cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Title versus Title/Abstract Text Searching in SDI Systems.

The terms from 228 individual SDI profiles of 104 research chemists were matched against the citations retrieved by these profiles in eight consecutive runs of Basic Journal Abstracts to determine the number of citations that would have been retrieved for each individual user if titles only had been searched. Computing the data as a ratio of title hits to total hits, the mean percentage of retrieval of citations if only titles are searched when compared with searching of titles and abstract text was 27.0%. This represents an average loss of 73% of the potential output to the individual SDI user. One can expect a higher level of retrieval by titles alone if only a single term is required for a match than in searches requiring more than one term to be present to constitute a match (39% compared with 16.8% in this study).
Ambiguous sexuality: Imagery and interpretation in tantric Buddhism

A critic of the thesis that asceticism and celibacy are central to mysticism might well turn for support to the Buddhist and Hindu tantras, whose practices often are assumed to involve ‘sex in the service of enlightenment’. I will attempt to show that the issue is not nearly so simple, by demonstrating the ambiguity of sexual imagery in Buddhist tantric texts and the historical ambivalence of the tantric tradition itself regarding the place and meaning of sexuality. After presenting three highly encoded ‘performance-songs’ (caryāgīti) of the Indian Buddhist adept Kānha (11th century), I will discuss the nature of interpretation in the tantric tradition, then the various ways in which the sexual imagery in Kānha's performance songs may be read. There appear to be at least four possible levels of interpretation: (1) literal, where sexuality is overt, (2) symbolic, where the surface sexuality is a metaphor for certain meditative achievements, (3) ‘higher’ literal, where the symbolized meditative achievements...
Milankovitch solar radiation variations and ice age ice sheet sizes

The fluctuations in the size of ice age ice sheets are calculated using glacier mechanics and the Milankovitch solar radiation variations. The calculations are greatly simplified by considering only two-dimensional ice sheets with profiles that would be appropriate if ice obeyed the flow law of a perfectly plastic solid. The solar radiation variations seem to be large enough to account for ice ages.
Obstetrician-gynecologists' screening patterns for anxiety during pregnancy

As obstetrician-gynecologists (ob-gyns) take on a greater role in women's healthcare, it is important that they are aware of the high prevalence of anxiety disorders in their patient population. Anxiety disorders present during pregnancy can have detrimental effects on both mother and child. In this study, we queried 1,193 ob-gyns on their screening rates, practice patterns, training, and knowledge as they relate to anxiety disorders during pregnancy. We achieved a 44% response rate (n=397) after three mailings. Physicians reported a moderate interest in screening for and diagnosing anxiety, but less interest in treatment. Only 20% of respondents (n=79) screen for anxiety during pregnancy, and they typically refer anxiety-disordered patients to mental health professionals. Ob-gyns with comprehensive or adequate training were significantly more likely to screen than those who stated that their training was inadequate. Having a friend who has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder also significantly increased both the likelihood that these physicians would screen and the reported level of interest in screening of anxiety disorders during pregnancy. At present, the majority of ob-gyns feel that their training in this area was barely adequate to inadequate. Specifically, generalized anxiety disorder may be the least understood. Increased training in this area would allow ob-gyns to overcome what they list as the primary barrier to anxiety screening during pregnancy—that is, inadequate training about anxiety disorders. Depression and Anxiety 0:1–10, 2007. Published © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Paclitaxel nanoparticles for the potential treatment of brain tumors

Despite the advances in tumor therapy, patients with primary brain tumors and brain metastases have a very poor prognosis. Low responses to chemotherapy are mainly attributed to impermeability of the blood-brain barrier to cytotoxic agents. Paclitaxel has been shown to be active against gliomas and various brain metastases. However, its use in treatment of brain tumors is limited due to low blood-brain barrier permeability and serious side effects associated with administration of the paclitaxel solvent, Cremophor EL. Lack of paclitaxel brain uptake is thought to be associated with the p-glycoprotein (p-gp) efflux transporter. In this work, paclitaxel (PX) was entrapped in novel cetyl alcohol/polysorbate nanoparticles. Paclitaxel nanoparticles (PX NPs) were characterized by means of size, short-term stability, drug entrapment efficiency, and release profile. The PX NP cytotoxicity profile was monitored using two different cell lines, U-118 and HCT-15. Brain uptake of PX NPs was evaluated using an in situ rat brain perfusion model. The results suggest that entrapment of paclitaxel in nanoparticles significantly increases the drug brain uptake and its toxicity toward p-glycoprotein expressing tumor cells. It was hypothesized that PX NPs could mask paclitaxel characteristics and thus limit its binding to p-gp, which consequently would lead to higher brain and tumor cell uptake of the otherwise effluxed drug.
Self-reported medication use in community-residing older adults: A pilot study

Abstract Background: Older adults (ie, those aged ≥65 years) are at increased risk of developing drug therapy problems, which may lead to poor health outcomes and decreased quality of life. Objective: The primary goal of this pilot study was to evaluate and report medication use and potential drug therapy problems in older adults who received Eldercare program assistance through the Orange County Department on Aging in North Carolina. Methods: Between May and July 2002, subjects were consecutively sampled from a registry of adults aged ≥60 years enrolled in the Eldercare program. To be eligible for the study, individuals had to be receiving the services of the Eldercare program, speak English, and reside independently in the community of Orange County. The older adults were contacted by the program director to determine interest in participating in the study. If interested, the individual was contacted by a trained pharmacy doctoral student to verify study eligibility and arrange a home visit. At the home visit, information was collected via self-report on medication use and medical history. Nonadherence, potentially inappropriate prescribing, health literacy, and functional capacity were also assessed. All home visits were conducted between May and July 2002. Results: A total of 100 subjects were interviewed. The mean (SD) age of respondents was 77.5 (8.7) years; 85% were women, 66% were white, 34% black, and 70% lived alone. The mean (SD) number of prescription medications used per patient was 9.6 (4.1). Adequate health literacy, defined as a score ≥23 (range of possible scores, 0–36) on the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, was documented in only 35% of individuals. Twenty-five percent of the sample (25/100) had reduced functional capacity when evaluated on the Functional Activities Questionnaire, with total scores ≥10 (range of possible scores, 10–30) indicative of reduced functional ability. Rates of nonadherence, defined as a score of 0 to 3 on the 4-item Morisky instrument, were 53%. When evaluating inappropriate prescribing based on the Beers criteria, 34% of individuals used ≥1 potentially inappropriate medication. In bivariate analyses, there was a statistically significant relationship between race and number of medications ( P P P P Conclusions: In this study, older adults residing independently in the community were responsible for managing and taking a considerable number of medications on a daily basis. In addition, inadequate health literacy, poor adherence, and potentially inappropriate medication use were prevalent in this sample. The results also suggest that race may have played an important role in the risk of developing medication-related problems.
Influence of viscoelasticity and permeability on the stress response of silica gel

This review examines the chemical and physical factors that control the response of silica gel to stimuli such as aging, heating, mechanical deformation, and drying. When the liquid phase is chemically aggressive, the gel exhibits spontaneous shrinkage (syneresis) and viscoelasticity ; in an inert medium, the network of the gel is purely elastic. The rate of the responses to mechanical loads and changes in temperature depends on the permeability, as well as the modulus, of the network. The properties of the gel change by orders of magnitude as the network contracts during drying, and this has a dramatic effect on the drying stresses.
Supersymmetric Chiral Bosons on Group Manifolds

We give the WZW models, for (1,0) supersymmetric leftons and rightons. Super-Kac-Moody currents and the coupling to non-abelian, gauge superfields are derived. The locally supersymmetric theory is discussed.
Comments on Orientalism . Two Reviews: Representation and Authority

Gilbert Durand, the theorist of the imaginary, is fond of saying that the study of human beings is “like being in a room and watching yourself go by in the street:” what is said of the object is always applicable to the subject. That is why the discourse of academic disciplines concerned with humans is peculiarly vulnerable. If you produce a theory of the imaginary, like Gilbert Durand, that theory will also be applicable to the discourse which produces it, immediately relativizing the theory as an imaginary product. If you study a culture or group of cultures having the character of the “Oriental,” your study, as Edward Said's book points out, is itself open to analysis as a manifestation of “Western” culture. A book which indicates, as his does, that “Western” representations of the East (beginning with the notion of the East itself) have purposes which relate to purely Western needs and projects can be seen in its turn as a representation of Orientalism having purposes of its own, such as the furtherance of Arab politial causes. A review which points these things out is itself asking to be reviewed in terms of its own representations and purposes. And so on.
Effects of distraction and experience on situation awareness and simulated driving

This study examined the impact of cell phone conversation on situation awareness and performance of novice and experienced drivers. Driving performance and situation awareness among novice drivers ages 14-16 (n = 25) and experienced drivers ages 21-52 (n = 26) were assessed using a driving simulator. Performance was measured by the number of driving infractions committed: speeding, collisions, pedestrians struck, stop signs missed, and centerline and road edge crossings. Situation awareness was assessed through a query method and through participants' performance on a direction-following task. Cognitive distractions were induced through simulated hands-free cell phone conversations. The results indicated that novice drivers committed more driving infractions and were less situationally aware than their experienced counterparts. However, the two groups suffered similar decrements in performance during the cell phone condition. This study provides evidence of the detrimental effects of cell phone use for both novice and experienced drivers. These findings have implications for supporting driving legislation that limits the use of cell phones (including hands-free) in motor vehicles, regardless of the driver's experience level. Keywords: Driver distraction Language: en
Tetrahydroaminoacridine increases acetylcholine synthesis and glucose oxidation by mouse brain slices in vitro

Abstract 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-5-aminoacridine (THA; tacrine) reportedly improves cognitive deficits in certain individuals with Alzheimer's disease. The present study describes increased glucose oxidation and acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis by mouse brain slices after THA treatment. THA increased [U- 14 C]glucose decarboxylation and ACh formation in a concentration-dependent manner in hippocampal slices (50 nM μ M μ M). In striatal and cortical slices, 50 μM THA effectively elevated the oxidation of glucose and its incorporation into ACh. Thus the efficacy of THA treatment on Alzheimer patients may be partially related to increased ACh synthesis and oxidative metabolism.
Effect of Exposure to Subfreezing Temperatures on Ethylene Evolution and Leaf Abscission in Citrus

Citrus leaves exposed to subfreezing temperatures evolved ethylene at rates between 0.1 and 38.3 microliters per kilogram fresh weight per hour whereas untreated leaves evolved between 0.01 and 0.50 microliter per kilogram fresh weight per hour. Leaves not injured by freezing temperatures did not abscise, and ethylene evolution was near normal after 2 days. Freeze-injured leaves continued evolving high ethylene levels 4 or 5 days subsequent to freeze injury, and many of the freeze-killed leaves abscised. Supportive evidence suggested freeze-induced ethylene was involved in freeze-induced leaf abscission; whereas freeze-inhibited abscission was not due to a lack of ethylene but injury to other metabolic systems necessary for abscission.
Efficient fault node detection algorithm for wireless sensor networks

The performance of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) degrades due to the presence of faulty sensor node. Therefore, fault node detection is an important problem in WSNs. The conventional fault detection methods where the faulty node is detected by measuring the outlyingness of the sensor data with respect to measured mean is not providing better performance in high noise environment. To overcome that problem, in this paper we have proposed centralized robust fault detection algorithm to identify soft faulty sensor node present in the network. The simulation results show that the detection accuracy and false alarm rate performance is much better compared to the conventional algorithm.
Nasal osteotomy and airway changes

The purpose of this prospective investigation was to evaluate the factors involved in the constricting effect of nasal bone osteotomy on the nasal airway. Immediately before the osteotomy, observations were made and recorded in regard to both the position of the inferior turbinates and the length of the nasal bones. During the osteotomy, the nasal bone movement was graded and the type of osteotomy was documented. The two types of osteotomy were defined as either high-to-low or low-to-low. Each side of the nose was assessed independently. Forty-eight consecutive patients, 8 men and 40 women, were included in this study, providing 96 nasal sides for evaluation. There were 42 normal, 32 short, and 22 long nasal bones. The patients with short nasal bones exhibited less diminution in the airway than those patients with normal nasal bones (p < 0.05). The position of the inferior turbinates was designated as anterior in 48 sites, 12 were considered normal, and 28 were deemed posterior. The narrowing of the airway was significant when the inferior turbinates were positioned anteriorly when compared with posteriorly positioned inferior turbinates (p < 0.05). Twenty-four nasal bones were shifted slightly, 48 intermediately, and 22 significantly. Major nasal airway constriction was observed when the medial positioning of the nasal bone was significant (p < 0.05). Eighty-four osteotomies were classified as low-to-low, and 12 were high-to-low. High-to-low osteotomies resulted in the least narrowing of the nasal passage (p < 0.005). It is concluded from this study that the nasal osteotomy does constrict the nasal airway in most incidences. The length of the nasal bones, the degree of nasal bone repositioning, the position of the inferior turbinates, and the type of osteotomy are definite factors contributing to airway narrowing after nasal bone osteotomy.
An Estimate of the Momentum Deposition in the Lower Thermosphere by the Observed Diurnal Tide

This paper reports a calculation of the acceleration of the zonal mean flow induced by dissipating tides in the equatorial lower thermosphere. Estimates of the gravest symmetric gravitiational Hough mode (1,1) of the migrating diurnal tide are obtained from monthly composites of global winds observed by the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI). Using the principles of classical tidal theory, the tidal momentum flux divergence is computed for a series of monthly mean (1,1) fields from January 1992 to May 1993. The contribution to the mean flow by the leading mode of the migrating tide ranges between -5 and -20 (easterly) m/s/day in the equatorial lower thermosphere. A semiannual variation is noted in the tidal amplitudes and the inferred tidal accelerations. These variations are consistent with observed trends in the zonal mean flow of the lower thermosphere.
Reconstruction algorithm effects on density mask score and volume in patients with low amounts of emphysema

The effects of CT reconstruction algorithm on density mask score (percentage of voxels < -910 HU) and total lung volume were investigated for emphysema patients with low density mask scores (approximately 20% or below) and patients with higher scores. Based on MTF curves, reconstruction algorithms were classed as standard (i.e. non-enhancing) or over-enhancing. Each image data set was reconstructed with both the standard reconstruction algorithm and the over-enhancing algorithm. All other factors, such as slice collimation and reconstruction interval, were constant. Twenty-nine patients were divided into a high density mask score group (n=10) and low density mask score group (n=19). For the low density mask subgroup, the over-enhancing category yielded an average increase in density mask score of 12.6% compared to standard (i.e. a shift in average score from 14.8% to 27.4%). The maximum shift in score for the low density mask group was 15.9% while the minimum shift was 9.2%. The high density mask group yielded an average shift of 8.7%, with a minimum shift of 3.8% and a maximum shift of 15.3%. The low density group displayed a 1.2% decrease in volume for the over-enhancing category and a 0.8% decrease for the standard category. These volume changes are likely clinically insignificant. Reconstruction algorithm does, however, have a significant effect on the density mask quantitative measure of emphysema. This effect may be significantly larger for density mask scores in patients with smaller amounts of emphysema.
Dihydrothymine lesion in X-irradiated DNA: characterization at the molecular level and detection in cells.

Purpose: To study the formation of the dihydrothymine lesion produced in DNA by ionizing radiation in an anaerobic environment.Materials and methods: The dihydrothymine lesion, along with other lesions, was isolated from an X‐irradiated aqueous solution of the dinucleoside monophosphate d(TpA) and analysed by correlated two‐dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The dihydrothymine lesion was obtained by enzymatic digestion of irradiated DNA in the form of modified dinucleoside monophosphates, d(TdA), where Td stands for dihydrothymidine. Liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry was used to detect the lesion in the DNA of X‐irradiated mouse fibroblast cells.Results: The modified dinucleoside monophosphate, d(TdpA), fragments by two pathways so that altogether the lesion could be detected using two different sets of tandem mass spectrometry (precursor ion mass/daughter ion mass) values.Conclusion: The dihydrothymine lesion is a significant lesion in cells exposed to ionizing radiation in...
Maternal aggression of rats is impaired by cutaneous anesthesia of the ventral trunk, but not by nipple removal.

Abstract Aggression toward conspecific and allospecific individuals by female mammals is much more likely during lactation than during other reproductive states, a behavior that serves to protect the young. Previous research revealed that removal of nipples (thelectomy) prepartum greatly reduces the likelihood of postpartum aggression in house mice, but not in Sprague-Dawley Norway rats. The present work shows that prepartum thelectomy has no effect on the likelihood or intensity of postpartum aggression toward a strange male intruder in Long-Evans rats. In contrast, anesthesia of each nipple and surrounding skin prevents or severely impairs the elicitation of biting and attacking by the intruder, but does not impair normal retrieval of pups. Following removal of teh litter, maternal aggression occurs readily at 1 h and somewhat less so at 5 h, but is absent at 24 h. These data suggest that while maternal aggression in postpartum rats does not require suckling, it is dependent on somatosensory stimulation of the ventral trunk by pups; this stimulation apparently produces a motivational change that lasts several hours.
Isovolumetric regulation of renal proximal tubules in hypotonic medium.

Isolated nonperfused proximal tubules maintained their cell volume at a constant level (isovolumetric regulation, IVR), when osmolality of the bathing medium was gradually decreased from 290 to 190mos
Systems Level Study of Bacterial Multi-Drug Resistance from Efflux Machinery

Bacterial multi-drug resistance efflux pumps are complex molecular machines that expel multiple drugs and antibiotics. They also influence important genetic and cellular processes to confer additional drug resistance. We have developed a mathematical framework to integrate genetic and cellular processes to understand how efflux pumps confer resistance. Our model is validated against multiple lines of experimental evidence, such as time-kill behavior of wild-type cells, as well as mutant strains deficient in efflux pump or genetic regulation mechanisms. Our model exhibits quantitative agreement with the experiments and predicts specific, experimentally testable properties which are important for drug efflux. Also, we describe our current efforts to integrate molecular mechanisms from a data-driven structural model of the P. aeruginosa tripartite MexAB-OprM complex that was constructed based upon the crystal structures of the individual components MexA, MexB, and OprM, energetic calculations of the membrane-bound complex, and distance constraints between components derived from crosslinking studies.
Message scheduling and delivery with vehicular communication network infrastructure

Wide deployment of communication devices on vehicles is on the horizon due to the development of intelligent transportation systems. Although these communication devices are originally designed for highway efficiency and safety applications, the mobile communication ability on vehicles also enables a lot of other emerging applications. In this paper we study an application scenario on utilizing vehicles to carry messages for a set of sensor collectors, which are deployed at places without other communication infrastructure. A core problem that we study is on how to schedule messages so that the message delay is minimized. To achieve this goal, we propose three different strategies: the first feasible vehicle strategy, the optimal bound strategy, and the multiple attempt strategy. We further provide mathematical analysis on these strategies that are also verified by simulations, and compare the performance of these three strategies in simulations.We draw the conclusion that the optimal bound strategy is an effective strategy as it achieves low delay of the messages. At the same time it avoids the disadvantages such as high energy consumption and large storage size as in the multiple attempt strategy.
Time response of single and dual reflector antennas

The authors describe a frequency domain methodology to calculate the time response of reflector antenna systems and present the effect of various antenna parameters on the time response for single and dual reflector antennas. This method makes use of the well-known formulations for the analysis of reflector antennas such as geometrical optics, the geometrical theory of diffraction (including uniform theories at the shadow boundaries) or physical optics and the physical theory of diffraction. These formulations are valid when the sizes of reflectors are large with respect to the smallest frequency component of the input signal. If this condition is not met, methods such as the moment method can be used for the frequency components of interest. The time response of single and dual reflector antennas due to pulsed sinusoid and Gaussian-type source signals is shown. >
Microscopic theory of pion production and sidewards flow in heavy-ion collisions.

Nuclear collisions from 0.3 to 2 GeV/nucleon are studied in a microscopic theory based on Vlasov's self-consistent mean field and Uehling-Uhlenbeck's two-body collision term which respects the Pauli principle. The theory explains simultaneously the observed collective flow and the pion multiplicity and gives their dependence on the nuclear equation of state.
Current Concepts of the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a relatively common genetic disease, is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young people. The estimated prevalence is 1 in 500. The proportion of individuals inheriting the disease (familial) as opposed to developing a de novo mutation (sporadic) remains to be determined. Nevertheless, because all HCM is genetic in origin, even individuals with the sporadic form will transmit the gene to their offspring and become part of the familial pool. Cases with outflow tract obstruction are referred to as hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) and those without obstruction as HCM. Symptoms occur earlier and are more severe in patients with obstruction.1 The overall annual death rate in patients with HCM is estimated at ≈1%/year, whereas that in patients with HOCM is ≈2%/year, with the risk of stroke being 4-fold greater than it is in patients with HCM.1 HCM is characterized by hypertrophy and fibrosis occurring without known cause. The primary abnormality responsible for HCM is a genetic defect. The pattern of inheritance is autosomal dominant, which means that only one of the alleles is defective. The mechanism remains somewhat controversial. The proposed predominant mechanism is that the defective allele acts as a poisonous peptide, which interferes with the normal allele, referred to as a dominant negative. Another mechanism is a gain of function that dominates the normal function. A final mechanism is haploinsufficiency, in which the remaining normal allele provides insufficient protein to perform the function required. The genes responsible for HCM are listed in Table 1. View this table: TABLE 1. Genes Responsible for HCM Excessive cardiac growth, reflected by increased myocyte size (hypertrophy), increased the number of fibroblasts with secretion of collagen (fibrosis) and malalignment of myocytes and sarcomeres in the pathology of HCM. The molecular events triggered by the genotype that …
Effects of Labeling and ADHD Behaviors on Peer and Teacher Judgments

Abstract Thirty-nine primary education teachers and 81 fourth- through sixth-grade students watched a 4.5-minute video in which a child either displayed stereotypical Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) behavior or normal behavior and was labeled either ADHD or normal. All subjects then completed first-impressions rating scales, predictions regarding subsequent success, and an evaluation of a hand-written essay. The ADHD behavior, but not the label, had a significant negative impact on teachers and peers on the first-impressions and prediction scales. Although the teachers' judgments of the essay were not affected by the label or the behavior, a complex interaction occurred for peer ratings of the essay. The apparent contradiction with prior studies and the need for revised research methods are discussed.
Short paths in expander graphs

Graph expansion has proved to be a powerful general tool for analyzing the behavior of routing algorithms and the inter-connection networks on which they run. We develop new routing algorithms and structural results for bounded-degree expander graphs. Our results are unified by the fact that they are all based upon, and extend, a body of work: asserting that expanders are rich in short, disjoint paths. In particular, our work has consequences for the disjoint paths problem, multicommodity flow, and graph minor containment. We show: (i) A greedy algorithm for approximating the maximum disjoint paths problem achieves a polylogarithmic approximation ratio in bounded-degree expanders. Although our algorithm is both deterministic and on-line, its performance guarantee is an improvement over previous bounds in expanders. (ii) For a multicommodity flow problem with arbitrary demands on a bounded-degree expander there is a (1+/spl epsi/)-optimal solution using only flow paths of polylogarithmic length. It follows that the multicommodity flow algorithm of Awerbuch and Leighton runs in nearly linear time per commodity in expanders. Our analysis is based on establishing the following: given edge weights on an expander G, one can increase some of the weights very slightly so the resulting shortest-path metric is smooth-the min-weight path between any pair of nodes uses a polylogarithmic number of edges. (iii) Every bounded-degree expander on n nodes contains every graph with O(n/log/sup 0(1)/n) nodes and edges as a minor.
Microrobotically Fabricated Biological Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

A microrobotic method for fabricating multilayered poly(lactic acid) (PLA) biological scaffolds using micropipettes for tissue engineering applications is presented. Biological scaffolds are fabricated over several different substrates by drawing and solidification of a viscous liquid polymer solution pumped continuously through a glass micropipette. The proposed method produces highly aligned, multilayered, crisscrossed fiber scaffolds with user specified pore sizes and diameters in the range from 1 to 10 micrometer. Attachment, proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 mouse pluripotential cells seeded on individual, parallel, and intersecting fibers is successfully demonstrated. The proposed robotic methodology consistently provides parameterized biological scaffolds to aid studies in tissue engineering and to develop novel MEMS, filtration and controlled drug delivery devices
Physiologic (intraindividual) variation of serum prostate-specific antigen in 814 men from a screening population*

Abstract Objectives We measured the intraindividual variation of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the serum of healthy men screened for prostate cancer. Methods We used a fully automated PSA assay system (ACS: 180 assay) to evaluate a screening population of 814 men (mean age, 63.3 years; range, 50 to 79 years) without documented prostate cancer or prostate surgery. A second blood sample was drawn 15 to 183 days after the first specimen (mean, 80 days). Results In the ACS PSA ranges of 0 to 7.2 ng/mL, 7.3 to 17.9 ng/mL, and 18.0 ng/mL or greater (0 to 4 ng/mL, 4 to 10 ng/mL, and 10.0 ng/mL or greater by the Tandem-R assay), the mean coefficient of variation of the first and second blood drawn was 20%, 12%, and 10%, respectively. In 435 men whose first blood samples were measured twice for PSA difference (interassay or run-to-run variation), the intraindividual variation in the range of 0 to 7.2 ng/mL was significantly larger than the interassay variation, which was also true for the 7.3 to 17.9 ng/mL range. In the range of 0 to 7.2 ng/mL, 251 of 695 (36%) showed a 20% or greater relative increase and 69 of 695 (10%) showed a 1.3 ng/mL (0.75 ng/mL by the Tandem-R assay) or greater absolute increase of PSA at the second blood sample. Conclusions We conclude that in the low ranges of PSA concentrations, one should consider the possibility of substantial intraindividual variation when interpreting serial PSA measurements. UROLOGY ® 47 : 343–346, 1996.
Table Compression by Record Intersections

Saturated patterns with don't care like those emerged in biosequence motif discovery have proven a valuable notion also in the design of lossless and lossy compression of sequence data. In independent endeavors, the peculiarities inherent to the compression of tables have been examined, leading to compression schemata advantageously hinged on a prudent rearrangement of columns. The present paper introduces off-line table compression by textual substitution in which the patterns used in compression are chosen among models or templates that capture recurrent record subfields. A model record is to be interpreted here as a sequence of intermixed solid and don't care characters that obeys, in addition, some conditions of saturation: most notably, it must be not possible to replace a don't care in the model by a solid character without having to forfeit some of its occurrences in the table. Saturation is expected to save on the size of the codebook at the outset, and hence to improve compression. It also induces some clustering of the records in the table, which may present independent interest. Results from preliminary experiments show the savings and potential for classification brought about by this method in connection with a table of specimens collected in a context of biodiversity studies.
The application of bit-serial CORDIC computational units to the design of inverse kinematics processors

C.S.G. Lee and P.R. Chang (1986) have shown how the mathematical and nonlinear function evaluation operations involved in the inverse kinematic solution for a six-joint manipulator could be re-expressed and reordered so as to allow their evaluation by an interconnection of CORDIC processors. The present authors describe the use of specialized, dedicated CORDIC processors, implemented in bit-serial form, to construct an inverse kinematics computational unit on a single VLSI chip. >
Homometallic UO22+ diphosphonates assembled under ambient and hydrothermal conditions

Four uranyl methylenediphosphonates have been synthesized from reactions of uranyl nitrate and methylenediphosphonate in water. Three of the compounds, (1) (UO2)[CH2(PO3H)2](H2O)·2H2O, (2) (UO2)[CH2(PO3H)2](H2O)·4H2O, and (3) (UO2)[O3PCH2PO3H](H2O)·3H2O·NH4, have been synthesized under ambient conditions whereas compound 4, (UO2)[CH2(PO3H)2](H2O)·H2O, was prepared hydrothermally. Each compound is built from the UO22+ cation coordinated to one water molecule and four oxygen atoms from three diphosphonate ligands to form pentagonal bipyramid geometry. Despite these similarities however, compounds 1–4 exhibit remarkable structural diversity with 1 and 2 forming 1-D structural units, compound 3 adopting 2-D sheets, and compound 4 exhibiting a 3-D structure. Such differences are attributed to variations in the preparation of the materials (reaction temperature and presence of counterions) as well differences in hydration and/or the position of the bound water molecules in each of the structures. The thermal and fluorescent behaviors of the compounds are also presented.
VLSI layout of a pipelined multiplier

The proposed multiplier views the operations as a logical one, without using addition or counting. Such a novel view provides grounds for a high pipeline throughput. The authors discuss the algorithm and then the cell design, cell placement, and a routing scheme in the VLSI layout of the proposed multiplier using CMOS technology. Then they compare their design against a number of recently proposed systolic multipliers, using multiplication delay as the comparison measure. They conclude that the proposed design outperforms most of the existing schemes for different multiplication sizes. >
Establishment of an Improved Implantation Technique for Hamster Mucous Membrane Irritation Testing

Biological evaluation procedures for the acceptance of new dental materials include testing for mucous membrane irritation and inflammation, with the hamster cheek pouch used as a model system. Previous reports have indicated both a low 14-day implant retention rate and poor differentiation between positive and negative controls, requiring the establishment of a new standard procedure for hamster cheek pouch implantations. Groups of 10 female golden Syrian hamsters were implanted with uniform discs (6 mm in diameter and 1 mm thick) of white base-plate gutta percha (GP), gray welding-rod polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), or test alloys, under Nembutal anesthesia. Each animal's right cheek pouch was everted and cleaned, and the implant was loosely placed at the bottom of the pouch. The pouch was closed by a double-suture technique. Contralateral (left) cheek pouches served as controls for the physical state of each animal. A collar (cable tie) was placed tightly around the animal's neck at a level between the sutures and the implant. Cheek pouches were assessed after 14 days. Implants were kept in contact with oral mucosa longer using the double-suture-plus-collar technique than in hamsters without collars (14-day retention rates of 48.0% and 6.7%, respectively). Average severity indices (ASI) of 5.4 and 1.7 were obtained for PVC and GP, respectively, as compared with 1.6 for contralateral control pouches. LDPE was not a suitable negative control material (ASI = 2.6). Positive and negative controls were clearly delineated when PVC and GP were the control materials.
Product‐Line Length as a Competitive Tool

The increasing number of consumer goods and services offered in recent years suggests that product-line extensions have become a favored strategy of product managers. A larger assortment, it is often argued, keeps customers loyal and allows firms to charge higher prices. There is disagreement, however, about the extent to which a longer product line translates into higher profits. We develop an econometric model derived from a game-theoretic perspective that explicitly considers firms' use of product-line length as a competitive tool. On the demand side, we analytically establish the link between consumer choice and the length of the product line. Based on our derivations, we include a measure of line length in the utility function to investigate consumer preference for variety using a brand-level discrete-choice model. The supply side is characterized by price and line length competition between oligopolistic firms. For the empirical analysis we use market-level data for the yogurt category. We find that there are decreasing returns to product-line length. Based on a series of “what-if” experiments, we derive recommendations for effective product line decisions in a competitive environment.
Multiple phases of chondrocyte enlargement underlie differences in skeletal proportions

Even a casual pass through the great halls of mammals in the world’s natural history museums highlights the wide diversity of skeletal proportions that allow us to distinguish between species even when reduced to their calcified components. Similarly each individual is comprised of a variety of bones of differing lengths. The largest contribution to the lengthening of a skeletal element, and to the differential elongation of elements, comes from a dramatic increase in the volume of hypertrophic chondrocytes in the growth plate as they undergo terminal differentiation 1–7 . Despite this recognized importance, the mechanisms of chondrocyte volume enlargement have remained a mystery 8–11 . Here we use quantitative phase microscopy 12 to show that chondrocytes undergo three distinct phases of volume increase, including a phase of massive cell swelling in which the cellular dry mass is significantly diluted. In light of the tight fluid regulatory mechanisms known to control volume in many cell types 13 , this stands as a remarkable mechanism for increasing cell size and regulating growth rate. It is, however, the duration of the final phase of volume enlargement by proportional dry mass increase at low density that varies most between rapidly and slowly elongating growth plates. Moreover, we find that this third phase is locally regulated through an Insulin-like Growth Factor-dependent mechanism. This study provides a framework for understanding how skeletal size is regulated and for exploring how cells sense, modify, and establish a volume set point.
The folded dipole perspective of electrical small spherical helix antennas

The dimensions of resonant antennas are typically in the same scale as the wavelength of the operating frequency. As the operating frequency decreases, the dimension of the antenna would increase along with the wavelength in general. On the other hand, low frequency operations are preferred in some scenarios of wireless communications because the intercepted power by the receiving antenna is proportional to the square the wavelength, resulting a lower propagation path loss. Electrically small antennas with dimensions in a fraction of the wavelength are thus needed. In addition to the well known fundamental limit of Q in those antennas, another significant disadvantage associated with electrically small antennas is their small radiation resistance, which results in poor radiation efficiency and difficulty in designing impedance matching circuits. Recently, spherical helix antennas have been studied and it is found that such antennas can provide reasonable bandwidth performance and dipole-like radiation patterns. Regardless of the good performance of the spherical helix antenna, how to design and analyze the spherical helix antennas remains as a challenging task due to its complex matching and radiation mechanisms. Here, it is proposed that the spherical helix antenna operates in a similar way to folded dipole antennas. It is well known that folded dipole antennas can quadruple the radiation impedance of a common dipole of impedance 73+42.5j ohms to a ldquotwin-leadrdquo 300 ohm transmission line. It will be presented the spherical helix antenna can be analyzed in a way similar to as the multiple parasitic arms of the helix antenna plays a role of impedance ldquoboosting uprdquo similar to that of the folded arm in the folded dipole antenna. The small radiation impedance associated with a single arm miniaturized dipole antenna is compensated through this impedance transformation so that an radiation impedance of 50 ohms can be realized. The analysis provides a direction on how to modify and extend the spherical helix antennas for different applications.
The slopes of cumulus clouds in relation to external wind shear

An equation for the slope of cumulus clouds is derived. It is shown to depend upon the vertical ascent rate, the external wind shear and the horizontal frictional forces between the cloud and its surroundings. These frictional forces are of two origins: one due to entrainment or mixing with the outside air, and the other due to form or body drag. Four observational cases are presented, one concerning trade cumulus, and three involving clouds in mid-latitudes. In two of these, measurement of updraught speed, wind shear, and cloud slope permit an estimate of the magnitude of the friction forces. The minimum contribution due to entrainment is approximately equal to that inferred by Stommel for trade cumulus.
Hepatitis B Virus Replication Is Associated with an HBx-Dependent Mitochondrion-Regulated Increase in Cytosolic Calcium Levels

The nonstructural hepatitis B virus (HBV) protein HBx has an important role in HBV replication and in HBV-associated liver disease. Many activities have been linked to HBx expression; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying many of these activities are unknown. One proposed HBx function is the regulation of cytosolic calcium. We analyzed calcium levels in HepG2 cells that expressed HBx or replicating HBV, and we demonstrated that HBx, expressed in the absence of other HBV proteins or in the context of HBV replication, elevates cytosolic calcium. We linked this elevation of cytosolic calcium to the association of HBx with the mitochondrial permeability transition pore.
Adaptive pulse compression via MMSE estimation

Radar pulse compression involves the extraction of an estimate of the range profile illuminated by a radar in the presence of noise. A problem inherent to pulse compression is the masking of small targets by large nearby targets due to the range sidelobes that result from standard matched filtering. This paper presents a new approach based upon a minimum mean-square error (MMSE) formulation in which the pulse compression filter for each individual range cell is adaptively estimated from the received signal in order to mitigate the masking interference resulting from matched filtering in the vicinity of large targets. The proposed method is compared with the standard matched filter and least-squares (LS) estimation and is shown to be superior over a variety of stressing scenarios.
Managing complex IT security processes with value based measures

Current trends indicate that IT security measures will need to greatly expand to counter the ever increasingly sophisticated, well-funded and/or economically motivated threat space. Traditional risk management approaches provide an effective method for guiding courses of action for assessment, and mitigation investments. However, such approaches no matter how popular demand very detailed knowledge about the IT security domain and the enterprise/cyber architectural context. Typically, the critical nature and/or high stakes require careful consideration and adaptation of a balanced approach that provides reliable and consistent methods for rating vulnerabilities. As reported in earlier works, the Cyberspace Security Econometrics System provides a comprehensive measure of reliability, security and safety of a system that accounts for the criticality of each requirement as a function of one or more stakeholders' interests in that requirement. This paper advocates a dependability measure that acknowledges the aggregate structure of complex system specifications, and accounts for variations by stakeholder, by specification components, and by verification and validation impact.
Direct observation of faculty with feedback: an effective means of improving patient-centered and learner-centered teaching skills.

Background: In 2002 Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network Internal Medicine residency program sought to establish a faculty development program for their teaching faculty that emphasized learner-centered teaching of patient-centered care. Description: Medical educators trained in observational research practices shadowed teaching teams for 24 months and observed 24 General Internal Medicine faculty teach on inpatient rounds and provided timely written feedback to faculty. Within 48 hr, faculty received a completed Observation Feedback Sheet and summary comments. Evaluation: Teaching skills were seen to improve over time after feedback was provided and repeat observations occurred. Observation ratings mirrored the results of the established Department of Medicine resident ranking of faculty teaching: Observed faculty receiving feedback improved their ranking, whereas faculty not observed did not. Conclusions: Observation of teaching with written feedback is an effective means of individualizing faculty...
Hyperlactacidemia associated with acute ritodrine infusion

The use of beta-mimetic tocolytics has been associated with various metabolic derangements which have been the topic of investigational reports. Lactic acidosis has been reported to follow concomitant steroid administration. The purpose of this investigation was to delineate more clearly hyperlactacidemia in patients receiving various tocolytics with and without concomitant use of steroids in a prospective manner. Twenty patients in premature labor who received ritodrine had markedly increased blood levels of lactate (baseline, 1.0 +/- 0.1 mmol/L [SEM] versus 3.5 +/- 0.3 mmol/L [SEM] after 6 hours' intravenous infusion). In the other treatment groups, ritodrine plus hydrocortisone, hydrocortisone alone, and magnesium sulfate alone, lactate levels failed to change significantly. Clinical relevance and implications for metabolic alterations associated with beta-mimetic tocolysis are discussed.