cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Older adults' attitudes about continuing cancer screening later in life: a pilot study interviewing residents of two continuing care communities

Individualized decision making has been recommended for cancer screening decisions in older adults. Because older adults' preferences are central to individualized decisions, we assessed older adults' perspectives about continuing cancer screening later in life. Face to face interviews with 116 residents age 70 or over from two long-term care retirement communities. Interview content included questions about whether participants had discussed cancer screening with their physicians since turning age 70, their attitudes about information important for individualized decisions, and their attitudes about continuing cancer screening later in life. Forty-nine percent of participants reported that they had an opportunity to discuss cancer screening with their physician since turning age 70; 89% would have preferred to have had these discussions. Sixty-two percent believed their own life expectancy was not important for decision making, and 48% preferred not to discuss life expectancy. Attitudes about continuing cancer screening were favorable. Most participants reported that they would continue screening throughout their lives and 43% would consider getting screened even if their doctors recommended against it. Only 13% thought that they would not live long enough to benefit from cancer screening tests. Factors important to consider stopping include: age, deteriorating or poor health, concerns about the effectiveness of the tests, and doctors recommendations. This select group of older adults held positive attitudes about continuing cancer screening later in life, and many may have had unrealistic expectations. Individualized decision making could help clarify how life expectancy affects the potential survival benefits of cancer screening. Future research is needed to determine whether educating older adults about the importance of longevity in screening decisions would be acceptable, affect older adults' attitudes about screening, or change their screening behavior.
A new approach to understanding and measuring glass formation in bulk amorphous materials

Abstract This paper summarizes our recent work on the understanding of glass formation from considering both liquid phase stability and crystallization resistance from a physical metallurgical point of view. A comprehensive expression to predict glass-forming ability (GFA) for various glass-forming systems, γ=Tx/(Tg+Tl), was derived, where Tx is the crystallization temperature, Tg the glass transition temperature and Tl the liquidus temperature. Our physical-metallurgy approach is supported strongly by experimental data reported for various bulk amorphous materials. Also, some misconception commonly used for assessing the GFA in the literature will be clarified.
Severe kyphoscoliosis, breathing, and sleep: the Quasimodo syndrome during sleep.

Five adult subjects with severe kyphoscoliosis were monitored during sleep. Several types of breathing abnormalities, including obstructive apnea and hypopnea, were noted. The lowest oxygen desaturations occurred during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Arterial pressure, continuously measured in one subject, progressively increased throughout the night in association with abnormal breathing. The use of a cuirass ventilator did not improve the nocturnal problem.
Osteocyte Viability and Regulation of Osteoblast Function in a 3D Trabecular Bone Explant Under Dynamic Hydrostatic Pressure

A new trabecular bone explant model was used to examine osteocyte- osteoblast interactions under DHP loading. DHP loading enhanced osteocyte viability as well as osteoblast function measured by osteoid formation. However, live osteocytes were necessary for osteoblasts to form osteoids in response to DHP, which directly show osteoblast- osteocyte interactions in this in vitro culture. Introduction: A trabecular bone explant model was characterized and used to examine the effect of osteocyte and osteoblast interactions and dynamic hydrostatic pressure (DHP) loading on osteocyte viability and osteoblast function in long-term culture. Materials and Methods: Trabecular bone cores obtained from metacarpals of calves were cleaned of bone marrow and trabecular surface cells and divided into six groups, (1) live cores dynamic hydrostatic pressure (DHP), (2) live cores sham, (3) live cores osteoblast DHP, (4) live cores osteoblast sham, (5) devitalized cores osteoblast DHP, and (6) devitalized cores osteoblast sham, with four culture durations (2, 8, 15, and 22 days; n 4/group). Cores from groups 3- 6 were seeded with osteoblasts, and cores from groups 5 and 6 were devitalized before seeding. Groups 1, 3, and 5 were subjected to daily DHP loading. Bone histomorphometry was performed to quantify osteocyte viability based on morphology and to assess osteoblast function based on osteoid surface per bone surface (Os/Bs). TUNEL staining was performed to evaluate the mode of osteocyte death under various conditions. Results: A portion of osteocytes remained viable for the duration of culture. DHP loading significantly enhanced osteocyte viability up to day 8, whereas the presence of seeded osteoblasts significantly decreased osteocyte viability. Cores with live osteocytes showed higher Os/Bs compared with devitalized cores, which reached significant levels over a greater range of time-points when combined with DHP loading. DHP loading did not increase Os/Bs in the absence of live osteocytes. The percentage of apoptotic cells remained the same regardless of treatment or culture duration. Conclusion: Enhanced osteocyte viability with DHP suggests the necessity of mechanical stimulation for osteocyte survival in vitro. Furthermore, osteocytes play a critical role in the transmission of signals from DHP loading to modulate osteoblast function. This explant culture model may be used for mechanotransduction studies in long-term cultures. J Bone Miner Res 2004;19:1403-1410. Published online on June 1, 2004; doi: 10.1359/JBMR.040516
Cool Shading Study

A small shading and lighting project to learn more about RenderMan's depth-of-field and bokeh controls.
Perceived support and relational effects in psychotherapy process constructs.

Recent research has indicated that only a small portion of supportiveness reflects the objective properties of providers. Instead, supportiveness primarily reflects the unique relationships among specific recipients and providers (i.e., relational effects), thus suggesting new approaches to support interventions. The authors investigated the possibility that similar relational effects occur for therapy process constructs (e.g., working alliance). Isolating relational effects in psychotherapy requires that each client receive treatment from more than one therapist during the same period of time. Therefore, we conducted analog studies in which therapy clients and students viewed videos of therapists and then rated expected therapist supportiveness and expected therapy process constructs for each therapist. Two studies indicated very strong relational effects in therapist supportiveness and therapy process constructs. In addition, process constructs were correlated strongly with supportiveness (Study 1) and favorable affect (Study 2) for relational effects specifically. Implications for integrating research on perceived support and therapy process were discussed.
Long-term outcome of necrotizing pancreatitis treated by necrosectomy

Background Long-term functional outcome after operative treatment of necrotizing pancreatitis (NP) has not been studied extensively. Methods Pancreatic function, performance status, recurrence of symptoms and other related problems were analysed in 44 consecutive patients successfully discharged from hospital after operative necrosectomy (1983–1995) and followed up completely for a mean of 5 years. Results Clinical pancreatic insufficiency developed in half the patients. Diabetes mellitus (11 patients), steatorrhoea (six) or both (five) were associated with a mean estimate of 52, 66 and 67 per cent parenchymal necrosis respectively. Normal pancreatic function was associated with 27 per cent parenchymal necrosis (P < 0·05). Diabetes worsened while steatorrhoea tended to improve over time. Abdominal pain and pancreatitis recurred in six and two patients respectively. Performance status worsened in four patients because of recurrent pancreatitis and severe steatorrhoea. Poor long-term performance was associated with a higher Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II score on admission (mean 14 versus 9). Conclusion NP has prominent effects on long-term pancreatic exocrine and endocrine function in half the patients, but most preserve a good overall functional status. The development of pancreatic insufficiency varies with the extent of pancreatic parenchymal necrosis. © 1998 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd
alpha1-ADRENOCEPTOR ANTAGONISTS TERAZOSIN AND DOXAZOSIN INDUCE PROSTATE APOPTOSIS WITHOUT AFFECTING CELL PROLIFERATION IN PATIENTS WITH BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

AbstractPurpose: Recent evidence indicated that an alpha1 blocker, doxazosin, induces prostate apoptosis in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).[1] in this study, to determine whether this apoptotic response was mediated by alpha1 adrenoceptor-dependent mechanism or was specific to doxazosin, we examined the effect of another alpha1 blocker, terazosin, in addition to doxazosin, on the dynamics of prostate cell growth.Materials and Methods: Cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated in BPH patients, an untreated (control) group (n = 31), and men treated with terazosin (n = 42) and doxazosin (n = 61) for the relief of the obstructive symptoms. Terazosin (1 to 10 mg./day) and doxazosin (2 to 8 mg./day) treatment varied from 1 week to 3 years. Ki-67 immunostaining and the TUNEL assay were used to evaluate the proliferative and apoptotic indices, respectively, in both the epithelial and stromal components of prostate (biopsy and prostatectomy) specimens. The smooth muscle cell content of the ...
Self-adjointness of the Yukawa2 Hamiltonian

Abstract We prove that the Hamiltonian H ( g ) for the Yukawa 2 interaction with a spatial cutoff is self-adjoint. We define H ( g ) as the limit of operators H ( g , κ ) with an ultraviolet cutoff. The ultraviolet cutoff makes the mass renormalization constant δm 2 ( g , κ ) and the vacuum self-energy E ( g , κ ) finite, but these constants both diverge logarithmically as κ → ∞. We choose the renormalization constants required by perturbation theory. As κ → ∞, the resolvents of the self-adjoint operators H ( g , κ ) converge in norm to the resolvent of the self-adjoint operator H ( g ). In addition H ( g ) has a vacuum vector.
Analytical Monte Carlo Ray Tracing simulation of radiative heat transfer through bimodal fibrous insulations with translucent fibers

Abstract In this study, a Monte Carlo Ray Tracing (MCRT) simulation technique is developed to study steady-state radiative heat transfer through fibrous insulation materials. The simulations are conducted in 3-D disordered virtual fibrous media with unimodal and/or bimodal fiber diameter distributions consisting of fibers whose surfaces are specularly reflective, and are translucent to Infrared (IR) radiation. Scattering within the realm of geometric optics is incorporated into our MCRT simulations using Snell’s Law for ray refraction. Fibers’ optical properties are obtained from Fresnel’s law and Beer’s law based on the refractive index of the material. Two different treatments of “high” and “low” conductivities are considered for the fibers and their effects are discussed. Our results indicate that heat flux through a fibrous medium with translucent fibers decreases with increasing packing fraction of the fibers. It was observed that IR transmittance through the media increases with increasing through-plane orientation of the fibers, but is independent of their in-plane orientations. It was also found that fiber orientation has generally a negligible effect on the temperature profile across the media’s thickness. However, for the case of high-conductivity fibers, increasing fibers’ through-plane orientation tends to flatten the temperature profile. The results obtained from simulating bimodal fibrous structures indicate that increasing the fiber-diameter dissimilarity, or the mass fraction of the coarse fibers, slightly increases the radiation transmittance through the media, and accordingly reduces the temperature gradient across the thickness. Our simulation results are compared with those from the two-flux model and good agreement is observed.
An E-Commerce Process Model: Perspectives from E-Commerce Entrepreneurs

The failure of dot-coms is a staggering 75% in the first two years. Many of these failures were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). One of the most commonly cited reasons for failure has been lack of a workable strategic business model to guide e-commerce (electronic commerce) efforts. We began this study because we wanted to explore if successful e-commerce SMEs use a guiding strategic process model, and if they do, ask them to articulate the model components. We chose a qualitative research method to obtain a rich description of the e-commerce process. The interview pool consisted of 15 interviews with established SME e-commerce entrepreneurs. From deep analysis of the data, a set of e-commerce process components and interrelationships between those components emerged from the data. We then synthesized (from the rich description) a model of the e-commerce process.
Enhancing power and energy systems concepts with laboratory experience

A new interactive power engineering education laboratory has been recently constructed in the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC-Charlotte for providing a unique hands-on experience to power students. This facility, named as the AREVA Power Systems Teaching Lab, will be used as an integrated laboratory component for a number of undergraduate power courses in the department. The laboratory equipment can be configured to create exercises which reinforce basic concepts in electric machines and drives, power electronics, protection and power systems. The equipment may be interconnected to form full power system models and microgrids. Contemporary topics, such as smart grid concepts, microgrid management, distributed generation, renewable energy integration, energy storage, etc. form the major emphasis of the lab. New innovative interactive curricula that include class demonstrations and lab experiments are currently being developed for the undergraduate power and energy concentration within the department.
Heat Conduction in a Rectangular Tube With Eccentric Hot Spots

The current paper presents the results of an analytical study of steady state heat conduction in a rectangular tube with eccentric hot spots on both the top and the bottom surfaces. The rectangular domain is assumed to be adiabatic on the lateral surfaces and a single or multiple eccentric hot spots can be applied on the top and bottom surfaces. Isothermal, heat flux, or convection boundary conditions can be applied on the hot spots. Because the hot spots are eccentric, the spreading resistance becomes a dominant factor in heat conduction in the tube. The multiple hot spots, multiple layers and combination problems are also studied in the current paper. The solutions can be applied to the thermal management of three-dimensional stacks of electronic devices, the interconnect layers and the thermoelectric devices.
Wireless Design of a Multisensor System for Physical Activity Monitoring

Real-time monitoring of human physical activity (PA) is important for assessing the intensity of activity and exposure to environmental pollutions. A wireless wearable multisenor integrated measurement system (WIMS) has been designed for real-time measurement of the energy expenditure and breathing volume of human subjects under free-living conditions. To address challenges posted by the limited battery life and data synchronization requirement among multiple sensors in the system, the ZigBee communication platform has been explored for energy-efficient design. Two algorithms have been developed (multiData packaging and slot-data-synchronization) and coded into a microcontroller (MCU)-based sensor circuitry for real-time control of wireless data communication. Experiments have shown that the design enables continued operation of the wearable system for up to 68 h, with the maximum error for data synchronization among the various sensor nodes (SNs) being less than 24 ms. Experiment under free-living conditions have shown that the WIMS is able to correctly recognize the activity intensity level 86% of the time. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the energy-efficient wireless design for human PA monitoring.
Prognostic significance of ploidy, MIB-1 proliferation marker, and p53 in renal cell carcinoma.

Background Pathologic stage is currently the best prognostic factor for predicting outcomes in renal cell carcinoma. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of DNA ploidy, p53, and Ki-67 (MIB-1) as individual and combined prognostic factors for survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Study design From 1995 to 2004, 117 patients (78 men and 39 women; mean age 57.34 years), undergoing partial (n = 22) or radical (n = 95) nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. Analysis of MIB-1, p53, and DNA ploidy was performed. Disease-free and overall survival was calculated using Cox proportional hazard models. A combined score was given to incorporate p53, MIB-1, and ploidy as a single variable. Results On univariate analysis, tumor size, nuclear grade, MIB-1 Conclusions We incorporated a combined score to evaluate MIB-1, ploidy, and p53 as a single variable. A combined score is able to give a stronger predictive value of the cellular characteristics of each tumor. Individually and combined with p53, MIB-1, and ploidy were of prognostic significance on univariate analysis. Pathologic stage and presence of metastasis remain the best predictors of disease-free survival.
Water permeability of yeast cells at sub-zero temperatures.

A combined cryomicroscopic-multiple nonlinear regression analysis technique has been used to determine the water permeability of the yeast cellSaccharomyces cerevisiae during freezing. The time rate of change in volume of “supercooled” yeast cells was photographically monitored using a “cryomicroscope” which is capable of controlling in a programmable manner both the temperature and the time rate of change in temperature of the cell suspension being studied. Multiple nonlinear regression analysis together with a thermodynamic model of cell water transport during freezing was then used to statistically deduce the subzero temperature dependence of the cell water permeability. The water permeability process forS. cerevisiae being cooled at subzero temperatures was found to be rate-limited by the passage of water through either the plasmalemma, the cell wall, or a combination of these two permeability barriers. The hydraulic water permeability coefficient for yeast at 20°C is approximately 1–2×10−13 cm3/dyne sec, if extrapolation from subzero temperatures to room temperature is permissible, while the apparent activation energy governing the permeability process at subzero temperatures is approximately 45–68 kJ/mol (11–16 kcal/mol).
Drug discovery dilemma and Cura quartet collaboration.

Many parties contribute to discovery of new drugs – academic researchers, industry scientists, government agencies, and disease foundation helping to corral the resources necessary to sustain research efforts – but it has never been more apparent until now that these parties must work together to accomplish the shared goal of improving health. At a recent conference at the Georgetown University Medical Center, a group of prominent scientists from the academic, industry, government and disease advocacy communities came together to discuss new paths forward for stronger inter-institutional collaboration to establish a framework for translating new discoveries into drugs, improving proof of concept (PoC) studies, and reducing attrition at the clinical stage of drug development.
Taliban adaptations and innovations

Since 1978, insurgents in Afghanistan have endured a state of constant conflict, facing two occupying forces that have fielded modernized, highly capable militaries with a multitude of numerical and technological advantages over them. The asymmetry of these conflicts drove a rapid cycle of adaptation and innovation on the part of the insurgents that continues today. The Taliban way of war and approach to governance focuses on turning populations against political weakness and fielding simple and effective governance at the local and provincial levels. The Taliban has proven to be a highly adaptive, innovative, and resilient organization, drawing on tactics from conflicts in Iraq, Pakistan, and their own experience in Afghanistan to fight an effective and enduring defensive jihad. The introduction of improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers, and more recently a rising rate of assassinations all demonstrate the Taliban's ability to adapt tactically and innovate at the strategic level. These innovations...
Transition Probabilities and g Values for Neon i

Measured g values were used to obtain improved eigenvectors for the 2p53p configuration of Ne i. Good agreement was found between calculated and observed transition probabilities.
Optimal Production and Allocation under Uncertainty

I. Ex ante and ex post optimum, 81. — II. Consumers and commodities, 83. — III. Consumer choice and the subjectivity theorem, 85. — IV. Necessary conditions for ex post Pareto optimum given Arrow optimum, 88. — V. Production, 89. — VI. Efficiency, 91. — VII. Economies where the necessary conditions for Arrow optimum to imply ex post Pareto optimum are sufficient, 93. — Table of notation, 94.
Renal Effects of High-Dose Natriuretic Peptide Receptor Blockade in Rats With Congestive Heart Failure

Previous studies suggest that elevated plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels participate in regulating renal excretory function in rats with congestive heart failure (CHF). To define the role of natriuretic peptides (NPs) in the regulation of renal function in CHF, the renal responses to HS-142-1 (HS), a potent NP receptor antagonist, were studied in anesthetized rats subjected to coronary ligation that developed left ventricular infarction and CHF or in sham-operated (SO) control rats. Plasma ANP levels averaged > 14-fold higher in rats with CHF than in SO rats. In response to HS (20 mg/kg IV bolus), both mean arterial pressure and renal vascular resistance increased in rats with CHF but not in SO rats; glomerular filtration rate (GFR, 1.26 +/- 0.04 versus 0.76 +/- 0.11 mL/min) and renal plasma flow rate (RPF, 3.52 +/- 0.27 versus 2.70 +/- 0.32 mL/min) were significantly reduced in rats with CHF; and in SO rats, GFR (1.26 +/- 0.06 versus 1.20 +/- 0.07 mL/min) and RPF (3.98 +/- 0.21 versus 3.99 +/- 0.18 mL/min) were not significantly affected by HS. The sodium excretion rate (0.18 +/- 0.04 to 0.06 +/- 0.01 muEq/min) and fractional sodium excretion (0.01 +/- 0.02% to 0.04 +/- 0.01%) also fell markedly after HS administration in rats with CHF, but these parameters were unchanged in SO rats. These data indicate that NPs play a critical role in maintaining renal hemodynamic function and inhibiting tubule sodium reabsorption in rats with CHF, thus opposing sodium retention and preserving sodium balance in this model.
Stochastic modeling of the dynamics of CD4+ T-cell infection by HIV and some Monte Carlo studies

In this paper, we develop a stochastic model for the interaction between CD4+ T cells and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virus by taking into account the basic biological mechanism as described in [1-4]. We studied this stochastic model through extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Our results show that, in some cases, there is a positive probability that the virus will be eliminated by the process. We have also shown that, at the earlier stage of the infection, the probability distributions of the CD4+ T cells and free HIV are skewed; however, these distributions will eventually converge to the Gaussian distributions after several years. A real-data example is given to illustrate the application of our model.
Unidirectional Quanta in Wave Mechanics

The problem of emission by an atom is treated according to Schroedinger’s rules. The translational motion of the atom as a whole is taken into account. The charge-current density vector is shown to be propagating with the velocity of light in the direction of the emitted quantum. Only unidirectional quanta can be emitted according to the theory. The reason is that the charge-current wave radiates infinitely more intensely if it travels with light velocity than otherwise.It is shown that Gordon’s treatment of the Compton effect involves an analogous phenomenon. It is suggested that Schroedinger’s equations designed for the conservation of energy and momentum work out better when the translational motion of the atom as a whole is considered.
Model Development for Dynamic Energy Conversion in Post-Buckled Multi-Stable Slender Columns

Broadband piezoelectric energy harvesting solutions from ambient loading have been extensively studied with the purpose of increasing the efficiency of vibration-based harvesters. Most of the previously developed methods focus on the transducer’s properties and configurations, and require vibration input excitations. In contrast, we have previously experimentally shown a mechanical energy concentrator system that exploits the quasi-static input deformations (strains) generated within the structure and induces an amplified amplitude and frequency up-converted response. The tested energy converting devices transform low-amplitude and low-rate service strains into an amplified vibration input to the piezoelectric transducer. The snap-through behavior of bilaterally constrained columns was used as the mechanism for energy concentration. This paper presents a theoretical model, based on energy method, for the post-buckling behavior of a bilaterally constrained slender column under quasi-static axial loadings. The total potential energy of the buckled elastic element is the sum of the potential energies due to bending, compression and external applied force. The transverse deflection is limited by the lateral constraints. Therefore a constrained minimization problem of the total potential energy is solved to determine the equilibrium configurations. Equilibrium transitions are correlated to the changes in the magnitude of the weight coefficients that define the contribution of buckling modes to the deflected shape. Transition states are defined in terms of the axial displacements, axial forces, column shape, and energies stored in the system.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
The unbearable lightness of advertising: culture, media and the rise of advertising in socialist Bulgaria

This article offers a historical analysis of the conceptualization of advertising both as a propaganda tool and as a means of encouraging consumption in socialist Bulgaria. By exploring the public discourse on the function and importance of advertising in the popular media over the last 50 years, it seeks to explore the approach used to define the need for advertising, offering an insight into the complex ways in which socialist ideologies recognized the “inevitable” logic of the market – on one hand, acknowledging the need for consumption and on the other, recognizing the utility of advertising, which promotes and supports this very consumption as it sustains the operation of a commercially viable social system.
Pregnancy maintenance in ovariectomized rats with a single injection of depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate and depo-estradiol

Abstract For almost thirty years, the routine procedure for maintaining pregnancy in ovariectomized rats has been to inject them daily with progesterone and estrogen. The present results show that, in rats ovariectomized on Day 4 and injected on that day with 12.5 mg Depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate and 2 μg Depo-estradiol, pregnancy is efficiently maintained.
Competing risk analysis of life table data: application to lifetime risk computation.

Abstract In this pedagogic note we propose to assess the safety of treatment in a clinical trial, or the effect of risk exposure in a chronic animal study, in terms of two lifetime risks. These risks are computable from fife table type data and take into account the effects of competing risks. We first describe their computational procedures in detail to demonstrate the need for their implementation in a computer program. We then illustrate their practical application through use of the data obtained from an actual clinical study.
Ultrafast electron crystallography of heterogeneous structures: Gold-graphene bilayer and ligand-encapsulated nanogold on graphene

Here, we report studies of structures comprising a nanoscale gold-graphene bilayer and ligand-encapsulated nanogold on graphene multilayers. The observed time scale for the heating dynamics of the gold layer is significantly slower, when compared to previous results on free-standing gold films, and is independent of the level of carrier excitation. A model is proposed which incorporates the local carrier excitation in the gold layer, carrier relaxation in the graphene layer and heating of the gold layer by thermal conduction. When gold is isolated from graphene by ligand encapsulation, the carriers become again localized, consistent with the two phase description.
Preparation of carrier-free 47Sc by chemical separation from 47Ca and its distribution in tumor bearing mice

Abstract Scandium-47, the first decay product of calcium-47, was isolated chemically in a carrier-free form. This was injected intravenously into mice bearing Ehrlich solid carcinoma and its distribution in various tissues was determined by in vitro radioassay using a well type scintillation counter. High uptake was observed in bone, tumor, liver, spleen and kidney, in that order. The tumor/liver ratio at 12 h after injection was 1.1. Autoradiography demonstrated that the outstanding uptake in bone was due to the concentration of scandium in the marrow. A potential utility of scandium-47 as a tumor or bone marrow scanning agent is suggested.
The attributes of research on end-user online searching behavior: A retrospective review and analysis

A total of 163 studies examining end-user behaviors (as reported in 175 individual articles) were selected and analyzed for their research attributes. From the earliest identified study to those conducted before the end of 2000, recurring themes emerged, as did characteristics unique to particular studies. The majority of researchers employed nonexperimental quantitative data collection methods. However, a select group of qualitative studies and a few experimental investigations also were identified. Research designs combining multiple methodologies were the norm. The variables prevalent across studies were broadly classified into a typology under end-user traits, system attributes, organizational setting, task and request characteristics, performance outcomes and obstacles, and results measures. The specific behaviors that researchers concentrated upon most often were the end-users' searching techniques, relevance judgments about information they found, satisfaction with search results, and prior knowledge brought to bear on online searching assignments. Also examined were trends in publishing, geographic locations of field sites, databases selected for searching activities, and the characteristics of searcher cohorts.
The Effect of Passenger Airbags on Child Seating Behavior in Motor Vehicles

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the presence of passenger airbags on places where children sit when traveling in motor vehicles. Methodology. An observational and driver interview survey of 503 passenger vehicles was conducted in five New England states at randomly selected long- and short-distance travel sites during the summer of 1998. Each vehicle was occupied by at least 1 child <13 years of age. Seating position, vehicle information, and driver and passenger characteristics were collected. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association between the presence of passenger airbags in vehicles and the seating positions of children. Results. Controlling for the effects of the driver and vehicle characteristics, children <13 years of age were less likely to be observed riding in the front right seat when a passenger airbag was present in the vehicle (odds ratio:.34; 95% confidence interval:.19-.61). Of the vehicles carrying children, 23% had at least 1 child riding in the front seat. Children rode in the front seat in 17% of vehicles with a passenger airbag, and in 30% of those without a passenger airbag. Half of all vehicles without a teenage or adult passenger carried a child in the front seat. In 91% of vehicles with a child riding in the front seat, there was at least one available seat in the rear. Driver safety belt use, younger child age, and the presence of an adult passenger in the vehicle were all associated with children being seated in the rear. Conclusions. Some New England drivers are protecting children from the risks of passenger airbags by seating them in the rear. There remains, however, a substantial number of children who are being exposed to the risk of passenger airbag deployment.
New Theoretical Expressions for Predicting Shielding Effectiveness for the Plane Shield Case

The problem of the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of a thin, plane metal sheet of infinite extent on the electromagnetic field generated by a circular loop field source with uniform current I is solved by application of the quasi-near and near field approximations to the exact integral expressions. The results are shown to be in close agreement with experimental data as well as numerical integration results. Also, they are similar to the results obtained from the plane wave shielding theory of Schelkunoff.
A System for Generating Classroom Tests

Instructors who use a microcomputer and a word processing program to prepare multiple choice and true-false items can accumulate many separate sequential exam files. But when exams are stored separ...
The perturbative pion form factor with Sudakov suppression

Abstract We give a modified perturbative expression for the pion electromagnetic form factor in perturbative QCD, which includes Sudakov suppression of the elastic scattering of quarks that are isolated in space. Beyond momentum transfers of 20Λ QCD the perturbative calculation becomes relatively insensitive to soft gluon exchange. Our analysis involves no phenomenological parameters such as a gluon mass, and may be applied to the proton form factor.
Adeno-associated viral-mediated catalase expression suppresses optic neuritis in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

Suppression of oxidative injury by viral-mediated transfer of the human catalase gene was tested in the optic nerves of animals with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). EAE is an inflammatory autoimmune disorder of primary central nervous system demyelination that has been frequently used as an animal model for the human disease multiple sclerosis (MS). The optic nerve is a frequent site of involvement common to both EAE and MS. Recombinant adeno-associated virus containing the human gene for catalase was injected over the right optic nerve heads of SJL/J mice that were simultaneously sensitized for EAE. After 1 month, cell-specific catalase activity, evaluated by quantitation of catalase immunogold, was increased approximately 2-fold each in endothelia, oligodendroglia, astrocytes, and axons of the optic nerve. Effects of catalase on the histologic lesions of EAE were measured by computerized analysis of the myelin sheath area (for demyelination), optic disc area (for optic nerve head swelling), extent of the cellular infiltrate, extravasated serum albumin labeled by immunogold (for blood–brain barrier disruption), and in vivo H2O2 reaction product. Relative to control, contralateral optic nerves injected with the recombinant virus without a therapeutic gene, catalase gene inoculation reduced demyelination by 38%, optic nerve head swelling by 29%, cellular infiltration by 34%, disruption of the blood–brain barrier by 64%, and in vivo levels of H2O2 by 61%. Because the efficacy of potential treatments for MS are usually initially tested in the EAE animal model, this study suggests that catalase gene delivery by using viral vectors may be a therapeutic strategy for suppression of MS.
Is air pollution a cause of cardiovascular disease? Updated review and controversies

Particulate matter (PM) air pollution is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The focus of this review will be on the role that both acute and chronic exposure to PM plays in causing cardiovascular disease and on the latest major new findings and controversies in this field of research. Even short-term exposure to PM2.5 over a few hours can trigger myocardial infarctions, cardiac ischemia, arrhythmias, heart failure, stroke, exacerbation of peripheral arterial disease, and sudden death. Chronic exposure to moderately elevated levels also enhances the risk for developing a variety of cardiovascular diseases, possibly including hypertension and systemic atherosclerosis. Recent epidemiologic studies have furthered our understanding of the linkage between air pollutants and human health, with a multitude of plausible mechanistic explanations having been demonstrated experimentally during the past few years. Although a number of finer details relating to both the epidemiology and the mechanisms involved require more investigation, the overall weight of evidence is now sufficient to implicate PM exposure as a cause of cardiovascular disease. Without doubt, exposure to particulate matter can play a causal role in triggering a host of acute cardiovascular events via many mechanisms. Although long-term air pollution exposure has been shown to promote the development of atherosclerosis, the clinical significance of this relation requires more investigation.
Government Open Systems Interconnection: profile in progress

The emergence of Open Systems Interconnection protocols, as specified within the U.S. Government Open Systems Interconnection Profile (GOSIP) Federal Information Processing Standard (FTPS), provides both an opportunity for, and a means of achieving, interoperability within multi‐vendor networks. The GOSIP can easily benefit inexperienced users, yet provides the flexibility to serve more sophisticated users. The standard mandates specifications that will be met by a multitude of vendor products, with initial offerings already available. While meeting a useful set of initial networking needs, the FTPS will evolve to include new applications, improvements to the initial applications, new network technologies, and major new functions. GOSIP will permit government agencies to gain better control over their computer network procurements, accruing greater and greater cost savings as the number of government computer networks increases.
Quantitative changes in the phosphorus fractions of transplanted brain tumors during complete ischemic incubation.

Glukose, Glykogen, Milchsaure, ATP und 5 phosphathaltige Fraktionen wurden an experimentellen, anarobisch-inkubierten Hirntumoren bestimmt. Die Mengen anorganischen Phosphats und Milchsaure waren grosser als die vom Katabolismus niedermolekularer Substanzen erwarteten. Die Moglichkeit besteht, dass die Pentose aus Nukleinsauren und saureloslichen Oligonukleotiden als Quelle der uberschussigen Milchsaure entstammt. Dies wurde unter anarobischen Bedingungen eine weitere Energiereserve fur Tumorzellen darstellen.
The effects of flooding on reducing snake fear in rhesus monkeys: 6-month follow-up and further flooding.

Abstract Seven wild-reared rhesus monkeys were given two different 6-month follow-up tests to assess for spontaneous recovery of snake fear that had been somewhat reduced following 7 flooding sesions 6 months earlier. Both tests revealed essentially complete spontaneous recovery of fear. In addition, all 7 monkeys received 4 further mixed flooding sessions that involved exposure to real, toy and model snakes, and the 4 most fearful monkeys also received 3 more hours of exposure to the real snake alone. A final behavioral test following these additional flooding sessions revealed a pattern of changes very similar to that observed after the original 7 sessions 6 months earlier. In particular, there were some significant changes in the behavioral avoidance component of the fear but no changes in the behavioral disturbance component of the fear. The results are discussed in the context of earlier studies that purported to demonstrate that snake fear is easy to abolish. It is concluded that these earlier studies erred by not having tests for spontaneous recovery and by only testing for changes in the behavioral avoidance component of fear. Possible reasons for the failure to produce significant changes in the behavioral disturbance component of fear are discussed.
Electrical excitability of ventricular myocardium in relation to graded changes in coronary inflow.

Summary Ventricular myocardial excitability in relation to coronary arterial flow rate was studied in open-chest dogs by determining the strength of electrical impulses required to elicit consistent single responses at 10 msec, intervals throughout the cardiac cycle (“strength-interval” curves), the test stimuli being delivered by an electrode (cathode) implanted in a zone of myocardium whose blood supply was undisturbed or controlled by perfusion of the cognate coronary artery. Cessation of arterial inflow regularly shortened the overall refractory period of the ischemic ventricular muscle. The magnitude of the shift in the strength-interval curve depended on the original position of the curve; the initial curve at full coronary inflow was further to the left at high heart rates than at low heart rates. These findings are in accord with other evidence that a depletion in myocardial energy stores results in a shortening of the refractory period of myocardial fibers. Restoration of full coronary flow after a period of myocardial ischemia produced a transitory Overprolongation of the refractory period. Graded increases or decreases in coronary flow rate between “full flow” and “zero flow” did not produce proportionate changes in the position of the strength-interval curve; the greatest part of the shift occurred at flow rates between 10 per cent and 50 per cent of “full-flow” values.
Angiotensin II Signaling in Vascular Smooth Muscle: New Concepts

Angiotensin II is a multifunctional hormone that affects both contraction and growth of vascular smooth muscle cells through a complex series of intracellular signaling events initiated by the interaction of angiotensin II with the AT1 receptor. The cellular response to angiotensin II is multiphasic, involving stimulation within seconds of phospholipase C and Ca2+ mobilization; activation within minutes of phospholipase D, A2, protein kinase C, and MAP kinase; and stimulation after a period of hours of gene transcription and NADH/NADPH oxidase activity. Angiotensin II also activates numerous intracellular tyrosine kinases. In this respect, it shares some aspects of signaling with growth factor and cytokine receptors, including activation of phospholipase C-gamma, src, and ras; association of shc with grb2; and stimulation of the Jak/STAT pathway. The cellular events responsible for this unique series of events may involve receptor movement and the creation of a signaling domain. Elucidation of these pathways is important to our understanding of AT1 receptor function as a final effector of the renin-angiotensin system.
Neo-Pluralism: A Class Analysis of Pluralism I and Pluralism II

This article is a critique of contemporary pluralist theory as found largely in the work of Robert A. Dahl and Charles E. Lindblom. Two different forms of pluralism are distinguished and compared critically with Marxist class analysis. Pluralism, it is argued, fails to account for the reality of political and economic inequality in the United States. As a theory, pluralism is also marked by increasing tension between the underlying values and the performance of American polyarchy. The overall result is that pluralism's utility as a description and explanation of the American political economy is called into serious doubt, and a case is made for the explanatory superiority of class analysis.
Almost all graphs with 1.44n edges are 3‐colorable

We establish a uniform asymptotic approximation of certain probabilities arising in the coupon collector's problem. Then we use this approximation to prove that almost all graphs with n vertices and 1.44 n edges contain no subgraph with minimum degree at least three, and hence are 3-colorable.
Transcriptional regulation of the Th17 immune response by IKKα

Th17 cells are a subset of T cells that play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases. We report here the identification of IKKα (inhibitor of NF-κB kinase-α) as a key transcriptional regulator of the Th17 lineage. T cells expressing a nonactivatable form of IKKα were significantly compromised in their ability to produce IL-17 and to initiate neural inflammation. IKKα is present in the nuclei of resting CD4+ T cells. Upon Th17 differentiation, IKKα selectively associated with the Il17a locus, and promoted its histone H3 phosphorylation and transcriptional activation in a NF-κB–independent manner. These findings indicate that nuclear IKKα maintains the Th17 phenotype by activating the Il17a gene.
Defect based real‐time diagnostics of ferroelectric domain wall motion

We investigated the static and dynamic interaction of defect dipoles and ferroelectric domain walls in lithium niobate. Using a home-built confocal microscope with high spatial and temporal resolution we are able to image both the static domain wall region and the domain wall regions associated with a moving domain wall by monitoring the emission from rare earth ions. We find that the extent of perturbation induced by the presence of a domain wall is increasing with the speed of the domain wall motion.
Effects of Heavy-Ion Irradiation on Microstructure of V-4Cr-4Ti Alloy at Moderate Temperatures

V-4Cr-4Ti is promising for first-wall and structural applications in magnetic fusion reactors. Fast neutron sources were used to evaluate postirradiation properties of fusion candidate materials, but FFTF and EBR-II have been shutdown. Under these circumstances, heavy-ion irradiation is an attractive alternative. We used 3-MeV V{sup +} and 4.5-MeV Ni{sup 2+} ions to investigate effects of irradiation on microstructure of V-4Cr-4Ti at 200-420 C. This paper report results of ion irradiation experiments and compare with fast-neutron irradiation data. From TEM, the dominant feature of postirradiation microstructure was a high density of dislocation loops and point- defect clusters. Density and defect size depend on irradiation dose and temperature. Precipitates and voids/bubbles were not observed, even in specimens simultaneous injected with he and exposed to heavy ions. Increased transport of point defects to internal interfaces was observed, as manifested by defect denuded zones along grain boundaries. Defect denuded zones along grain boundaries could lead to segregation of impurities and solutes and formation of precipitates on grain boundaries.