cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 1224: Intratumoral chitosan/IL-12 neoadjuvant to tumor resection is safe and generates tumor specific immunity.

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a potent antitumor cytokine that exhibits significant clinical toxicities after systemic administration. Local delivery strategies capable of maintaining high concentrations of IL-12 in the tumor microenvironment while minimizing systemic exposure are under investigation. We have previously shown that intratumoral injections of IL-12 co-formulated with a solution of chitosan (chitosan/IL-12) can eliminate established primary tumors. Chitosan is an abundant, natural polysaccharide derived primarily from the exoskeletons of crustaceans. Chitosan has been shown to maintain high local concentrations of protein antigens and cytokines through viscous, electrostatic and bioadhesive interactions. Because of IL-12’s well documented ability to generate tumor-specific cell-mediated immunity, we are exploring the anti-metastatic potential of intratumoral chitosan/IL-12 immunotherapy in a highly metastatic model of breast cancer (4T1). Previously, we have shown that intratumoral chitosan/IL-12 neoadjuvant prior to tumor resection confers long-term survival benefits and reduces metastasis. Recent studies reveal that chitosan/IL-12 is safe and generates tumor-specific systemic immunity to confer long-term survival benefits. Specifically, splenocytes from long term survivors demonstrated anti-tumor immunity in a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) killing assay. After 1 week of in vitro stimulation, splenocytes were found to lyse approximately 40% of target tumor cells at an effector: target ratio of 50:1. In addition, toxicological studies reveal that chitosan/IL-12 does not adversely affect leukocyte levels or hematocrit. Based on data obtained thus far, intratumoral chitosan/IL-12 shows promising potential as a neoadjuvant immunotherapy to reduce metastatic disease while minimizing the toxicities that hindered the progress of IL-12 based cancer immunotherapy. Citation Format: Jimmy Loc Nhu Vo, Lirong Yang, David Zaharoff. Intratumoral chitosan/IL-12 neoadjuvant to tumor resection is safe and generates tumor specific immunity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1224. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1224
Identification of proteins associating with poly(A)-binding-protein mRNA.

Synthesis of poly(A)-binding protein is regulated at the translational level. We have investigated the binding of proteins to this mRNA on the premise that the protein(s) of the mRNP complex may be involved in regulating the expression of the mRNA. We found the first 243 nucleotides of the 5′ untranslated region to contain sequences essential for RNP formation. A large, single-stranded bulge structure encompassing stretches rich in adenine nucleotides and a potential stem-loop domain appear to be the primary sites for protein binding. Removal of the 243-nucleotide segment results in a drastic reduction in protein binding and a concomitant increase in translational efficiency in vitro. We suggest that proteins binding to this region, including poly(A)-binding protein itself, may be essential for regulating translation of this mRNA.
Reduced wound contraction after grafting of full-thickness burns with a collagen and chondroitin-6-sulfate (GAG) dermal skin substitute and coverage with biobrane

Full-thickness burns destroy both the epidermal and dermal tissues of the skin. This study evaluates a collagen and chondroitin-6-sulfate dermal skin substitute (graft) that was applied to excised full-thickness burns and covered with Biobrane. Experimental conditions included: (a) no burn, subcutaneous implantation of the graft; (b) burn, excision, graft, coverage with Biobrane and bandages; (c) burn, excision, no graft, coverage with Biobrane and bandages; (d) burn only. forty-one days post-surgery, subcutaneous implantation (N = 3) of the graft caused no detectable contraction or necrosis of the overlying skin, whereas all burn wounds contracted. Measurements of wounds (percentage of original wound size) showed statistically significant differences between the following treatments; (a) graft plus Biobrane (N = 10), 34%; (b) no graft plus Biobrane (N = 9), 25%; (c) untreated burns (N = 6), 16%. Semi-quantitative evaluation of time to healing indicated by spontaneous detachment of Biobrane from wounds showed that grafted, excised wounds healed in an average of 2.7 weeks, while ungrafted, excised wounds required an average of 4.3 weeks to heal. Histological appearance of healed wounds after grafting and coverage with Biobrane resembles undamaged skin without epidermal adnexal structures. Excision of full-thickness burn eschar, followed by grafting with a collagen and chondroitin-6-sulfate dermal skin substitute and coverage with Biobrane provides reduced wound contraction within a six-week period of observation compared to non-excised wounds. Both more rapid and more complete wound healing took place compared to excised wounds that were not grafted.
Analytic Drag Prediction for Cambered Wings with Partial Leading Edge Suction

Rapid estimation of a wing's drag polar accounting for the combined effects of planform and profile drag represents a significant challenge, but is of necessity for preliminary analysis and design. In this paper, methodology is presented culminating in simple expressions allowing the combination of these drag components. Information required is knowledge of the wing's sectional characteristics as well as the planform's lift-curve slope and inviscid span efficiency factor. Airfoil profile drag is interpreted as a loss of leading-edge suction. Effects of camber are explicitly accounted for. The method also lends itself to be used as a design tool in which camber and suction may be optimized to minimize drag, depending on the operating conditions. Comparisons of the method with the experimental data show encouraging agreement.
Lipid-rich hepatocellular carcinoma in fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

The histology of hepatocellular carcinoma is typically characterized by thickened trabeculae of malignant hepatocytes in a background of a cirrhotic liver. Hepatomas are divided by the World Health Organization into well, moderately, poorly, and undifferentiated grades. Four common architectural patterns such as trabecular, solid, pseudoglandular, and scirrhous, and three cytologic variants such as pleomorphic, clear cell, and sarcomatoid are recognized. In the clear cell variant, cytoplasmic alterations are related to glycogen and/or lipid accumulation within the lesional cells. Clear cell variants of hepatocellular carcinoma are most often low-grade. In limited cytologic samples of low grade, lipid-containing hepatic malignancies, the separation of neoplastic cells from benign steatotic cells (as may be encountered with focal hepatic steatosis) can be extremely challenging. A 78-year-old woman with a documented history of hepatocellular carcinoma presented with a new 1.5 cm, PET positive nodule in the right lobe of the liver. She had undergone left hepatic lobectomy (six years remote) for a 7-cm well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma and more recently (one year prior) had undergone a right hepatic lobe wedge resection for recurrent disease. A radiologically guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the new liver nodule was performed. The air-dried Diff-Quik stained slides revealed scattered bland hepatocytes with abundant vacuolated cytoplasm (Fig. C-1). An immediate interpretation was rendered as hepatocytes present, with a considered differential diagnosis of a lipid-containing hepatoma versus steatosis. Alcohol-fixed Papanicolaou stained slides showed a strikingly uniform and deceptively bland population of neoplastic hepatocytes with micro and macro-vesicular steatotic changes (Fig. C-2). Correlations with slides from the patient’s previously resected recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma confirmed the nuclei in the known malignant cells to be deceptively innocuous and the cytoplasm in these same cells to be lipid-rich (Fig. C-3). Differentiation of well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma from benign changes including steatosis has been studied by Yang et al. They found that fineneedle aspiration biopsies of benign lesions contained rigid cores and large tissue fragments in contrast to welldifferentiated hepatocellular carcinoma in which there was a breakdown of the reticulin framework with scattered cells and a fine granular appearing background. Lipid-rich hepatocellular carcinoma is an uncommon variant, and it is possible that lesional cells from this entity may be under diagnosed as simple steatosis (Fig. C-4). This case highlights this potential pitfall.
Combined imaging biomarkers for therapy evaluation in glioblastoma multiforme: correlating sodium MRI and F-18 FLT PET on a voxel-wise basis

We evaluate novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) quantitative imaging biomarkers and associated multimodality, serial-time-point analysis methodologies, with the ultimate aim of providing clinically feasible, predictive measures for early assessment of response to cancer therapy. A focus of this work is method development and an investigation of the relationship between the information content of the two modalities. Imaging studies were conducted on subjects who were enrolled in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) therapeutic clinical trials. Data were acquired, analyzed and displayed using methods that could be adapted for clinical use. Subjects underwent dynamic [18F]fluorothymidine (F-18 FLT) PET, sodium (23Na) MRI and 3-T structural MRI scans at baseline (before initiation of therapy), at an early time point after beginning therapy and at a late follow-up time point after therapy. Sodium MRI and F-18 FLT PET images were registered to the structural MRI. F-18 FLT PET tracer distribution volumes and sodium MRI concentrations were calculated on a voxel-wise basis to address the heterogeneity of tumor physiology. Changes in, and differences between, these quantities as a function of scan timing were tracked. While both modalities independently show a change in tissue status as a function of scan time point, results illustrate that the two modalities may provide complementary information regarding tumor progression and response. Additionally, tumor status changes were found to vary in different regions of tumor. The degree to which these methods are useful for GBM therapy response assessment and particularly for differentiating true progression from pseudoprogression requires additional patient data and correlation of these imaging biomarker changes with clinical outcome.
High refractive index nanoparticle-loaded encapsulants for light-emitting diodes

TiO 2 nanoparticle-loaded epoxy for light-emitting diode (LED) encapsulation is demonstrated to have a refractive index of n = 1.68, higher than that of pure epoxy (n = 1.53). The dispersion of surfactant-coated TiO 2 nanoparticles into epoxy is shown to reduce the number and size of TiO 2 agglomerates compared to uncoated TiO 2 nanoparticle-loaded epoxy. The scattering of nanoparticle-loaded media is highly dependent on nanoparticle size and loading factor. A multilayer graded refractive index structure for LED encapsulants with layer thicknesses less than the calculated mean optical scattering length is therefore proposed. The graded-index structure shows increasing optical transmittance as the number of layers increases.
The Genesis of the Declaration of Breda, 1657–1660

And because the passion and uncharitableness of the times have produced several opinions in religion, by which men are engaged in parties and ani mosities against each other, which, when they shall hereafter unite in a freedom of conversation, will be composed or better understood; we do declare a liberty to tender consciences, and that no man shall be disquieted, or called in question, for differences of opinion in matters of religion which do not disturb the peace of the kingdom; and that we shall be ready to consent to such an Act of Parliament as, upon mature deliberation, shall be offered to us for the full granting that indulgence. —Declaration of Breda
Sex differences in asthma prevalence and other disease characteristics in eight states.

Objectives. We assessed the sex differences in asthma prevalence and asthma-control characteristics within eight states. Methods. We analyzed data from the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Results. Lifetime and current asthma prevalence were higher for females in each of the eight states compared to males. Adult onset of asthma was reported more often by females with current asthma, and childhood onset was reported more often by males. Sex differences were identified for the eight asthma-control characteristics. Conclusions. Females in eight states presented higher asthma risk and poorer asthma profiles than males. State surveillance data can be used to identify disparities and to develop appropriate public health interventions.
THE PRECIPITATION OF RUTHENIUM FROM NITRATE SOLUTIONS WITH INORGANIC AND ORGANIC SULPHIDES

Abstract Certain organic sulphur compounds, such as β-mercaptopropionic acid and 2–3 dimercaptopropanol-1 (BAL), have been found to be very effective reagents for precipitating ruthenium from nitric acid solution. The presence in the organic molecule of one or more—SH groups is essential. With trace concentrations of ruthenium, precipitation is aided by co-precipitation of a macro concentration of a heavy metal such as silver (I), coppe (II), mercury (II) or molybdenum (III). Although the reaction resembles in many respects, including the effect of pertinent variables, the precipitation of ruthenium with hydrogen sulphide, the precipitation is not due to the formation of sulphide ion but rather to the formation of a very sparingly soluble compound with the organic reagent. Uranium, plutonium and most fission products other than ruthenium are not precipitated.
Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Fresh-Frozen, Nonirradiated Patellar Tendon Allograft: Minimum 2-Year Follow-up

BackgroundThere are conflicting reports of allograft performance, immune response, tissue incorporation, and rerupture rates when used for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.PurposeTo evalua...
Bis(methylidene) Complex of Tantalum Supported by a PNP Ligand

Reaction of (PNP)Li with TaF5 produces pentagonal-bipyramidal (PNP)TaF4 (2). Alkylation of 2 with MeMgBr allows for the isolation of (PNP)TaMe4 (3). (PNP)TaMe4 (3) evolves thermally and/or photochemically into a bis(methylidene) complex (PNP)Ta(CH2)2 (4). The identity of the latter has been established by X-ray structural, NMR spectroscopic, and DFT computational studies. It does not appear that 4 possesses agostic interactions in solution.
Restaging the Will to Believe: Religious Pluralism, Anti-Syncretism, and the Problem of Belief

In this article, I examine anthropological conceptions of religious belief by concentrating on the problems that arise in employing them in socioreligious fields characterized by pluralism, a high degree of mobility in changing religious affiliation, and by what Rosalind Shaw and Charles Stewart have called "anti-syncretism" (1994). Instead of discarding the concept for anthropology, however, as some scholars have proposed, I suggest that indigenous discourses referring to and practices of belief represent an important field of anthropological inquiry, particularly as concerns non-Western forms of Christianity. In this article, I argue that people's ideas of and experiences with spiritual entities engender particular ways of talking about and practicing belief. Analyzing religious practices among the Zambian Gwembe Tonga, it is shown that some conceptual problems can be overcome by shifting the focus from belief as a stable and perpetual interior state of religious practitioners to the practice of cyclically regenerating a condition of internalized "believing."
A role for rhodopsin in a signal transduction cascade that regulates membrane trafficking and photoreceptor polarity

This review summarizes the most recent progress in the understanding of the role of rhodopsin C-terminal domain in the regulation of intracellular trafficking and photoreceptor morphogenesis. A proposed cascade of molecular interactions, initiated by the rhodopsin C-terminal sequence VXPX-COOH during trafficking from the Golgi/TGN in retinal photoreceptors, is relayed by the small GTPase ARF4 to the downstream effectors. One of the candidates for an ARF4 effector is the ARF-GAP ASAP1, which may function as a subunit of, or form a novel protein coat involved in trafficking from the TGN and in cytoskeletal remodeling, whose assembly is regulated by the binding of ARF4 to rhodopsin, and whose function is essential for the polarized trafficking toward the ROS.
The Fractionation and Purification of Extracts Containing the Androgenic Factor of Cow Feces

Summary A systematic process for the fractionation and purification of extracts containing the androgenic factor of dried cow feces has been developed. The process identifies the properties and functional groups of the androgen molecule. The process described includes the following methods: (a) the collection, desiccation, and extraction of the feces; (b) the separation of the ether-soluble material into acidic and neutral fractions; (c) the separation of the neutral fraction into ketonic and nonketonic fractions; (d) the separation of the neutral ketonic fraction into alcoholic and nonalcoholic fractions; and (e) the chromatographic separation of the neutral ketonic nonalcoholic fraction. Further evidence is presented substantiating the previous suggestion that fecal androgen is excreted in an unconjugated form. It is suggested that the absence of an hydroxyl group for biochemical esterification of the androgen and consequent excretion as a water-soluble urinary conjugate may explain why the androgen is excreted into the feces.
Conceptual design of large scale water electrolysis plant using solid polymer electrolyte technology

Abstract In an energy conscious environment, the key to the applicability of water electrolysis as a means for generation of hydrogen in bulk quantities is the achievement of high efficiencies (i.e. over 90%) at high enough current densities to keep the capital costs within economic bounds. The solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) water electrolysis technology developed by the General Electric Company is now demonstrating these efficiencies at current densities up to 500 A ft −2 , and the results of recent laboratory testing show a potential for increasing this to 2000 A ft −2 within the next 10 years. This capability now makes water electrolysis one of the most promising methods for generating hydrogen from nuclear, solar or other non-fossil fuel energy sources. The performance and life test results are shown including laboratory cells on which future performance projections are based. The design and development status of a scaled-up electrolysis cell suitable for large-sized hydrogen generation plants is described. Estimated capital costs and operating costs are projected from which the resultant hydrogen costs are calculated.
Spontaneous development of inflammatory bowel disease in T cell receptor mutant mice

We describe the spontaneous development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in several immunodeficient mouse strains created via gene targeting in embryonic stem cells. Chronic colitis was observed in T cell receptor (TCR) alpha mutant, TCR beta mutant, TCR beta x delta double mutant, or class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) mutant mice, but not in recombination-activating gene RAG-1 mutant mice or nude mice kept in the same specific pathogen-free animal facility. This clinical pattern suggests that the disease requires the presence of B lymphocytes and the absence of class II MHC-restricted CD4+ alpha beta T cells. IBD in the mutant mice has some of the features of the human disease ulcerative colitis. Based on these results, we suggest that dysfunction of the mucosal immune system may underly the pathogenesis of some types of IBD in humans.
Constructive projective extension of an incidence plane

A standard procedure in classical projective geometry, using pencils of lines to extend an incidence plane to a projective plane, is examined from a constructive viewpoint. Brouwerian counterexamples reveal the limitations of traditional pencils. Generalized definitions are adopted to construct a projective extension. The main axioms of projective geometry are verified. The methods used are in accordance with Bishop-type modern constructivism.
Circulation and teleconnection mechanisms of Northeast Brazil droughts

Abstract The Northern Nordeste of Brazil has its short rainy season narrowly concentrated around March–April, when the interhemispheric southward gradient of sea surface temperature (SST) is weakest and the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which is the main rainbearing system for the Nordeste, reaches its southernmost position in the course of the year. The recurrent Secas (droughts) have a severe socio-economic impact in this semi-arid region. In drought years, the pre-season (October–January) rainfall is scarce, the interhemispheric SST gradient weakened and the basin-wide southerly (northerly) wind component enhanced (reduced), all manifestations of an anomalously far northward ITCZ position. Apart from this ensemble of Atlantic indicators, the Secas also tend to be preceded by anomalously warm equatorial Pacific waters in January. During El Nino years, an upper-tropospheric wave train extends from the equatorial eastern Pacific to the northern tropical Atlantic, affecting the patterns of upper-tropospheric topography and divergence, and hence of vertical motion over the Atlantic. The altered vertical motion leads to a weaker meridional pressure gradient on the equatorward flank of the North Atlantic subtropical high, and thus weaker North Atlantic tradewinds. The concomitant reduction of evaporation and wind stirring allows for warmer surface waters in the tropical North Atlantic and thus steeper interhemispheric meridional thermal gradient. Consequently, the ITCZ stays anomalously far North and the Nordeste rainy season becomes deficient.
Second Lumbrical Muscle Recordings Improve Localization in Severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Abstract Brannegan R, Bartt R. Second lumbrical muscle recordings improve localization in severe carpal tunnel syndrome. Objective To determine how often the second lumbrical motor potential is present when the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) motor potential is absent in severe carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Design Prospective study of consecutive patients with severe CTS and an absent motor potential from the APB. Setting Single-center public hospital−based electromyography lab. Participants Patients with a clinical diagnosis of CTS who had an absent median sensory response and an absent median motor response to APB on routine nerve conduction testing. Twenty-two hands of 19 patients were examined. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure Presence and distal latency of motor potential to the second lumbrical. Results The second lumbrical potential was present in 17 hands (77%). The distal motor latency to the second lumbrical was prolonged in all (mean, 9.1ms; normative value, Conclusions Second lumbrical recordings improve localization in many patients with severe CTS when routine median sensory and motor conduction studies produce no potentials.
Managing Digital Images In A Network Environment

We present a method for displaying reduced resolution versions of images in order to quickly browse through a large archive of digital images. The browse image requires only one kilobyte and, thus, can be stored in the header of the image file and can be quickly retrieved from that disk file and transferred over a network for viewing on a high resolution image display. This method differs from past research on progressive transmission of reduced resolution images. Our browse image, the displayed image, and the original image are all of different spatial and color resolutions. Typical values would be a 32x32 by 8 bit encoded color browse image from a 512x512 by 24 bit full color original to be displayed at 128x128 full color. We analyze and compare several methods of compression and decompression of digital images reporting their performance on both isolated workstations and over the network.
Dimethyl Sulfoxide and Ethanol Elicit Increased Amyloid Biogenesis and Amyloid-Integrated Biofilm Formation in Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli directs the assembly of functional amyloid fibers termed “curli” that mediate adhesion and biofilm formation. We discovered that E. coli exhibits a tunable and selective increase in curli protein expression and fiber assembly in response to moderate concentrations of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethanol. Furthermore, the molecular alterations resulted in dramatic functional phenotypes associated with community behavior, including (i) cellular agglutination in broth, (ii) altered colony morphology, and (iii) increased biofilm formation. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of intact pellicles formed in the presence of [13C2]DMSO confirmed that DMSO was not being transformed and utilized directly for metabolism. Collectively, the chemically induced phenotypes emphasize the plasticity of E. coli's response to environmental stimuli to enhance amyloid production and amyloid-integrated biofilm formation. The data also support our developing model of the extracellular matrix as an organized assembly of polymeric components, including amyloid fibers, in which composition relates to bacterial physiology and community function.
“Participation” at WMEX‐FM: Interventional rhetoric of Ohio Mexican Americans

Mexican Americans are becoming increasingly visible members of North American society. Yet the cultural influences that frame Mexican American involvement have not been examined by rhetorical critics. This essay uses William E. Brown's theory of interventional rhetoric to describe a strategy of participation by which Mexican Americans employ discourse to reinterpret social roles and expectations in an Ohio community.
Anomalous electrical conduction in disordered and non-crystalline metallic conductors

Abstract Many disordered and non-crystalline metallic conductors are characterized by both a negative temperature coefficient (α = ϱ-1 dϱ/dT) of resistivity ϱ over a wide range of temperatures T and a gradual leveling-off of ϱ at low temperatures. Experimental results will be presented to show that ϱ varies as -ln T (for T ⪸ the Debye temperature) in contrast to the prediction of existing theories. This anomalous electron transport can be understood in terms of an attractive interaction between conduction electrons and localized excitations arising from a structural indeterminacy in the atomic arrangement. The possibility of using this scattering mechanism to explain the unusual deviation from linear T dependence of resistivity (the bulge effect) in many structurally unstable superconductors such as A-15 Nb3Ge, V3Si, bcc Nb and alloys containing the ω-phase is also discussed.
Pulsed laser deposition of YBCO films on ISD MgO buffered metal tapes

Biaxially textured magnesium oxide (MgO) films deposited by inclined-substrate deposition (ISD) are desirable for rapid production of high-quality template layers for YBCO-coated conductors. High-quality YBCO films were grown on ISD MgO buffered metallic substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Columnar grains with a roof-tile surface structure were observed in the ISD MgO films. X-ray pole figure analysis revealed that the (002) planes of the ISD MgO films are tilted at an angle from the substrate normal. A small full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of ≈9° was observed in the -scan for ISD MgO films deposited at an inclination angle of 55°. In-plane texture in the ISD MgO films developed in the first ≈0.5 μm from the substrate surface, and then stabilized with further increases in film thickness. Yttria-stabilized zirconia and ceria buffer layers were deposited on the ISD MgO grown on metallic substrates prior to the deposition of YBCO by PLD. YBCO films with the c-axis parallel to the substrate normal have a unique orientation relationship with the ISD MgO films. An orientation relationship of YBCO100∥MgO111 and YBCO010∥MgO110 was measured by x-ray pole figure analyses and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. A Tc of 91 K with a sharp transition and transport Jc of 5.5 × 105 A cm−2 at 77 K in self-field were measured on a YBCO film that was 0.46 μm thick, 4 mm wide and 10 mm long.
General Aviation Pilot Takeoff into Adverse Weather: The “Go/No-Go” Equation

This exploratory study assessed pilot takeoff behavior into adverse weather. Sixty general aviation pilots were presented with three levels of simulated ground visibility (1, 3, 5 sm), two levels of cloud ceiling (1000′, 2000′), and two levels of real financial incentive (straight salary, salary + bonus for takeoff). Trends were found in regression analysis for a number of environmental predictors of takeoff, though not for personality or demographic predictors. Methodological and analytical concerns inherent to this type of study were encountered and identified.
A theoretical study of prednisolone, 6α-fluoroprednisolone, 9α-fluoroprednisolone, 6α,9α-difluoroprednisolone and related compounds

Abstract The structural, conformational and electronic properties of prednisolone, 6α-fluoroprednisolone, 9α-fluoroprednisolone and 6α,9α-difluoroprednisolone have been determined by MNDO and AM 1 semiempirical molecular orbital calculations. MNDO and AM1 studies both give remarkably similar results for example, the 6α-fluoroprednisolone is more stable than 9α-fluoroprednisolone by about 7 kcal mol−1 . Other important molecular properties were also calculated, such as molecular volume, surface, dipole and partition coefficients. All these values were used to determine the source of a “synergistic effect” in the 6α,9α-difluoro derivatives found both experimentally (anti-inflammatory activity) and confirmed theoretically (pattern recognition). The calculations were also compared with similar studies of the simple monofluorocyclohexane, difluorocyclohexane and 10-methyl decalin analogs. The results suggest that the synergistic effect is due to a combination of enthalpic, entropic and kinetic factors.
Attention to endogenous and exogenous cues affects auditory localization

Three experiments examine attentional differences in auditory localization using either endogenous or exogenous visual cues. Participants were presented with visual cues on a computer screen and asked to localize auditory targets presented through headphones. In conditions in which the auditory and visual stimuli traveled in the same direction, participants showed illusory directional hearing (Hari in Neurosci Lett 189:29–30, 1995) in that the targets were perceived to travel through the head. In conditions in which the directions of the auditory and visual stimuli were conflicting, participants localized the auditory targets as traveling in the direction of the visual cues. These data suggest that visual capture plays a predominate role in the processes of auditory localization that occurs within the head. Additionally, endogenous response times were significantly greater than exogenous response times. We propose this is the result of additional time required to shift one’s attentional window in the endogenous condition.
From multiple neural cortical networks to motor mechanical behavior: the importance of inherent learning over separable space-time length scales

We find that (1) several stable spatio-temporal representations co-exist in a given cell which permits identification and selection of different motor programs to operate the external device, and (2) these multiple representations can be extracted from the multi-electrode neuron spike patterns reflecting various spatial re-parameterizations compatible with the ones imposed by the external mechanical device. A neural theoretical formulation in terms of a Hodgkin-Huxley excitatory and inhibitory neural ring network is used [5] to model multi-electrode spiking statistics, explicitly considering the separation of different motor dynamical times.
Electrical Relaxation in Pply(Ethylene Oxide)

Audio frequency complex admittance has been used to investigate electrical relaxation in poly(ethylene oxide). The complex admittance measurements were performed at seventeen frequencies from 10 Hz to 100 kHz in approximately equal logarithmic intervals using a fully automated dielectric spectrometer and measurements were performed in vacuum over the temperature range 5.5 to 350 K. Two relaxations are observed at low temperatures which are consistent with the literature. In order to gain new information concerning the ? relaxation, measurements were made at -94, -91, and -88 ° C at pressures up to 0.2 GPa. The shift in the peak frequency with pressure, and hence the activation volume, are found to be extremely small. This result combined with other work implies that the relaxation is associated with the motion of very small segments of the polymer chain.
Assessing fabric stain release with a GPU implementation of statistical snakes

Stain release is the degree to which a stained substrate approaches its original unsoiled appearance as a result of care procedure. Stain release has a significant impact on the pricing of the fabric and, hence, needs to be quantified in an objective manner. In this paper, an automatic approach for the objective assessment of fabric stain release that utilizes region-based statistical snakes, is presented. This deformable contour approach employs a pressure energy term in the parametric snake model in conjunction with statistical information (hence, statistical snakes) extracted from the image to segment the stain and subsequently assign a stain release grade. This algorithm has been parallelized on a General Purpose Graphical Processing Unit (GPGPU) for accelerated and simultaneous segmentation of multiple stains on a fabric. The computational power of the GPGPU is attributed to its hardware and software architecture, which enables multiple and identical snake kernels to be processed in parallel on several streaming processors. The detection and segmentation results of this machine vision scheme are illustrated as part of the validation study. These results establish the efficacy of the proposed approach in producing accurate results in a repeatable manner. In addition, this paper presents a comparison between the benchmarking results for the algorithm on the CPU and the GPGPU.
Habit formation and long-run utility functions☆

Abstract This paper extends the work on habit formation of Pollak [Habit formation and dynamic demand functions. J. Polit. Econ. (1970)] and provides a critical counterexample to a conjecture of von Weizsacker [Notes on endogenous changes of tastes, J. Econ. Theory (1971)] concerning the existence of a “long-run utility function.“ A linear specification of habit formation is applied to a general system of demand functions with linear Engel curves. It is shown that there exists a utility function which rationalizes the long-run demand functions if and only if they are the steady-state solution to a system of short-run demand functions generated by an additive utility function.
Efficient exact collision-checking of 3-D rigid body motions using linear transformations and distance computations in workspace

This paper presents a new method for efficient and exact collision-checking of linear motions of 3-D rigid bodies. 3-D rigid bodies have 6-D configuration spaces (three degrees of freedom for position and three for orientation), and constitute an important subclass of motion planning problems. Our method can be used with any collision-checker that is capable of performing linear transformations and distance computations on 3-D geometry. As previous work has shown, computing the distance between the rigid body in some configuration and the workspace obstacles immediately determines the collision-status of surrounding configurations. Using a recursive procedure one can then determine exactly whether an entire motion of the rigid body is collision-free. In this paper, we will show that by performing an optimally selected linear transformation on the workspace, the collision-status of rigid body motions can be determined using significantly fewer (costly) distance com- putations. Since collision-checking is often the computational bottleneck in sampling-based motion planning, our approach allows for significant performance improvements of algorithms such as PRM and RRT when planning for 3-D rigid bodies. We demonstrate the benefit of our approach when used in combination with RRT to construct a planning tree in an illustrative benchmark motion planning scenario. (a) (b) (c) Fig. 1. Collision-checking the motion of a 3-D rigid body (red) among a workspace obstacle (blue). The beginpoint, midpoint, and endpoint of the rigid body motion are shown. Fig. (a) illustrates the traditional approach to exact collision-checking based on distance computations. The radius of the sphere (green) indicates the distance the obstacle needs to be away from the rigid body configured at the midpoint in order for the entire rigid body motion to be determined collision-free. Since the distance is much smaller, only a small portion of the motion can be determined collision-free with a single distance computation. It takes a total of 9 distance computations to guarantee that the entire rigid body motion is collision-free. Fig. (b) illustrates our new approach, in which the ellipsoid (green) indicates the anisotropic distance the obstacle needs to be away from the rigid body configured at the midpoint in order for the entire rigid body motion to be determined collision-free. Our method selects this ellipsoid such that its volume is minimal. By linearly transforming the workspace such that the ellipsoid becomes a sphere (Fig. (c)), one can use the Euclidean distance between the transformed rigid body at the midpoint and the transformed workspace obstacle. Our approach requires a total of only 3 distance computations to guarantee that this rigid body motion is collision-free.
Immunofluorescence staining of keratin filaments in cultured epithelial cells

A procedure is described for the identification of cultured epithelial cells by indirect immunofluorescence staining of keratins. Additionally, some associated techniques such as double staining, keratin antigen unmasking, cytostatic drug treatment and photography are briefly outlined.
Retrograde cerebral perfusion during thoracic aortic surgery and late neuropsychological dysfunction.

Objective: Retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) is commonly used in thoracic aortic surgery, ostensibly to provide metabolic support, maintain cerebral hypothermia and/or wash out particulate emboli. We tested the hypothesis that RCP would affect neuropsychological outcome in a clinical cohort. Methods: Ninety-four patients undergoing elective thoracic aortic repairs requiring deep hypothermic circulatory arrest consented to participate in this study. These patients underwent preoperative neuropsychological evaluation and comprise the reference group. Fifty-six of these patients also underwent neuropsychological evaluation several weeks postoperatively, 12 of whom (21%) had RCP. The neuropsychological domains tested were attention, processing speed, memory, executive function, and fine motor function. A global assessment of impairment, negative neuropsychological outcome (NNO), was defined as a postoperative decrease in function in two or more neuropsychological domains for patients with at least three domains tested both pre- and postoperatively (na 48). The relationship of three potential predictors (RCP, cerebral ischemia time and patient age) to negative outcomes was analyzed using Wilcoxon two-sample tests, x 2 tests, Mantel‐Haenszel tests and multiple logistic regression. P , 0:05 was considered significant. Results: Memory dysfunction and NNO had strong associations with RCP. This effect remained significant when controlling separately for age and cerebral ischemia time. Conclusions: The effects of RCP are difficult to distinguish from those of age and prolonged cerebral ischemia time, because complex thoracic aortic repairs are associated with advanced age, prolonged cerebral ischemia and use of RCP. Despite this limitation, these preliminary data indicated that RCP had no beneficial effect (and most likely a negative effect) upon cognitive outcome. q 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for the analysis of dimethomorph fungicide in dried hops.

An analytical method for the determination of dimethomorph [(E,Z)-4-[3-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)acryloyl]morpholine] residues in dried hops was developed utilizing liquid−liquid partitioning, automated gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Florisil and aminopropyl solid phase extraction (SPE) column cleanups, and gas chromatography (GC) with mass selective detection (MSD). Method validation recoveries from dried hops ranged from 79 to 103% over four levels of fortification (0.1, 1.0, 5.0, and 20 ppm). Control and dimethomorph-treated hop samples collected from three field sites had residue levels of <0.10 and 4.06−17.32 ppm, respectively. The method was validated to the limit of quantitation at 0.10 ppm. The limit of detection for this method was 0.045 ppm. Keywords: Dimethomorph; fungicide; gas chromatography; hops; mass spectrometry
Frost action in cement in the presence of De-Icers

Abstract Cement samples impregnated with water and with 5, 9, 13, 18 and 26 per cent NaCl solutions have been subjected to temperature cycles between +5 and −70 °C and changes in their dimensions and heat content determined. The results are consistent with the theory proposed by the author for frost action in the absence of chemicals (J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 55 , p. 38–42, 1972) and with the findings of a study of phase transitions of NaCl solutions adsorbed in porous glass (J. Colloid and Interface Science, 45 , 154–169, 1973). These observations can be explained by the fact that solution contained in the pores, when cooled below the bulk freezing point, remains in a liquid-like state. This condition gives rise to instability, which is eliminated by mass transfer. If the process cannot proceed at a required rate, mechanical damage occurs. The well-known aggravating effect of dissolved chemicals is due, primarily, to the increased degree of saturation they promote.
An abstract extremal principle with applications to welfare economics

In this paper we introduce general prenormal and normal structures in Banach spaces that cover conventional concepts of normals to arbitrary closed sets under minimal requirements. Based on these structures, we establish new abstract versions of the extremal principle in variational analysis, which plays a fundamental role in many applications. The main applications of this paper concern necessary conditions for Pareto optimality in nonconvex models of welfare economics. We obtain new results in this direction that extend approximate and exact versions of the generalized second welfare theorem for Pareto, weak Pareto, and strong Pareto optimal allocations.
Scaling, shifting and weighting in interior-point methods

We examine certain questions related to the choice of scaling, shifting and weighting strategies for interior-point methods for linear programming. One theme is the desire to make trajectories to be followed by algorithms into straight lines if possible to encourage fast convergence. While interior-point methods in general follow curves, this occurrence of straight lines seems appropriate to honor George Dantzig's contributions to linear programming, since his simplex method can be seen as following either a piecewise-linear path inn-space or a straight line inm-space (the simplex interpretation).
Stress and depression in informal family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Family caregiving of older individuals with Alzheimer’s disease is becoming widespread in the USA and around the world because of the aging of the population. As a result, family members are increasingly being asked to perform complex tasks similar to those carried out by paid health or social service providers. Dementia caregiving presents unique and extreme challenges associated with caring for someone with cognitive and behavioral impairment. This article summarizes the extensive literature on dementia caregiving, identifies key issues and major findings regarding the definition and prevalence of caregiving, and reviews the epidemiological, cultural, individual and biological factors contributing to caregiver stress and depression. The author describes the psychiatric and physical health effects of caregiving and reviews various intervention approaches to improving caregiver burden, depression and quality of life. The author offers a perspective on future directions in dementia caregiver research and d...
Introduction—Comparative Urbanism

(2007). Introduction—Comparative Urbanism. Urban Geography: Vol. 28, Comparative Urbanism, pp. 1-6.
MTSU: Recovering seismic moments from tsunameter records

We define a new magnitude scale, M TSU, allowing the quantification of the seismic moment M0 of an earthquake based on recordings of its tsunami in the far field by ocean-bottom pressure sensors (“tsunameters”) deployed in ocean basins, far from continental or island shores which are known to affect profoundly and in a nonlinear fashion the amplitude of the tsunami wave. The formula for M TSU, M TSU=log10 M O‒20=log10 X (ω) + C D TSU + C S TSU +C O, where X(ω) is the spectral amplitude of the tsunami, C D TSU a distance correction and C S TSU a source correction, is directly adapted from the mantle magnitude M m introduced for seismic surface waves by Okal and Talandier. Like M m, its corrections are fully justified theoretically based on the representation of a tsunami wave as a branch of the Earth's normal modes. Even the locking constant C 0, which may depend on the nature of the recording (surface amplitude of the tsunami or overpressure at the ocean floor) and its units, is predicted theoretically. M TSU combines the power of a theoretically developed algorithm, with the robustness of a magnitude measurement that does not take into account such parameters as focal geometry and exact depth, which may not be available under operational conditions in the framework of tsunami warning. We verify the performance of the concept on simulations of the great 1946 Aleutian tsunami at two virtual gauges, and then apply the algorithm to 24 records of 7 tsunamis at DART tsunameters during the years 1994–2003. We find that M TSU generally recovers the seismic moment M 0 within 0.2 logarithmic units, even under unfavorable conditions such as excessive focal depth and refraction of the tsunami wave around continental masses. Finally, we apply the algorithm to the JASON satellite trace obtained over the Bay of Bengal during the 2004 Sumatra tsunami, after transforming the trace into a time series through a simple ad hoc procedure. Results are surprisingly good, with most estimates of the moment being over 1029 dyn-cm, and thus identifying the source as an exceptionally large earthquake.