cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Introduction to Panel Discussions at the Third International Conference on Open Source Systems — OSS 2007

Two diverse, stimulating and important panel discussions are included in this year’s programme on open source systems.
Atomic Engineering of Highly Excited Atoms

Recent astronomical observations in the direction of the object Cassiopeia A have detected interstellar radio emissions at the lowest frequencies observed to date, in the band 7–16 MHz [1]. These probably originate from atoms of enormous size, about a million times larger than a normal hydrogen atom and larger than the size of a bacterium, which would be the largest atoms yet encountered in any environment. The idea of gigantic atoms is fascinating in itself. However, its scientific appeal is not due just to its Guinness Book of Records aspect. In fact work in progress in laboratories is not competing with this record, but is rather aimed at the deliberate manipulation of atoms. This concept has long been sought but it has only become possible using highly excited (large) atoms. Although the production and detection of such large atoms involve some of the most advanced techniques of laser and atomic physics, their study represents in some sense a dramatic return to the earliest modern ideas of atomic structure: the model of Niels Bohr, the centenary of whose birth has just been celebrated [2].
Virtual pre-operative reconstruction planning for comminuted articular fractures

3D puzzle solving methods for this purpose were previously developed utilizing surrogate specimens [1]. Accurate fracture reconstructions were obtained by interactively matching native fragment surfaces to an intact template. While successfully piloted in a clinical case, more automated methods will be required in order for this approach to be practical in a clinical setting [2]. Surrogate geometries were obtained from high resolution laser scans, but in vivo geometries were segmented from CT data using fairly laborious methods. Additional complexity is present in vivo, as the structure of peri-articular bone makes it more susceptible to plastic deformations (i.e., crush).
Sentence Similarity Measures Revisited: Ranking Sentences in PubMed Documents

While various measures are available for computing sentence similarity, few studies have examined their performance in the biomedical domain. Motivated by BIOSSES, an earlier study for biomedical sentence similarity, we here explore the effectiveness of multiple similarity measures via sentence ranking in PubMed abstracts. Ranking sentences is a crucial component for text summarization and biocuration evidence attribution. Applied to the "natural language processing" and "computational biology" datasets, our experimental results show that the off-the-shelf measures for sentence similarity may not be effective for ranking sentences. Neither lexical nor semantic measures provided more than 0.60 NDCG scores at the top 1 ranked document. It necessitates the development of a large-scale benchmark set and more effective measures.
Research on the Teaching of Occupations 1963–1964

Recent research is here reviewed on the teaching of occupational information at various educational levels. Most of the research reviewed consists of doctoral dissertations and master's theses. The research suggests that occupational materials should be prepared and presented differently at different stages of student development. The research indicates that early presentation of occupational information may facilitate such developmental factors as understanding of occupational concepts, identification of vocational interests, realism of self-concept, appropriateness of vocational choice, and readiness to function as an effective employee. Occupational information provided early may also reach potential early school-leavers and thereby reduce the dropout rate.
Autonomic neurophysiologic implications of disorders comorbid with bladder pain syndrome vs myofascial pelvic pain.

Aims The neuropathophysiology of a debilitating chronic urologic pain condition, bladder pain syndrome (BPS), remains unknown. Our recent data suggests withdrawal of cardiovagal modulation in subjects with BPS, in contrast to sympathetic nervous system dysfunction in another chronic pelvic pain syndrome, myofascial pelvic pain (MPP). We evaluated whether comorbid disorders differentially associated with BPS vs MPP shed additional light on these autonomic differences. Methods We compared the presence and relative time of onset of 27 other medical conditions in women with BPS, MPP, both syndromes, and healthy subjects. Analysis included an adjustment for multiple comparisons. Results Among 107 female subjects (BPS alone = 32; BPS with MPP = 36; MPP alone = 9; healthy controls = 30), comorbidities differentially associated with BPS included irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), dyspepsia, and chronic nausea, whereas those associated with MPP included migraine headache and dyspepsia, consistent with the distinct autonomic neurophysiologic signatures of the two disorders. PTSD (earliest), anxiety, depression, migraine headache, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and IBS usually preceded BPS or MPP. PTSD and the presence of both pelvic pain disorders in the same subject correlated with significantly increased comorbid burden. Conclusions Our study suggests a distinct pattern of comorbid conditions in women with BPS. These findings further support our hypothesis of primary vagal defect in BPS as compared with primary sympathetic defect in MPP, suggesting a new model for chronic these pelvic pain syndromes. Chronologically, PTSD, migraine, dysmenorrhea, and IBS occurred early, supporting a role for PTSD or its trigger in the pathophysiology of chronic pelvic pain.
Distinct Effects of Carrageenan and High-Fat Consumption on the Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance in Nonobese and Obese Models of Type 2 Diabetes.

Exposure to low concentration of the common food additive carrageenan (10 mg/L) for only six days led to glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in the C57BL/6J mouse. Longer exposure produced fasting hyperglycemia but with no increase in weight, in contrast to the HFD. Glucose intolerance was attributable to carrageenan-induced inflammation and to increased expression of GRB10. Both HFD and carrageenan increased p(Ser32)-IκBα and p(Ser307)-IRS1, and the increases were greater following the combined exposure. The effects of carrageenan were inhibited by the combination of the free radical inhibitor Tempol and BCL10 siRNA, which had no impact on the HFD-mediated increase. In contrast, the PKC inhibitor sotrastaurin blocked the HFD-induced increases, without an effect on the carrageenan-mediated effects. HFD had no impact on the expression of GRB10. Both carrageenan and high fat increased hepatic infiltration by F4/80-positive macrophages. Serum galectin-3 and galectin-3 binding to the insulin receptor increased by carrageenan and by HFD. Tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor declined following either exposure and was further reduced by their combination. Carrageenan reduced the activity of the enzyme N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (ARSB; arylsulfatase B), which was unchanged following HFD. Dietary exposure to both high fat and carrageenan can impair insulin signaling through both similar and distinct mechanisms.
Is the Proposal of the Political Notion of Autonomy Problematic

My prior work on autonomy (see Dubljevic in Am J Bioeth Neurosci 4(4):44–51, 2013 and Chap. 3) took up the challenge posed by Felsen and Reiner (Am J Bioeth Neurosci 2(3):3–14, 2011) to substantially address how autonomy should be viewed in light of new evidence from (cognitive) neuroscience. I argued that it is premature to propose that the empirical data renders autonomy ‘Quixotic’, posited that the moral–political notion of autonomy was mistakenly associated with the metaphysical concept of “free will”, and offered ideal-typical degrees of coercion and compulsion which qualify instances in which autonomy might be diminished or entirely lacking.
Variability and Bias in Undrained Shear Strength from Different Sampling and Testing Methods

AbstractUndrained shear strength is one of the most commonly used geotechnical design parameters for fine-grained soils. Disturbance produced during boring, sampling, and testing introduces an ofte...
Exchange rate movements and aggregate output: the case of China

Applying an extended IS-MP-AS model (Romer, 2000), this paper finds that real GDP in China has a positive relationship with real depreciation during 1990-2005 and the real stock price and a negative relationship with real depreciation during 2006-2016, the lagged US real interest rate, the real oil price and the expected inflation rate. Therefore, during 1990-2005, the benefits of real depreciation such as more exports overwhelmed the costs of real depreciation such as higher import costs, higher inflation and less capital inflows whereas during 2006-2016, the benefits of real appreciation such as lower import costs, lower inflation, and more capital inflows dominated its negative effects such as less exports.
Room composition effects on risk taking by gender

We present evidence of a direct social context effect on decision-making under uncertainty: the gender composition of those in the room when making individual risky decisions significantly alters choices even when the actions or presence of others are not payoff relevant. In our environment, decision makers do not know the choices made by others, nor can they be inferred from the experiment. We find that women become more risk taking as the proportion of men in the room increases, but the behavior of men is unaffected by who is present. We discuss some potential mechanisms for this result and conjecture it is driven by women being aware of the social context and imitating the expected behavior of others. Our results imply that the environment in which individual decisions are made can change expressed preferences and that aggregate behavior may be context dependent.
Case 1: Persistent Hypoglycemia in a 46,XX Newborn with Ovarian Dysgenesis

A 4-day-old female newborn is transferred from an outside hospital for further evaluation and management of hypoglycemia. She had been born at 37 weeks’ gestation to a 23-year-old gravida 2, para 1 woman via spontaneous vaginal delivery. The prenatal history was unremarkable. She had a birthweight of 2,815 g (50th percentile) and length of 47 cm (40th percentile). She was initially discharged from the hospital on day 2 after birth. On day 4, she is brought back to the emergency department after 5 episodes of watery, nonbloody diarrhea and nonbloody, nonbilious emesis at home. In the emergency department, her vital signs are within the normal range for age. She is found to be hypoglycemic, with a blood glucose level of 31 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L) for which she received a bolus of 10% dextrose in water. The repeat glucose level after the bolus is 84 mg/dL (4.6 mmol/L) and she is subsequently transferred to the NICU. On arrival at the NICU, her admission vital signs are within the normal range for age, and physical examination reveals a moderately dehydrated, nondysmorphic infant who is alert and fussy. She has jaundice to the umbilicus and a dermal melanocytosis spot near her sacrum. The remainder of her physical examination findings are within the range for age. Her blood glucose concentration is 53 mg/dL (2.9 mmol/L). Her admission blood gas measurements and complete blood cell counts are unremarkable. She is started on 10% dextrose water in addition to feedings of expressed breastmilk and supplemental infant formula as needed, at least every 3 hours. Blood and stool cultures are sent and prophylactic antibiotics initiated. Total and direct bilirubin concentrations are normal—9.6 mg/dL (164.2 μmol/L) and 0.3 mg/dL (5.1 μmol/L), respectively. Antibiotics are discontinued after the blood culture is found to be negative for 48 hours. Stool …
Design of health information and communication technologies for older adults

Abstract Information and communication technologies have the opportunity to support older adults in carrying out activities of daily living at various levels. In order to successfully design these technologies to support this population, we must first consider the natural physical, sensory, and cognitive changes associated with aging and identify useful methods that help designers to understand older adult needs. This chapter aims to provide a better understanding of the health-technology needs of older adults and the ways designers can center these needs in the design process.
Impact of BRCA 1/2 testing: Body image, sexual functioning, and quality of life (QOL)

1525 Background: Management strategies for women at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer (OVCA) may affect sensitive QOL issues. Methods: As part of a larger study, 540 women who underwent testing for BRCA 1/2 prior to July 2005 were sent follow- up surveys, including FACT-Endocrine Symptom subscale (FACT-ES), Sexual Activity Questionnaire (SAQ), and a modified Body Image Scale. Chi-square, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze the data. Results: To date, 309 patients (pts) have responded. Pts with previous oophorectomies were excluded (n=68). The final analysis included 241 pts categorized into 4 groups: Group 1=no breast CA, no prophylactic (proph) surgery (n=39); Group 2=no breast CA, + proph surgery (either proph oophorectomy (PO), proph mastectomy (PM), or PO+PM) (n=20); Group 3= + breast CA, no PO or PM (n=90); and Group 4= + breast CA, + proph surgery (n=92). Median age at time of survey = 50 yrs. Median age at time of PO = 46 yrs. Of 65 BRCA + pts, 36 chose PO, while 32/176 ...
4.408 – Integrin-Activated Reactions to Metallic Implant Surfaces

With the current increase in demand for implants in younger patients, rapidly aging populations, and patients with tissue impairment due to disease, there is a need to improve the functional integration and life span of implants at the cellular level, in order to be able to substitute or augment complex tissues and organs. In many cases, stimulation of the ingrowth of specific, native, or seeded cells to form a continuum with the biomaterial is required. One of the major pathways by which cells adhere and interact with their extracellular environment is through integrins, which activate intracellular-signaling pathways that are essential for cell survival, growth, and differentiation. Therefore, understanding the role of integrins in the cell/tissue response to biomaterials is essential for the success of implants. Discussed in this chapter are a brief overview of integrins, their cellular functions, their signaling pathways, and biomaterials having integrin-activating surfaces, with particular attention to bone and metal implants. Generating functional implants having integrin-activating peptides and/or proteins has resulted in some success as significant increases in early bone formation have been obtained, both in vitro and in vivo. However, our ultimate goal to provide a long lasting implant still needs to be realized with respect to integrin-activating implants.
Incorporating airway examination photography into the electronic record.

BACKGROUND Photography of the airway has been used in research to validate preoperative airway assessment and the likelihood of identifying the difficult-to-mask ventilate and/or intubate patient. Up till now, no study has demonstrated the perceived utility of incorporation of airway photographs into the anesthesia preassessment. METHODS The University of Florida Health Presurgical Clinic routinely incorporates three photographs of all adult patients during their preanesthesia visit. The first is a head-on view of the patient opening the mouth widely as part of a Mallampati examination, and the second and third are side views of the patient prognathing and with the neck in maximal extension, respectively. After IRB approval, providers of anesthesia were surveyed regarding their opinions on the perceived value of the new process. Chi-square tests were used to determine if the responses to each question significantly differed from the distribution that would be predicted by chance. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS The survey was emailed to 180 individuals, with 145 responding. The responses significantly (P < 0.0001) indicated that the photographs helped the providers plan care for their patients and improved their satisfaction with the preoperative assessment. Technical and educational barriers were overcome using iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles and coaching, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Photographs of the airway assessment can successfully be taken and incorporated into an electronic medical record in a busy presurgical clinic. The pictures provide additional perceived value to the traditional written assessment of a patient's airway examination by someone else.
Building Information Modeling Implementation Framework for Smart Airport Life Cycle Management

Connectivity is key in this new era of smart infrastructure. Smart airports utilize new connected technologies to improve end-user experience while ensuring operational feasibility in aeronautical ...
MR Damper Modeling Performance Comparison Including Hysteresis and Damper Optimization

This research paper represents the analysis and simulation of semi-active suspension using non-linear modeling of the Magneto-Rheological (MR) suspension with consideration of the hysteresis behavior for a quarter car model. The research is based on the assumption that each wheel experiences the same disturbance excitation. Hysteresis is analyzed using Bingham, Dahl’s, and Bouc-Wen models. This research focuses on simulation of passive, Bingham, Dahl, and Bouc-Wen models and analysis for the five road profiles. The desired damping force determines the optimum working conditions based on optimized critical design parameters. An integrated approach towards the numeric design optimization by computational methods has been used to find the optimum working conditions. The critical parameters of MR damper are determined, and multi-objective optimization is performed considering the pole length, piston radius, gap thickness, piston internal radius, piston velocity and coil current. Sensitivity analysis also is performed to identify the sensitive parameter in the MR damper geometry towards the damping force. Analysis shows that gap thickness is the most sensitive geometric parameter of the MR damper. Furthermore, the comparative study of the models for the highest comfort with less overshoot and settling time are executed. The Bouc-Wen model is 36.91% more accurate than passive suspension in terms of damping force requirements, has a 26.16% less overshoot, and 88.31% less settling time. The simulation of the Bouc-Wen model yields the damping force requirement to be 2150N which is 91% of the analytical results.
Dynamic Information Needs Analysis: Understanding User Information Needs in Subterranean Warfare:

In this practice-oriented paper for human factors research, we describe our experiences piloting an exercise to understand how a moment-by-moment input device can be utilized to help understand sol...
Flirting with Disasters: Do Firms Financially Plan Ahead for Disasters?

There are two types of disasters: natural (Acts of God) and technological (human-caused) disasters. I investigate whether and under which conditions firms are hoarding precautionary cash holdings to address natural disaster risk, technological disaster risk or both. The empirical analysis requires me to introduce a novel multidimensional risk measure for each type of disaster as early warning sign for possible future disaster strikes. Using these measures, I provide evidence that firms do not trade-off between these two types of disasters in determining their cash policy. Firms prioritize the preparedness of possible natural disaster strikes above possible technological accidents. The natural disaster related precautionary cash holdings hoarding policy is a long-term policy option that is funded by using external financing and focused on a few disaster types such as wildfires and landslides. Firms address only technological disaster risk by precautionary hoarding cash holdings when they are less internal financially constrained or in smaller countries by surface area.
Sarcopenia and preserved bone mineral density in paediatric survivors of high-risk neuroblastoma with growth failure.

BACKGROUND Survival from paediatric high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NBL) has increased, but cis-retinoic acid (cis-RA), the cornerstone of HR-NBL therapy, can cause osteoporosis and premature physeal closure and is a potential threat to skeletal structure in HR-NBL survivors. Sarcopenia is associated with increased morbidity in survivors of paediatric malignancies. Low muscle mass may be associated with poor prognosis in HR-NBL patients but has not been studied in these survivors. The study objective was to assess bone density, body composition and muscle strength in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls. METHODS This prospective cross-sectional study assessed areal bone mineral density (aBMD) of the whole body, lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck, distal 1/3 and ultradistal radius and body composition (muscle and fat mass) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and lower leg muscle strength using a dynamometer. Measures expressed as sex-specific standard deviation scores (Z-scores) included aBMD (adjusted for height Z-score), bone mineral apparent density (BMAD), leg lean mass (adjusted for leg length), whole-body fat mass index (FMI) and ankle dorsiflexion peak torque adjusted for leg length (strength-Z). Muscle-specific force was assessed as strength relative to leg lean mass. Outcomes were compared between HR-NBL survivors and controls using Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Linear regression models examined correlations between DXA and dynamometer outcomes. RESULTS We enrolled 20 survivors of HR-NBL treated with cis-RA [13 male; mean age: 12.4 ± 1.6 years; median (range) age at therapy initiation: 2.6 (0.3-9.1) years] and 20 age-, sex- and race-matched controls. Height-Z was significantly lower in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls (-1.73 ± 1.38 vs. 0.34 ± 1.12, P < 0.001). Areal BMD-Z, BMAD-Z, FMI-Z, visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue were not significantly different in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls. Compared with controls, HR-NBL survivors had lower leg lean mass-Z (-1.46 ± 1.35 vs. - 0.17 ± 0.84, P < 0.001) and strength-Z (-1.13 ± 0.86 vs. - 0.15 ± 0.71, P < 0.001). Muscle-specific force was lower in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Bone mineral density and adiposity are not severely impacted in HR-NBL survivors with growth failure, but significant sarcopenia persists years after treatment. Future studies are needed to determine if sarcopenia improves with muscle-specific interventions in this population of cancer survivors.
A Short and Simple Economic Critique of the Weak Case for Drilling in ANWR

High oil prices and politics periodically elicit calls for more U.S. oil exploration in ecologically sensitive areas, in particular, Alaska’s ANWR coastal plain with its large reserves. Though ANWR survived untouched from the elections and high prices in 2008, President Obama’s recent proposal to allow drilling offshore of ANWR and the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico raise concerns about increased pressure to develop ANWR, beyond the expected pressures from economic recovery and midterm elections in 2010. Ecological issues aside, however, this author argues that having ANWR oil in 2008 would not have significantly lowered U.S. oil prices or imports, or improved U.S. energy security, not without much public financing and shifting the burden from the pump and imports to taxes or debt. That other OECD countries manage greater burdens also suggests such concerns are misplaced.
Arizona’s Insanity Defense, Clark, and the 2007 Legislature

In the post-Hinckley era, four states (Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Kansas) abolished their traditional insanity statutes in 1979 in favor of what are in certain circumstances mensrea insanity statutes. These changes were controversial and attracted early attention of legal scholars and courts in the individual states and at the U.S. Supreme Court. A 2006 Supreme Court decision in Clark v. Arizona had distinct but related concerns that helped crystallize the Court’s attention on both mensrea and traditional insanity defense statutes. This decision led to a dramatic precedent that may have settled these matters for generations to come. This article will discuss the changes in the Arizona statutory and case law and the interplay between these changes and the important decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court during the same time span. The result of the changes has led to a situation in Arizona where, for the most serious criminal defendants with mental illness, there is no current mechanism to acquit a defendant on the basis of insanity by a mensrea statute or otherwise.
Health Care Use and Outcomes in Assisted Living Communities: Race, Ethnicity, and Dual Eligibility.

Assisted Living (AL) has become an important residential long-term care option in the United States, yet very little is known about the nature and quality of care received in this setting by racial...
Comparison of thermal performances between copper and stainless steels on application of graphene coatings

Abstract Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and heat transfer simulations are conducted for a cross flow heat exchanger. The heat exchanger consists of a linear pipe carrying a heated fluid. The thermal interactions between the heated fluid having a laminar flow and the walls of the pipe have been studied under the influence of an external environment of water having a turbulent flow, in a direction normal to the pipe. A RANS model with a k- e variant was used to model the behavior of different material pipes which were observed under the varying conditions of turbulence, velocity, pressure and vorticity. When subjected to the same conditions, plots of the temperature gradient, isothermal contours, heat transfer coefficient against Reynolds number and thermal conductivity modelled against the various graphene coating thicknesses studied have shown that out of Copper and Stainless Steel the former has shown the most significant increase in thermal conductivity on the addition of a Graphene coating. Furthermore, to check for optimum efficiency, the same study was conducted with an internal coating of a Graphene layer for the aforementioned materials. It has been observed that an outer coating was not only more economically feasible, but also showed better thermal performance compared to an inner coating of graphene for copper, however it did improve the thermal performance of Stainless Steel significantly.
Kernel-based manifold learning for statistical analysis of diffusion tensor images

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an important modality to study white matter structure in brain images and voxel-based group-wise statistical analysis of DTI is an integral component in most biomedical applications of DTI. Voxel-based DTI analysis should ideally satisfy two desiderata: (1) it should obtain a good characterization of the statistical distribution of the tensors under consideration at a given voxel, which typically lie on a non-linear submanifold of R6, and (2) it should find an optimal way to identify statistical differences between two groups of tensor measurements, e.g., as in comparative studies between normal and diseased populations. In this paper, extending previous work on the application of manifold learning techniques to DTI, we shall present a kernel-based approach to voxel-wise statistical analysis of DTI data that satisfies both these desiderata. Using both simulated and real data, we shall show that kernel principal component analysis (kPCA) can effectively learn the probability density of the tensors under consideration and that kernel Fisher discriminant analysis (kFDA) can find good features that can optimally discriminate between groups. We shall also present results from an application of kFDA to a DTI dataset obtained as part of a clinical study of schizophrenia.
An introduction to parallel programming

An introduction to parallel programming , An introduction to parallel programming , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی
Compliant Sliding of a Block Along a Wall

This paper derives a compliant motion to slide a block along a wall, based on analysis of the task dynamics. We model the compliant motion by a spring with one end attached to the block, and the other end position-controlled. The attachment point of the spring on the block is the compliance center of the compliant motion strategy. We construct a strategy that produces the desired motion, independent of the actual coefficient of friction. We use a dual representation of force (Brost and Mason 1989) to analyze the dynamics of the operation, and to characterize candidate compliant motions. The same dynamic analysis has supported planning of tilting motions and pushing motions, suggesting that the task mechanics and the control strategy can be analyzed independently.
Transformation of Murine Cells by Two “Slow Viruses,” Visna Virus and Progressive Pneumonia Virus

Abstract Visna and progressive pneumonia virus (PPV), two antigenically related, non-oncogenic “slow viruses” which have ribonucleic acid (RNA)-dependent deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase activity, were examined for their ability to transform cells. Murine cells which had been exposed to either visna or PPV developed foci of altered, spindle-shaped cells 3 to 4 weeks after infection. Visna and PPV transformed lines were established from these cultures. There was no evidence that other oncogenic DNA or RNA viruses were involved in the observed transformation. Visna or PPV could be “rescued” from all transformed lines by co-cultivation with normal sheep testis cells. “Rescued” virus was identified as visna or PPV, and they retained the capacity to transform mouse cells. These experiments may have important implications in the understanding of both viral carcinogenesis and “slow” viral infections.
Practical Approximation to the Faddeev Equations

The form of the equations given by Faddeev for the problem of three-particle scattering is analyzed in the case in which the amplitudes of the two-body subsystems are dominated by a finite number of pole terms. It is shown that an important simplification can be made, reducing the Faddeev equations to a system of coupled integral equations in one variable only.
The relative rates of reaction of trimeric and tetrameric phosphonitrilic halides with n-propylamine

Abstract A conductimetric kinetic analysis of the aminolysis of the phosphonitrilic halides (NPF 2 ) 3 and 4 , (NPCl 2 ) 3 and 4 , and (NPBr 2 ) 3 and 4 by n -propylamine in acetonitrile at 25° indicates a second-order rate-determining step in each instance. From data for the second-order constants ( k 2 ) and the pseudo first-order constants ( k ′ 1 ), the comparative order of reactivity is (NPBr 2 ) 4 > (NPBr 2 ) 3 ∼ (NPCl 2 ) 4 > (NPCl 2 ) 3 ∼ (NPF 2 ) 4 > (NPF 2 ) 3 .
Impact of nucleation density on thermal resistance near diamond-substrate boundaries

Existing theory cannot account for the experimentally-observed thermal boundary resistance between deposited layers and substrates at room temperature. This is due to microstructural disorder in the deposited film within tens of nanometers of the interface. This work develops a model for the resulting thermal resistance near diamond-substrate interfaces, where the best deposition processes continue to yield high concentrations of amorphous inclusions and nanocrystalline material. The model relies on phonon transport theory and a novel subdivision of the near-interfacial region, which shows that the resistance is governed by the number of diamond nucleation sites per unit substrate area, i.e. The nucleation density. The predictions are consistent with experimental data for diamond-silicon interfaces and indicate that the resistance reaches a minimum for a nucleation density near 10{sup 10} cm{sup {minus}2}. This work facilitates the development microstructures that benefit more strongly from the excellent thermal-conduction properties of diamond.
A one-stage method for the determination of accelerator globulin.

SummaryA simple one-stage procedure has been devised for the determination of accelerator globulin activity in human plasma. The components of the assay system are of human origin. The test is specific for accelerator globulin activity, and is unaffected by large fluctuations in prothrombin or fibrinogen content of the material to be tested.
Scheduling elective surgery under uncertainty and downstream capacity constraints

The objective of this study is to generate an optimal surgery schedule of elective surgery patients with uncertain surgery operations, which includes uncertainty in surgery durations and the availability of downstream resources such as surgical intensive care unit (SICU) over multi-periods. The stochastic optimization is adapted and the sample average approximation (SAA) method is proposed for obtaining an optimal surgery schedule with respect to minimizing the total cost of patient costs and overtime costs. A computational experiment is presented to evaluate the performance of the proposed method.
Ideal Measurement of Cardiac Output: Is Impedance Cardiography the Answer?

The ideal measurement of cardiac output (CO) would be a system that is ac curate, noninvasive, reproducible, continuous, and technician-free. Impedence cardiography (ICG) has the promise of meeting...
Developing animal models for polymicrobial diseases

Polymicrobial diseases involve two or more microorganisms that act synergistically, or in succession, to mediate complex disease processes. Although polymicrobial diseases in animals and humans can be caused by similar organisms, these diseases are often also caused by organisms from different kingdoms, genera, species, strains, substrains and even by phenotypic variants of a single species. Animal models are often required to understand the mechanisms of pathogenesis, and to develop therapies and prevention regimes. However, reproducing polymicrobial diseases of humans in animal hosts presents significant challenges.
Adolescents' descriptions of hazards in the workplace.

To the Editor .— Runyan et al1 recently reported the results of a telephone-based cross-sectional survey of US youth aged 14 to 18 years regarding their activities and injury experiences in the retail and service sectors of the workplace. Their results revealed numerous areas of violation of federal laws regarding the types of work, conditions of work, and orientation and supervision for youth. As the authors themselves pointed out, recall bias is an important limitation to such a methodology and likely leads to a considerable underestimation of actual risk. This is particularly true with regard to certain circumstances in the workplace that might …
Safety of capsaicin cough challenge testing

Background Capsaicin, the pungent extract of red peppers, has achieved widespread use in clinical research because it induces cough in a dose-dependent and reproducible manner. Although > 2 decades of experience has led investigators to consider capsaicin cough challenge testing a safe diagnostic modality, this issue has not been specifically addressed in the literature. Study objectives To review the published experience with capsaicin inhalation challenge testing in terms of safety. Design Literature review and personal communication with study authors. Setting Academic medical center. Results One hundred twenty-two published studies since 1984 described 4,833 subjects (4,374 adults, 459 children) undergoing capsaicin cough challenge, with no serious adverse events reported. Subjects included healthy volunteers as well as patients with asthma, COPD, pathologic cough, and other respiratory conditions. Minor complaints described in a small fraction of studies consisted mainly of transient throat irritation. Personal communication with the authors of > 90% of the studies confirmed an absence of any serious adverse events. Furthermore, these investigators have performed thousands of additional capsaicin challenge studies not reported in the literature, also without any associated serious adverse events. Conclusions A review of the 20-year clinical experience has failed to uncover a single serious adverse event associated with capsaicin cough challenge testing in humans. Given the need for better antitussive therapies, capsaicin represents a vital component of future scientific inquiry in the field of cough.
OLIGONUCLEOTIDE-DIRECTED NUCLEIC ACID SCISSION BY MICROCOCCAL NUCLEASE

"Sequence-dictated" scission of DNA can be achieved by tethering a fusion protein composed of glutathione S-transferase and attenuated micrococcal nuclease (MN) to a targeting oligonucleotide using Cibacron blue (CB) F3G-A. Deoxyoligonucleotides derivatized with this dye bind to the fusion protein in gel mobility shift assays. This binding scheme was successfully used to achieve site-specific scission of a single-stranded DNA substrate after hybridization with a CB-derivatized complementary oligonucleotide. Although covalently cross-linked hybrids of MN and oligonucleotides have been successfully used in the past to target nucleolytic activity, this novel scheme opens new possibilities for targeting and probing both DNA and RNA sequences by allowing the addition of the nuclease subsequent to hybridization.
A New Technique for Quantitative Analysis of Hair Loss in Mice Using Grayscale Analysis

Alopecia is a common form of hair loss which can occur in many different conditions, including male-pattern hair loss, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and alopecia areata. Alopecia can also occur as a side effect of chemotherapy in cancer patients. In this study, our goal was to develop a consistent and reliable method to quantify hair loss in mice, which will allow investigators to accurately assess and compare new therapeutic approaches for these various forms of alopecia. The method utilizes a standard gel imager to obtain and process images of mice, measuring the light absorption, which occurs in rough proportion to the amount of black (or gray) hair on the mouse. Data that has been quantified in this fashion can then be analyzed using standard statistical techniques (i.e., ANOVA, T-test). This methodology was tested in mouse models of chemotherapy-induced alopecia, alopecia areata and alopecia from waxing. In this report, the detailed protocol is presented for performing these measurements, including validation data from C57BL/6 and C3H/HeJ strains of mice. This new technique offers a number of advantages, including relative simplicity of application, reliance on equipment which is readily available in most research laboratories, and applying an objective, quantitative assessment which is more robust than subjective evaluations. Improvements in quantification of hair growth in mice will improve study of alopecia models and facilitate evaluation of promising new therapies in preclinical studies.
The Seattle Protocol Does Not More Reliably Predict the Detection of Cancer at the Time of Esophagectomy Than a Less Intensive Surveillance Protocol

Background & Aims The optimal management of high-grade dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus remains controversial. A biopsy protocol consisting of 4 quadrant jumbo biopsies (every 1 cm) with biopsies of mucosal abnormalities (the Seattle protocol) is considered to be the optimal method for detecting early cancers in patients with high-grade dysplasia, although it has never been validated. This study aimed to determine the frequency of unsuspected carcinoma at esophagectomy in Barrett's esophagus patients with high-grade dysplasia who underwent the Seattle protocol and to compare the findings with those of a less rigorous biopsy protocol. Methods Thirty-three patients with high-grade dysplasia underwent esophagectomy. None had obvious mass lesions at preoperative endoscopy. Patients were divided into group 1 (preoperative surveillance biopsies according to Seattle protocol) and group 2 (4 quadrant biopsies every 2 cm). Preoperative and postoperative diagnoses were confirmed by 2 expert gastrointestinal pathologists. Results Unsuspected intramucosal cancer was found in 8 of 20 (40%) patients in group 1 versus 4 of 13 (30%) in group 2 ( P = .6). Preoperative mucosal nodularity was observed in 4 of 8 (50%) postoperative intramucosal cancers from group 1 versus 3 of 4 (75%) from group 2. Multifocal high-grade dysplasia was seen preoperatively in 7 of 8 (87.5%) postoperative intramucosal cancers in group 1 versus 2 of 4 (50%) in group 2. No patient had submucosal cancer or lymph node metastases at surgery. Conclusions Intense preoperative biopsy sampling by the Seattle protocol does not more reliably predict the detection of cancer at the time of esophagectomy than a less intensive surveillance protocol. This calls into question the concept that extensive sampling with the Seattle protocol consistently detects early cancers arising in Barrett's esophagus patients with high-grade dysplasia.
Reactive astrocytes are substrates for the growth of adult CNS axons in the presence of elevated levels of nerve growth factor

To assess the necessary parameters for the growth of axons within the adult rat CNS, we have used intracerebral grafts of primary fibroblasts genetically engineered to express nerve growth factor (NGF). Following the implantation of NGF-producing primary fibroblasts within the striatum, cholinergic axons arising from the nucleus basalis grow toward and penetrate these grafts between 1 and 8 weeks. Grafts of noninfected control cells do not elicit axon sprouting at any time. Unmyelinated axons grow into grafts of NGF-producing cells only on reactive astrocytic processes, which contribute to a surrounding glial border. From our data concerning axon growth within the adult rat CNS, we conclude that reactive astrocytes can act as conducive substrates for growing axons; and only in the presence of elevated levels of NGF will permissive substrates (e.g., astrocytes) support axon growth by NGF-sensitive neurons.
POSSIBLE EXISTENCE OF QUATERNARY STRUCTURE IN THE HIGH-AFFINITY SEROTONIN TRANSPORT COMPLEX

Abstract Deletion-mutants of the cloned mouse serotonin transporter (SERT) rendered dominant negative-mutant effects upon wild-type transporter activities in heterologous expression studies; such effects were transporter-selective and did not influence the activities of co-expressed neuronal GABA transporter. Heterologous expression of linear concatenates (up to four copies) of SERT further revealed discernable uptake activities for both transporter-dimer and -tetramer, but not for the trimer. Kinetic and pharmacological analyses revealed that the monomer, dimer, and tetramer manifested comparable transport K m and potencies for known serotonin uptake inhibitors; the tetramer was distinct from the others only in manifesting notably reduced transport V max . Surprisingly, equivalent cocaine congener-binding activities were observed for all concatenates, including the functionally inactive trimer. These findings collectively support the existence of quaternary structure in the active 5-HT transport complex; such structure is likely to be a critical determinant of ligand transport activities, but apparently not of transporter–inhibitor interactions.
Observation of Nb filaments in CuNb in-situ composites

This paper reports on in-situ composites that are two-phase structures produced by heavy deformation of a coarse initial structure, such as a cast ingot, blended powders, or stacked sheets. After deformation the structure consist of a matrix phase and a strengthening phase, which is present in the form of extremely fine filaments of sheets depending upon the type of deformation processing method used. The most widely studied in-situ composites are the Cu-Nb alloys, however Ta, Fe, and Cr have also been used as the strengthening phase for filament formation. The filaments are believed to be responsible for blocking dislocation motion through the composite material and are extremely important in producing the high strengths noted in these alloys; however, considerable controversy exists as to the exact role they play in strengthening the matrix. Due to the importance of these filaments, several studies have been conducted using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to measure the size and spacing of these filaments as a function of deformation and relate the results to the observed strengths. Obtaining statistically valid data using TEM is often questioned since only small areas are typically examined in TEM foils and these regions may not be representative of the bulkmore » sample. Thus, many samples must be examined in order to obtain reliable data. It is in these studies that conical-scan dark-field (CS-DF) has proven to be an extremely useful tool and has enabled more accurate information to be obtained from thicker regions of the foils examined, and by allowing observation over large areas of the sample.« less
835 PURIFICATION, BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND FUNCTION OF FETAL AT-III

Heparin clearance in the newborn is more rapid than in the normal adult and anticoagulation with heparin is clinically difficult to achieve. Circulating levels of antithrombin III (AT-III) are physiologically low in term and preterm infants and minor differences in the function of AT-III in the newborn would have significant implications for the treatment of thrombosis. AT-III was isolated by heparin affinity chromatography from adult venous and newborn umbilical cord blood. The proteins thus purified were compared by SDS-PAGE, rocket immunoelectrophoresis, protein concentration by microbiuret relative to optical density at 280 nm, heparin cofactor specific activity, progressive neutralization of thrombin and factor Xa at 37° C, and pH related anti-thrombin kinetics. Finally, the reaction rates of thrombin neutralization relative to the concentration of heparin present were measured. The structural evaluations revealed a fetal AT-III molecule of molecular weight, charge and electrophoretic migration indistinguishable from that of normal adult. The functional studies showed that, on an equimolar basis, the rates of thrombin and Xa interactions with fetal AT-III were as rapid as those with adult AT-III. The catalytic rates of various concentrations of heparin were also normal. These findings suggest that “heparin resistance” in the newborn is the result of a quantitative deficiency of a normally functioning protein and support considerations for replacement therapy with AT-III.
Biochemical, histochemical, and autoradiographic evidence for the existence and formation of acid mucopolysaccharides in larvae of Phormia regina

Abstract Phormia regina larvae cultures were grown and collected at all stages of their development from hatching to pre-pupation. Preparations from these larvae were analysed for their content of acid mucopolysaccharides (MPS). Numbers of MPS were detected in these preparations and were found to elute in chromatographic patterns that were similar to those shown for authentic MPS standards. Although the MPS appeared to be present at all stages of larval development, the first three days post-hatch were observed to be the most active period for MPS synthesis. Using histochemical and autoradiographic techniques these MPS were found to be present in a variety of organ and tissue sections.