cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Hypofractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenoma.

Objectives Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HSRT) in two to five fractions may offer patients with large nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) with chiasm involvement a safe and effective treatment over a single week. However, little has been reported regarding this novel approach. Design We compared the feasibility, outcomes, and toxicity of single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery and HSRT. Setting This study was conducted at a tertiary academic referral center. Participants After approval by the institutional review board, we performed a retrospective cohort study of patients treated at our institution with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and HSRT for NFPA. Selection for SRS or HSRT was based on clinicopathologic factors including tumor size and cavernous sinus invasion at the discretion of the treating physician. Main Outcome Measures Local control, endocrinopathy, and radiation-associated toxicity were evaluated by binary logistic regression and Cox's proportional hazards regression. Results A total of 45 patients with mean follow-up of 5 years were enrolled including 26 patients treated by HSRT with mean follow-up of 3 years and 19 patients treated by SRS with median follow-up of 6 years. Clinicopathologic characteristics were balanced between cohorts. Local failure at last follow-up was 5% in the SRS cohort and 8% in the HSRT cohort, and rates of post-SRS endocrinopathy were similar between each cohort. Late complications including radionecrosis, visual deficit, and secondary malignancy were minimal in either cohort. Conclusions HSRT is an appropriate treatment strategy for patients with NFPAs, particularly for optic pathway preservation in the setting of large tumors with chiasm involvement. Further studies are needed to optimize fractionated approaches and patient selection.
Monte Carlo simulations of Cu/Ni-Si-Mn co-precipitation in duplex stainless steels

Abstract First-Passage Kinetic Monte Carlo (FPKMC) simulations of species migration in duplex stainless steels were performed in order to establish relationships between alloy content, segregation behavior, and the formation of Ni–Si–Mn rich particles in cast duplex stainless steels during thermal aging. The Ni–Si–Mn-rich second phase forms after extended aging at reactor operating temperatures and degrades alloy properties. Simulations of Ni–Si–Mn cluster formation were validated through comparison with experimental results obtained through Atom Probe Tomography (APT) on similar alloy compositions, identifying several trends. First, Cu promotes the formation of Ni–Si–Mn clusters, but only when Ni or Mn prefer segregation to the surface of Cu particles; without the segregation of these species, the critical composition for the clusters to form was not achieved. Second, the width of precipitate-denuded zones near γ/δ interfaces increases with decreasing Cu content. This finding was in strong agreement with APT and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy results, further validating our model. Finally, our model predicts that Ni–Si–Mn cluster formation will be the most extensive when the Si:Mn ratio is approximately 1:1 and the least extensive when one of these key elements is less concentrated (Mn ≤ 0.5 at.% or Si ≤ 0.5 at.%). The implications of these results on how to improve alloy properties are discussed.
Incidence and importance of portal venous gas in children with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.

Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS) is a common cause of gastric outlet obstruction in young infants. Infants with HPS present with projectile vomiting, sometimes have electrolyte abnormalities and typically undergo pyloromyotomy to alleviate the obstruction. Abdominal US is the gold standard imaging study for diagnosis. Case reports of incidental hepatic portal venous gas have been reported in infants with HPS; however, no large studies have been conducted to determine the incidence or possible clinical implications of this finding. To assess the incidence of portal venous gas in infants with HPS and to determine whether the presence of this gas in infants with HPS indicates a more unstable patient, increased length of stay or worse outcome. We conducted a retrospective review of sonographic reports containing “pyloric stenosis,” excluding negative descriptor, at a tertiary-care children’s hospital from November 2010 to September 2017. Data collected included pyloric thickness/length, liver evaluation, portal venous gas, any additional imaging, demographics, symptomatology days, electrolyte abnormality, and length of hospital stay. In a 7-year period, 545 US exams were positive for HPS. Of these, 334 exams included enough hepatic parenchyma to evaluate for portal venous gas. Infants in 6 of the 334 exams demonstrated portal venous gas (1.8%). Clinical presentation (length of symptoms and electrolyte abnormalities), demographics (male predominance and age at presentation) and imaging characteristics (pyloric thickness and length) were similar for the HPS groups with and without portal venous gas. There was no significant difference in outcome or length of hospital stay. Visualization of portal venous gas in infants with HPS is not rare and appears benign, without need for further imaging. Portal venous gas in infants with HPS does not portend a more severe patient presentation or outcome.
Role of Imaging in Improving Outcomes with Ablation

The goal of this review is to provide information about the role that cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) can play in guiding catheter ablation right from patient selection to creating better lesions to post-ablation follow-up. CMR can provide very important information of the scar and fibrotic substrate in the cardiac tissue. Cardiac substrate information from CMR plays a critical role in ventricular and atrial arrhythmia management. CMR can demonstrate the extent of acute edema and long-term scar formation from catheter ablation. All this information can lead to optimal targeting and lesion creation. Understanding all the different aspects of CMR can provide clinical electrophysiologist with valuable information. This results in better managing arrhythmia patients.
Shift-&-Persist and discrimination predicting depression across the life course: An accelerated longitudinal design using MIDUSI-III.

Life course theorists posit that sensitive periods exist during life span development where risk and protective factors may be particularly predictive of psychological outcomes relative to other periods in life. While there have been between-cohort studies trying to examine differences in discrimination and depressive symptoms, these studies have not been designed to identify these sensitive periods, which are best modeled by examining intra-individual change across time. To identify sensitive periods where discrimination and shift-&-persist (SP during the 30s and a lagged effect where 40's S&P protected against depressive symptoms when participants were in their 50s. Implications for the life course study of discrimination, coping, and depression are discussed.
Laboratory Worker Self-Contamination with Noninfectious SARS-CoV-2 DNA Can Result in False-Positive Reverse Transcriptase PCR-Based Surveillance Testing.

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) prompted rapid development of research tools, including plasmid systems carrying cDNA copies of various portions of the viral genome, providing tractable tools for the study of the virus [1, 2].….
UNIT 10.20 Enzymatic Amplification of DNA by PCR: Standard Procedures and Optimization

This unit describes a method for amplifying DNA enzymatically by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and for optimizing this reaction for the sequence and primer set of interest. Important variables that can influence the outcome of PCR include the MgCl2 concentration and the cycling temperatures. Additives that promote polymerase stability and processivity or increase hybridization stringency, and strategies that reduce nonspecific primer-template interactions, especially prior to the critical first cycle, can greatly improve sensitivity, specificity, and yield. This protocol is designed to optimize the reaction components and conditions in one or two stages. The first stage determines the optimal MgCl2 concentration and screens several enhancing additives. To further improve specificity, sensitivity and yield, the second stage compares methods for optimizing initial specific hybridization to prevent polymerization of misprimed sequences prior to thermal cycling. For initial inhibition of polymerase activity, temperature (i.e., cooling reagents), physical separation (“hot start” method), and reversible antibody binding are compared.
School Development in South Carolina - Building Leadership Capacity for Evidence-Based School Development in South Carolina Schools

This study presents two U.S. school development projects aimed at building leadership capacity for continuous school development that attempts to use “evidence-based” ideas from the standpoint of education values and understandings with a renewed sensitivity to culturally diverse students in South Carolina schools. The Lowcountry Educator Initiative (LEI) uses a professional development program designed for educators from various schools. School Improvement through Improvement Science (SITIS), stems from a larger university-school partnership initiative that includes other institutions around the United States. The two projects serve as compelling examples that push on the limited scope that federal and local policy requirements place on educational institutions to provide evidence of improvements that lead to educational success. This work offers qualitative evidence that honors, recognizes, and leverages the strengths of the participants’ contexts to facilitate improvement in practice. The projects implemented offer evidence for (1) providing leadership support for school improvement efforts, (2) the use of local context in improving practice, and (3) the valuing of various data to engage in locally-relevant and appropriate work. We recommend centering the local context and improvement science approaches in research design, research funding, and educator preparation.
The Melchizedek tradition : a critical examination of the sources to the fifth century A.D. and in the Epistle to the Hebrews

Preface Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. The background sources I: the Old Testament 3. The background sources II: Philo, Qumran, and Josephus 4. The later sources I: the Early Church and the Rabbis 5. The later sources II: gnosticism 6. Conclusion: Melchizedek and the Epistle to the Hebrews Select bibliography Indexes.
Excitations in Conjugated Polymers

We apply a Hubbard Peierls Hamiltonian to study the spectrum of low lying excitations for conjugated polymers. This study makes use of a renormalization group approach for the many particle Hamiltonian to accurately describe electron correlation effects in the excited states, and also explicitly treats coupling of the electrons to the lattice degrees of freedom. We find that the noninteracting U=0 theories provide a reasonable starting point from which to interpret the excitations; however, the interaction effects are seen play a very important role, introducing an important class of low lying neutral excitations in the structure. The low lying electronic excitations in the model are self trapped triplet excitons, and the low lying singlet excitations are found to include a "bi-exciton" constructed from a bound pair of the low lying triplet excitations.
[30] Multiwavelength anomalous diffraction phasing of macromolecular structures: Analysis of MAD data as single isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering data using the MADMRG program.

Publisher Summary Multiwavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) technique is a widely used and important tool in macromolecular structure determination. In the MAD technique, intensities of Bijvoet pairs of reflections are measured at several X-ray wavelengths, near to and distant from an absorption edge for an anomalously scattering atom. The anomalous and dispersive differences among measurements of a reflection at several wavelengths, therefore, contain information about the structure of the anomalously scattering atoms, as well as the relation between the anomalously scattering atoms and the remainder of the structure. Several methods for the analysis of MAD data have been developed. An alternative approach is to make use of the similarity between the MAD and isomorphous replacement experiments. MAD data are either treated as if they are multiple isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering (MIRAS) data or converted into a form that is equivalent to that obtained in a single isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering (SIRAS) experiment. In either case, the MAD data are then employed for phasing using the robust techniques developed for the method of isomorphous replacement. The chapter discusses an approach for the conversion of MAD data to a form compatible with SIRAS analysis.
Vertical Dimensions in the Quality of Law

There are compelling reasons for concern about the quality of law. Law is essential to structuring the social relations of the state. Thomas Jefferson famously wrote that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are God-given unalienable rights, and that the purpose of governments is to secure these rights on behalf of the governed. Whether the law of a state will be successful in this task depends upon the quality of that law. And, due to the vast changes in the international legal system so presciently anticipated by Wolfgang Friedmann in the 1960s, concern about the quality of law must, increasingly, focus not only upon national legislation, but also upon the formulation of rules and standards of international law as well.The thesis of this paper is twofold. First, it is that the various criteria that apply to assessing and improving the quality of national law, apply mutatis mutandis when addressing the quality of a multilateral treaty. In addition, I argue that the specific nature of the international legal system suggests that some additional, and special, “vertical criteria” should also apply. These revolve around three general pillars of legitimacy under contemporary international law. The first requires respect for the sovereignty-based notion of positivism as the basis of state obligations. The second requires respect for fundamental principle, which must be a characteristic of any true system of law purporting to promote justice, and the third in turn requires some reasonable accommodation of the practical policy-based necessities of cooperation in an interdependent world.The latter part of this paper will present a brief case study on the drafting of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in a first effort to apply this analytical framework.
EVOLUTION OF Lyα GALAXIES: STELLAR POPULATIONS AT z ∼ 0.3

We present the results of a stellar population analysis of 30 Lyα emitting galaxies (LAEs) at z ~ 0.3, previously discovered with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer. With a few exceptions, we can accurately fit model spectral energy distributions to these objects, representing the first time this has been done for a large sample of LAEs at z < 3, a gap of ~8 Gyr in the history of the universe. From the 26/30 LAEs which we can fit, we find an age and stellar mass range of 200 Myr-10 Gyr and 109-1011 M ☉, respectively. These objects thus appear to be significantly older and more massive than LAEs at high redshift. We also find that these LAEs show a mild trend toward higher metallicity than those at high redshift, as well as a tighter range of dust attenuation and interstellar medium geometry. These results suggest that low-redshift LAEs have evolved significantly from those at high redshift.
Bone Tumor Characteristics

This chapter is not an exhaustive description detailing the characteristics of various types of bone tumors. It does, however, provide a paradigm to evaluate and classify types of bone tumors which allows for the creation of a useful differential diagnosis when a new bone tumor is encountered in clinical practice.
Symmetry Breaking in a Generalized Skyrme Model

We first outline the calculations of the neutron-proton mass difference and of the axial singlet matrix element (relevant to the “proton spin” puzzle) in a generalized Skyrme model of pseudoscalars and vectors. These two calculations are, perhaps surprisingly, linked to each other and furthermore are sensitive to some fine details of symmetry breaking in the effective meson Lagrangian. This provides a motivation for us to examine these symmetry breaking terms more closely. We find a qualitatively new feature in the symmetry breaking pattern of the vector meson system and discuss its significance.
Peer Effects in Higher Education

In this chapter, we describe the potential significance of student peer effects for the economic structure of and behavior in higher education. Their existence would motivate much of the restricted supply, student queuing, and selectivity and institutional competition via merit aid and honors colleges that we see in American higher education; their (appropriate) non-linearity could justify the resulting stratification of higher education as an efficient way to produce human capital. In addition, we use data from the College and Beyond entering class of 1989, combined with phonebook data identifying roommates, to implement a quasi-experimental empirical strategy aimed at measuring peer effects in academic outcomes. In particular, we use data on individual students' grades, SAT scores, and the SAT scores of their roommates at three schools to estimate the effect of roommates' academic characteristics on an individual's grades. The results suggest that, for two of the three schools used, students in the middle of the SAT distribution do somewhat worse in terms of grades if they share a room with a student who is in the bottom 15 percent of the SAT distribution. Students in the top of the SAT distribution appear often not to be affected by the SAT scores of their roommates. These results are similar to those reported in earlier research using data from Williams (Zimmerman) and Dartmouth (Sacerdote).
A Verilog-based computer engineering course and laboratory

This paper presents a summary of design experiences with the Verilog HDL for a senior class and laboratory in computer engineering. Specifically, a set of laboratory exercises are described which introduce students to the HDL design philosophy and prepare the student for a microprocessor design project which completes the course. Additionally, a framework for integrating this course within a traditional digital sequence is given. >
Techniques to Create Continence in the Failed Bladder Exstrophy Closure Patient

AbstractWe reviewed retrospectively 315 patients with bladder exstrophy treated at our hospital between July 1976 and April 1992 to assess the outcome of those who failed primary closure of the bladder. Of the patients 47 required reclosure of the bladder, including 28 who have undergone a procedure to restore urinary continence. Methods used to achieve dryness included bladder neck reconstruction in 18 patients, bladder neck reconstruction along with augmentation in 4, augmentation alone in 4, repeat bladder neck reconstruction in 1, and reclosure with creation of a continent stoma and augmentation in 1. Nine of 18 patients who underwent primary bladder neck reconstruction are dry on intermittent catheterization, while 8 of the remaining 9 are dry and voiding without catheterization. Four patients who underwent primary bladder neck reconstruction and augmentation, and 4 who underwent augmentation after bladder neck reconstruction are dry on intermittent catheterization. The patient who underwent reclosur...
Short (≤1 mm) positive surgical margin and risk of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? It has been suggested that a very short positive margin does not confer additional risk of BCR after radical prostatectomy. This study shows that even very short PSM is associated with increased risk of BCR. Objective To re-evaluate, in a larger cohort with longer follow-up, our previously reported finding that a positive surgical margin (PSM) ≤1 mm may not confer an additional risk for biochemical recurrence (BCR) compared with a negative surgical margin (NSM). Patients and Methods Margin status and length were evaluated in 2866 men treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) for clinically localized prostate cancer at our institution from 1994 to 2009. We compared the BCR-free survival probability of men with NSMs, a PSM ≤ 1 mm, and a PSM < 1 mm using the Kaplan–Meier method and a Cox regression model adjusted for preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, age, pathological stage and pathological Gleason score (GS). Results Compared with a NSM, a PSM ≤ 1 mm was associated with 17% lower 3-year BCR-free survival for men with pT3 and GS ≥ 7 tumours and a 6% lower 3-year BCR-free survival for men with pT2 and GS ≤ 6 tumours (log-rank P < 0.001 for all). In the multivariate model, a PSM ≤ 1 mm was associated with a probability of BCR twice as high as that for a NSM (hazard ratio [HR] 2.2), as were a higher PSA level (HR 1.04), higher pathological stage (HR 2.7) and higher pathological GS (HR 3.7 [all P < 0.001]). Conclusion In men with non-organ-confined or high grade prostate cancer, a PSM ≤ 1 mm has a significant adverse impact on BCR rates.
Sparse Coding Trees with application to emotion classification

We present Sparse Coding trees (SC-trees), a sparse coding-based framework for resolving misclassifications arising when multiple classes map to a common set of features. SC-trees are novel supervised classification trees that use node-specific dictionaries and classifiers to direct input based on classification results in the feature space at each node. We have applied SC-trees to emotion classification of facial expressions. This paper uses this application to illustrate concepts of SC-trees and how they can achieve high performance in classification tasks. When used in conjunction with a nonnegativity constraint on the sparse codes and a method to exploit facial symmetry, SC-trees achieve results comparable with or exceeding the state-of-the-art classification performance on a number of realistic and standard datasets.
Staphylococcus aureus Sortase, an Enzyme that Anchors Surface Proteins to the Cell Wall

Surface proteins of Gram-positive bacteria are linked to the bacterial cell wall by a mechanism that involves cleavage of a conserved Leu-Pro-X-Thr-Gly (LPXTG) motif and that occurs during assembly of the peptidoglycan cell wall. A Staphylococcus aureus mutant defective in the anchoring of surface proteins was isolated and shown to carry a mutation in the srtA gene. Overexpression of srtA increased the rate of surface protein anchoring, and homologs of srtA were found in other pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria. The protein specified by srtA, sortase, may be a useful target for the development of new antimicrobial drugs.
Dynamic shift in isolating referents: From social to self-generated input

Infants as young as 6 months of age start comprehending some familiar words, yet there is little understanding of how young infants utilize information presented in their social environment in order to make sense of the world. As an initial step, we used recent technology that allowed us to narrow in on the point of view of the infant to explore how infants' visual input is dynamically synchronized with their own participation, as well as from social input in the context of parent-child word-learning play. The results reveal dynamic changes in the relation between infants' view and their level of participation.
The Effect of Experience and Novelty On Avian Feeding Behavior With Reference To the Evolution of Warning Coloration in Butterflies Part I: Reactions of Wild-Caught Adult Blue Jays To Novel Insects

Several neo-tropical butterfly species were presented to 171 wild-caught adult Blue Jays to determine if insects of unfamiliar color pattern would elicit an attack response from an avian predator regardless of the visual characteristics of the prey. It was found that unfamiliar insects do not always elicit an attack response. Four aspects of the birds' behaviors were noted: 1) the initial responses to various training diets were different; 2) the training diets had a direct effect on the reactions of the birds to new insects; 3) there was a difference in the attack responses of the birds to different novel insects ; 4) there was an interaction between training diets and novel insects. Four aspects of avian feeding behavior were discussed as possible explanations of the results : preference for familiar food, generalization from previous experience, innate avoidance of specific stimuli, and innate avoidance of novel stimuli.
Isolation and characterization of hydroxyproline-containing proteins secreted by a murine carcinoma cell culture.

Abstract A collagenous protein was isolated from a murine carcinoma cell culture, which has been shown to synthesize basement membrane. The molecular weight of this protein was estimated to be 155 000. It eluted from carboxymethyl-cellulose in the region near the α 1 and β 11 components of calf skin collagen. 63–69% of the peptide-bound prolines were hydroxylated, and the 4-/3-hydroxyproline ratios ranged from 12: 1 to 14: 1. About 95% of the hydroxylysines in the peptide were glycosylated, and almost all of them were in the glucosylgalactosyl dissacharide form. Judging from the posttranslational characteristics, this collagenous protein is probably of basement membrane type.
Effectively Detecting Content Spam on the Web Using Topical Diversity Measures

Recent studies about web spam detection have utilized various content-based and link-based features to construct a spam classification model. In this paper, we conduct a thorough analysis of content spam on the web using topic models and propose several novel topical diversity measures for content spam detection. We adopt the web spam benchmark data set WEBSPAM-UK2007 for evaluation, and the experimental results verify that by integrating our topical diversity measures the performance of the state-of-the-art web spam detection methods can be greatly improved. In addition, comparing to existing features for training spam classification models, our topical diversity measures can achieve high spam detection performance using small set of training data. In personalized web spam detection, the training data (i.e., user's spam labeling results) are typically small. Our finding makes personalized web spam detection highly achievable. We develop an efficient and effective regression model using topical diversity measures for personalized web spam detection, and present some promising results obtained from an empirical study.
Can dietary methionine restriction increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy in treatment of advanced cancer

Most metastatic tumors, such as those originating in the prostate, lung, and gastrointestinal tract, respond poorly to conventional chemotherapy. Novel treatment strategies for advanced cancer are therefore desperately needed. Dietary restriction of the essential amino acid methionine offers promise as such a strategy, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy or other treatments. Numerous in vitro and animal studies demonstrate the effectiveness of dietary methionine restriction in inhibiting growth and eventually causing death of cancer cells. In contrast, normal host tissues are relatively resistant to methionine restriction. These preclinical observations led to a phase I clinical trial of dietary methionine restriction for adults with advanced cancer. Preliminary findings from this trial indicate that dietary methionine restriction is safe and feasible for the treatment of patients with advanced cancer. In addition, the trial has yielded some preliminary evidence of antitumor activity. One patient with hormone-independent prostate cancer experienced a 25% reduction in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after 12 weeks on the diet, and a second patient with renal cell cancer experienced an objective radiographic response. The possibility that methionine restriction may act synergistically with other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy is being explored. Findings to date support further investigation of dietary methionine restriction as a novel treatment strategy for advanced cancer.
Xenopus homeobox-containing cDNAs expressed in early development

Abstract We report the isolation of six different homeobox-containing genes in Xenopus laevis which are expressed during early embryogenesis. cDNA clones of all of them were partially sequenced including two from previously isolated Xenopus genomic loci and found to contain homeodomains which share a high degree of homology with the Antennapedia protein (50 to 59 out of 60 amino acids). We find a short region of homology (consensus Ile Tyr Pro Trp Met) in four of the cDNAs, which is also present in Antennapedia and that may correspond to a bend region preceding the homeodomain. Northern blots have been performed to show the transcriptional pattern through early frog embryogenesis. Three of the genes are expressed only during a very narrow period of embryogenesis, reinforcing the view that homeobox genes are developmentally regulated.
CAUSES OF THE CESSATION OF GROWTH OF FIBROBLASTS CULTIVATED IN EMBRYO JUICE.

Experiments designed to ascertain the reason for the cessation of growth of heart fibroblasts when they are cultivated in a plasma coagulum with embryo juice as nutrient fluid have shown that it is due, first, to the gradual removal of serum from the coagulum, and second, to an insufficient supply of embryo juice. In a medium containing embryo extract at 66 per cent concentration and serum at 8 per cent concentration, growth continued until the entire coagulum in a 3½ cm. flask was covered with tissue. The serum is needed to furnish additional nutriment, and also to prevent digestion of the coagulum.
Temperature dependence of the breakdown voltage for reverse-biased GaN p–n–n+ diodes

Abstract The temperature dependence of the breakdown voltage VB, due to impact ionization at high electric fields, for reverse-biased GaN p–n–n+ diodes has been measured at temperatures T between 98 and 248 K. The observed increase of VB with T is in excellent agreement with a simple model for the scattering of carriers by phonons with an effective energy of 42 meV. The impact ionization coefficients for the electrons and holes are nearly equal, and their geometric mean has the value 4×104 cm−1 at the breakdown electric fields, in good agreement with recent theoretical results for 300 K.
High-Tc edge-geometry SNS weak links on silicon-on-sapphire substrates

High-quality superconductor/normal-metal/superconductor(SNS) edge-geometry weak links have been produced on silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) substrates using a new SrTiO(sub 3)/'seed layer'/cubic-zirconia (YS2) buffer system.
The dynamics of χn+1=α+βχnA+Bχn+Cxn-1 facts and conjectures

Abstract We investigate the global character of solutions of the equation in the title with non-negative parameters and nonnegative initial conditions.
SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF PURINES—IV. POLATIZATION OF EMISSION FROM PURINE AND SOME OF ITS DERIVATIVES*

— The polarization of fluoresecnce and phosphorescence due to the emission from (π,π*)singlet and triplet states of purine and several of its derivatives have been measured using the method of photoselection. In at least two 2-amino substituted derivatives, the two lowest π-π* transition moments are mutually perpendicular. The main vibrational progression of phosphorescence is negatively polarized with respect to both of them and therefore must be singlet states interact with the emitting (π.π*) triplet state. In addition a weak progression, polarized in the plane of the molecule, is found. The vibronic mixing of (n,π*) and (π,π*) triplet states is suggested to account for the mixed polarization. The halogen derivatives of purine show zero plarization of phosphorescence and their phosphorescence spectra are blurred so that it is difficult to differentiate the various interacting states.
The Graduate Record Examination and Undergraduate Grades as Predictors of Success in Graduate School

AbstractThe subjects consisted of 37 students who had completed all of the course requirements for the doctorate in Clinical Psychology. There were 15 predictor variables, with seven derived from Graduate Record Examination scores and eight from undergraduate grades. Four criteria were used, with three derived from graduate grades and the fourth from the length of time to the completion of the oral examination for the dissertation. The single best predictor, for all criteria, was the grades obtained in undergraduate psychology courses. The most useful Graduate Record Examination score was the sum of the Quantitative and Psychology tests, although it made only a slight contribution to the prediction of grades, and a negligible contribution to the prediction of the time until orals.
Personalcasting: Tailored Broadcast News

Broadcast news sources and newspapers provide society with the vast majority of real-time information. Unfortunately, cost efficiencies and real-time pressures demand that producers, editors, and writers select and organize content for stereotypical audiences. In this article we illustrate how content understanding, user modeling, and tailored presentation generation promise personalcasts on demand. Specifically, we report on the design and implementation of a personalized version of a broadcast news understanding system, MITRE's Broadcast News Navigator (BNN), that tracks and infers user content interests and media preferences. We report on the incorporation of Local Context Analysis to both expand the user's original query to the most related terms in the corpus, as well as to allow the user to provide interactive feedback to enhance the relevance of selected newsstories. We describe an empirical study of the search for stories on ten topics from a video corpus. By personalizing both the selection of stories and the form in which they are delivered, we provide users with tailored broadcast news. This individual news personalization provides more fine-grained content tailoring than current personalized television program level recommenders and does not rely on externally provided program metadata.
Solubility of hematite revisited: effects of hydration.

Measured pH and dissolved ferric iron concentration ([Fe(III)diss]) in contact with well-characterized hematite indicated an equilibrium with hematite immediately after synthesis, but [Fe(III)diss] increased with hydration time to be consistent with the predicted solubility of goethite or hydrous ferric oxide (HFO), hydrated analogues of hematite. X-ray diffraction did not detect structural modification of hematite after 190 days of hydration, but Mossbauer spectroscopy detected hydration that penetrated several crystalline layers. When the hematite suspension was diluted with water, solids were invariably identified as hematite, but [Fe(III)diss] and pH indicated an equilibrium with goethite or HFO. This is the first experimental confirmation that the interfacial hydration of anhydrous hematite results in higher solubility than predicted by bulk thermodynamic properties of hematite. Correspondence of the results with previously published measurements and implications for environmental chemistry of ferric...
Vascular pancreatic lesions: spectrum of imaging findings of malignant masses and mimics with pathologic correlation

The differential diagnosis of hypervascular pancreatic lesions is complex, and includes endocrine and exocrine tumors of the pancreas, metastases to the pancreas, and masses, or mass-like lesions, arising from the neurovascular networks traversing the pancreas. In this manuscript, we will discuss salient imaging findings of these masses, pertinent differential diagnoses, as well as review clinical symptomatology that may aid in the diagnosis of some of these lesions.
Ventricular remodeling in heart failure and the effect of β-blockade

Left ventricular (LV) remodeling has an important role in the progression of cardiovascular disease. An understanding of the process of LV remodeling has led to greater knowledge of the pathophysiology of heart failure. Drug therapies that slow or reverse the remodeling process seem to have favorable natural history effects in short-term and long-term therapy. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have been associated with a significant reduction in mortality, and the effect of beta-blockers on the remodeling process has now been studied across much of the spectrum of severity in patients with heart failure. beta-Blockade seems to add favorable and independent effects on the post-myocardial infarction remodeling process over and above those of ACE inhibitors. A combination of both drugs shows the greatest reduction in mortality (ie, the most favorable reverse remodeling). Differences in their effect on remodeling have been recently shown among the beta-blockers. Several studies and a meta-analysis suggest that carvedilol may be more favorable to outcome, having the most effect on LV remodeling.
Reconsidering Standards and Criteria

An early debate about the nature of setting standards on educational achievement tests centered on the extent to which resulting standards were arbitrary. Subsequent research in the area has advanced solutions to many practical standard setting problems, but the more fundamental issue regarding the empirical grounding of judgmental standard setting procedures has remained unresolved and largely unaddressed. This article reviews some of the salient elements of the debate about the nature of standard setting on educational assessments and suggests that the dispute can never be satisfactorily resolved within the current paradigm. A reconcep-tualization of the nature of standard setting is proposed, and suggestions for future research are provided.
Systemic reactions to the Samsum ant: An IgE-mediated hypersensitivity

Abstract Background: In the United Arab Emirates the sting of the Pachycondyla sennaarensis ant (PSA) causes allergic reactions in certain persons. It is a common problem and is becoming a public health hazard. Up to now the diagnosis has been based only on the history, because the mechanism of the reaction was not yet established. Objective: The aim of our study was to prepare an allergenic extract that would be used for skin tests and to prepare a reagent for specific IgE titration. Results of both skin tests and specific IgE were to be compared with the clinical history. Methods: We studied 31 patients with anaphylactic reactions and performed clinical examinations, skin tests, and specific IgE antibody titrations. A control group of 22 subjects was also studied. Results: In 30 of 31 patients (97%) findings of PSA skin tests and/or specific IgE were positive. In the control groups PSA skin test results were negative in 86% and negative for specific IgE in 68%. Conclusion: The study shows that the mechanism of the reaction to the sting of the PSA is a type I IgE-mediated hypersensitivity and that the diagnosis can now be confirmed by skin tests and specific IgE determination. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1995;96:465-72.)
FLOODING INJURY STUDIED BY APPROACH‐GRAFT AND SPLIT ROOT SYSTEM TECHNIQUES

Kramer (1951) believes that injury to shoots of plants whose root systems are flooded is complex in origin and has several causes rather than resulting simply from interference with water absorption. Went (1943) states that no set of conditions insuring adequate water and salt supply of a cut shoot can replace the loss of the root system and that the root must therefore be construed as playing some important chemical role in the well-being of the shoot. The present study was undertaken to determine the cause, or causes, of chlorosis of lower leaves and reduction in stem growth following flooding of the root systems. Other symptoms were recorded only to elucidate the cause of these two. It was assumed, based on findings of Robinson (1930), Kramer (1951), and Kramer and Jackson (1954), that a toxin might be produced in the flooded roots or root environment which, when translocated to the shoot, resulted in reduction in stem growth and chlorosis of lower leaves. Approachgraft and split-root system experiments were therefore performed to discover whether any such toxins produced in the flooded roots could be translocated across the approach-grafts, or from a flooded root system of a plant with split-root systems in which only one was flooded, and detected by their effect on the shoot of a plant containing a non-flooded root system. Such an approach is reasonable, since 'Chandler (1914) and Long (1943) have found that water readily passes across the graft, and either half of a split-root system can supply the shoot adequately. Roberts (1949) has written an extensive review of the literature on grafting. He cites many references showing transfer of materials across a graft union, and many references in which the workers were unable to show transfer of substances across grafts. His review deals with stock-scion grafts, rather than approach-grafts. The treatments were so designed that the roles of a water deficit and of the unflooded root system, per se, also could be determined. The results are grouped on the basis of injury symptoms rather than individual experiments. METHODS.-Approach-graft experiments.-Marglobe tomato and Turkish tabacco plants were grown in soil in 11-cm. pots until they had reached
End-To-End Enterprise Monitoring Framework for Netops

A robustly engineered end-to-end enterprise monitoring (E2E-EM) capability is the key to success for complex enterprise systems as they transform to provide the highest level of service assurance under Network Operations (NetOps) supporting global net-centric solutions across a service-oriented architecture. This paper presents an E2E-EM framework established as part of an effort sponsored by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to develop a set of E2E-EM guidelines, the goals of which are governed by transformational tenets. To a provider of global net-centric solutions supporting a wide spectrum of operational scenarios, it is a significant challenge to operate in an environment that is extremely diverse and complicated. Hence, it is necessary to adopt a disciplined approach to developing an effective framework towards implementation of the guidelines. The framework discussed in this paper addresses the guidelines goals through a service-based approach in which monitoring tasks are separated into four domains (transport, network, application, and security). Within each domain, the framework also identifies component layers on which an end-to-end capability relies in order to provide the desired end-user services. However, a domain-based monitoring methodology is insufficient for identifying and tracking messages that use multiple services across multiple domains. To provide sufficient end-to-end monitoring coverage, a second dimension, called monitoring planes (usage, control, security, and management) is also introduced. Each plane encompasses all monitoring domains, thereby enabling the enterprise-wide monitoring, event correlation, and data sharing required for an end-to-end enterprise solution. This architecture also provides a set of "common terminology" for addressing E2E-EM needs and creates a reusable design in which multi-domain, multi-plane, and multi-vendor components can contribute
Comparative Effects of Aging and Coronary Heart Disease on Submaximal and Maximal Exercise

The relative contributions of aging and coronary heart disease to the impairment of functional capacity were assessed in 117 coronary patients, 117 age-matched healthy middle-aged men, and 62 healthy young men by utilizing a multistage treadmill test of maximal exercise. With aging alone, duration of exertion and maximal exercise heart rate were diminished while maximal systolic pressure increased. The percentage of heart rate reserve from submaximal (stage 1) to maximal exercise was unaltered so that the relative heart rate stress of submaximal work on the heart was not affected. Transient postexertional S-T depression was related to increasing age and high cardiac work loads. With coronary disease, maximal duration, maximal heart rate, maximal systolic pressure, and heart rate difference (maximal heart rate during exercise minus resting heart rate just before exercise) were all reduced, while the relative heart rate stress of submaximal exercise was greater. The frequency of S-T depression was both age ...
SU-FF-T-61: Determination of Neutron and Gamma Dose Rates in Water Surrounding a New Interstitial Cf-252 Brachytherapy Source

Purpose: A new generation of high‐activity miniature 252Cf sources for interstitial brachytherapy has recently been encapsulated at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The purpose of this study is to determine the neutron and gamma dose rates in water surrounding the new 252Cf source.Method & Materials: The neutron and gamma dose components of the new 252Cf source in water were determined by the measurements of two miniature ion chambers (T1 and M1 of Standard Imaging, Inc.) that have similar gamma responses but very different neutron responses. A Lucite‐walled water phantom was built to conduct the experiment. The experimental setup was also modeled by the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP. Results: The results show that the measured neutron absorbed dose rates were approximately 25% lower than that predicted by MCNP for all dose positions in water. The measured gamma absorbed dose rates in water, on the contrary, are higher than that predicted by MCNP. The differences between the measured and MCNP‐predicted gamma dose rates are most pronounced (∼a factor of two) at the distance of 1 cm, and fall to approximately 30% at distances 2 cm and beyond. Conclusions: The measured neutron and gamma dose rates do not agree with the dose rates predicted by MCNP. The discrepancies between the two results suggest that the true 252Cf content of the new source is approximately 25% less than the ORNL estimate and that the new source emits significantly more low‐energy gamma rays than the large 252Cf sources (e.g. the AT source) used in the previous studies. Acknowledgement: This research is supported by Isotron Inc.
Mapping women in Tehran's public spaces: a geo-visualization perspective

Functioning public spaces, as ‘public’ political, social, and cultural arenas of citizen discourse, affect not only the citizen's quality of life, but are also indispensable infrastructure in democratic societies. This article offers a nuanced understanding of Iranian women's usage, feelings, and preferences in public spaces in present-day Tehran by not simply importing Western theories that sustain distinctions between traditional and modern women, but instead by hearing women's stories. This article raises concerns related to the gender identities, the politics of space, and design of these places. Meidan-e-Tajrish, Sabz-e-Meidan, and Marvi Meidancheh in Tehran accommodate an ethnographic visualization of gendering space. The process by which Iranian women attach symbolic meanings to those public spaces offers insight into the mutual construction of gender identities and space politics. The contrasting urban locations, different design styles, and distinct social activities provide an excellent comparis...
Airborne Measurements of Pollutants over Urban and Rural Sites

Abstract Results of urban pollutant measurements made during an aircraft flight downwind of St. Louis are presented. Decreases in the levels of SO2, NOx, and aerosol are noted, while O3 is observed to increase to more than 200 ppb at 150 km downwind. The influence of a power plant plume is also observed.