cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Update on ultra-long-acting β agonists in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Introduction: For the last two decades, long-acting β agonists (LABAs) have been a cornerstone in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They relax airway smooth muscle and augment expiratory airflow, which reduces hyperinflation and improves dyspnea, functional capacity and quality of life. In recent years, Indacaterol, a LABA with an ultra-long duration of action (ultra-LABA), which only requires once-daily dosing, was approved by the FDA. The clinical efficacy of indacaterol is comparable, and, in some aspects better, than the currently available LABAs.Areas covered: This article reviews the pharmacological properties, clinical efficacy, safety and potential role of the ultra-LABAs in COPD management.Expert opinion: Ultra-LABAs are effective bronchodilators with a prolonged duration of action. By decreasing dosing frequency, ultra-LABAs potentially may improve respiratory medication adherence, which is associated with better survival and less healthcare utilization. In addition...
Information fusion for text classification - an experimental comparison

This article reports on our experiments and results on the effectiveness of different feature sets and information fusion from some combinations of them in classifying free text documents into a given number of categories. We use different feature sets and integrate neural network learning into the method. The feature sets are based on the "latent semantics" of a reference library - a collection of documents adequately representing the desired concepts. We found that a larger reference library is not necessarily better. Information fusion almost always gives better results than the individual constituent feature sets, with certain combinations doing better than the others.
Motion and vision. III. Stabilized pattern adaptation.

It has been suggested that local variations of retinal sensitivity may be responsible for elevating the threshold in pattern-adaptation experiments of the Blakemore–Campbell type. Subjects are unable to scan high-contrast gratings uniformly enough to eliminate this possibility. To control this effect, we performed grating-adaptation experiments under stabilized-image conditions, while both adapting and test targets were moved at retinal velocities determined by the experimenter. By means of an afterimage technique, we also measured the strength of the retinal sensitivity mask that forms under these conditions. Varying the spatial frequency and velocity of the adapting stimulus, we inferred the spatial and temporal properties of the principal mechanism that contributes to the afterimage. We found that the Blakemore–Campbell effect persists at adapting velocities that are fast enough to rule out local variations of retinal sensitivity. More surprisingly, even the clearly visible afterimages that occur at a retinal velocity of 0.1 deg/s seem to have no effect on pattern adaptation. (Sensitivity masking can raise the adapted threshold, but only at adapting velocities slower than normal eye movements.) By manipulating the image velocity, we were able to shift the spatial frequencies of some threshold-elevation curves, but these shifts were not great enough to suggest that velocity tuning plays important role in pattern adaptation.
Medical teachers’ perspectives on development and use of objectives

Summary Experienced medical teachers were interviewed regarding creation and use of objectives for instruction. This paper summarizes reported advantages and disadvantages of objectives, describes reported changes in strategy with experience, and provides advice on the creation and use of objectives. Medical teachers agree that the process of writing objectives leads to clarification of intuitively held teaching goals and thus leads to better teaching and testing decisions. To achieve this benefit, an instructor must invest considerable time, effort and creativity in the process. The path of least resistance in writing objectives often leads to goals which serve no useful function and may be harmful to the teaching-learning process.
Single Droplet Impingment: Effect of Nanoparticles

This study focuses on the dynamics of water and nanofluids droplet surface impingement. Droplets are generated by a piezoelectric driven droplet generator. A high-speed-high-resolution camera is used to record droplets impacting on a smooth heated silicon surface. Droplet impact velocity, spreading diameter, spreading height and dynamic contact angle are measured by image processing. Results of water and nanofluids are compared to determine effects of nanoparticles on spreading dynamics. It is concluded that the nanofluids result in larger spreading rates, larger spreading diameters and an increase in early stage dynamic contact angle.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Studying the current status of technology adoption

Examining the extent and nature of adoption of technologies by micro, small, and medium-sized manufacturing firms in the greater Boston area.
Comparison of S-T segment changes on exercise testing with angiographic findings in patients with prior myocardial infarction

Abstract Ninety-seven patients with a prior transmural myocardial infarction who underwent coronary angiography and treadmill stress testing were studied retrospectively to assess the reliability of the exercise electrocardiogram in detecting additional disease in patients with a prior infarction. In patients with a previous inferior wall infarction, the S-T response to the treadmill stress test had a high degree of sensitivity (87 percent) and specificity (90 percent) in detecting additional significant coronary artery disease. However, in patients with a previous anteroseptal wall Infarction, the S-T response had much less sensitivity (52 percent), but the degree of specificity remained high (90 percent). In this group a positive test suggested the presence of ischemia in the lateral or inferoposterior region of the myocardium, or both. A negative S-T response was of little value In distingulshing among groups of patients with single or multiple vessel coronary artery disease. The presence of an anterior ventricular aneurysm is most likely responsible for this low sensitivity rate because it generates an opposing force to the ischemic vector, thereby cancelling the S-T segment changes and producing a false negative treadmill stress test. The resting surface electrocardiogram proved useful in predicting a false negative exercise test. The presence of Q waves in the precordial leads extending to lead V 4 or beyond decreased the sensltivity rate of treadmill stress testing to 33 percent.
Computed tomography evaluation of right heart dysfunction in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Purpose To evaluate the role of qualitative assessment of right heart dysfunction on multidetector computed tomography (CT) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. Methods Seventy-four consecutive adults with pulmonary embolism diagnosed on multidetector nongated CT were identified between July 2002 and March 2004. There were 47 women and 27 men, with a mean age of 62 years. Each CT scan was jointly reviewed by 2 of 3 reviewers in consensus. The CT scans were qualitatively assessed for dilatation of the right ventricle and the position of the interventricular septum. Scans were considered positive for right heart dysfunction if, on visual integration of multiple axial images, the right ventricle was dilated or the interventricular septum was straightened or bowed into the left ventricle. The extent of pulmonary vascular obstruction was graded using the CT clot burden scoring system. Reports of echocardiograms (n = 30) were reviewed when available. The sensitivity and specificity of CT and echocardiography in demonstrating right heart dysfunction were calculated and compared using pulmonary vascular obstruction of > or =30% as the reference standard. Results Sixty-six percent (49 of 74 patients) with pulmonary embolism had right heart dysfunction on CT, with right ventricular dilatation in 38 patients and septal straightening or bowing in 44 patients. Forty-nine percent (36 of 74 patients) had pulmonary vasculature obstruction of > or =30%. There was a significant difference between the mean clot burden of patients with (12.8) and without (7.5) right heart dysfunction on CT (P = 0.0021). The sensitivity and specificity of CT in demonstrating right heart dysfunction were 81% (29 of 36 patients) and 47% (18 of 38 patients), respectively. Forty-one percent (30 of 74 patients) had technically adequate echocardiograms within 48 hours of CT. Fifty-seven percent (17 of 30) of the echocardiograms were positive for right heart dysfunction. There was no significant difference between the mean clot burden of patients with (12.7) and without (10.3) right heart dysfunction on echocardiography. Echocardiography had a sensitivity of 56% (10 of 17 patients) and a specificity of 42% (5 of 13 patients) in demonstrating right heart dysfunction. Conclusion Qualitative assessment of the cardiac chambers is a quick and practical means of evaluating for right heart dysfunction on CT. Computed tomography findings of right heart dysfunction in patients with acute pulmonary embolism compare favorably with echocardiography and correlate with a higher mean pulmonary arterial clot burden. Because most patients do not undergo echocardiography, chest CT often provides the only opportunity to evaluate for right heart dysfunction in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.
Accuracy of Determining the State of a Lunar Satellite and the Lunar Gravitational Field

Tracking geometry and dynamics of lunar satellite, estimating orbital elements and lunar gravitational field parameters through earth based range and range rate observations
Total Synthesis of (±)-Cameroonan-7α-ol and Biomimetic Rearrangements to Related Nopsane Sesquiterpenes

A total synthesis of the novel silphinane sesquiterpene alcohol (±)-cameroonanol (6-OH) from bicyclic enone 10 was accomplished by conjugate addition of crotylsilane, photochemical hydrobromination, intramolecular alkylation, and hydride reduction. The stereoisomers cameroonan-7β-ol (18-OH) and 9-epicamerooonanols (19 and 20) were separated from isomer mixtures and the 9-desmethylcameroonanols (21-OH and 22-OH) were obtained by similar means. Solvolysis of 6-OMs and 18-OMs effected skeletal rearrangements to (±)-silphiperfol-6-ene (5), (±)-prenopsanol (7) and (±)-nopsanol (8), and (±)-silphiperfolan-7β-ol (9) in parallel with biogenetic schemes proposed for these naturally occurring sesquiterpenes. The nor analogues 21-OMs and 22-OMs underwent solvolytic rearrangments to a similar set of nor products. The increase in solvolytic rates for the 7β-mesylates 18-OMs and 22-OMs in comparison to the 7α epimers is attributed to concerted antiperiplanar Wagner−Meerwein rearrangements to the prenopsyl and norprenop...
Coupling organic and biological reactions with electrochemical measurements for analytical purposes

Abstract The potentialities for the determination of organic compounds of biological interest, which are inherent in coupling preliminary organic and biological reactions of nearly quantitative or highly reproducible yield with electrochemical measurements, are evident from consideration of the production of ( a ) electroactive species for polarographic measurement and ( b ) inorganic ions and gases for potentiometric measurement from organic compounds otherwise inert in terms of these approaches. Reactions, which are readily coupled with various polarographic techniques, include addition of an electroactive substituent, formation of an electroactive species or of electroactive complexes, and utilization of catalytically active species. In the case of potentiometry, advantage can be taken of the specificity of enzyme-catalyzed reactions, which ( a ) produce ammonium, cyanide and other ions, for which suitable ion-selective electrodes are available, or ( b ) produce or consume gases, for which selective gas-membrane electrodes are available; many of the reaction-electrode combinations so utilized can also be used for the determination of the enzyme involved. Use of potential mediators constitutes a special category for the production of potentiometric activity. Conductometry, coulometry and amperometry can also be used, following a preliminary chemical reaction, for monitoring gas chromatographic column effluents and solution compositions. In the case of all of these approaches, consumption of an electroresponsive reagent can be used to determine organic compounds by either differential concentration measurement or titration.
Persistent synchondrosis of a primary sacral ossification center in an adult with low back pain.

Abstract Background context Persistence of a primary sacral ossification center resulting in synchondrosis in adulthood is rare and can confound diagnostic decision making during patient management. Purpose To present a synchondrosis between the sacral ala and sacral body in a healthy 23-year-old US Marine who had low back pain. Study design/setting Case report. Outcome measures Self-report measures included a numerical pain scale and Roland Morris Disability questionnaire; physiological measures included plain film radiography, computed tomography scans, magnetic resonance imaging, and physical examination procedures; and functional measures included the patient's ability to run and sit without pain and to maintain US Marine Corps fitness standards. Methods The initial management of his low back pain included a course of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, chiropractic manipulation of the sacroiliac joints and adjacent tissues, and therapeutic exercise. When the patient's condition did not improve as quickly as anticipated, plain X-ray films were ordered; this revealed a vertical cleft in the sacrum at the site of the patient's pain. Further imaging showed the anomalous cleft to be a synchondrosis between the costal element and the centrum of the sacrum. Manual manipulation, physical training, and ergonomic advice were continued. Results Pain severity decreased from 7 to 0, and the Roland Morris score decreased from 14 to 1. He could sit for prolonged periods of time and exercise to Marine Corps standards. Conclusions It is unlikely that the synchondrosis was the structure responsible for generating the patient's low back pain. However, such an anomaly is clinically relevant because it may mimic a fracture.
Influence of lecithin on the chromatography of steroidal glucosiduronates in chloroform/formamide

The interaction between lecithin and steroidal glucosiduronates was investigated by use of partition chromatography in chloroform/formamide and infrared spectroscopy. It was observed that lecithin increases the solubility of both glucosiduronic acids and esters in chloroform and concluded that this phenomenon occurs because of the formation of hydrogen bonds between the phosphodiester group of lecithin and hydroxyl groups of the steroid conjugates.
Laser ablation as a function of the primary absorber in dentin.

Background and Objective Infrared transmission spectra of dentin reveal a broad absorption band between 6.0 and 7.0 μm composed of absorption peaks of water, collagen and carbonated hydroxyapatite. The nearly constant absorption and the existence of absorption peaks of different tissue components were used to investigate ablation as a function of the primary absorber. Study Design/Materials and Methods Laser ablation of dentin as a function of fluence was studied in the wavelength range between 6.0 and 7.5 μm using the Vanderbilt Free-Electron Laser (FEL). Depth and volume of the ablation crater were determined with a silicon replica method and subsequent confocal laser topometry. SEM investigations were performed on the irradiated surfaces. For the description of the experimental data an ablation model is developed. Results At all applied wavelengths we found a linear increase of ablation depth as a function of fluence above a threshold fluence. The lower absorption of dentin at 7.5 μm compared to the absorption at 6.0, 6.5 and 7.0 μm results in a greater ablation threshold. At 6.0, 6.5 and 7.0 μm wavelengths the ablation thresholds are comparable. The experimental data are in good agreement with an ablation model using a mean absorption coefficient of the target material. No thermal cracking is observed after ablation in dentin. The post ablative surface structure at 6.0 and 7.0 μm looks similar whereas at 7.5 μm the surface reveals a greater roughness. Conclusion The ablation efficiency and threshold depend on the mean absorption but do not depend upon the chemical identity of the primary absorber in dentin. Calculations show that heat conduction during the laser pulse leads to a thermal equalization between the heated microstructures and surrounding tissue resulting in an ablation with little dependence on the primary absorber. Lasers Surg. Med. 21:384–394, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Magmatic perturbations in the Okataina Volcanic Complex, New Zealand at thousand-year timescales recorded in single zircon crystals

Abstract Using single crystals to trace the chemical evolution of a magmatic system has long been a goal of igneous petrology. Crystals utilized for in situ dating hold great potential to link compositional and temporal information to better understand the evolution of a magmatic system. If micron-scale zoning of trace elements within a single zircon can be directly associated with volcanic events in magmatic systems, then new insights into long-term maintenance and storage of eruptible magma can be unlocked. This study presents new data that directly links the geochemical history recorded in individual zircon crystals with over 50,000 yrs of changing physical and chemical conditions within a magma reservoir. Trace elements (Hf and Y) in zircon have not diffusively equilibrated with their host melt so that they store information about the melt when that zone crystallized. Thus, different stages of growth can be associated with discrete time periods in the magmatic system. Zircon from the two most recent rhyolite eruptions (Kaharoa and Whakatane) within the Okataina Volcanic Complex (OVC), New Zealand, have both isotopic (age) and trace element signatures that correspond with distinct changes in the temperature and phase assemblage of pulses of erupted magma within the caldera system. This discrete change is associated with caldera collapse and reflects a change from cold, wet source rhyolite to a relatively hotter and drier source rhyolite and back. The Kaharoa and Whakatane eruptions are separated by 4000 yrs and 15 km distance, yet the zircon populations record the same distinct thermal and chemical pulse that occurred following caldera collapse, suggesting an interconnected magmatic system that houses at least small volumes of rhyolite melt for timescales of 10 3 to 10 5 yrs that is periodically extracted during eruption.
On the topology of normal chromatids and on their translocations in myelogenous leukemia

Abstract After some comments on the topology of chromatids, restructuring of the interphase nucleus is conjectured to depend upon the nuclear vesicle apparatus. These vesicles change the intrinsic shape of chromatids to fit the different topology of the interphase nuclear spheroid. Reciprocal translocations between selected chromatids result whenever the nucleus of malignant cells organizes de novo certain exceptional or emergency differentiation paths. However, the almost unavoidable chimeric genes resulting from these translocations may be less ominous than hitherto suspected. This seems to be the case for chronic myelogenous leukemia, where the bcr-abl chimeric gene lessens the aggressiveness of the primary clone when functioning in the context of myelomonocitic differentiation. Finally, our model estimates the statistical incidences of the bcr-abl chimera. These estimates are found to agree with clinical data better than evaluations from the random mutation theory.
Recursive total-least-squares adaptive filtering

In this paper a recursive total least squares (RTLS) adaptive filter is introduced and studied. The TLS approach is more appropriate and provides more accurate results than the LS approach when there is error on both sides of the adaptive filter equation; for example, linear prediction, AR modeling, and direction finding. The RTLS filter weights are updated in time O(mr) where m is the filter order and r is the dimension of the tracked subspace. In conventional adaptive filtering problems, r equals 1, so that updates can be performed with complexity O(m). The updates are performed by tracking an orthonormal basis for the smaller of the signal or noise subspaces using a computationally efficient subspace tracking algorithm. The filter is shown to outperform both LMS and RLS in terms of tracking and steady state tap weight error norms. It is also more versatile in that it can adapt its weight in the absence of persistent excitation, i.e., when the input data correlation matrix is near rank deficient. Through simulation, the convergence and tracking properties of the filter are presented and compared with LMS and RLS.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Texture development in near-α Ti friction stir welds

Abstract The microstructures and crystallographic textures produced during friction stir welding of the near-α Ti-5111 titanium alloy were characterized as a function of welding speed. The textures produced were compared with ideal hexagonal close packed (hcp) shear textures and with predicted textures of hcp Burgers variants of ideal body-centered cubic (bcc) shear textures, showing that the deposited welds are dominated by the hcp P1 and bcc D1 textures. The hcp P1 shear texture was dominant at slow weld speeds, while the bcc D1 shear texture was dominant at the fast weld speed. This variation appears to result from a poor transmission of the shear deformation from the rotating tool to the deposited weld that develops at faster welding speeds. These observations are compared to other studies of friction stir welds in hcp and bcc materials reported in the literature.
The squeezing of red blood cells through parallel-sided channels with near-minimal widths

An analysis of the motion and deformation of red blood cells between two parallel flat plates is presented. The motion is driven by an imposed pressure gradient in the surrounding fluid. Mammalian red cells are highly flexible, but deform at constant volume because the contents of the cell are incompressible, and at nearly constant surface area because the membrane strongly resists dilatation. Consequently, a minimum spacing between the plates exists, below which passage of intact cells is not possible. We consider spacings slightly larger than this minimum. The shape of the cell in this case is a disk with a rounded edge. The flow of the surrounding fluid is described using lubrication theory. Under the approximation that the distance between the plates is small compared with the cell diameter, cell shapes, pressure distributions, membrane stresses and cell velocities are deduced as functions of geometrical parameters. It is found that the narrow gaps between the cell and the plate are not uniform in width, and that as a result, membrane shear stresses are generated which increase in proportion to flow velocity. This contrasts with axisymmetric configurations, in which membrane shear stress remains bounded as cell velocity increases. The variation of cell velocity with spacing of the plates is similar to that previously demonstrated for rigid disk-shaped particles of corresponding dimensions.
Geometrical effects on western intensification of wind-driven ocean currents: The rotated-channel Stommel model, coastal orientation, and curvature

Abstract We revisit early models of steady western boundary currents [Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, etc.] to explore the role of irregular coastlines on jets, both to advance the research frontier and to illuminate for education. In the framework of a steady-state, quasigeostrophic model with viscosity, bottom friction and nonlinearity, we prove that rotating a straight coastline, initially parallel to the meridians, significantly thickens the western boundary layer. We analyze an infinitely long, straight channel with arbitrary orientation and bottom friction using an exact solution and singular perturbation theory, and show that the model, though simpler than Stommel's, nevertheless captures both the western boundary jet (“Gulf Stream”) and the “orientation effect”. In the rest of the article, we restrict attention to the Stommel flow (that is, linear and inviscid except for bottom friction) and apply matched asymptotic expansions, radial basis function, Fourier–Chebyshev and Chebyshev–Chebyshev pseudospectral methods to explore the effects of coastal geometry in a variety of non-rectangular domains bounded by a circle, parabolas and squircles. Although our oceans are unabashedly idealized, the narrow spikes, broad jets and stationary points vividly illustrate the power and complexity of coastal control of western boundary layers.
Atomic processes in a low-density hydrogen- helium plasma

H-He partially ionized plasma bremsstrahlung, radiative and dielectronic recombination, discrete levels excitation and collisional ionization
Erratum to “Fundamental properties of small molecule models of Fe-only hydrogenase: computations relative to the definition of an entatic state in the active site” [Coord. Chem. Rev. 238/239 (2003) 255-266]

The senior computational author (MBH) regrets that an undetected coding error resulted in errors for the overall exothermicity of the reactions reported in this paper. This error is purely numerical and does not affect the qualitative aspects or the chemistry reported and discussed in this paper. The following corrections should be noted. 1. In Fig. 5 the final relative energy of species 5a-Na should be −5.65 kcal mol−1. 2. In Fig. 6 the final relative energy of species 10 should be 6.57 kcal mol−1. 3. On page 265, column 1, line 10. The sentence should read “Compared with intermediate 3, the monosubstituted complex 5a-Na is 8.10 kcal mol−1 more stable”.
Cyclometalated Tantalum Diphenolate Pincer Complexes: Intramolecular C−H/M−CH3 σ-Bond Metathesis May Be Faster than O−H/M−CH3 Protonolysis

A diphenol linked at the ortho positions to a benzene ring was metalated with TaCl2(CH3)3. Deuterium labeling of the phenol hydrogens and of the linking 1,3-benzenediyl ring reveals an unexpected mechanism involving protonolysis of a methyl group, followed by C−H/Ta−CH3 σ-bond metathesis, leading to cyclometalation of the linking ring and finally protonation of the cyclometalated group by the pendant phenol.
Social Control of Health Behaviors in Marriage

Married couples (N= 69) reported on their use of social control strategies in attempting to modify each other's health behaviors, as well as their affective and behavioral responses to experiencing health-related social control. Experiencing more negative social control was associated with the tendency to engage in potentially health-compromising behaviors, whereas experiencing positive social control was associated with attempts to engage in the desired behavior. Most associations between experiencing social control and the target's behavioral responses could be accounted for, at least partially, by the target's affective responses to the social control attempts. These results suggest that current conceptualizations of the health-relevance of social control are in need of revision. Implications of these results for social control measurement and theory are discussed.
Multimodal fusion using learned text concepts for image categorization

Conventional image categorization techniques primarily rely on low-level visual cues. In this paper, we describe a multimodal fusion scheme which improves the image classification accuracy by incorporating the information derived from the embedded texts detected in the image under classification. Specific to each image category, a text concept is first learned from a set of labeled texts in images of the target category using Multiple Instance Learning [1]. For an image under classification which contains multiple detected text lines, we calculate a weighted Euclidian distance between each text line and the learned text concept of the target category. Subsequently, the minimum distance, along with low-level visual cues, are jointly used as the features for SVM-based classification. Experiments on a challenging image database demonstrate that the proposed fusion framework achieves a higher accuracy than the state-of-art methods for image classification.
Photochemistry of ZnTPP induced by cadmium sulfide nanoparticles in 2-propanol

Abstract Addition of ZnTPP to non-stoichiometric CdS nanoparticles in 2-propanol leads to adsorption of ZnTPP molecules onto the surface of the nanoparticles. A limiting adsorption of about 13% ZnTPP molecules onto the surface of 2 × 10−4 M CdS nanoparticles was determined by ultrafiltration (100 A membrane filters). It corresponds to 6.15 × 10−3 × m ZnTPP molecules adsorbed onto the surface of an average-size CdS nanoparticle; m is the number of CdS units in such a nanoparticles. Both the quenching of the recombination luminescence of CdS (etr− / htr+) by ZnTPP and the photoreactivity of ZnTTP in the presence of CdS nanoparticles are linked to the extent of adsorption of ZnTPP onto CdS. The adsorption of ZnTPP onto the surface of CdS nanoparticles is described by Langmuir-type plots. UV irradiation of ZnTPP in the presence of CdS nanoparticles leads to the formation of intermediate photoproducts, characterized with absorption bands in the red region of the spectrum, which subsequently convert to more stable photoproducts. The former photoproducts are attributed to reactions of O2− with ZnTPP whereas the latter may be linked to the reduction of ZnTPP, substitution at the exodouble bonds of ZnTPP and to open macrocyclic structures.
Relation of the Big Five to Biodata and aspects of the self

Abstract Two studies examined McCrae and Costa’s system model of personality. Their model suggests the Big Five should have relatively strong associations with life history (measured in Study 1 by Biodata) and with Self-Concept (measured in Study 2 by various Self questionnaires). Study 1—210 participants (143 females) completed Bipolar Big Five Markers and a Biodata inventory. Factor Analyses confirmed the Big Five and revealed seven viable Biodata factors. Multiple regression revealed that most Biodata factors were predicted well by 2 or more Big Five traits. Study 2—199 participants (125 females) completed Bipolar Big Five Markers and an omnibus Self inventory consisting of six previously developed scales. Factor Analyses confirmed the Big Five and revealed eight viable Self factors. Multiple regression revealed that the Self factors were also predicted fairly well by two or more Big Five traits. Both studies found relatively strong associations between the Big Five and the Biodata and Self factors, which lends support to McCrae and Costa’s system model of personality. A consistent pattern of both a primary and secondary trait as joint predictors of Biodata and Self factors suggests that these areas are systematically influenced by multiple traits rather than only single traits.
Moderating effects of major depression on patterns of comorbidity in patients with panic disorder

Given the high rate of co-occurring major depression in patients with panic disorder, it is unclear whether patterns of comorbidity in individuals with panic disorder reported in the literature are associated with panic disorder or with the presence of major depression. Subjects were 231 adult subjects with panic disorder and major depression (n=102), panic disorder without comorbid major depression (n=29), major depression without comorbid panic disorder (n=39), and neither panic disorder nor major depression (n=61). Subjects were comprehensively assessed with structured diagnostic interviews that examined psychopathology across the life cycle. Panic disorder, independently of comorbidity with major depression, was significantly associated with comorbid separation anxiety disorder, simple phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and agoraphobia. Major depression, independently of comorbidity with panic disorder, was significantly associated with comorbidity with psychoactive substance use disorders and childhood disruptive behavior disorders. Overanxious disorder was associated with both panic disorder and major depression. Major depression has important moderating effects on patterns of comorbidity of panic disorder in referred adults.
The ultraviolet absorption spectra of benzoyl polyglycine anilides and benzoyl polyalanine anilides

Abstract A group of polyglycine and polyalanine anilides have been synthesized, and their absorption spectra have been studied in methanol and in HClO4. The data, it is suggested, support the hypothesis that interactions between peptide bonds occur which are energetic in nature.
Actor Objectives and International Systems

S INCE THE RISE OF THE modern nation-state as the most important actor on the international scene, two empirically converging but analytically distinguishable approaches have characterized the treatment of actor objectives in the study of international politics. The first approach emphasizes the internal predispositions of the actor on the assumption that an examination of the nationstate's value system, or more broadly, of its "political culture," may provide an answer to the question where one should look for the actor's sources of conduct. The second approach stresses the external determinants of goal formulation and highlights the challenges and opportunities of the external environment in which the actor seeks to realize his objectives. For a full consideration and adequate understanding of the objectives of international actors both perspectives are essential and, indeed, complementary. At the same time, the methodological peculiarities of each approach hold distinctly different theoretical implications and pose different problems for the analyst who consciously seeks to pursue both lines of inquiry in conjunction. Particularly troublesome is the theoretical difficulty of integrating the two approaches in a single conceptual framework or analytic strategy bebecause of their divergent methodological assumptions and consequences. This dual conceptual background of actor objectives-resting on both internal and external contingencies-and some of its implications shall be my concern in what is to follow. In particular, I will suggest a preliminary set of categories of actor objectives which would recognize and reflect this two-fold analytical perspective. Before turning to this task, it will be necessary to view actor objectives in the wider context of a fundamental analytical problem in the
Changing Trends in the Historiography of Postwar Europe, East and West

This essay explores changing trends in the post-1989 historiography of both eastern and western postwar Europe. It suggests that one major development is a shift toward themes in social and cultural history that see the late 1940s in the context of wartime experience. Another is the wresting of issues such as the imposition of communist power in eastern Europe from political science by historians. Shortcomings visible in these new trends include a tendency to divorce the history of representations and images from older concerns with power and the state. On the whole, however, common issues are emerging in the historiography of the two-halves of the continent that make it easier to envisage a more unified approach to their joint postwar history.
Areal Interpolation of Population Counts Using Pre-classified Land Cover Data

The need to combine spatial data representing sociodemographic information across incompatible spatial units is a common problem for demographers. A particular concern is computing small area trends when aggregation zone boundaries change during the trend interval. To that end, this study provides an example of dasymetric areal interpolation using the pre-classified land cover data available through the US Geological Survey’s National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) program. Areal interpolation of population estimates is preferable to traditional reaggregation techniques, and the use of land cover data as a weighting factor in interpolated estimation has been shown in earlier studies to be highly accurate. In this study, the NLCD data set performs well and, because it requires no classification, it compares favorably with other land cover data sets for areal interpolation when considered on the basis of accuracy, precision and ease of use.
Primary care interventions to reduce television viewing in African-American children

Abstract Background: Data are lacking on primary care interventions to reduce children's television viewing. Low-income African-American children watch greater amounts of television than their peers. Design Methods: A randomized controlled pilot and feasibility trial was conducted. Twenty-eight families with 7- to 12-year-old African-American children receiving primary care at an urban community clinic serving a low-income population were randomized to receive counseling alone or counseling plus a behavioral intervention that included an electronic television time manager. The main outcome was hours of children's television, videotape, and video game use. Parents/guardians and children completed baseline and 4-week follow-up self-report surveys. Additional outcomes included overall household television use, time spent in organized physical activity and playing outside, and meals eaten by the child while watching television. Results: Both intervention groups reported similar decreases in children's television, videotape, and video game use (mean changes of −13.7, SD=26.1 and −14.1, SD=16.8 hours per week). The behavioral intervention group reported significantly greater increases in organized physical activity (changes of +2.5, SD=5.9 and −3.6, SD=4.7 hours per week; p =0.004) and nearly significant greater increases in playing outside (changes of 1.0, SD=5.9 and −4.7, SD=9.4 hours per week; p Conclusions: This small pilot and feasibility study evaluated two promising primary care-based interventions to reduce television, videotape, and video game use among low-income African-American children. The effects on physical activity suggest that the behavioral intervention may be more effective.
The 3′ untranslated region of the hsp 70 genes maintains the level of steady state mRNA in Trypanosoma brucei upon heat shock

An increase in the transcriptional efficiency at elevated temperatures is a characteristic of transcription of heat shock protein (hsp) coding genes in most eukaryotes analyzed to date. The regulatory mechanism for hsp 70 genes expression in Trypanosoma brucei does not follow the conventional transcriptional induction mechanism. The hsp 70 locus of T.brucei appears in a permanently activated state, and transcriptional induction of hsp 70 genes by heat shock does not occur in this organism. Therefore, the differential expression of the hsp 70 genes in trypanosomes is, to a large extent, post-transcriptionally controlled. Mechanisms of post-transcriptional control of the hsp 70 gene expression were investigated. Procyclic trypanosomes were normally maintained at approximately 25 degreesC. Incubation of procyclic trypanosomes at 41 degreesC drastically reduced the steady state mRNA levels of many protein coding genes. In contrast, the expression of the hsp 70 genes is either maintained at a high level or is up-regulated. The hsp 70 intergenic region promoter together with its 3' splice acceptor sites and the 5' untranslated region (UTR) are not sufficient to maintain or up-regulate the mRNA level of a reporter gene upon heat shock. However, addition of the 3' UTR of hsp 70 genes to a reporter gene, driven by different promoters, maintained a high level expression of the mRNA during heat shock. These results suggested that the 3' UTR of the hsp 70 genes is primarily responsible for the maintenance of mRNA level during heat shock, while mRNA containing the 3' UTR from many other genes may be rapidly degraded by heat shock induced processes.
Z-DFD: design-for-diagnosability based on the concept of Z-detection

We address the problem of design-for-diagnosability, i.e., improving the accuracy of fault diagnosis or reducing its complexity through the insertion of observation points. To perform design-for-diagnosability efficiently, we use a procedure developed earlier for computing the number of fault pairs, N/sub P/, that are not guaranteed to be distinguished by a given test set. By using the concept of z -detection, N/sub P/ can be computed efficiently without enumerating fault pairs and without performing non-fault dropping fault simulation. We study the possibility of increasing the diagnosability of a circuit by inserting observation points so as to reduce N/sub P/. Our results include the following. (1) We find experimentally the number of observation points that need to be inserted in order to achieve a close-to-minimum value for N/sub P/. (2) We describe an efficient procedure for inserting a given number of observation points so as to reduce N/sub P/. We present experimental results for benchmark circuits to demonstrate the accuracy of using N/sub P/ to guide a design-for-diagnosability process.
Effects of Almond Leaf Scorch Disease on Almond Yield: Implications for Management

Almond leaf scorch (ALS) disease has been present in California's almond-growing regions for over 60 years. This disease is caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa and the pathogen is vectored by xylem-feeding sharpshooters and spittlebugs. Currently, there are no effective management techniques that prevent trees from becoming infected. Within affected orchards throughout California's Central Valley, disease incidence and the risk of tree-to-tree spread appears to be low. Consequently, the decision to remove or keep infected trees depends on lost productivity. We compared yield and vitality between infected and uninfected almond for cvs. Sonora and Nonpareil. Sonora was examined at three sites over 3 years and Nonpareil was examined at one site over 2 years. Yields of ALS-affected trees were significantly lower for both cultivars, although yield losses of Sonora were proportionally greater than those of Nonpareil. Yields of infected trees did not decline incrementally over years; rather, they fluctuated similarly to those of uninfected trees. In addition, no infected trees died during the course of the study. These results are in direct contrast to previous anecdotal reports which suggest that yields of infected trees incrementally decline and infected trees eventually die. A simple economic model was developed to determine conditions under which rouging infected trees would increase returns. Based on the model, orchard age, yield loss due to infection, and the value of a maximally producing almond tree should be considered when deciding to remove ALS-affected trees.
Transverse Strength of SCS-6 Silicon Carbide Fibers

A diametral compression test used to measure the transverse strength of SCS-6 fibers before and after heat treatment. Subjecting fibers to diametral compression successfully produced transverse tensile failure in the form of fiber cracking along the same diametral plane in which the compressive load was applied. An analysis of the hoop stress along the diametral plane, in which the effect of the C core were included, showed that there is a large tensile hoop stress concentration in the SiC sheath at the interface between the C core and the SiC sheath, where the stress is 6.3 times greater than the stress present in a solid SiC fiber under identical loading. This high tensile hoop stress concentration promotes crack initiation near the core and significantly limits the capability of these fibers to withstand transverse compressive loading. The maximum tensile hoop stresses, located at the interface between the C core and SiC sheath, at the measured failure loads were 850 MPa for the as-received SCS-6 fiber and 1210 MPa for fibers exposed to a 1-h heat treatment at 1850 C in 138 Mpa of Ar.
The scid gene encodes a trans-acting factor that mediates the rejoining event of Ig gene rearrangement.

Homozygous mutation at the scid locus in the mouse impairs lymphoid development and results in animals deficient in B and T cells. We found that immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene rearrangement was blocked at the J^JH stage in Abelson-transformed scid pre-B cell lines. Examination of the recombinational junctions indicated that the correct gene elements [D and /H) were assembled, as shown by the presence of D region and /n-region DNA on the breakpoint restriction fragments cloned from the genome of the scid cell lines. All rearrangement events were accompanied by deletions of varying sizes such that none of the rearrangements resulted in the production of functional immunoglobulins. The breakpoints of the rearrangement events did not correspond to the utilization of a novel heptamer-nonamer recombination signal but probably arose by nonspecific deletion from distal /H ^^^ ^ heptamer-nonam er signals in the process of recombination, scid pre-B cell lines were infected with a recombinant retrovirus (DGR) containing Ig joining signals. Aberrant rearrangements were observed in DGR DNA that was integrated randomly throughout the mouse genome, which suggested that the mutation in scid mice encodes a trans-acting factor that is part of the lymphoid gene recombination machinery.
Matched Cohort Methods for Injury Research

This article reviews the design and analysis of matched cohort studies of injuries where exposed study subjects are matched to others not exposed. We focus on the situation in which data are available for the matched groups with at least one member who had the study outcome, but data are absent or incomplete for matched groups that have no members with the outcome. When matching is done in a case-control study, those with the outcome are matched to those without the outcome on certain confounder measures; this distorts the exposure status of the controls to be like that of the cases in regard to the matching variables (and perhaps other variables as well) (1). As a consequence, the selected controls may not represent the exposure experience of the entire population from which the cases were derived. Therefore, matching is a source of selection bias in a case-control study. The bias it produces can be removed in the analysis by accounting for the matching since, conditional on the values of the matching variables, controls will be representative of the source population. The consequence of one-to-one matching in a cohort study is different. A variable can be a confounder only if, in the study cohort, it is associated with but not affected by the exposure and is independently predictive of the outcome. If each exposed study subject is perfectly matched to an unexposed subject on the value of some variable, and if there is no subject loss or missing data, there will be no association of exposure with the matching variable in the data, and confounding by the matching variable will be eliminated (2). Confounding by the matching variable could still occur, however, if an imbalance arose between the exposed and unexposed study subjects; this might happen, for example, if follow-up were less complete for one group compared with the other, or if some records were omitted from the analysis because of missing data. Despite the potential of matching to prevent confounding in a cohort study and the potential of matching to sometimes increase study efficiency (2), it appears that this design is rarely used. For many cohort studies, matching exposed persons to one or several unexposed persons would be laborious. Furthermore, it might be wasteful in that matches might be unavailable for some potential cohort members. Today, cohort studies usually avoid matching, and the data are analyzed using regression methods that make it relatively easy to adjust for potential confounding factors that might otherwise be used for matching.