cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inaccuracies in assignment of clinical stage for localized prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: Recent data have suggested that clinical T stage is not independently associated with biochemical recurrence of localized prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy. One explanation for this lack of predictive power may be the inaccurate application of staging criteria. METHODS: Data from men in the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) database with localized prostate cancer (clinical T1-T2) were analyzed. Correct stage was determined by digital rectal examination (DRE) and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) findings and was compared with the clinical stage reported directly by the practitioner. DRE/TRUS findings and biopsy results were evaluated to determine factors influencing staging errors. The ability of corrected stage to predict biochemical disease recurrence after prostatectomy was assessed using multivariable analysis. RESULTS: Clinical stage was assigned incorrectly in 1370 of 3875 men (35.4%). Errors more commonly resulted in patient downstaging than upstaging (55.1% vs 44.9%; P < .001). Patients with TRUS lesions were more likely to be staged incorrectly than those with abnormal DRE findings (65.8% vs 38.2%; P < .001). Biopsy laterality was found to strongly influence stage assignment. Even after correction of staging errors, there was no association noted between clinical stage and biochemical disease recurrence after radical prostatectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Errors in applying clinical staging criteria for localized prostate cancer are common. TRUS findings are frequently disregarded, and practitioners incorrectly incorporate biopsy results when assigning stage. However, staging errors do not appear to account for the inconsistent reliability of clinical stage in predicting prostate cancer outcomes. These findings further challenge the utility of a DRE-based and/or TRUS-based staging system for risk assessment of localized prostate cancer.Cancer 2011. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Does initial hydromorphone relieve pain best if dosing is fixed or weight based

Study objective It remains unknown whether initial opioid dosing should optimally be fixed or weight-based. We wish to determine whether pain response after an initial fixed dose of intravenous hydromorphone varied by total body weight. Methods We enrolled a convenience sample of emergency department adults aged 18 to 65 years with acute pain requiring intravenous opioids and administered 1 mg of hydromorphone. Our primary outcome was the correlation of total body weight with the reduction in pain at 30 minutes, as measured with a numeric rating scale. Our secondary outcomes contrasted total body weight by other measures of efficacy (numeric rating scale Results We enrolled 163 subjects with a range of weights from 45 to 157 kg, and their mean numeric rating scale pain reduction at 30 minutes was 5.3. Pain reduction did not correlate with weight in either univariate or multivariable models. Secondary outcomes were also similar, except greater pruritus in lower-weight subjects. Conclusion Pain response to a fixed 1 mg intravenous dose of hydromorphone did not vary by total body weight in this sample of adults aged 18 to 65 years, suggesting no advantage to weight-based over fixed opioid dosing.
SAMPLE SIZES FOR BATCH ACCEPTANCE FROM SINGLE- AND MULTISTAGE DESIGNS USING TWO-SIDED NORMAL TOLERANCE INTERVALS WITH SPECIFIED CONTENT

One quality control test in the pharmaceutical industry is a test for uniformity of content of a batch prior to release of the batch to market. For batch acceptance by this or other quantitative tests of batch quality, one approach uses two-sided tolerance intervals of specified content. If the tolerance interval falls entirely within an acceptance interval, the batch is accepted. This has the form of a statistical hypothesis test. Once we recognize this approach as a statistical test, we can ask what sample size is required to be able to accept the batch with a desired power. The power for a single-stage design is a bivariate noncentral t probability and can be determined using previously published algorithms. Using standard methods for interim analyses, the approach is extended to multistage designs. Power and sample size for multistage designs are validated with simulations. We demonstrate it is possible to design one- and two-stage designs for batch acceptance with desired power and specified type I level.
Integrated NDVI images for Niger 1986–1987

Two NOAA AVHRR images are presented which provide a comparison of the geographic distribution of an integration of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for the Sahel zone in Niger for the growing seasons of 1986 and 1987. The production of the images and the application of the images for resource management are discussed. Daily large area coverage with a spatial resolution of 1.1 km at nadir were transformed to the NDVI and geographically registered to produce the images.
Reliable versus unreliable transmission for energy efficient transmission in relay networks

A network code is said to be reliable when all transmissions in the network are (deterministic) functions of the source messages; well-known examples include decode-forward for relay networks. It is said to be unreliable when transmissions depend on the noise realization at nodes; examples include compress-forward and amplify-forward. The deterministic capacity of a network is defined as the supremum of the rates achievable by reliable codes. In this paper we derive the deterministic capacity of some relay networks in the low power regime. The resulting energy per bit is then compared with the one achievable by arbitrary transmission.
Prudence in international comparisons: insights for the United States from the Canadian health insurance experience.

Canadian social insurance for medical care started in the province of Saskatchewan in 1946, when conditions were very different from those in the United States today. The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation political party has no counterpart in the United States today. Voluntary insurance was weak in the Canadian priaries, but currently strong in the United States. The U.S. Medicare and Medicaid programs help elderly and poor people, but Saskatchewan lacked such programs. Separation of executive and legislative powers in the United States differs from unified powers in Canada. However, there are several similarities between the U.S. federation of states, and the Canadian provinces. The U.S. Democratic Party has a progressive wing. Voluntary insurance in the United States grew weaker in the 1980s. The U.S. health care crisis on costs today is equivalent to post-Depression conditions in Canada. Both countries are dominated by private fee-for-service medical care, but access to that care has been promoted by compulsory insurance laws in several U.S. states. Therefore, the United States could well emulate Canada by action of the states, which would lead eventually to federal action. Coverage should be universal, with limited benefits initially; gradually, benefits would be broadened.
Chemical Characterization of Respirable Coal-Oil-Mixture Fly Ash

Abstract This paper reports the elemental analysis of respirable (VMD = 2.6 μm) baghouse collected fly ash from the combustion of a slurry of 60% oil and 40% coal. Compared to coal fly ash, this material has high concentrations of several trace elements, with the vanadium and nickel levels contributed by the oil being particularly high. Trace elements originating from the oil are highly enriched in the respirable ash. Leaching the coal-oil-mixture particles in HCl shows that the heavy metals are generally more soluble than is typical of coal fly ash.
Empathy Versus Price: The Influence of Emotional Appeals Across Cultures

This research examines the persuasive effect of emotional appeals on members of collectivist versus individualist cultures. The results of two experiments demonstate that ego-focused (e.g., pride, happiness) versus other-focused (e.g., empathy, peacefulness) emotional appeals lead to more favorable attitudes for members of a collectivist culture, while other-focused versus ego-focused emotional appeals lead to more favorable attitudes for members of an individualist culture. Experiment 2 was conducted to examine the psychological mechanism underlying these effects. The results indicated that the generation of and elaboration on a relatively novel type of thought (individual thoughts for members of an collectivist culture, collective thoughts for members of a individualist culture) account for the persuasive effects found in this research. These results are interpreted within an ability-motivation framework, and theoretical implications involving cross-cultural persuasion effects are discussed.
Development of Air Traffic Control Measures Database

Availability of measures that would predict controller success in his or her task and the impact of changing procedures and advancing technology on the system as a whole is imperative to the success of modernization of air traffic control (ATC) systems worldwide. This paper describes a database that is populated by the results of previous reviews of ATC research literature, organized according to a novel ATC measures taxonomy, and made accessible via the World Wide Web and a purpose-built web interface. The database will also facilitate continual updates, allowing for growth and relevance of its contents into the foreseeable future.
Excitation energies and transition rates in magnesiumlike ions

Excitation energies, transition probabilities, and lifetimes are calculated for 3 l 13l 2-3l 33l 4 electric dipole transitions in Mg-like ions with nuclear charges Z ranging from 13 to 100. Relativistic many-body perturbation theory ~MBPT!, including the Breit interaction, is used to evaluate retarded E1 matrix elements in length and velocity forms. The calculations start from a 1 s 2 2s 2 2p 6 Dirac-Fock potential. First-order perturbation theory is used to obtain intermediate coupling coefficients, and the second-order MBPT is used to determine the matrix elements. The contributions from negative-energy states are included in the second-order E1 matrix elements to achieve agreement between length-form and velocity-form amplitudes. The resulting transition energies and lifetimes are compared with experimental values and with results from other recent calculations.
Bile salts, intestinal microflora and enterohepatic circulation

Use of probiotic therapy implies an attempt to maintain the normal bacterial flora or to alter the bacterial flora so that organisms beneficial to the host are nurtured. We also know that the bacterial flora are essential in the deconjugation and transformation of bile acid metabolism. The relationships of the bile acids to intestinal bacteria and their recurrent exposure in the enterohepatic circulation are discussed.
Improved synthesis and X-ray crystal structure of pentafluorophenylcobalt tricarbonyl triphenylphosphine

Abstract An improved synthesis of the cobalt(I) aryl complex C6F5Co(CO)3PPh3 has been developed. Reaction of [Co(CO)4]− anion with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride yields C6F5Co(CO)4, which reacts with PPh3 at 0 °C to give the title compound. This compound has been characterized by IR, NMR (1H, 19F, and 31P), elemental analysis, and X-ray crystallography. The structure shows the expected trigonal bipyramidal geometry about the cobalt atom, with the three coordinated carbonyls lying in the trigonal plane and the PPh3 and C6F5 ligands occupying the axial positions.
Maternal serum interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 concentrations as risk factors for preterm birth <32 weeks and adverse neonatal outcomes.

Elevated concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in fetal and neonatal compartments have been associated with an increased risk for preterm birth (PTB) and/or neonatal morbidity. The purpose of this study was to determine if the maternal serum concentration of IL-6, CRP, and MMP-9 in women at risk for PTB, who are not in labor and have intact membranes, are associated with an increased risk for PTB 90th percentile). However, there was no significant association after adjustment for GA at randomization and treatment group. Logistic regression analysis for each analyte indicated that high maternal serum concentrations of IL-6 and CRP, but not MMP-9, were associated with an increased risk of IVH (odds ratio [OR] 4.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.86 to 10.68; OR 4.07, 95% CI 1.63 to 9.50) after adjusting for GA at randomization and treatment group. Most babies (25/30) had grade I IVH. When GA at delivery was included, elevated IL-6 remained significantly associated with IVH (OR 2.77, 95% CI 1.02 to 7.09). An elevated maternal serum concentration of IL-6 and CRP are risk factors for PTB <32 weeks and subsequent development of neonatal IVH. An elevated maternal serum IL-6 appears to confer additional risk for IVH even after adjusting for GA at delivery.
Composted and Noncomposted Manure Application to Conventional and No-Tillage Systems: Corn Yield and Nitrogen Uptake

Manure application to the soil surface may not be as effective as incorporated manure for crop production, because of potential N loss. An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of composted (compost) and noncomposted manure from beef cattle (Bos taurus) feedlots on corn (Zea mays L.) yield and N uptake under two tillage systems in 4 years. Conventional and no-till systems were used as main plots, and subplots consisted of application of composted and noncomposted manure and fertilizer to provide for corn N requirements, and check treatments. Manure and compost were applied and immediately incorporated by disking in the conventional system and left on the surface in the no-till. Fertilizer was incorporated in the conventional system and surface-applied in the no-till system each spring prior to planting. Results showed that in 3 out of 4 years there was no effect of tillage on corn grain yields of plots receiving manure or compost. Manure and compost application resulted in similar grain yield as that for fertilizer treatment in all years except for no-till in 1996. First-year N availability was approximately 38% for manure and 20% for compost in both tillage systems. Apparent N use efficiency was 17% for manure, 12% for compost, and 45% for the fertilizer treatment across 4 years. Chlorophyll meter readings, indicating relative plant N concentration at different stages of growth, were closely related to N uptake and grain yield in years with adequate water supply, but not in the drier year of 1995. Stalk NO 3 - -N concentration at harvest was above the critical level of 2000 mg kg -1 for the fertilizer treatment in 1995 but was low (<200 mg kg -1 ) for manure and compost treatments. Stalk NO 3 - -N concentration did not exceed the critical level for any treatment in other years. When the correct N availability factor is used, beef cattle feedlot manure and compost can be effectively utilized in no-till corn production systems.
Breaking the Cycle of Alcohol Problems Among Native Americans: Culturally-Sensitive Treatment in the Lakota Community

Abstract This study explores methods of improving the treatment of alcoholism among Native American people by integrating culturally relevant practices into treatment methodology. Primary to the findings of this study are the opinions and experiences of four Lakota people living on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, individuals who have worked with alcoholism in their community for a number of years. Also important is an understanding of the history of alcoholism among Native American people, including forms of cultural breakdown that lead to increased levels of alcohol problems. Findings suggest that alcoholism treatment programs that integrate Native American culture and traditions into the recovery process will be more likely to be accepted by Native American alcoholics than mainstream rehabilitation programs that ignore cultural factors.
Post Traumatic Stress, Context, and the Lingering Effects of the Hurricane Katrina Disaster among Ethnic Minority Youth

This study examined the stability of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a predominantly ethnic minority sample of youth exposed to Hurricane Katrina. Youth (n = 191 grades 4th thru 8th) were screened for exposure to traumatic experiences and PTSD symptoms at 24 months (Time 1) and then again at 30 months (Time 2) post-disaster. PTSD symptoms did not significantly decline over time and were higher than rates reported at earlier time points for more ethnically diverse samples. Younger age, female sex, and continued disrepair to the child’s home predicted stable elevated PTSD symptoms. Findings are consistent with predictions from contextual theories of disaster exposure and with epidemiological data from adult samples suggesting that the incidence of PTSD post Katrina is showing an atypical pattern of remittance. Theoretical, applied, and policy implications are discussed.
On the refined lecture hall theorem

A lecture hall partition of length n is a sequence (λ1,λ2,...,λn) of nonnegative integers satisfying 0 ≤ λ1/≤...,λn/n. M. Bousquet-Melou and K. Eriksson showed that there is an one to one correspondence between the set of all lecture hall partitions of length n and the set of all partitions with distinct parts between 1 and n, and possibly multiple parts between n + 1 and 2n. In this paper, we construct a bijection which is an identity mapping in the limiting case.
Elicitation of protective immune responses using a bivalent H5N1 VLP vaccine

Currently licensed human vaccines are subtype-specific and do not protect against pandemic H5N1 viruses. Previously, our group has reported on the construction of an influenza virus-like particle (VLP) as a new generation candidate vaccine. A mixture of influenza H5N1 VLPs representing clade 1 and 2 viruses were examined for the ability to elicit protective immunity against isolates from various clades and subclades of H5N1. Mice were vaccinated intramuscularly with each VLP individually, the mixture of VLPs, a mixture of purified recombinant hemagglutinin (rHA), or mock vaccinated. Elicited antibodies were assayed for the hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) activity against clades 1 and clade 2 isolates. Mice vaccinated with each VLP individually or in a mixture had robust HAI responses against homologous viruses and HAI responses against the clade 2.3 virus, Anh/05. However, these vaccines did not induce an HAI response against the clade 2.2 virus, WS/05. Interestingly, clade 2 VLP vaccinated mice were protected against both clade 1 and 2 H5/PR8 viruses, but clade 1 VLP vaccinated mice were only protected against the clade 1 virus. Mice vaccinated with a mixture of VLPs were protected against both clade 1 and 2 viruses. In contrast, mice vaccinated with a mixture of rHA survived challenge, but lost ~15% of original weight by days 5–7 post-challenge. These results demonstrate that a multivalent influenza VLP vaccine representing different genetic clades is a promising strategy to elicit protective immunity against isolates from emerging clades and subclades of H5N1.
Role of a Historian in a Database Management System

Traditionally, a database manager tracks only transactions — an insufficient way to maintain a complete history. This multilevel system tracks three history levels: character, transaction, and global action.
The relationship between direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) and asthma-related emergency department use among Medicaid-enrolled children.

AbstractObjective: Asthma is a leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits. There has been much debate on the impact of direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) on healthcare. This study seeks to examine the association between DTCA expenditure and asthma-related ED use. Study design: In this study, we combined Medicaid administrative data and a national advertising data on asthma medications. The sample size consisted of 180 584 Medicaid-enrolled children between the ages of 5 and 18 years who had an asthma diagnosis. Twenty percent of the Medicaid-enrolled children in the sample had asthma-related ED visits. Results: We found that DTCA expenditure is associated with a decrease in asthma-related ED visits (OR = 0.75; CI: 0.64–0.89). However, at higher levels of DTCA expenditure, the likelihood of asthma-related ED visits increases (OR = 1.25; CI: 1.05–1.49), indicating a decreased relationship between DTCA and asthma-related ED visits. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that DTCA may be associated with...
Infectious complications in heart-lung transplant recipients

Infectious complications were studied in 14 patients who received heart-lung transplants at Stanford University Medical Center from March 1981 to November 1983. Twenty-nine infections occurred in 12 patients: 18 bacterial, nine viral, and two fungal. Sixteen (89 percent) of the bacterial infections occurred in the lung. Because of frequent colonization of the lower respiratory tract, the specificity of transtracheal aspiration and bronchoscopy was low. Empiric broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy was usually successful, and no patient died of bacterial infection. Cytomegalovirus infection occurred in six and herpes simplex virus infection in three patients. Two patients had invasive candidiasis at postmortem examination. This series emphasizes the importance of infection, particularly of the lung, in causing morbidity and mortality in heart-lung transplant recipients.
Spatially forced corotating Taylor-Couette flow

The response of a flow to which an external control force is applied is of great general interest. The flow studied was a variation of classical circular Taylor-Couette flow in that it was spatially forced by sinusoidal modulations on the inner cylinder, with a forcing wavelength incommensurate with the natural length scale of the Taylor vortices. It was found that this forcing did not affect the conditions for the onset of the vortices, but it did fix the size of the vortices. For the conditions of geometry and flow variations used here, the natural wavelength did not seem to appear in this system. Many of the complex states observed in the unforced case were observed also in the forced case. However, two new types were observed in the present case. They both involved irregularities of the vortices, and they occurred at slow and fast rotation rates, and were named unstable irregularities and temporal irregularities, respectively. The unstable irregularities occurred throughout the entire tank and were constantly changing. The temporal irregularities occurred locally and would appear only for brief periods of time. The azimuthal rotation rate of the irregularities was proportional to the average rotation rate of the cylinders.
Adaptive optimization and control using neural networks

Abstract Recent work has demonstrated the ability of neural-network-based controllers to optimize and control machines with complex, non-linear, relatively unknown control spaces. We present a brief overview of neural networks via a taxonomy illustrating some capabilities of different kinds of neutral networks. We present some successful control examples, particularly the optimization and control of a small-angle negative ion source.
An inservice energy education program for elementary schoolteachers

A National Science Foundation-sponsored energy education inservice project was conducted during thirty, weekly sessions for twenty-seven elementary school teachers throughout the 1979–1980 school year. Time was devoted to studying energy sources, demand for energy, and energy policy and decision making. Energy education curriculum materials were examined for each of these content areas, and an energy education unit was taught by each participant in his or her own classroom. The Energy Inventory, developed by The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, was used with a pretest-post-test control group design to determine if the participants gained a significant amount of knowledge about energy and significantly changed their opinions about energy. Analysis of covariance indicates that significant changes in knowledge possessed and opinions held about energy were achieved during the thirty weekly sessions. Since most current energy education materials require a considerable amount of teacher knowledge about energy and modeling of good energy practices, it is assumed that teachers participating in this project will do a better job of teaching energy education materials than they might otherwise have done.
THE PREBIOTIC ROLE OF ADENINE: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Adenine plays an essential role in replication in all known living systems today, and is prominent in many other aspects of biochemistry. It occurs among the products of oligomerization of HCN. These circumstances have stimulated the idea that adenine was a component in a replication system that was present at the start of life. Such replicators have included not only RNA, but also a number of simpler RNA-like alternatives which utilize a simpler backbone. Despite these encouraging indicators, a consideration of the chemical properties of adenine reveals reasons that disfavor its participation in such a role. These properties include the following: (1) Adenine synthesis requires HCN concentrations of at least 0.01 M. Such concentrations would be expected only in unique circumstances on the early Earth. Adenine yields are low in prebiotic simulations, and if a subsequent high-temperature hydrolysis step is omitted, the reported yield does not represent adenine itself, but 8-substituted adenines and other derivatives. (2) Adenine is susceptibile to hydrolysis (the half life for deamination at 37 °C, pH 7, is about 80 years), and to reaction with a variety of simple electrophiles, forming a multiplicity of products. Its accumulation would not be expected over a geological time scale, and its regioselective incorporation into a replicator appears implausible. (3) The adenine-uracil interaction, which involves two hydrogen bonds (rather than three, as in guanine-cytosine pairing) is weak and nonspecific. Pairing of adenine with many other partners has been observed with monomers, synthetic oligonucleotides and in RNA. The hydrogen-bonding properties of adenine appear inadequate for it to function in any specific recognition scheme under the chaotic conditions of a prebiotic soup. New and fundamental discoveries in the chemistry of adenine would be needed to reverse this perception. An alternative and attractive possibility is that some other replicator preceeded RNA (or RNA-like substances) in the origin of life.
Broadband radio-frequency spectrum analysis in spectral-hole-burning media

We demonstrate a 20 GHz spectrum analyzer with 1 MHz resolution and >40 dB dynamic range using spectral-hole-burning (SHB) crystals, which are cryogenically cooled crystal hosts lightly doped with rare-earth ions. We modulate a rf signal onto an optical carrier using an electro-optic intensity modulator to produce a signal beam modulated with upper and lower rf sidebands. Illuminating SHB crystals with modulated beams excites only those ions resonant with corresponding modulation frequencies, leaving holes in the crystal's absorption profile that mimic the modulation power spectrum and persist for up to 10 ms. We determine the spectral hole locations by probing the crystal with a chirped laser and detecting the transmitted intensity. The transmitted intensity is a blurred-out copy of the power spectrum of the original illumination as mapped into a time-varying signal. Scaling the time series associated with the transmitted intensity by the instantaneous chirp rate yields the modulated beam's rf power spectrum. The homogeneous linewidth of the rare-earth ions, which can be 20 GHz, determines the spectral bandwidth.
Articulating a Contemporary Anarcha-Feminism

This paper argues that currently we are in need of new articulations of anarcha-feminism. Past currents have been published under "anarcha-feminism" that make it nearly synonymous with various radical feminisms, socialist feminisms, Situationism, and ecofeminisms (often times aside from the anarchist position on the state). However, following developments in both feminist and anarchist theory, it is possible to articulate a general contemporary anarchafeminist theory. This paper, then, mines anarchist and feminist engagements with other theoretical perspectives in a contemporary context to build one such possible articulation of anarcha-feminism. [Article copies available for a fee from The Transformative Studies Institute. E-mail address: journal@transformativestudies.org Website: http://www.transformativestudies.org ©2009 by The Transformative Studies Institute. All rights reserved.]
Clusters of repeated sequences of chicken DNA are extensively methylated but contain specific undermethylated regions.

Abstract In the chicken genome there are middle repetitive DNA sequences with a clustered organization. Each cluster is composed of members of different families of repeated DNA sequences and usually contains only one member of each family. Many clusters have the same assortment of repeated sequences but they are in scrambled order from cluster to cluster. These clusters usually exceed 20 × 103 bases in length and comprise at least 10% of the repeated DNA of the chicken. The repeated sequences that are cluster components are extensively methylated. Methylation was detected by comparing HpaII and MspI digests of total DNA, where the occurrence of the sequence C-m5C-G-G is indicated when HpaII (cleaves C-C-G-G) fragments are larger than those generated by MspI (cleaves C-m5C-G-G or C-C-G-G). In hybridization experiments with Southern (1975) blots of total DNA digested with either HpaII or MspI, the cloned probes representing clustered repeated sequences showed a dramatic difference in the lengths of restriction fragments detected in the two digests. Many of the sequences that comprise these clusters are methylated in most of their genomic occurrences. There are patterns of methylation that are reproduced faithfully from copy to copy. The overall distribution of methylation within clusters seems to be regional, with long methylated DNA segments interrupted by specific undermethylated regions.
Towards a robust query optimizer: a principled and practical approach

Research on query optimization has focused almost exclusively on reducing query execution time, while important qualities such as consistency and predictability have largely been ignored, even though most database users consider these qualities to be at least as important as raw performance. In this paper, we explore how the query optimization process can be made more robust, focusing on the important subproblem of cardinality estimation. The robust cardinality estimation technique that we propose allows for a user- or application-specified trade-off between performance and predictability, and it captures multi-dimensional correlations while remaining space- and time-efficient.
GAS MICROEMBOLI—DETECTION, QUANTITATION AND ELIMINATION

The need for removing gas microemboli (GE) from The returned blood during extracorporeal circulation is well recognized. One of the methods used to safeguard against the perfusion of GE is the employment of arterial line filters. These devices separate and eliminate solid as well as GE from the extracorporeal blood stream. The major difficulty in any determination of the number or size of GE, is that bubbles may coalesce or divide and may even dissolve or be released from the blood. Thus to study filter “efficiency” comparison of bubble “counts” upstream and downstream of the filter is not meaningful; more pertinent is the proportion of gas volume that passes the filter. This paper reviews factors involved in the design of effective arterial filters for the elimination of gas microemboli, identifies possible areas of improvement, and presents evaluation methods and laboratory data obtained with several filters currently in use.
Ductility in fault gouge from a normal fault system, Death Valley, California: A mechanism for fault-zone strengthening and relevance to paleoseismicity

Fault gouge along the Badwater Turtleback fault system displays abundant evidence for mesoscopic ductility, as foliation, isolated and/or rotated inclusions, and isoclinal folds. Fault-gouge thicknesses also vary dramatically. At the outcrop scale, gouge thicknesses can range from 0 to >1 m, and at the 100 m scale, they can range from 0 to >5 m. Because these variations are closely associated with other ductility-related features, they probably also formed because of ductile flow. Ductile flow appears to locally strengthen the fault zone by severe attenuation of the gouge and by transport of inclusions. Where gouge pinches out to zero thickness, hanging-wall rock rests directly on footwall rock, a condition that produces an overall stronger fault zone as well as stick-slip behavior in laboratory tests. Transport of inclusions within the gouge zone may create local inclusion “jams” which may also have a strengthening effect. The presence of these stronger portions of the fault zone may give indirect evidence for ancient seismicity on the fault.
Habitat and mate selection in Hawaiian Drosophila.

Phyletically packed communities were studied earlier in HawaiianDrosophila and then found in a serious insect pest, the screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax). In this case the autocidal control effort was stalled until the community complexity was recognized and similar complexity was incorporated into the sterile flies that were released. This paper summarizes a theoretical extension of this theme. Coevolution results from feedback from the habitat to the mating system. It is predicted that a stable community may bedynamically maintained when the coevolutionary forces are somewhat relaxed and hybrids are possible between closely related gamodemes. Relaxation could result from disturbances to the habitat, colonizing a habitat not fully packed, or extinction of some members of the community of related populations. One of these conditions is similar to that discussed by Carson in the “founder-flush” mode of speciation associated with colonization of new islands by highly heterozygous individuals. Another is similar to achieving interspecific hybrids in laboratory, or other unusual, environments. And, finally, one is similar to the progressive removal of the complex of species of a “pest” by an autocidal procedure such as by releasing sterile screwworm flies.
Seismic Stratigraphic Analysis of Lower Cretaceous Rocks, Deep Southeastern Gulf of Mexico: ABSTRACT

A dense grid of multifold seismic reflection lines was combined with results of DSDP Leg 77 to subdivide the Lower Cretaceous section in the deep southeastern Gulf of Mexico into four seismic sequences (I to IV). Age and gross lithologic assignments were made by correlation with DSDP holes 535 and 540. Isochron and seismic facies maps were constructed for each sequence. These data document the complex filling of the deep southeastern Gulf of Mexico by pelagics and fine-grained carbonate debris shed from the adjacent growing Early Cretaceous margins on the east and west. This sedimentation accompanied subsidence of a rifted continental (transitional) crust formed during the early rift history (Late Triassic-Jurassic) of the Gulf basin. The oldest unit (IV, Hauterivian-Berriasian) thins to the east, whereas unit III (Barremian-Aptian) thins to the west, suggesting a depocenter or source area shift to the east. A chaotic, hummocky, discontinuous unit (II, Aptian-mid-Albian) thinning to the south indicates deposition, in part, by northeast- or northwest-source debris flows from the flanking margins. Unit I (mid-Albian-Early Cenomanian) is a tabular parallel to subparallel sequence grading to more discontinuous facies at the base of the Florida escarpment, suggesting an eastern source. A prominent regional unconformity, characterized by erosional truncation, forms its cap. This corresponds to a 50-m thick pebbly limestone unit encountered in DSDP holes 97 and 540 that may span the entire Upper Cretaceous. End_of_Article - Last_Page 617------------
In search of industry effects of large conglomerate mergers

Abstract Most studies of the effects of conglomerate mergers have evaluated their impacts on the companies involved. This note examines the industry effects of 14 large conglomerate mergers which occurred in the mid-1970s, focusing on markets in which significant share was acquired in the merger. Data on the companies involved and on the market shares acquired were obtained from the FTC's Line of Business Program. Census of Manufactures data (for 1972 and 1982) on concentration and price-cost margins were used to evaluate industry effects of these mergers. The results suggest that large conglomerate mergers pose little risk of anticompetitive harm, whatever their distributional impacts between acquired and acquiring firm stockholders.
Effective moments in k39 and k40

Abstract It is pointed out that by comparing magnetic moments of levels belonging to the same nucleon configuration in an add-odd nucleus, or MI transitions between suchlevels, an important information on the effective moments of found nucleons can be obtained. This analysis is carried out for K 40 and the results agree very well with the magnetic moment of K 39 . An atempt is made to include the effects of configuration mixing in K 40 , induced by the residual proton-neutron interaction. A δ-type interaction which reproduces the spectrum of Cl 88 is assumed. The resulting agreement is considerably deteriorated, indicating that such an admixture of configurations is probably negligible in K 40 . Further experiments are suggested to check the validity of the concept of an effective moment.
Superinduction of the Em gene in rice suspension cells in the presence of ABA and cycloheximide

The Em gene in rice (Oryzae sativa L.) cell suspensions is strongly induced in the presence of abscisic acid (ABA) or in the presence of an osmoticum such as NaCl. Experiments were conducted to determine the impact of protein synthesis inhibitors on Em mRNA accumulation as part of a study to further characterize regulation of this gene in rice. When rice cell suspensions were incubated in the presence of ABA or NaCl and either 10 μm cycloheximide (resulting in a 42% inhibition of net protein synthesis) or 100 μm cycloheximide plus 10 μm chloramphenicol (93% inhibition of net protein synthesis), Em mRNA accumulated to a level more than twofold greater than in cell suspensions treated with either ABA or NaCl alone. Neither cycloheximide nor chloramphenicol alone or in combination induced Em gene expression. When rice cells were exposed to 50 μm ABA for 1 h and then transferred to medium without ABA, Em transcript abundance increased until 24 h and then declined. The rate of this decline was slower in the presence of the protein synthesis inhibitors. The results indicate that de novo protein synthesis is not required for ABA or NaCl induction of Em gene expression in rice suspension cells and that superinduction can occur when protein synthesis is only partially blocked in the cell population.
Vibrational Spectroscopy of the CCl4 v1 Mode: Theoretical Prediction of Isotopic Effects

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful experimental technique, yet it is often missing from the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory curriculum. Tetrachloromethane (CCl4) is the ideal molecule for an introductory vibrational spectroscopy experiment and the symmetric stretch vibration contains fine structure due to isotopic variations of the molecule according to C35Clx37Cl4–x. We report simple theoretical predictions of the fine structure, calculation of Raman differential scattering cross sections, and discussion of the inherent asymmetry in the v1 mode resulting from the different isotopes of chlorine. All calculations and discussion are appropriate for an undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory as either an independent dry lab or a supplement to a pre-existing vibrational spectroscopy lab.
Localization of A-V conduction defects in man by recording of the his bundle electrogram

Abstract His bundle electrograms were recorded in 20 patients. Conduction times from atrium to His bundle (A-H time) and His bundle to ventricle (H-V time) were measured and the sites of delay or block were localized to the proximal or distal A-V junction. On progressively increasing the atrial rate by atrial pacing, the A-H time lengthened, while the H-V time remained constant. Premature atrial beats usually resulted in prolongation of the A-H time only. In some instances, premature atrial beats also resulted in prolongation of the H-V time and aberrant ventricular conduction (change in configuration of the QRS complex). In patients with first degree heart block during sinus rhythm the A-H time was prolonged and the H-V time was either normal or prolonged. In higher degrees of heart block, the block was localized either in the proximal or distal A-V junction.
Steroid-responsive encephalopathy subsequently associated with Alzheimer's disease pathology: A case series

Background: Steroid-responsive encephalopathies can be considered vasculitic or non-vasculitic. Clinicopathological studies of non-vasculitic steroid-responsive encephalopathy are unusual, but can explain the range of diagnoses consistent with a steroid-responsive presentation in life. Objective: To extend the range of clinical features and pathological findings consistent with steroid-responsive encephalopathy. Design, methods, and patients: A clinicopathological case series of four patients (two women, ages 54–71 years) with steroid-responsive encephalopathy followed at this institution until the time of death. Results: Clinical features were suggestive of Creutzfeld–Jakob disease (CJD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and parkinsonism, but pathological examination revealed only Alzheimer's disease-related findings without evidence of Lewy bodies or prion disease in all cases. All patients demonstrated marked, sustained improvement following steroid treatment, based on clinical, magnetic resonance imag...
Challenges of managing chronic pain in the elderly

Effective management of chronic pain in the elderly has posed a formidable challenge to the medical community. Practicing physicians are confronted with the complexity of controlling chronic pain in a patient population that often presents with multiple health problems and side effects from long-term use of pain medications. This study presents an overview of commonly encountered barriers to effective management of pain in the elderly and suggests strategies to optimize treatment in this patient population. A high incidence of comorbidities in the elderly frequently necessitates the use of multiple therapies, the combination of which potentially increases the toxicity experienced by this population, which is already particularly susceptible to medication side effects. When determining optimal strategy for managing chronic pain in the elderly, particular attention needs to be paid to past medical history and use of over-the-counter medications. In addition, careful monitoring of age-related changes in physiologic functions is needed, as they may impact drug plasma concentrations and increase susceptibility to adverse events. When traditional pharmacologic agents (such as acetaminophen and nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are deemed inappropriate in high-risk patients because of ineffectiveness or side effects, physicians must consider the use of alternative drugs, such as coxibs, which have comparable efficacy to traditional analgesics, with a superior side effects profile.
Analysis of daily rhythms of adrenal function in men with quadriplegia due to spinal cord section.

Circadian rhythms of adrenal function were studied in men with an isolated spinal cord and sympathetic chain due to traumatic cord injury at C4, C5 or C6. Six patients were studied shortly after the onset of paralysis, and four eight months or more after the injury. The purpose of the study was to gather information on afferent pathways to the central nervous system which affect physiological rhythmicity. The results obtained show that section of the spinal cord at C4, C5 or C6 dampens the established daily rhythms of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids excretion and suggests that, during and after rehabilitation, new patterns of information lead to the establishment of different rhythms. The results also show that section of the spinal cord and the sympathetic chain eliminates the effect of posture on the excretion of aldosterone and methylhydroxymandelic acid. The lack of postural control of aldosterone rhythms did not unmask a pattern related to an intrinsic secretory rhythm. The results suggest that afferent sensory stimuli from above the level of the injury modulate the central nervous system control of secretion of corticotrophin (ACTH), thus affecting the secretion of cortisol and the excretion of 17-OHCS. On the other hand, the connection of the central with the peripheral nervous system is necessary at all times to modulate secretion of aldosterone, epinephrine and norepinephrine.
Simultaneous multi-frequency switchable oscillator and FSK modulator based on a capacitive-gap MEMS disk array

An electromechanical circuit constructed from array-composites of capacitive-gap micromechanical resonators with differing frequencies, wired in closed-loop feedback with a single ASIC amplifier, provides a first MEMS-based multi-frequency oscillator generating simultaneous oscillation outputs in the vicinity of 61 MHz. The use of only one amplifier for all frequencies (as opposed to one for each frequency) saves substantial power and is made possible by exploiting softening and damping non-linearities in the MEMS resonators, often considered a limitation, but here providing amplitude limiting that prevents amplifier desensitization to other frequencies. Furthermore, electrical stiffness-based frequency tuning enables Frequency-Shift Keyed (FSK) modulation of the output waveform, offering a space and power-efficient multichannel transmitter, as desired for mobile applications requiring long battery life, such as wireless sensor nodes. Indeed, while capable of multiple simultaneous and independent frequency outputs, this oscillator consumes only 137 µW, which is one-third that of previous multi-frequency efforts that only produce one frequency at a time [1].
On-Line Tool Wear Estimation Using Force Measurement and a Nonlinear Observer

On-line tool wear monitoring in metal-cutting operations is essential for an on-line process optimization. In this paper, tool flank wear is estimated on-line by utilizing a nonlinear observer with the feedback of cutting force measurements. Based on a previously developed cutting process model for turning, a nonlinear observer is designed such that the estimated flank wear converges to the actual flank wear development in the presence of poor initial estimates. The stability analysis for the resulting observer error dynamic system is carried out using a physical limitation of the actual flank wear development and the Total Stability Theorem. The experimental results show that the proposed nonlinear observer estimates the flank wear quite well not only in the presence of poor initial estimates but also in the presence of unexpected fluctuations in the cutting force measurements. However, the method has drawbacks resulting from difficulties in obtaining accurate model parameters. An adaptive version of the presented nonlinear observer, periodically calibrated by off-line direct tool wear measurements using computer vision, is considered to be a promising strategy for industrial implementation.