cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From modernism to postmodernism

(1996). From modernism to postmodernism. History of European Ideas: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 45-49.
Tunneling spectroscopy of fullerene/Ge multilayer systems

Abstract We report on an IETS (inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy) technique which has successfully resolved 40 of the 46 C60 intramolecular vibrational modes and ∼50 of the 122 modes of C70. By layering thin, thermally evaporated films of germanium and fullerene molecules, composite multilayer tunnel barriers are formed which appear to produce enhanced IET results. IETS is in general not selection-rule restricted and has the potential to present all non-degenerate vibrational modes.
59 PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY AND GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENCY (GHD) FOLLOWING CRANIAL IRRADIATION (CI)

GHD and pubertal delay are known to occur following CI in children. We report 3 girls who developed precocious puberty and GHD after receiving CI. The clinical data are shown below. Patients #1 and #2 grew at annual growth rates of 6.5 and 6.3 cm before menarche. GHD was diagnosed after menarche in both. Pt #1 received human growth hormone between the ages of 9.5 and 11.8. Their predicted adult heights (PAH) (method of Greulich and Pyle) were 141 and 142 cm. Pt #3 evaluated at the age of 6.5 was growing at 6.7 cm/yr. Her serum estradiol was 1.0 ng/dl and her peak serum LH and FSH following LHRH administration (100 μg) were 11.9 and 17.1 mIU/ml. Her PAH was 149 cm. No demonstrable cranial, adrenal or ovarian cause for precocious puberty was found in any of the patients. We report here evidence that CI can result in both hypothalamic pituitary hypofunction and hyperfunction in the same individual. Finding “normal” growth rates in such patients does not obviate the need for evaluating their growth hormone dynamics.
Exploring the effects of visual cognitive load and illumination on pupil diameter in driving simulators

Pupil diameter is an important measure of cognitive load. However, pupil diameter is also influenced by the amount of light reaching the retina. In this study we explore the interaction between these two effects in a simulated driving environment. Our results indicate that it is possible to separate the effects of illumination and visual cognitive load on pupil diameter, at least in certain situations.
Actinic keratoses, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma : uncommon treatments

This contribution will discuss the treatment of actinic keratoses, basal cell carcinomas, and squamous cell carcinoma using methods that are not routinely established but have been used for a long period. The purpose of this article is simply to expand the reader's knowledge of what has been or could be used to treat such lesions. This article should not be interpreted as advocating the use of the methods discussed because there are obviously efficient well-established treatments for these lesions.
Degradation of poly(methylphenylsilylene) and poly(di‐n‐hexylsilylene)

Degradation of poly(methylphenylsiylene) and poly(di-n-hexylsilylene) was studied by chemical and mechanical methods at ambient and higher temperatures. Purely thermal degradation in solid state starts as a slow process at 150°C and provides soluble and insoluble products which include cyclosilanes as well as various siloxanes. Sonication at ambient temperatures leads to the mechanical degradation of high molecular weight polymers by homolytic cleavage induced by shear forces. No cyclics are formed under these conditions. Polysilanes in the presence of strong nucleophiles degrade exclusively to cyclic oligomers. Rate of this back-biting chain reaction depends on substituents at silicon atom, alkali metal, solvents, and temperature. Electrophiles degrade polysilanes to various α,ω-difunctional oligosilanes. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Magnesium as a natural substitute for manganese in concanavalin A and other lectins

Addition of magnesium to apo-concanavalin A in the presence of calcium was shown by ultraviolet difference spectroscopy to generate a holoprotein spectroscopically identical to the MnCa-holoprotein. The MgCa- and MnCa-forms bound equally strongly to Sephadex G-75. In kinetic experiments, the binding of Mg2+ was much slower than Mn2+ binding; Kd for Mg2+ was estimated as 7.4 mM. The combined Mg2+ and Mn2+ contents of 10 lectins specific for D-galactose or N-acetyl-D-galactosamine were each close to one atom per subunit, suggesting occupancy of the Mn2+ site by Mg2+ is common in plant lectins.
Fe57 Mossbauer spectroscopy of the Leoville meteorite

Abstract The Mossbauer spectra has been measured for the Leoville meteorite. Experimental results identify it as a type III carbonaceous meteorite. The spectrum shows the principle iron components to be olivine, magnetite, metallic iron, troilite and phyllosilicate material.
Primary care validation of a single screening question for drinkers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a primary care validation study of a single screening question for alcohol misuse (“When was the last time you had more than X drinks in 1 day?,” where X was four for women and X was five for men), which was previously validated in a study conducted in emergency departments. Method: This cross-sectional study was accomplished by interviewing 625 male and female adult drinkers who presented to five southeastern primary care practices. Patients answered the single question (coded as within 3 months, within 12 months, ever, or never), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and AUDIT consumption questions (AUDIT-C). Alcohol misuse was defined as either at-risk drinking, identified by a 29-day Timeline Followback interview or a current (past-year) alcohol-use disorder by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria, or both. Results: Among 625 drinkers interviewed, 25.6% were at-risk drinkers, 21.7% had a current alc...
An examination of current practices and gender differences in strength and conditioning in a sample of varsity high school athletic programs

Currently, little is known about strength and conditioning programs at the high school level. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore current practices in strength and conditioning for varsity high school athletes in selected sports. The following were specifically examined: who administers programs for these athletes, what kinds of training activities are done, and whether the responsible party or emphasis changes depending on the gender of the athletes. Coaches of varsity soccer, basketball, softball, and baseball in 3 large Idaho school districts were asked to complete an online survey. Sixty-seven percent (32/48) of the questionnaires were completed and used for the study. The majority of coaches (84%) provided strength and conditioning opportunities for their athletes, although only 37% required participation. Strength training programs were designed and implemented primarily by either physical education teachers or head coaches. Compared with coaches of male athletes, coaches of female athletes were less likely to know the credentials of their strength coaches, and they were less likely to use certified coaches to plan and implement their strength and conditioning programs. Most programs included dynamic warm-ups and cool-downs, plyometrics, agility training, speed training, and conditioning, and most programs were conducted 3 d·wk(-1) (76%) for sessions lasting between 30 and 59 minutes (63%). Compared with their female counterparts, male athletes were more likely to have required training, participate in strength training year round, and train using more sessions per week. This study provides additional information related to the practice of strength and conditioning in a sample of high school athletic teams.
Aerobiology of pollinosis.

Current data suggest that, except under extraordinary circumstances,’ clinical importance in pollinosis is confined to flowering plants (namely, of the division Spermatophyta) with, primarily, wind-dispersed pollens. Although such (anemophilous) species form a floral minority everywhere, prodigious outputs of pollen continue to ensure their reproductive success.2 Most higher plants (especially in tropical areas) exclusively use insects or bats, birds, etc., as selfdirected vectors for pollen dispersal. Such species
Cloud-Chamber Photographs of Heavy Particles at High Altitudes

A series of 5000 cloud-chamber photographs was obtained at an altitude of 15,500 ft., by use of a chamber in a field of 1165 gauss supplied by a permanent magnet. The determination of mass from cloud-chamber photographs of heavily ionizing particles and knock-on electrons is discussed in general and the methods are applied to specific tracks of the present series. It is shown that the errors of mass determination from cloud-chamber data are large but that there is good evidence for a distribution of mesotron masses. The number of slow mesotrons at 15,500 ft. is about equal to the number of slow protons and amounts to 1 percent of the number of fast mesotrons at that altitude. The extremely rapid increase of slow mesotrons with altitude probably means that they are created as such at high altitudes. One photograph, which shows the pair production of low energy mesotrons, is an example of such a process.
A Comparison of Sentencing Strategies Between States

A dynamic descriptive model of the criminal justice system is implemented for the states of Missouri and Texas. The differences between sentencing strategies, prison population movements, and criminal behavior patterns are examined. Results for optimization of sentencing strategy and estimates for separate incapacitative and deterrent effects are provided from the discrete time model in each state, and comparisons are offered.
Loss of TRAIL-R does not affect thymic or intestinal tumor development in p53 and adenomatous polyposis coli mutant mice.

Loss of TRAIL-R does not affect thymic or intestinal tumor development in p53 and adenomatous polyposis coli mutant mice
Reactions to various patterns of deceit in a mixed-motive game

Within the context of a two-choice mixed-motive experimental game, Ss were confronted by an opponent upon whom they were informationally dependent who either lied 25% or 50% for 32 trials and then was totally honest for the remaining (32) trials or who was totally honest for 32 trials and then lied 25% or 50%. The more the other lied initially, the higher was the initial and subsequent rate of doubting of the Ss. Postgame data indicate that the Ss attributed greater control and responsibility to themselves when the other changed from dishonest to honest than when the converse occurred.
Characterization of vitamin K from pig liver and dog liver

Abstract Extraction of pig liver and dog liver with acetone yielded lipid containing the equivalent of 10 and 16.6 μg of phylloquinone/g, respectively, as determined by bioassay. The vitamins were purified by Chromatographic techniques and by extraction with Claisen's alkali. Mass spectrometry of purified samples from pig liver gave molecular ions for MK-7, MK-7 (H 2 ), MK-8, MK-8 (H 2 ), MK-8 (H 4 ), MK-8 (H 6 ), MK-9, MK-9 (H 2 ), MK-9 (H 4 ), MK-9 (H 6 ), MK-10, and MK-10 (H 2 ). After chromatographic purification alone or after preparation of the vitamin with Claisen's alkali, phylloquinone and 2-methyl-3-Δ6-dehydrophytyl-1,4-naphthoquinone were not detected. The maximum amount of these compounds which could have been present in pig liver but remain undetected was estimated to be 10–11% of the biological activity present in the extracted lipid. Mass spectrometry of the purified samples from dog liver gave molecular ions for MK-6, MK-6 (H 2 ), MK-7, MK-7 (H 2 ), MK-7 (H 4 ), MK-7 (H 6 ),MK-8,MK-8 (H 2 ),MK-8 (H 4 ),MK-8 (H 6 ),MK-9,MK-9 (H 2 ), MK-9 (H 4 ), MK-9 (H 6 ), MK-10, MK-10 (H 2 ), MK-11, MK-12, and MK-13. The principal forms present were MK-9, MK-10, and multiply saturated forms of MK-8 and MK-9.
Character and the Space of Clarel

Character and the Impersonal F rom Ahab to Bartleby, and Isabel to Billy Budd, Melville’s characters seem unmoored from personhood, cast into the “whelming sea” of the impersonal or the inhuman (NN Clarel 4.35.33).1 In Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land, they are not so much characters in the traditional literary sense—that is, individual “persons” who move through settings and perform a set of characteristics—as they are a series of intertwined “personae” whose characteristics blur with the space of the poem. As in his other works, Melville’s characterization in Clarel is a process not of developing distinct persons but of opening a transactive space in which human characteristics can become unbound and thus permeable to the extra-personal. Yet in Clarel, given the symbolically charged landscape of the Holy Land, Melville’s emptying out of character also involves a forceful deromanticization of the landscape. Melville postulates a world in which traditional guarantees of human value are removed, and wherein the traditional barriers that divide self and nature and the human and inhuman are rendered inconsequential. Melville gestures past Romantic conceptions of landscape and self into an uncertain postDarwinian territory in which the sublime education is no longer an ecstatic self-abandonment but one of suspension and doubt. The dissolutions of the self into the Absolute in Moby-Dick—Ishmael melting into the universal “milk and sperm of kindness” (NN MD 416), the “absent minded young philosophers” becoming one with the “mystic ocean” (159)—and the transcendent “all” feeling which Melville circumspectly describes in his letter to Hawthorne (NN Corres 194) are instead in Clarel a mutual defacement of both the human visage and the face of the earth. Individual subjective characteristics are not fused into a cosmic unity but are erased or dispersed and thus freed to move past the
Grain size distributions and strength variability of high-purity alumina

Two batches of high-purity, alumina ceramics having an equiaxed grain morphology were manufactured with a mean grain size of approximately 10 μm. A low-temperature heat treatment performed prior to sintering on one batch of specimens resulted in a narrow grain size distribution. The other batch of specimens was fired in a conventional manner and exhibited a broader grain size distribution. Mechanical tests performed on these specimens indicated little difference in the flaw tolerance of T-curve behavior of the aluminas, despite the presence of coarser grains in the conventionally fired alumina. Observations of cracks in these high-purity aluminas revealed that large grains ruptured transgranularly and therefore did not act as effective bridging sites. Strength tests on polished specimens indicated that the alumina with the broad grain size distribution exhibited greater strength variability than the alumina with a narrow grain size distribution. A simple analysis shows that, because of the shallow T-curve behavior observed in both aluminas, stable crack extension should not occur from natural flaws. The strength of these high-purity aluminas is therefore controlled by the initial flaw size and the initial toughness. The increased strength variability in the alumina with the broad grain size distribution is rationalized in terms of a wider distribution of critical flaws.
Opt-out testing for stigmatized diseases: a social psychological approach to understanding the potential effect of recommendations for routine HIV testing.

In September 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the following recommendations to increase rates of HIV testing, allow people to seek treatment earlier, and reduce the spread of the virus: (a) Screening for patients ages 13–64 should be performed in all health care settings unless the patient declines (opt-out screening), (b) people at high risk for HIV infection should be screened for HIV at least annually, (c) separate written consent for HIV testing should not be required, and (d) prevention counseling should not be required with HIV diagnostic testing or as part of HIV screening programs (Branson et al., 2006). This policy marked a new era for HIV testing policy, switching from an opt-in, voluntary method of testing to an optout, routine policy of testing. Many researchers have suggested that the new screening policy has the potential to reduce stigma by normalizing HIV testing or making it a common behavior (Copenhaver & Fisher, 2006; Hutchinson, Corbie-Smith, Thomas, Mohanan, & del Rio, 2004; Irwin, Valdiserri, & Holmberg, 1996; Spielberg et al., 2003). However, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an authoritative group that makes evidence-based recommendations about preventive interventions, reviewed data on opt-out screening and remains uncertain about whether routine HIV testing would be acceptable to patients and whether opt-out testing would increase testing rates (Chou, Smits, Huffman, Fu, & Korthuis, 2005; USPSTF, 2005). Although additional time is needed before policy researchers can examine the effects of the current change in policy, in these studies we aimed to test experimentally (a) whether opt-out testing, compared with opt-in testing (voluntary counseling and testing), can reduce the stigma associated with testing for diseases and (b) whether opt-out methods can increase rates of testing for stigmatized diseases such as HIV.
The relationship between productivity and multiple aspects of biodiversity in six grassland communities

Biodiversity is a multifaceted concept but most studies examining the associ- ation between the biodiversity of a community and its productivity focus only on species richness. Consequently, studies are needed to examine how other facets of biodiversity vary with productivity if we want to have a better understanding of the distribution of biodiversity across our planet. We evaluated how a number of biodiversity measures (species richness, evenness, dominance, rarity, Simpson's diversity, and Shannon-Weiner diversity) varied across natural productivity gradients at 6 grassland sites in the continental US. Variation in productivity did not account for a substantial amount of variation in any measure of biodiversity at small spatial scales (& 1m 2 ) at most sites. When productivity accounted for substantial variation in biodiversity, different measures of biodiversity responded to productivity in different ways. For example, dominance changed in a U- shaped fashion along a productivity gradient whereas richness increased in an asymptotic fashion. Consequently, diversity indices, which account for both species richness and evenness, varied in a hump-shaped fashion along the productivity gradient. Our results highlight that an exclusive focus on the association between species richness and pro- ductivity provides an incomplete picture of how a community's biodiversity is related to its
Spouses' Cortisol Associations and Moderators: Testing Physiological Synchrony and Connectedness in Everyday Life.

In this study, associations were examined between cortisol levels of wives and husbands in 47 heterosexual married couples. Both partners' salivary cortisol levels were measured at the same moments seven times a day on 2 typical weekdays. After accounting for the effects of the diurnal rhythm of cortisol and relevant control variables, dyadic hierarchical linear modeling indicated significant positive linkages between partners' cortisol levels, consistent with the hypothesized within-couple physiological synchrony. Variables reflecting more (spousal presence) or less connectedness (loneliness, being alone) were also collected at the time of each cortisol sample. Results indicated that husbands' cortisol levels were higher at moments they reported feeling lonelier and lower at moments they were in the presence of their spouse. Wives' cortisol levels were higher at moments they were alone. In addition, wife-husband cortisol synchrony was stronger for husbands who spent relatively more time with their spouse across the study period-even after accounting for time spent with others in general. These findings suggest that marital partners evidence positive within-couple cortisol associations, and that connectedness (particularly physical closeness) may underpin spouses' physiological synchrony.
Incorporating Quality Considerations Into Project Time/Cost Tradeoff Analysis and Decision Making

Existing models and methods of project scheduling implicitly assume uniform quality when evaluating time/cost tradeoffs, but do not model quality explicitly. For a project manager such as a general contractor who subcontracts most tasks of a project, or other project managers who face decisions concerning the level of quality to perform for each task, this is not a realistic assumption. In this paper, we extend the standard discrete time/cost tradeoff problem by assuming that each option for each task is evaluated for its duration, cost, and also its quality. We then provide a mixed integer linear programming model for solving one version of this problem, and illustrate with an example. We next formulate a goal programming mixed integer linear program for a very general version of the problem. This formulation allows for many different definitions of quality, and many combinations of time, cost, and quality goals with preemptive and/or weighted priorities, and is also illustrated with an example. We show how these models can be used to generate quality level curves to illustrate the tradeoffs among time, cost, and quality. These level curves can then be used by project managers to make project scheduling decisions that explicitly model and consider quality as well as time and cost, so that better and more appropriate decisions can be made for a particular situation
Improving immunogenicity and efficacy of vaccines for genital herpes containing herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D

No vaccines are approved for prevention or treatment of genital herpes. The focus of genital herpes vaccine trials has been on prevention using herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) glycoprotein D (gD2) alone or combined with glycoprotein B. These prevention trials did not achieve their primary end points. However, subset analyses reported some positive outcomes in each study. The most recent trial was the Herpevac Trial for Women that used gD2 with monophosphoryl lipid A and alum as adjuvants in herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 seronegative women. Unexpectedly, the vaccine prevented genital disease by HSV-1 but not HSV-2. Currently, HSV-1 causes more first episodes of genital herpes than HSV-2, highlighting the importance of protecting against HSV-1. The scientific community is conflicted between abandoning vaccine efforts that include gD2 and building upon the partial successes of previous trials. We favor building upon success and present approaches to improve outcomes of gD2-based subunit antigen vaccines.
A biochemical pathway for a cellular behaviour: pHi, phosphorylcreatine shuttles, and sperm motility.

Sperm motility and respiration are tightly coupled processes, both activated by an increased intracellular pH (pHi). As the sperm pHi increases, the flagellar motor driving motility is activated, leading to ATP consumption. Energy for motility is provided by mitochondrial respiration; energy transport from sperm mitochondrion to tail involves distinct isozymes of creatine kinase that effect a phosphorylcreatine shuttle. The activation of sperm motility and respiration can be described as a linked series of biochemical reactions that form a cell behavioural pathway analogous to the reaction sequences of intermediary metabolism.
Interpolation methods for Antarctic ice-core timescales: application to Byrd, Siple Dome and Law Dome ice cores

Abstract. Antarctic ice cores have often been dated by matching distinctive features of atmospheric methane to those detected in annually dated ice cores from Greenland. Establishing the timescale between these tie-point ages requires interpolation. While the uncertainty at tie points is relatively well described, uncertainty of the interpolation is not. Here we assess the accuracy of three interpolation schemes using data from the WAIS Divide ice core in West Antarctica; we compare the interpolation methods with the annually resolved timescale for the past 30 kyr. Linear interpolation yields large age errors (up to 380 years) between tie points, abrupt changes in duration of climate events at tie points, and an age bias. Interpolations based on the smoothest accumulation rate (ACCUM) or the smoothest annual-layer thickness (ALT) yield timescales that more closely agree with the annually resolved timescale and do not have abrupt changes in duration at tie points. We use ALT to assess the uncertainty in existing timescales for the past 30 kyr from Byrd, Siple Dome, and Law Dome. These ice-core timescales were developed with methods similar to linear interpolation. Maximum age differences exceed 1000 years for Byrd and Siple Dome, and 500 years for Law Dome. For the glacial–interglacial transition (21 to 12 kyr), the existing timescales are, on average, older than ALT by 40 years for Byrd, 240 years for Siple Dome, and 150 years for Law Dome. Because interpolation uncertainty is often not considered, age uncertainties for ice-core records are often underestimated.
Computational efficiency of ultrasonic guided wave imaging algorithms

Guided wave imaging techniques employed for structural health monitoring (SHM) can be computationally demanding, especially for adaptive techniques such as minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) imaging, which requires a matrix inversion for each pixel calculation. Instantaneous windowing has been shown in previous work to improve guided wave imaging performance. The use of instantaneous windowing has the additional benefit of significantly reducing the computational requirements of image generation. This paper derives a formulation for MVDR imaging using instantaneous windowing and shows that the matrix inversion associated with MVDR imaging can be optimized, reducing the computational complexity to that of conventional delay-and-sum imaging algorithms. Additionally, a vectorized approach is presented for implementing guided wave imaging algorithms, including delay-and-sum imaging, in matrix-based software packages. The improvements in computational efficiency are quantified by measuring computation time for different array sizes, windowing assumptions, and imaging methods.
Hydrophobicity: is LogPo/w more than the sum of its parts?

The empirically calculated parameter LogPo/w, the log10 of the coefficient for solvent partitioning between 1-octanol and water, has been used to provide the key data for a unique non-covalent interaction force field called HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions). This experimentally-derived force field encodes entropic as well as enthalpic information and also includes some representation of solvation and desolvation energetics in biomolecular associations. The theoretical basis for the HINT model is discussed. This review includes: 1) discussion of calculational representation of the hydrophobic effect, 2) the rationale for describing the experimental LogP o/w based descriptors used in the HINT force field and model as free energy-like, 3) the relationship between hydrophobic fragment constants and partial group electrostatic charge, and 4) the implications of structurally-conserved water molecules on free energy of molecular association. Several recent applications of HINT in structure-based and ligand-based drug discovery are reviewed. Finally, future directions in the HINT model development are proposed. © 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS hydropathy / hydrophobicity / structure-based drug design / ligand-based drug design / free energy / solvation energy
Endothelial cells potentiate phagocytic killing by macrophages via platelet-activating factor release.

The immunomodulatory function of endothelial cells (EC) includes the initiation of leukocyte margination, diapedesis, and activation through the upregulation of various cell surface-associated mole...
Optofluidic device for molecular detection via surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

In this paper, an optofluidic device was reported for the reproducibility and sensitivity improvement of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for molecular detection. The optofluidic device can trap nanoparticles and molecules at a specific location to form nanoparticles/molecules clusters with reliable and hot spot site. With these advantages, this technique enables the early detection of diseases such as Alzheimer's (AD) or cancer. With the multiple molecule detection capability, this device can identify targeted amyloid beta peptid from other molecules such as insulin or albumin, confounder proteins in cerebral spinal fluid.
Treatment of rat gliosarcoma brain tumors by HSV-based multigene therapy combined with radiosurgery

Our laboratory has employed replication-defective herpes simplex virus type 1 gene transfer vectors for treatment of animal models of human malignant glioblastoma. The base vectors were defective for the immediate early (IE) genes ICP4, ICP27, and ICP22 but expressed the IE gene ICP0, which can arrest tumor cell division, and an IE thymidine kinase (alpha-tk) gene construct that mediates suicide gene therapy (SGT) in the presence of ganciclovir (GCV). Previously, we reported that SGT using ICP0/alpha-tk vectors in nude mouse models of glioblastoma was improved by coexpression of the gap-junction-forming protein connexin43 (Cx43) or human tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha). We also showed that further gains in therapeutic outcome could be achieved by combining TNF alpha-enhanced SGT with gamma-knife radiosurgery (GKR). To expand these observations, we have first repeated these studies in immunocompetent rats with brain tumors derived from implanted 9L gliosarcoma cells and second compared the most efficient vector from this study with a new recombinant vector, NUREL-C2, which expressed both TNF alpha and Cx43 along with ICP0 and alpha-tk. Results from the first part indicated that our ICP0/alpha-tk/TNF alpha vector in combination with GKR provides an effective therapy although this treatment was not statistically better than GKR combined with the ICP0/alpha-tk/Cx43 vector. Our observations in the second part suggested that NUREL-C2 may be more effective than the ICP0/alpha-tk/TNF alpha vector in combination treatments with GCV (P = 0.08) or GCV plus GKR (P = 0.10). GKR significantly enhanced the efficacy of NUREL-C2/GCV treatment (P = 0.02) as well as other virus/GCV treatments (P < or = 0.05). Conversely, the efficacy of GKR was significantly improved by both the ICP0/alpha-tk/TNF alpha vector and NUREL-C2 in combination with GCV (P = 0.02 and P < 0.01, respectively). Together these results indicate that NUREL-C2 may be an attractive candidate for Phase I gene-therapy safety studies in patients with recurrent malignant glioblastoma.
Automated Formal Methods Enter the Mainstream

This paper outlines the emergence of formal techniques, explaining why they were slow to take on an industrially acceptable form. The contemporary scene, in which formal tech- niques are increasingly packaged within tools usable by a wide variety of engineers, is reviewed, as are the promising prospects for the future.
Bicepstrum computation based on second- and third-order statistics with applications

The authors introduce a novel approach for bicepstrum (i.e. cepstrum of the bispectrum) estimation that combines the use of second- and third-order statistics, and show application of this method to the problem of detecting and estimating the time delay between signals received at two spatially separated sensors together with noise, as well as to nonminimum phase system identification. The approach for time delay estimation is parametric, in the sense that it provides the time delay estimates directly and explicitly instead of examining the results of some reference functions. The performance of this method is demonstrated for different noise conditions and lengths of data. The performance is also compared to that of the least-squares method, which is based entirely on second-order statistics. It is shown that bicepstrum-based time delay estimation provides larger performance gain when the noise sources are Gaussian spatially correlated with unknown correlation function. >
Childhood Maltreatment and the Development of Relational and Physical Aggression: The Importance of a Gender-Informed Approach

This investigation examined the associations between maltreatment and aggression using a gender-informed approach. Peer ratings, peer nominations, and counselor reports of aggression were collected on 211 maltreated and 199 nonmaltreated inner-city youth (M age = 9.9 years) during a summer day camp. Maltreatment was associated with aggressive conduct; however, these effects were qualified by gender, maltreatment subtype, and the form of aggression under investigation. Findings revealed that maltreatment was associated with physical aggression for boys and relational aggression for girls. Physical abuse was associated with physically aggressive behaviors, but sexual abuse predicted relational aggression for girls only. Findings suggest that investigating the interaction between familial risk and gender is important in understanding aggressive behaviors of boys and girls.
Effect of Low Refocusing Angle in T1-Weighted Spin Echo and Fast Spin Echo MRI on Low-Contrast Detectability: A Comparative Phantom Study at 1.5 and 3 Tesla

MRI tissue contrast is not well preserved at high field. In this work, we used a phantom with known, intrinsic contrast (3.6%) for model tissue pairs to test the effects of low angle refocusing pulses and magnetization transfer from adjacent slices on intrinsic contrast at 1.5 and 3 Tesla. Only T1-weighted spin echo sequences were tested since for such sequences the contrast loss, tissue heating, and image quality degradation at high fields seem to present significant diagnostic and quality issues. We hypothesized that the sources of contrast loss could be attributed to low refocusing angles that do not fulfill the Hahn spin echo conditions or to magnetization transfer effects from adjacent slices in multislice imaging. At 1.5 T the measured contrast was 3.6% for 180° refocusing pulses and 2% for 120° pulses, while at 3 T, it was 4% for 180° and only 1% for 120° refocusing pulses. There was no significant difference between single slice and multislice imaging suggesting little or no role played by magnetization transfer in the phantom chosen. Hence, one may conclude that low angle refocusing pulses not fulfilling the Hahn spin echo conditions are primarily responsible for significant deterioration of T1-weighted spin echo image contrast in high-field MRI.
Superconducting current transformer for testing Nb/sub 3/Sn cable splicing technique

To provide a quick feedback on different approaches to superconducting cable splicing design and assembly techniques, a superconducting current transformer that can deliver more than 20 kA for testing splice samples was designed and fabricated. The existing infrastructure of the Short Sample Test Facility at Fermilab, including its cryostat, power supply, and data acquisition system, was used for housing and operating the transformer. This report presents the design features of the transformer and the main results of cable splice tests.
WINB: A private “voice of America”;

This paper traces the development and current ‐problems of one of the three privately held international broadcasting stations in the continental U.S. The author concludes that while WINB offers a one‐sided view of American life and opinion, technical and other problems combine to limit its international impact. Dr. Don Browne is professor of speech‐communications at the University of Minnesota, and wishes to express his thanks to that school's Office of International Programs for the grant which made this project possible.
Mechanisms of Ricin Toxin Neutralization Revealed through Engineered Homodimeric and Heterodimeric Camelid Antibodies

Novel antibody constructs consisting of two or more different camelid heavy-chain only antibodies (VHHs) joined via peptide linkers have proven to have potent toxin-neutralizing activity in vivo against Shiga, botulinum, Clostridium difficile, anthrax, and ricin toxins. However, the mechanisms by which these so-called bispecific VHH heterodimers promote toxin neutralization remain poorly understood. In the current study we produced a new collection of ricin-specific VHH heterodimers, as well as VHH homodimers, and characterized them for their ability neutralize ricin in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that the VHH heterodimers, but not homodimers were able to completely protect mice against ricin challenge, even though the two classes of antibodies (heterodimers and homodimers) had virtually identical affinities for ricin holotoxin and similar IC50 values in a Vero cell cytotoxicity assay. The VHH heterodimers did differ from the homodimers in their ability to promote toxin aggregation in solution, as revealed through analytical ultracentrifugation. Moreover, the VHH heterodimers that were most effective at promoting ricin aggregation in solution were also the most effective at blocking ricin attachment to cell surfaces. Collectively, these data suggest that heterodimeric VHH-based neutralizing agents may function through the formation of antibody-toxin complexes that are impaired in their ability to access host cell receptors.
From Apostle to Prophet: Hints of Trouble to Come

It is quite natural that after the successful treatment of the hydrogen spectrum via the Bohr theory, attention would be directed toward the next simplest element, helium. Experimentally, the helium spectrum was reasonably well investigated, so its analysis and eventual understanding could be hoped or anticipated to be yet another brilliant confirmation of Bohr’s approach to atomic physics. Indeed, with the selection of the stationary states according to the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rules and the determination of the frequencies by Bohr’s frequency conditions, it would appear that the discussion of the helium spectrum would be little more than a complicated, perhaps tedious, exercise in classical mechanics, which ought to give results in close agreement with experiment. Whether so phrased or not, Bohr must have had similar expectations when he proposed the helium problem to Kramers as soon as he had arrived in Copenhagen; otherwise it is unlikely that he would have proposed this problem to an inexperienced student.
On using landscape metrics for landscape similarity search

Abstract Landscape similarity search involves finding landscapes from among a large collection that are similar to a query landscape. An example of such collection is a large land cover map subdivided into a grid of smaller local landscapes, a query is a local landscape of interest, and the task is to find other local landscapes within a map which are perceptually similar to the query. Landscape search and the related task of pattern-based regionalization, requires a measure of similarity – a function which quantifies the level of likeness between two landscapes. The standard approach is to use the Euclidean distance between vectors of landscape metrics derived from the two landscapes, but no in-depth analysis of this approach has been conducted. In this paper we investigate the performance of different implementations of the standard similarity measure. Five different implementations are tested against each other and against a control similarity measure based on histograms of class co-occurrence features and the Jensen–Shannon divergence. Testing consists of a series of numerical experiments combined with visual assessments on a set of 400 3 km-scale landscapes. Based on the cases where visual assessment provides definitive answer, we have determined that the standard similarity measure is sensitive to the way landscape metrics are normalized and, additionally, to whether weights aimed at controlling the relative contribution of landscape composition vs. configuration are used. The standard measure achieves the best performance when metrics are normalized using their extreme values extracted from all possible landscapes, not just the landscapes in the given collection, and when weights are assigned so the combined influence of composition metrics on the similarity value equals the combined influence of configuration metrics. We have also determined that the control similarity measure outperforms all implementations of the standard measure.
Zero-energy home development in Korea: energy-efficient and environmentally friendly design features and future directions

Zero-energy houses, one of the progressive types of energy-efficient homes, theoretically consume no energy for heating, cooling, or other daily activities. The purposes of this research were to identify representative experimental housing projects in South Korea and analyze their major features in terms of energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. This study used case studies consisting of two zero-energy experimental houses and one occupied zero-energy neighborhood. This study found that efforts have been made to build zero-energy homes in Korea. The study also found renewable energy systems such as solar and geothermal systems have been applied in zero-energy houses in Korea. The study discusses future research needs focusing on post-occupancy evaluations that should involve current residents to maintain energy-efficient housing performance. In addition, a holistic strategy to embrace design, development, and maintenance aspects of zero-energy houses should be established to promote this energy...
An Overview of Financial Statement Analysis: The Mechanics

On September 20, 2000, Jonathan Weill, a Wall Street Journal reporter in Dallas, Texas, published a piece questioning the profitability and accounting of Enron Corporation. He based his article on a study of Enron’s financial statements and conversations with staff at the Financial Accounting Standards’ Board (FASB), accounting professors, financial analysts, and others. "It took me a while to figure out everything I needed to... It probably took a good month or so. There was a lot of noise in the financial statements." His piece was read by James Chanos, founder and president of Kynikos Associates, a firm that specialized in short-selling. How did Weill and Chanos figure Enron out when so many others were pushing up the stock price? How did they know to do that kind of analysis? Only the answer is simple: through study, application, and more application. You cannot develop financial analysis expertise overnight. Our objective in this document, however, is to present a very basic structure for financial analysis that will help move you toward that goal. We focus on what to look for in the financial statements, how to do basic ratio analysis, what financial forecasting entails, and how analysts use financial statement data in valuation. We intentionally focus on the mechanistic nature of financial analysis because these tools are fundamental building blocks common to the analysis of most firms. Without understanding this basic structure the unique issues facing a firm would be difficult to interpret.
Observation of Nondegenerate Two-Photon Gain in GaAs

Two-photon lasers require materials with large two-photon gain (2PG) coefficients and low linear and nonlinear losses. Our previous demonstration of large enhancement of two-photon absorption in semiconductors for very different photon energies translates directly into enhancement of 2PG. We experimentally demonstrate nondegenerate 2PG in optically excited bulk GaAs via femtosecond pump-probe measurements. 2PG is isolated from other pump induced effects through the difference between measurements performed with parallel and perpendicular polarizations of pump and probe. An enhancement in the 2PG coefficient of nearly 2 orders of magnitude is reported. The results point a possible way toward two-photon semiconductor lasers.
Complex Synaptic Current Waveforms Evoked in Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons by Extracellular Stimulation of Dentate Gyrus

Xiang, Zixiu and Thomas H. Brown. Complex synaptic current waveforms evoked in hippocampal pyramidal neurons by extracellular stimulation of dentate gyrus. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 2475–2484, 1998. Exc...
Thermionic Emission and Tunneling at Carbon Nanotube–Organic Semiconductor Interface

We study the charge carrier injection mechanism across the carbon nanotube (CNT)–organic semiconductor interface using a densely aligned carbon nanotube array as electrode and pentacene as organic semiconductor. The current density–voltage (J–V) characteristics measured at different temperatures show a transition from a thermal emission mechanism at high temperature (above 200 K) to a tunneling mechanism at low temperature (below 200 K). A barrier height of ∼0.16 eV is calculated from the thermal emission regime, which is much lower compared to the metal/pentacene devices. At low temperatures, the J–V curves exhibit a direct tunneling mechanism at low bias, corresponding to a trapezoidal barrier, while at high bias the mechanism is well described by Fowler–Nordheim tunneling, which corresponds to a triangular barrier. A transition from direct tunneling to Fowler–Nordheim tunneling further signifies a small injection barrier at the CNT/pentacene interface. Our results presented here are the first direct ex...
A Direct Comparison of the MM-GB/SA Scoring Procedure and Free-Energy Perturbation Calculations Using Carbonic Anhydrase as a Test Case: Strengths and Pitfalls of Each Approach.

MM-GB/SA scoring and free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations have emerged as reliable methodologies to understand structural and energetic relationships to binding. In spite of successful applications to elucidate the structure–activity relationships for few pairs of ligands, the reality is that the performance of FEP calculations has rarely been tested for more than a handful of compounds. In this work, a series of 13 benzene sulfonamide inhibitors of carbonic anhydrase with binding free energies determined by isothermal titration calorimetry was selected as a test case. R2 values of 0.70, 0.71, and 0.49 with the experiment were obtained with MM-GB/SA and FEP simulations run with MCPRO+ and Desmond, respectively. All methods work well, but the results obtained with Desmond are inferior to MM-GB/SA and MCPRO+. The main contrast between the methods is the level of sampling, ranging from full to restricted flexibility to single conformation for the complexes in Desmond, MCPRO+, and MM-GB/SA, respectivel...
Effects of Exercise Training on α-Adrenergic Mediated Pressor Responses and Baroreflex Function in Older Subjects

Endurance exercise training increases maximal O2 uptake (VO2max) in older subjects, and training also improves cardiac function in older men. Although the effects of training on beta-adrenergic responses have been investigated, little information is available regarding the effects of alpha-adrenergic responses and baroreflex function in older men and women. The purpose of the study was to determine whether endurance exercise training can affect alpha-adrenergic responses and baroreflex function in the elderly. We studied 13 men and women, 63 +/- 4 yrs old (mean +/- SE). VO2max was determined during treadmill exercise. Baroreflex function was determined from the change in heart rate (HR) relative to the change in systolic blood pressure (delta HR/delta SBP) during infusion of phenylephrine. VO2max was increased by 23% (1.9 +/- 0.16 vs 2.34 +/- 0.20 l/min; p < .01) in response to training. Maximal heart rate did not change, but HR during submaximal exercise at the same absolute exercise intensity was 17% lower after training. Resting heart rate was slower in the trained state. During alpha-adrenergic stimulation induced by graded doses of phenylephrine infusion, heart rate was lower after training because of training-induced bradycardia at rest. However, the elevation in systolic blood pressure (delta SBP) and mean blood pressure (delta MBP) from basal levels in response to a given dose of phenylephrine were significantly larger (delta SBP:18 +/- 3 vs 26 +/- 3 mmHg, p < .01; and delta MBP 10 +/- 2 vs 15 +/- 3 mmHg, p < .01) after than before training.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)