cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Loss of heterozygosity at 13q14 and 13q21 in high grade, high stage prostate cancer.

Background Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at chromosome 13q has been frequently detected in prostate cancer, and three regions (i.e., 13q14, 13q21, and 13q33) may harbor tumor suppressor genes important in this neoplasm. In this study, we examined the frequency of 13q LOH in advanced prostate cancers, in order to determine the clinicopathologic relevance of 13q LOH. Methods LOH was determined by analyzing microsatellite markers in 41 cases of microdissected predominantly high grade prostate cancer tissues and their matched nonneoplastic cells. The results were compared with those generated previously for lower grade, asymptomatic cancers. Results The frequencies of LOH at 13q14, 13q21, and 13q33 were 62% (21/34), 57% (20/35), and 34% (11/32), respectively. In comparison to previous results, LOH at 13q14 and 13q21 but not 13q33 was more frequent in prostate cancers that produced local clinical symptoms (bladder outlet obstruction) than those that did not (P < 0.05). LOH at 13q14 was also significantly more frequent in high grade and high stage cancers than those that were lower grade and lower stage (P < 0.05). Conclusions Although the target genes on 13q have not been identified in carcinomas of the prostate, LOH at 13q14 in particular is associated with clinically significant prostate cancers. Further fine mapping of these loci may lead to identification of tumor suppressor genes that are deleted in aggressive carcinomas of the prostate. Prostate 49:166–171, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Obligations to animals are not necessarily based on rights

I offer a very qualified argument to the effect that rights are grounded in a certain sort of prejudice that privileges individualistic and perhaps masculinist ways of thinking about moral life. I also propose that we look carefully at other conceptions of social ontology and moral life, including the much discussed care conception.
Institutional Vision and Academic Advising.

Quality academic advising in higher education is the product of a multitude of elements not the least of which is institutional vision. By recognizing and embracing an institution's concept of its capabilities and the kinds of educated human beings it is attempting to cultivate, advisors gain an invaluable apparatus to guide the provision of effective educational planning to students. In a case study survey, we assessed whether and how institutional vision can be transformed into action as both vision-driven initiatives and more incidental activities reflective of an institution's vision statement. Relative emphasis: theory, research, practice
Crack-Growth Behavior of Alloy 230 Under Creep-Fatigue Conditions

Abstract The effect of temperature and hold time on cracking susceptibility of Alloy 230 has been studied using precracked compact-tension specimens. The complex creep–fatigue loading interactions have been evaluated by imposing different hold times on a triangular waveform associated with cyclic loading under a constant stress-intensity-factor-range. The results indicate that the crack-growth-rate was significantly enhanced at higher temperatures even at very short hold times. The fracture morphology was changed from transgranular to predominantly intergranular due to the introduction of longer hold times and/or increasing temperature.
Prospective study of coronary heart disease incidence in relation to fasting total homocysteine, related genetic polymorphisms, and B vitamins: The atherosclerosis risk in communities (ARIC) study

Background—Elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy), low B-vitamin intake, and genetic polymorphisms related to tHcy metabolism may play roles in coronary heart disease (CHD). More prospective studies are needed. Methods and Results—We used a prospective case-cohort design to determine whether tHcy-related factors are associated with incidence of CHD over an average of 3.3 years of follow-up in a biracial sample of middle-aged men and women. Age-, race-, and field center–adjusted CHD incidence was associated positively (P<0.05) with tHcy in women but not men, and CHD was associated negatively (P<0.05) with plasma folate (women only), plasma pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (both sexes), and vitamin supplementation (women only). However, after accounting for other risk factors, only plasma pyridoxal 5′-phosphate was associated with CHD incidence; the relative risk for the highest versus lowest quintile of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate was 0.28 (95% CI=0.1 to 0.7). There was no association of CHD with the C677T mutation of...
Generalized imitation within three response classes in typically developing infants.

Effects of modeling and contingent praise on infant imitation of three different responses was analyzed. Generalization to nonreinforced probe models was assessed both within and across response types. Three 12- to 14-month-old infants and their mothers participated in this study. During baseline the mothers provided models only. During treatment mothers modeled and also praised contingent upon infant matching of the training models. During interspersed probe trials the mothers modeled different responses, which, if matched by the infant, produced no praise. The three responses modeled were motor-with-toy, motor-without-toy, and vocal responses. The dependent measure was the percentage of maternal models that were matched by the infant within 6 s. Nonmatching responses of the same response type were also measured. Results showed a systematic increase in the percentages of training and probe models matched by the three infants following the introduction of the model-and-praise treatment condition. Nonmatching responses did not systematically increase. Thus, imitation generalized within response class, but not across response classes.
Mechanisms for charge transfer (or for the capture of any light particle) at asymptotically high impact velocities

Within the nonrelativistic approximation the authors discuss three different mechanisms for the capture of a light particle from a bare heavy nucleus by another bare heavy nucleus which is incident with a very high relative velocity. The emphasis is on physical interpretation. For each mechanism a ''physical'' (i.e., more readily comprehensible) derivation is given of the asymptotic form of the total cross section, and a comparison is made of the relative importance of the different mechanisms in the case of electron capture from hydrogenlike ''atoms.'' The first mechanism is knock-on capture, where the two nuclei have equal masses and simply switch places. The second mechanism is radiative capture, which occurs with the emission of a photon. The third mechanism, which is perhaps the most interesting one, is double scattering, first suggested within the framework of classical mechanics by Thomas in 1927.
Integrated conventional and laser re-crystallised amorphous silicon thin film transistors for large area imaging and display applications

Abstract In this paper we present experimental data on the integration of conventional high quality bottom gate amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin film transistors (TFTs), together with devices recrystallised by an excimer laser, both on the same glass substrate. The maximum substrate temperature is 350°C and the same gate dielectric and silicon layers are used for both types of transistors. The recrystallised a-Si devices, now poly-Si TFTs, only require one extra masking step and have field-effect mobilities around 20–30 cm 2 /Vs, threshold voltages of 0–3 Volts, with leakage currents of 10 −12 A/μm at 10V drain to source bias, while the amorphous devices remain essentially unchanged by the recrystallization process. We demonstrate the viability of the integration of these devices for use in large area arrays.
Conformal symmetry and differential regularization of the three-gluon vertex

Abstract The conformal symmetry of the QCD Lagrangian for massless quarks is broken both by renormalization effects and the gauge fixing procedure. Renormalized primitive divergent amplitudes have the property that their form away from the overall coincident point singularity is fully determined by the bare Lagrangian, and scale dependence is restricted to δ-functions at the singularity. If gauge fixing could be ignored, one would expect these amplitudes to be conformal invariant for non-coincident points. We find that the one-loop three-gluon vertex function Г μvp (x, y, z) is conformal invariant in this sense, if calculated in the background field formalism using the Feynman gauge for internal gluons. It is not vet clear why the expected breaking due to gauge fixing is absent. The conformal property implies that the gluon, ghost, and quark loop contributions to Г μvp are each purely numerical combinations of two universal conformal tensors D μvp ( x , y , z ) and C μvp ( x , y , z ) whose explicit form is given in the text. Only D μvp has an ultraviolet divergence, although C μvp requires a careful definition to resolve the expected ambiguity of a formally linearly divergent quantity. Regularization is straightforward and leads to a renormalized vertex function which satisfies the required Ward identity, and from which the beta function is easily obtained. Exact conformal invariance is broken in higher-loop orders, but we outline a speculative scenario in which the perturbative structure of the vertex function is determined from a conformal invariant primitive core by interplay of the renormalization group equation and Ward identities. Other results which are relevant to the conformal property include the following: 1. (1) An analytic calculation shows that the linear deviation from the Feynman gauge is not conformal invariant, and a separate computation using symbolic manipulation confirms that among D μ b μ background gauges, only the Feynman gauge is conformal invariant. 2. (2) The conventional (i.e., non-background) gluon vertex function is not conformal invariant because the Slavnov-Taylor identity it satisfies is more complicated than the simple Ward identity for the background vertex, and a superposition of D μvp and C μvp necessarily satisfies a simple Ward identity. However, the regulated conventional vertex can be expressed as a multiple of the tensor D μvp plus an ultraviolet finite non-conformal remainder. Mixed vertices with both external background and quantum gluons have similar properties.
A Two-Temperature Model for the Analysis of Passive Thermal Control Systems

Passive control of steady and unsteady thermal loads using effective thermal conductivity enhancers, such as metal foams, internal fins and metal filler particles, is being explored for a variety of electronics applications. The interstices are filled with air, phase change materials, or other fluids. Local thermal equilibrium between the solid filler and the matrix is not ensured in such systems since their thermal diffusivities are frequently very different. The use of a single volume-averaged energy equation for both the phases cannot he justified in such situations. A two-medium approach is used in the present work to account for the local thermal non-equilibrium. Separate energy equations are written for the solid and fluid respectively, and are closed using a steady-state interphase heat transfer coefficient between the two phases. A general momentum equation which includes the Brinkman-Forchheimer extension to Darcy flow is employed
Dark Current in Photomultipliers

A study has been undertaken to determine the nature of the processes that contribute to dark current in photomultipliers. Extensive measurements have been made on a number of production-type photomultipliers and on a series of experimental tubes that were designed to minimize leakage and regeneration. Variations in the dark current pulse-height distribution and counting rate with applied voltage, cathode temperature, and residual gas pressure were measured. The experimental method and preliminary results will be discussed.
Treatment of vaginitis caused by Candida glabrata: use of topical boric acid and flucytosine.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to review the treatment outcome and safety of topical therapy with boric acid and flucytosine in women with Candida glabrata vaginitis. Study design This was a retrospective review of case records of 141 women with positive vaginal cultures of C glabrata at two sites, Wayne State University School of Medicine and Ben Gurion University. Results The boric acid regimen, 600 mg daily for 2 to 3 weeks, achieved clinical and mycologic success in 47 of 73 symptomatic women (64%) in Detroit and 27 of 38 symptomatic women (71%) in Beer Sheba. No advantage was observed in extending therapy for 14 to 21 days. Topical flucytosine cream administered nightly for 14 days was associated with a successful outcome in 27 of 30 of women (90%) whose condition had failed to respond to boric acid and azole therapy. Local side effects were uncommon with both regimens. Conclusions Topical boric acid and flucytosine are useful additions to therapy for women with azole-refractory C glabrata vaginitis.
Structure of Figural Forms A and B of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.

This study analyzed the structure of the subscores obtained through streamlined scoring of 334 adults' responses to Figural Forms A and B of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). The results of principal components analyses indicated that one general creativity factor adequately represented the subscores of both Form A and Form B. An empirical comparison of the factor structures of Form A and Form B indicated that these forms have an equivalent structure. The results of commonality analyses confirmed that the five subscores of each form provide very little unique variance and suggested that a new subscore, resistance to premature closure, may be a better indicator than fluency is of the divergent thinking skills measured by the figural TTCT.
Indirect method for the measurement of bubble collapse field in negative temperature range

The bubble collapse field Ho of 2-6μm LPE garnet films was measured by an indirect method in an instrument which provide a sample chamber with negative temperature controller for temperature as low as to -50°C. Because of indirect method of measurement that did not require the use of the eye to observe the collapse of bubble, not only the subjective error of measurement was avoided, but also the focusing of sample was unnecessary Therefore the distance of the sample and objective can be increased to benefit the design of temperature chamber. The temperature is controlled by the gas flow from liquid nitrogen. During the measuring time the freeze phenomena was not serious to effect the light signal, so the negative temperature measurement of bubble collapse field can be easily carried out. For comparison, the Ho(T) curves for temperature region -50-200°C are given.
An inverse boundary-layer method for compressible laminar and turbulent boundary layers

This paper presents an efficient two-point finite-difference method for solving the compressible laminar and turbulent boundary-layer equations for a given external velocity distribution (standard problem) as well as an efficient method for solving the same equations for a prescribed positive wall shear or displacement thickness (inverse problem). In the equations the Reynolds stress terms are modeled by using the eddy-diffusivity formulas developed by Cebeci and Smith. The accuracy of the method is investigated for both incompressible and compressible turbulent flows. A cf C f f g h H K L M P Pr Pr< Re u,v UT
Differential toxicity of chronic exposure to phenytoin, phenobarbital, or carbamazepine in cerebral cortical cell cultures.

Abstract The effects of phenytoin (30 μg/ml), phenobarbital (64 μg/ml), and carbamazepine (24 μg/ml) were assessed in cerebral cortical cell cultures. After antiepileptic drug exposure for eleven days, cultures were assayed for total protein, number of neurons, tetanus toxin fixation, high-affinity uptake of γ-aminobutyric acid and β-alanine, activity of choline acetyltransferase, and benzodiazepine binding. Carbamazepine-exposed cultures demonstrated minimal effects, whereas highly significant deficits related to generalized toxicity were observed in cultures exposed to phenytoin or phenobarbital.
Gene Expression Patterns Underlying Proximal-Distal Skeletal Segmentation in Late- Stage Zebrafish, Danio rerio †

Timing and pattern of expression of ten candidate segmentation genes or gene pairs were reviewed or examined in developing median fins of late-stage zebrafish, Danio rerio. We found a general correspondence in timing and pattern of expression between zebrafish fin radial segmentation and tetrapod joint development, suggesting that molecular mechanisms underlying radial segmentation have been conserved over 400 million years of evolution. Gene co-expression during segmentation (5.5-6.5 mm SL) is similar between tetrapods and zebrafish: bmp2b, bmp4, chordin, and gdf5 in interradial mesenchyme and ZS; bapx1, col2a1, noggin3, and sox9a in chondrocytes. Surprisingly, wnt9a is not expressed in the developing median fins, though wnt9b is detected. In contrast to all other candidate segmentation genes we examined, bapx1 is not expressed in the caudal fin, which does not segment. Together, these data suggest a scenario of gene interactions underlying radial segmentation based on the patterns and timing of candidate gene expression.
Classification Of Partial Shapes Using String-To-String Matching

In this paper, we present an algorithm that enables us to recognize a partial shape without regard to its size, rotation or location. The algorithm uses the curvature function obtained from the digital representation of the shape. The curvature function is next represented by a string, by slicing it with horizontal lines. By using as primitives the sign of the curvature function slope within a pair of such lines, a symbol string is obtained which describes the relative amplitude of the peaks and valleys on the waveform and is invariant to size or location of the object within the scene. Since the curvature function is periodic, it can be made rotation invariant by suitably choosing the start point of the string. The resulting strings are matched using a standard measure of dissimilarity such as the number of operations such as substitution, deletion and insertion needed to transform one string to another. To obtain rotation invariance, we determine the dissimilarity measure by trying all the characters of one string (the test string) as start points. The algorithm has been successfully tested on several partial shapes, using two sets of data. The first set consisted of 4 classes of various types of aircraft, while the second set consisted of shapes of different lakes. The algorithm works reasonably well even in the presence of a moderate amount of noise.
Early and Later Vocalization Skills in Children with and Without Cleft Palate

Summary Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the early vocalization skills in children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) at 6 and 12 months of age and compare these early vocalization measures to later speech and vocabulary development at 30 months of age. Methods The participants in the study included 13 children without cleft lip or palate (NCLP) who were typically developing and 13 children with CLP matched for age, gender and socioeconomic status. Standardized measures of cognition, language, hearing, and prelinguistic vocalization measures were administered at 6 and 12 months and speech production, and vocabulary measures were collected at 30 months of age. Results Group differences were observed in both receptive and expressive language development at 12 and 30 months of age. Group differences were observed in the frequency of babbling and Mean Babbling Level at 12 months and speech sound accuracy and vocabulary production at 30 months of age. Significant correlation coefficients were observed between babbling frequency at 6 months and consonant inventory size, vocabulary at 30 months for the children with clefts and PCC-R for noncleft children. Conclusions This study documented that young children with clefts have persistent vocalization and vocabulary deficits well beyond palate closure. Measures of babbling frequency, Mean Babbling Level and consonant inventories provide clinically effective means of identifying these early deficits. Additionally, these measures may provide a tool for monitoring the effects of early intervention programs that promote facilitation of sound and vocabulary development.
Beneficial effects of intravenous pamidronate treatment in children with osteogenesis imperfecta under 24 months of age

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is an inherited disorder characterized by bone fragility and low bone mass. Low bone density and fracture is a cause of morbidity. Limited data exists on bisphosphonate treatment in patients under 24 months of age. The objective of the study was to examine the safety and efficacy of pamidronate in children under 24 months with OI. To do so, we carried out a retrospective chart review and analysis of OI patients started on intravenous pamidronate under 24 months of age. Pamidronate was administered in three-day cycles. Growth, the number of fractures, and lumbar bone mineral densities were recorded both prior to and after treatment initiation. A total of 18 patients were reviewed. Five were classified as OI type I, seven were type III, and six were type IV. The mean age at treatment initiation was 12 months (range 11 days to 23 months). The mean lumbar z score at baseline was −3.63, which improved to −1.53 at one year (P < 0.01) and 0.79 (P < 0.01) at the end of the study. The fracture rate improved from 68 fractures in 209 months (0.32 fractures/patient-month) before treatment to 41 fractures in 1,248 months (0.03 fractures/patient-month) post-treatment (P < 0.05). Height standard deviation score (SDS) was conserved from baseline to end of study (−2.12 ± 2.45 vs. −2.45 ± 2.73) (P = 0.05) with an average follow-up of 73 months. The only adverse effect recorded in six infants was fever during the initial pamidronate infusion. Treatment with intravenous pamidronate is safe, significantly improves lumbar bone mineral density (L-BMD), and reduces fracture rates in young infants with OI while preserving linear growth.
Reference ranges for thyroid function tests in premature infants beyond the first week of life.

OBJECTIVES:To establish reference ranges for the more sensitive assays of thyrotropin and the best available assays of free thyroxine in premature infants after the first week of life. STUDY DESIGN:Free thyroxine measurements by direct equilibrium dialysis and thyrotropin measurements by third generation immunometric assay were measured in 120 healthy premature infants 25 to 36 weeks' gestation at birth and every 3 weeks until hospital discharge. Infants were stratified by postconceptional age. Differences in free thyroxine and thyrotropin levels among groups were determined by ANOVA. Correlations between hormone measurements and gestational and postnatal ages were sought by linear regression analysis. Reference ranges were determined as arithmetic (free thyroxine) and geometric (thyrotropin) mean±2 SD ranges. RESULTS:From 120 infants, 164 samples were obtained and grouped by postconceptional age at sampling. Free thyroxine was not different among postconceptional age groups and did not correlate with gestational or postnatal age. The free thyroxine reference range based on these data was 10 to 33 pmol/l (0.8 to 2.6 ng/dl). Thyrotropin did not correlate with gestational age. There was a clinically trivial but statistically significant (r2=0.03, p<0.05) correlation of thyrotropin with postnatal age. The thyrotropin reference based on these data was 0.8 to 12 mU/l. CONCLUSIONS:Free thyroxine was closely regulated in these premature infants and levels were similar to those in older children and adults, once the natal surge in thyrotropin has subsided. After the first week of life a single range for each hormone appeared appropriate for all premature infants until 40 weeks postconceptional age.
The role of glutamine synthetase activity in ammonium and methylammonium transport in anacystis nidulans R-2

Abstract Ammonium Methylammonium transport Methionine sulfoximine Glutamine synthetase Cyanobacteria Anacystis nidulans
Direct calculation of spin stiffness for spin-1/2 Heisenberg models

The spin stiffness of frustrated spin-1/2 Heisenberg models in one and two dimensions is computed by exact diagonalizations on small clusters that implement spin-dependent twisted boundary conditions. Finite-size extrapolation to the thermodynamic limit yields a value of 0.14\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.01 for the spin stiffness of the unfrustrated planar antiferromagnet. We also present a general discussion of the linear-response theory for spin twists, which ultimately leads to the moment sum rule.
Presidential Address 2003: NSGC Living Life Forward

Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher, once wrote: “It is quite true what Philosophy says: that Life must be understood backwards. But that makes one forget the other saying: that it must be lived forwards.” (Andrews et al., 1996) Each time I begin a new challenge, I reread Kierkegaard’s quote. It helps me reflect on the path I took to get where I am in the present and then begin thinking about where I am going in the future. Today I am here in North Carolina as the President of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) because you, my colleagues, believe and trust that I will represent your interests and the interests of our organization. It is a privilege and honor to have been elected to this position. I look forward to representing NSGC over the next year. But let us apply Kierkegaard’s quote to the NSGC. Robin Bennett, Past President I, and Bea Leopold, our Executive Director, have just highlighted what NSGC has accomplished over the past year. I will discuss how NSGC can live life forward. Clearly, since the inception of NSGC the practice of genetic counseling has changed. Our special-interest groups (SIGs) alone illustrate the diverse roles we have created for ourselves. Even how we provide services is evolving, with counselors using telegenetics and web-based modalities. We are all well aware that the promise of new information and technology arising from the completion of the human genome sequencing portends more change for us in the future. To paraphrase Dr. Francis Collins’ address to us at our 2001 annual education conference, “Now is the time for genetic counselors, and the NSGC, to embrace these changes and step into our rightful leadership role and lead others into this new and exciting future” (Collins, 2001). There was a time when NSGC’s primary focus was to establish itself as a professional organization. This is no longer the case. NSGC is recognized by many
DIFFERENTIAL ACTIONS OF PROSTAGLANDINS IN SEPARATE CELL POPULATIONS FROM FETAL RAT BONE

Prostaglandins (PGs) may stimulate or inhibit bone cell replication and protein synthesis. These disparities may be concentration or time dependent, or occur in discrete cell types or by different second signals. Cell populations that express progressive degrees of osteoblast-like activity can be obtained by serial collagenase digestion of fetal rat parietal bone. The first (population 1) appears less differentiated, whereas the later (populations 3-5) exhibit biochemical features characteristic of osteoblasts. Within 24 h of treatment, three separate PGs increased DNA synthesis in population 1 with relative potencies of PGE1 < PGE2 < PGF2 alpha. By contrast, PGE1 and PGE2 (both strong cAMP inducers) inhibited basal DNA synthesis in population 3-5. These differences were paralleled by analogous changes in collagen and noncollagen synthesis in each population. The mitogenic effect in population 1 persisted for 72 h, and at later times was sensitive to indomethacin. These changes were unlikely to be cAMP de...
From Drill to Practice?: A Question of Generalization

The current study examined the relationship between hearing-impaired students' (N = 20) ability to write syntactically correct sentences (Noun + Verb + Where and Noun + Verb + Noun) in two formats, one structured and one unstructured. Two sentence-generating tasks were administered as operational measures of the structured format. A story-writing task was administered as an operational measure of the second format. A comparison of student performance across the two formats indicated that students generated more syntactically correct sentences in the structured than the unstructured format. There were very low correlations between the performance on the two formats. The widespread use of structural teaching activities which utilize metalinguistic sentence patterns are discussed. Implications of these findings are discussed in relationship to this widespread practice.
Course Requirements, Job Responsibilities, and Compensation for Financial Counselors: The Not-for-Profit Industry View.

A number of universities have or are developing concentrations in financial counseling. Academics have presented their thoughts on how these programs should be structured. However, the views of financial counseling agency administrators concerning the need for a four-year degree, course requirements, job responsibilities, and compensation of counselors were not known. Thus, a survey of these administrators was undertaken. They have a preference for college graduates with special emphasis in counseling coursework. However, salaries, at best, are on the low end of college graduates' expectations.
Gastro-intestinal circulation of ascorbic acid

Abstract 1. 1. Concentration of ascorbic acid present in the gastric or intestinal secretion of fish, dogs and humans is several times higher than in plasma. 2. 2. The data shown demonstrate that considerable amounts of ascorbate is secreted in the reduced form into the digestive tract and absorbed predominantly in its oxidized form. 3. 3. A quantity of ascorbic acid, equivalent to the daily requirement, is secreted into the digestive tract of scurvy-prone animals and humans, which implies the importance of this compound as a protective antioxidant. 4. 4. The mechanism of secretion and gastro-intestinal circulation of ascorbate requires further investigation because of ascorbate's role in absorption of several essential nutrients and prevention of gastric carcinoma.
Food habits and growth of silver and bighead carp in cages and ponds.

Abstract Analysis of intestinal contents of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) showed that silver carp consumed primarily phytoplankton while bighead carp consumed large quantities of zooplankton and detritus in addition to phytoplankton. The size of particles filtered by the bighead carp was larger (17–3,000 μm) than that filtered by silver carp (8–100 μm). Artificial feed was readily consumed by bighead carp but not by silver carp. No growth difference was indicated for silver carp in fertilized ponds and ponds receiving artificial feed. Growth of bighead carp increased substantially with the addition of artificial feed. Silver carp grew more rapidly in cages than bighead carp.
On active vibration suppression of a piezoelectric beam

Piezoelectric beam's dynamics are characterized by elastic properties, nonlinearities, uncertain dynamics and unknown disturbances, making it a challenging control problem. In this paper, a method of Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) for piezoelectric beam control is proposed. Unique to this approach, the complex piezoelectric beam dynamics, known or unknown, linear or nonlinear, and all external disturbances are treated in their totality as an input disturbance, and is subsequently estimated and canceled. Simulation and experimental results in this paper demonstrate the significant advancement of the ADRC as an easier, simpler and better control method that is ready to be deployed in practice.
Melanoma incidence rises for children and adolescents: an epidemiologic review of pediatric melanoma in the United States.

Abstract Background/Purpose This study was conducted to determine the influence of age on disease presentation and evaluate the change in pediatric melanoma incidence between 1998 and 2007. Methods We performed a retrospective review of all children ≤18years with cutaneous melanoma who were included in the 2007 National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 1988 and 2007. Results We identified a total of 1447 patients with cutaneous melanoma. The overall average annual melanoma incidence was 5.4 per 1 million children and adolescents in the U.S., which increased throughout the study period. Most patients (89%) were at least 10years of age (average age 15years). Melanoma in situ (21%), thin ( Conclusions The incidence of pediatric melanoma in the U.S. is increasing. There are significant differences between children and adolescents which suggest age-based inherent differences in the biology of the disease may exist.
Band filling and disorder in molecular conductors

Abstract We have systematically probed the roles of band filling and disorder in molecular conductors utilizing the (NMP)x(Phen)1-x(TCNQ)(0.5
Error propagation in the determination of position and heading of a vehicle on a flat surface

Abstract Results from probability theory on the propagation of measurement error are applied to two types of measurement systems, an angle measuring system and a length measuring system. Such systems can be used to measure the position and heading of a vehicle (or any rigid object) on a flat surface. For example, one might need to sense position and heading of a vehicle in order to control its motion. The functional relationships to go from angle and length measurements to position and heading are discussed and derived. Measurement error propagation theory is given in a way that can apply to any measurement system. The theory thus described is applied to the two types of measurement systems. Specific examples of these systems are given. These example systems are currently being used by the US Bureau of Mines (BOM) to measure the position and heading of certain underground coal mining machines in an effort to move equipment operators away from the more dangerous areas of the mine. Simulation results for these specific examples in the form of density maps are given which plot the error in position and heading for various positions (heading constant) of the vehicle.
An osmotic hypothesis for the regulation of oxygen permeability in soybean nodules

Nodule permeability (P) controls the amount of O2 entering the nodule, and thereby the rates of both nodule respiration and N2 fixation. P may be regulated by changes in the effective thickness of a water-filled diffusion barrier in the nodule cortex. Regulation of diffusion barrier thickness was hypothesized to result from changes in the water content of intercellular spaces. Modulation of intercellular water would be a response to osmotic potential gradients in the tissue. To test this hypothesis, preliminary experiments examined three classes of solutes (soluble sugars, free amino acids, and ureides) in nodules of intact plants exposed to 10 or 21 kPa O2 for 24 h. Neither soluble sugars nor free amino acids in nodules were responsive to O2 treatments. However, nodule ureides accumulated after exposure to 10kPa O2 for 24 h. A symplastic increase in nodule ureides under the 10kPa O2 treatment compared to the 21 kPa O2 treatment may have removed water from intercellular spaces in the nodule cortex and increased P. In addition, the nodule cortex of intact plants was infiltrated with water, polyethylene glycol (PEG), KC1, or Na-succinate solutions to determine the effect of intercellular water and osmoticants on dinitrogenase activity and P. Results from infiltrating the apoplast of the nodule cortex with osmotic solutions indicated that both increases in intercellular water and decreases in the apoplastic water potential decrease dinitrogenase activity and P. Furthermore, the inability to recover dinitrogenase activity and P following the infiltration of the cortex with PEG compared to either KCl or Na-succinate treatments may indicate that recovery was dependent upon removal of the solute from the apoplast.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation: studying motor neurophysiology of psychiatric disorders

Rationale. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive tool that directly stimulates cortical neurons by inducing magnetic and secondary electric fields. Traditionally TMS has been used to study the motor neurophysiology of healthy subjects and those with neurological disorders.
Understanding the Rural–Urban Differences in Nonmedical Prescription Opioid Use and Abuse in the United States

Nonmedical prescription opioid misuse remains a growing public problem in need of action and is concentrated in areas of US states with large rural populations such as Kentucky, West Virginia, Alaska, and Oklahoma. We developed hypotheses regarding the influence of 4 factors: (1) greater opioid prescription in rural areas, creating availability from which illegal markets can arise; (2) an out-migration of young adults; (3) greater rural social and kinship network connections, which may facilitate drug diversion and distribution; and (4) economic stressors that may create vulnerability to drug use more generally. A systematic consideration of the contexts that create differences in availability, access, and preferences is critical to understanding how drug use context varies across geography.
A predictive distributed congestion metric with application to technology mapping

Due to increasing design complexities, routing congestion has become a critical problem in very large scale integration designs. This paper introduces a distributed metric to predict routing congestion and applies it to technology mapping that targets area and delay optimization. Our technology mapping algorithms are guided by a probabilistic congestion map for the subject graph to identify the congested regions, where congestion-optimal matches are favored. Experimental results on a set of benchmark circuits in a 90-nm technology show that congestion-aware mapping results in a reduction of 37%, on an average, in track overflows with marginal gate-area penalty as compared to conventional area-oriented technology mapping. For delay-oriented mapping, our algorithm improves track overflows by 20%, on an average, in addition to preserving or improving the delay, as compared to the conventional method.
Quantitative Study of Vascularity in Walker Carcinoma 256

Vascularity in rat Walker carcinoma 256 was studied quantitatively by a radioisotopic method. Functional intravascular volume and extravasation of plasma protein per unit of tumor mass decreased as the tumors grew. The intravascular volume that we obtained with 51Cr-labeled RBC's was 0.0079 ml/g of tumor mass, which was less than 10% of the value obtained by other workers using dextran. A possible reason for this discrepancy and evidence in support of our results are discussed.
Cumulative exposure to neighborhood context: consequences for health transitions over the adult life course.

Over the last two decades, research has assessed the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic factors and individual health. However, existing research is based almost exclusively on cross-sectional data, ignoring the complexity in health transitions that may be shaped by long term residential exposures. We address these limitations by specifying distinct health transitions over multiple waves of a 15 year study of American adults. We focus on transitions between a hierarchy of health states, (free from health problems, onset of health problems, and death), not just gradients in a single health indicator over time, and use a cumulative measure of exposure to neighborhoods over adulthood. We find that cumulative exposure to neighborhood disadvantage has significant effects on functional decline and mortality. Research ignoring a persons’ history of exposure to residential contexts over the life course runs the risk of underestimating the role of neighborhood disadvantage on health.
The conduct of conferences and short courses

A large number of conferences and short courses are held throughout the world each year. Although these two important types of educational meetings bring together a great deal of technical talent, the actual transfer of information often falls far short of expectations. This paper reviews the basic functions that comprise the overall structure of these learning activities, and cites examples of specific problems. From an examination of the framework of these educational functions, a number of easily implemented and realistic guidelines are proposed for improving their quality.
Focal seizures in children with anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis

Summary Objective We investigated the electroclinical features of seizures occurring in children with anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis. Methods Clinical features and video EEG recordings were analyzed from pediatric patients with anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis at our center over a six year period. Results We identified eight pediatric patients with anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis. Video EEG captured multiple focal seizures in four patients. Ictal onset in all four patients consisted of a focal rhythmic sharpened 6–12 Hz activity that subsequently spread to one or both hemispheres. When there was a clinical correlate, seizure semiology was limb posturing with or without dyscognitive features. While background abnormalities were noted at presentation in three cases, the initial EEG background was normal in five, including three patients presenting with seizures. The EEG background deteriorated with clinical progression. Conclusions Focal seizures are common in pediatric patients with anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis and have a characteristic ictal onset pattern. Anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a child presenting with new onset focal seizures, irrespective of the EEG background, especially if accompanied by dyskinesia, psychiatric symptoms or impaired cognition.
The effect of the long-range order in a quantum dot array on the in-plane lattice thermal conductivity

Semiconductor quantum dot superlattices consisting of arrays of quantum dots have shown great promise for a variety of device applications, including thermoelectric power generation and cooling. In this paper we theoretically investigate the effect of long-range order in a quantum dot array on its in-plane lattice thermal conductivity. It is demonstrated that the long-range order in a quantum dot array enhances acoustic phonon scattering and, thus leads to a decrease of its lattice thermal conductivity. The decrease in the ordered quantum dot array, which acts as a phonon grating, is stronger than that in the disordered one due to the contribution of the coherent scattering term. The numerical calculations were carried out for a structure that consists of multiple layers of Si with layers of ordered Ge quantum dots separated by wetting layers and spacers.
Aerosol synthesized mesoporous silica containing high loading of alumina and zirconia

Mesoporous silica particles with high loadings of Al (Si/Al molar ratio 20 to 2) and Zr (Si/Zr molar ratio 37 to 5) were synthesized by evaporation induced self assembly (EISA) using an aerosol route. The aerosol synthesis process allows us to produce mesoporous silica particles with a high loading of heteroelements (Al or Zr) while retaining uniformity of composition and an ordered pore structure. 27Al NMR TRAPDOR experiments indicate that Al is in close proximity to Si, within the mesoporous silica structure. The submicron particles are spherical and consist of interconnected, hexagonally ordered domains of pores. The hydrothermal stability of these composite mesoporous silica particles was tested in 10 mol% water vapor at various temperatures (500 °C to 750 °C) and also in boiling water. Pure mesoporous silica particles were not stable under hydrothermal treatment and their surface area dropped from 1300 m2 g−1 to 300 m2 g−1 after treatment at 750 °C in steam. In contrast, the aluminium and zirconium containing powders retained a surface area of 800 m2 g−1 after similar treatment. The improvement in hydrothermal stability was found to be dependent on Al and Zr content. The three-dimensional interconnected network of pores, higher loading of heteroelement and their hydrothermal stability, make these spherical particles attractive as adsorbents and as supports for heterogeneous catalysts.
Fault detection and isolation in aircraft gas turbine engines. Part 1:underlying concept

Degradation monitoring is of paramount importance to safety and reliability of air- craft operations and also for timely maintenance of its critical components. This two-part paper formulates and validates a novel methodology of degradation monitoring of aircraft gas tur- bine engines with emphasis on detection and isolation of incipient faults. In a complex system with multiple interconnected components (e.g. an aircraft engine), fault isolation becomes a crucial task because of possible input-output and feedback interactions among the individual components. This paper, which is the first of two parts, presents the underlying concepts of fault detection and isolation (FDI) in complex dynamical systems. The FDI algorithms are formulated in the setting of symbolic dynamic filtering (SDF) that has been recently reported in literature. The underlying concept of SDF is built upon the principles of symbolic dynamics, statistical pattern recognition, and information theory. In addition to abrupt large faults, the SDF-based algorithms are capable of detecting slowly evolving anomalies (i.e. deviations from the nominal behaviour) based on analysis of time series data of critical process variables of different engine components. The second part, which is a companion paper, validates the concept, laid out in the first part, on the simulation test bed of a generic two-spool turbofan aircraft engine model for detection and isolation of incipient faults.
On capacity of Gaussian 'cheap' relay channel

In this paper, we derive the capacity of the Gaussian degraded 'cheap' relay channel, consisting of nodes using 'cheap' radios operating in TDD mode when transmitting and sending in the same frequency band. The TDD model captures a practical limitation of most of the RF radios used in commercial wireless systems. The proof of achievability relies on a combination of superposition encoding and list decoding, while the converse is derived using the min-cut max-flow theorem for networks with 'cheap' nodes (previously derived by the authors). Even with 'cheap' radios, our capacity analysis shows that cooperative coding is beneficial and has a capacity advantage over direct transmission.
Application of a two-color free-electron laser to condensed-matter molecular dynamics

The possible applications of a free-electron laser (FEL), which would be modified to produce two synchronized, independently tunable picosecond pulses, are considered. At least one of the pulses would be available in the vibrational infrared region. Such an instrument would be more useful in the area of condensed-matter molecular dynamics than the conventional one-color FEL. We review briefly the dynamical processes of greatest interest in complicated, condensed-matter molecular systems. We discuss how a one-color and a two-color FEL can be used for experimental measurements of these processes and the advantages that a two-color system would have over existing technologies. We then provide a model calculation to determine the feasibility of these experimental measurements. This calculation is based on the anlysis of two-color FEL’s by Schwettman and Smith [J. Opt. Soc. Am. B6, 973 (1989)]. Finally we examine the most promising applications of a two-color FEL and propose several specific experiments. The applications that are discussed include vibrational relaxation in molecular systems, dynamics of surfaces, photobiology and biophysics, and coherent optical measurements of intrinsically disordered materials.