disease are accompanied by changes in the expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). Normally expressed CAMs, such as E-cadherin, are lost, while others, i.e., ICAM-1, VCAM-1, NCAM, and E-selectin, are altered and overexpressed in progressive disease and metastases. Abnormal levels of these latter CAMs have been observed in melanoma and carcinomas of the colon and breast, and NCAM is overexpressed in small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). The objective of this study was to determine if serum levels of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, NCAM, and E-selectin could differentiate patients with benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) from those with prostate carcinoma (CaP) and identify prostate cancers with high potential for progression to metastatic disease. METHODS Serum levels of these CAMs were determined by ELISA in serum from normal males and females and from patients with BPH and CaP before and after treatment. Sera from patients with breast carcinoma, colon carcinoma, melanoma, and small-cell lung carcinoma were also evaluated, as soluble CAMs have been reported to be elevated in these cancer patients. RESULTS ICAM-1 levels were elevated in sera from patients with breast carcinoma (P = 0.0004) and melanoma (P = 0.0001). VCAM-1 levels were elevated in sera from patients with colon carcinoma (P = 0.0001). NCAM levels were elevated in the sera of patients with SCLC (P = 0.0001). Normal levels of ICAM-1, E-selectin, and NCAM were found in both BPH and pretreatment CaP patients. Median NCAM levels in hormone-refractive CaP patients were significantly greater than in BPH (P = 0.0005) and CaP patients with pathologically determined organ-confined (P = 0.0014) or nonorgan-confined disease (P = 0.0385). VCAM-1 levels were significantly elevated in both BPH patients (P = 0.0002) and CaP patients (P = 0.0002) when compared with levels for normal age-matched donors. None of the CAMs were found to offer an advantage over prostatic-specific antigen (PSA) for monitoring CaP patients following definitive radiotherapy, radical prostatectomy, or hormonal therapy. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that serum ICAM-1, VCAM-1, NCAM, and E-selectin are not clinically useful biomarkers for differentiating CaP from BPH, for predicting progression, for identifying metastatic potential, or for monitoring treatment. Prostate 32:214–220, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
EQUATING OF SUBSCORES AND WEIGHTED AVERAGES UNDER THE NEAT DESIGN

Recently, the literature has seen increasing interest in subscores for their potential diagnostic values; for example, one study suggested the report of weighted averages of a subscore and the total score, whereas others showed, for various operational and simulated data sets, that weighted averages, as compared to subscores, lead to more accurate diagnostic information. To report weighted averages, the averages should be comparable across different test forms; that is, the averages should be equated. This report discusses how to equate weighted averages. Results from operational and simulated data sets demonstrate the small error found when equating weighted averages.
Impulsive motion of ideally constrained mechanical systems via analytical dynamics

Abstract This paper formulates the general variational equation, or principle, for the impulsive motion of mechanical systems subjected to ideal impulsive constraints, in both holonomic and nonholonomic coordinates, then applies it to problems with persistent impulsive constraints and, with the help of Lagrange's method of undetermined multipliers, produces all possible impulsive equations of motion, with or without the associated reactions, in holonomic or nonholonomic coordinates. These equations are the impulsive counterparts of the well-known finite motion equations of Routh/Voss, Maggi, Hadamard, Boltzmann/Hamel, Chaplygin/Voronets, and Appell. Finally, a simple example is presented and solved with several of the above methods.
COMBINED FORCED AND FREE CONVECTION IN BOUNDARY LAYER FLOW OF NON-NEWTONIAN FLUID ON A HORIZONTAL PLATE

An analysis is presented to study the effects of buoyancy-induced streamwise pressure gradients on laminar forced convection heat transfer to non-Newtonian fluids from a horizontal plate. Numerical solution of the transformed boundary layer equations has been carried out for different values of the flow behavior index and the buoyancy parameter by means of the local nonsimilarity method. A discussion is provided for the effect of the buoyancy force on the friction factor, the dimensionless heat transfer rate and the details of the velocity as well as temperature fields.
Time-dependent close-coupling calculations of the double photoionization of He@C 60

The double photoionization of a He atom enclosed in a C{sub 60} molecule, He-C{sub 60} was investigated using the time-dependent close-coupling method with the C{sub 60} molecule represented by a spherical shell potential and the He atom treated nonperturbatively. Comparisons are made with the double photoionization of a bare He atom. The ratio of the total double photoionization cross section of He-C{sub 60} to that of a bare He atom is found to exhibit oscillations due to reflection of a slow electron. This is confirmed by calculations of the single energy differential cross section that peaks at unequal energy sharing when one of the ejected electrons has an energy comparable to the C{sub 60} well depth. Triple differential cross sections are found to be shifted in magnitude, but unchanged in shape from the bare He atom.
Cells regulate their mitogenic response to thrombin through release of protease nexin

We previously reported that human and mouse fibroblast-like cells release into their growth medium a protein that we termed protease nexin. Protease nexin forms a covalent acyl linkage with thrombin and certain other serine proteases via the protease active site and mediates their binding, internalization and degradation by cells. Binding of thrombin-protease nexin to cells is mediated by the protease nexin portion of the complex to a high-affinity cellular binding site. As thrombin is a potent mitogen for a variety of fibroblast-like cells in culture, we examined whether protease nexin itself regulates thrombin-stimulated cell division. Recently, we showed that heparin virtually blocked the binding of thrombin-protease nexin complexes to both mouse and human cells without affecting the ability of these cells to respond to thrombin. Thus, protease nexin does not appear to be a positive modulator in thrombin-induced cell division. Here, we show that protease nexin negatively regulates the mitogenic response of cells in culture to thrombin.
An automated image segmentation and classification algorithm for immunohistochemically stained tumor cell nuclei

As medical image data sets are digitized and the number of data sets is increasing exponentially, there is a need for automated image processing and analysis technique. Most medical imaging methods require human visual inspection and manual measurement which are labor intensive and often produce inconsistent results. In this paper, we propose an automated image segmentation and classification method that identifies tumor cell nuclei in medical images and classifies these nuclei into two categories, stained and unstained tumor cell nuclei. The proposed method segments and labels individual tumor cell nuclei, separates nuclei clusters, and produces stained and unstained tumor cell nuclei counts. The representative fields of view have been chosen by a pathologist from a known diagnosis (clear cell renal cell carcinoma), and the automated results are compared with the hand-counted results by a pathologist.
Comparative analysis of electro-optic properties in bismuth silicate grown by the Czochralski, Bridgman-Stockbarger, and hydrothermal techniques

Abstract The relationship between growth conditions and electro-optic properties was investigated in a comparative analysis of BSO grown by the Czochralski, Bridgman–Stockbarger, and hydrothermal methods. Hydrothermal material was confirmed to be near intrinsic. Due to a higher defect concentration, Czochralski material exhibited higher absorption and photoconductivity near the band-edge as well as a stronger photochromic response than the Bridgman material. No photochromic response was observed in samples that were grown in a sealed ampoule. Subsequent experiments revealed that high temperature annealing in the presence of a limited oxygen supply removed the photochromic response in BSO. Photoconductivity and photorefractivity measurements showed fundamental changes in carrier lifetime as a result of high temperature annealing in a reduced oxygen atmosphere. Growth and processing conditions were seen to have a significant effect on defect incorporation and the resultant electro-optical properties in BSO.
Numerical studies on an air-breathing proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell

The objective of this article is to investigate the performance of an air-breathing proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell operating with hydrogen fed at the anode and air supplied by natural convection at the cathode. Considering a dual-cell cartridge configuration with a common anode flow chamber, a comprehensive two-dimensional, non-isothermal, multi-component numerical model is developed to simulate the mass transport and electrochemical phenomena governing the cell operation. Systematic parametric studies are presented to investigate the effects of operating conditions, cell orientation and cell geometry on the performance. Temperature and species distributions are also studied to assist the understanding of the single cell performance for different conditions. It is shown that the cell orientation affects the local current density distribution along the cell and the average current density, particularly at lower cell voltages. The cell performance is shown to improve with increase of temperature, anode flow rate, anode pressure and anode relative humidity.
STT-RAM CELL DESIGN CONSIDERING MTJ ASYMMETRIC SWITCHING

As one promising candidate for next-generation nonvolatile memory technologies, spin-transfer torque random access memory (STT-RAM) has demonstrated many attractive features, such as nanosecond access time, high integration density, nonvolatility, and good CMOS process compatibility. In this paper, we address the asymmetry in the write operations of STT-RAM cells: the mean and the deviation of the write latency for the switching from low- to high-resistance state is much longer or larger than that of the opposite direction. Some special design concerns, e.g., the data-dependent write reliability, are raised by this observation. We systematically analyze the root reasons for the asymmetric switching of MTJs, including the thermal-induced statistical MTJ magnetization process, the asymmetric biasing condition of NMOS transistors, and the device variations of both NMOS and MTJ. Their impacts on STT-RAM write operations were also investigated. At last, we explore the design spaces of different STT-RAM cell st...
The Effects of Priming on Business Ethical Perceptions: A Comparison Between Two Cultures

The present study examines the effect of priming on business ethical decision making. Priming is based on the idea that our perceptions, actions, and emotions are distorted by unconscious cues from our environment. Subjects were primed for either “politeness” or “rudeness” using a sentence completion task. Following the priming, the subjects were asked to react to a series of ethical scenarios. The results showed that subjects primed for “rudeness” perceived the scenarios as less unethical than subjects primed for “politeness”. Similar results were observed in both the American and the Dominican samples. The results indicate that business ethical decision making is influenced by environmental factors we are unaware off.
An operational approach to quantum probability

In order to provide a mathmatical framework for the process of making repeated measurements on continuous observables in a statistical system we make a mathematical definition of an instrument, a concept which generalises that of an observable and that of an operation. It is then possible to develop such notions as joint and conditional probabilities without any of the commutation conditions needed in the approach via observables. One of the crucial notions is that of repeatability which we show is implicitly assumed in most of the axiomatic treatments of quantum mechanics, but whose abandonment leads to a much more flexible approach to measurement theory.