cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Machine learning v. traditional regression models predicting treatment outcomes for binge-eating disorder from a randomized controlled trial.

Background While effective treatments exist for binge-eating disorder (BED), prediction of treatment outcomes has proven difficult, and few reliable predictors have been identified. Machine learning is a promising method for improving the accuracy of difficult-to-predict outcomes. We compared the accuracy of traditional and machine-learning approaches for predicting BED treatment outcomes. Methods Participants were 191 adults with BED in a randomized controlled trial testing 6-month behavioral and stepped-care treatments. Outcomes, determined by independent assessors, were binge-eating (% reduction, abstinence), eating-disorder psychopathology, and weight loss (% loss, ⩾5% loss). Predictors included treatment condition, demographic information, and baseline clinical characteristics. Traditional models were logistic/linear regressions. Machine-learning models were elastic net regressions and random forests. Predictive accuracy was indicated by the area under receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC), root mean square error (RMSE), and R2. Confidence intervals were used to compare accuracy across models. Results Across outcomes, AUC ranged from very poor to fair (0.49-0.73) for logistic regressions, elastic nets, and random forests, with few significant differences across model types. RMSE was significantly lower for elastic nets and random forests v. linear regressions but R2 values were low (0.01-0.23). Conclusions Different analytic approaches revealed some predictors of key treatment outcomes, but accuracy was limited. Machine-learning models with unbiased resampling methods provided a minimal advantage over traditional models in predictive accuracy for treatment outcomes.
Heat Transfer in Reactor Components Having Temperature-Dependent Thermal Conductivity

A solution method for steady heat conduction in convectively cooled solids having temperature-dependent thermal conductivity is described and applied. The method provides solutions in algebraic for...
Three-Dimensional Elastic Surface Cracks

This paper discusses a variety of issues associated with the elastic fracture mechanics modeling of surface cracks; both analytical and experimental issues are addressed. The primary analytical focus is on the use of the boundary integral equation method for elastic fracture mechanics analysis. An advanced code is highlighted. A new formulation for three-dimensional crack-surface integral equations is presented with some new analytical results associated with the free-surface singularity. Essential agreements with the results of Benthem are obtained. Fatigue crack growth results for surface cracks in tension and bending are compared with analytical solutions. It is shown that surface cracks in tension grow essentially in accord with an elastic fracture mechanics prediction, whereas surface cracks in bending do not conform to the elastic prediction, based on surface values of the elastic stress-intensity factor. Some thoughts for further research are given.
CATHOLICISM, SEXUAL DEVIANCE, AND VICTORIAN GOTHIC CULTURE.

It has long been recognised that the Gothic genre sensationalised beliefs and practices associated with Catholicism. Often, the rhetorical tropes and narrative structures of the Gothic, with its lurid and supernatural plots, were used to argue that both Catholicism and sexual difference were fundamentally alien and threatening to British Protestant culture. Ultimately, however, the Gothic also provided an imaginative space in which unconventional writers from John Henry Newman to Oscar Wilde could articulate an alternative vision of British culture. Patrick O'Malley charts these developments from the origins of the Gothic novel in the mid-eighteenth century, through the mid-nineteenth-century sensation novel, toward the end of the Victorian Gothic in Bram Stoker's Dracula and Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure. O'Malley foregrounds the continuing importance of Victorian Gothic as a genre through which British authors defined their culture and what was outside it.
Structure-Property Relationships as an Aid in the Rational Design of β-(ET)2X Organic Superconductors

The organic electron-donor molecule ET (Fig. 1) has been the current central focus of research in organic superconductors, because it forms numerous solid phases with anions, X-, of which the β-(ET)2X materials, X = IBr2 -, Aul2 -, and I3 -, are ambient-pressure superconductors, with Tc’s = 2. 8 K, 4. 9 K, and 1.5 K (and 8 K at p > 0.5 kbar), respectively [1]. The synthesis of these materials has been summarized in detail in the literature [1].
Contemporary Considerations for Constructing a Genetic Risk Score: An Empirical Approach

Genetic risk scores are an increasingly popular tool for summarizing the cumulative risk of a set of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) with disease. Typically only the set of the SNPs that have reached genome-wide significance compose these scores. However recent work suggests that including additional SNPs may aid risk assessment. In this paper, we used the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study cohort to illustrate how one can choose the optimal set of SNPs for a genetic risk score (GRS). In addition to P-value threshold, we also examined linkage disequilibrium, imputation quality, and imputation type. We provide a variety of evaluation metrics. Results suggest that P-value threshold had the greatest impact on GRS quality for the outcome of coronary heart disease, with an optimal threshold around 0.001. However, GRSs are relatively robust to both linkage disequilibrium and imputation quality. We also show that the optimal GRS partially depends on the evaluation metric and consequently the way one intends to use the GRS. Overall the implications highlight both the robustness of GRS and a means to empirically choose the best set of GRSs.
Role of Oxygen-Derived Free Radicals in Hemorrhagic Shock-Induced Gastric Lesions in the Rat

This study was designed to determine whether oxygen-derived free radicals play a role in the pathogenesis of gastric lesions produced by hypotensive ischemia in the rat. To achieve this goal, allopurinol, an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase (the enzyme responsible for the formation of superoxide radicals); superoxide dismutase, a scavenger of superoxide radicals (O 2 - ); and dimethyl sulfoxide, a scavenger of hydroxyl radicals (OH·) were used. In the anesthetized rat, HCl (0.1 N) was instilled into the pylorus-ligated stomach, and the rat was bled to reduce the blood pressure to 2 - , play an important role in the formation of gastric lesions produced by ischemia plus HCl.
Protecting non-combatant civilians during war.

In the course of civilian life, when one person kills another, it is usually considered ‘murder’, and when someone kills many people, it is usually termed ‘mass murder’. In contrast, in the course ...
The urban school: a factory for failure : a study of education in American society

"One way to begin the development of a more systematic understanding of what events in the classroom do to students is to bring to bear the skills of participant-observation field work..."In this book, Ray Rist uses these skills to make us understand the first few years of school experience of one group of children. He shows us in fine-grained detail how teachers shape and direct some of the children toward academic success and others toward failure. Because most of these children are poor and black, and because their teachers, though black themselves, nevertheless expect most of their charges to do poorly, the principal training that goes on in the classroom seems to be training for a life of failure rather than success..." --From the Foreword by Lee Rainwater One of the traditional sources of American pride has always been the upward mobility afforded its citizens through mass public education. Regardless of income, race, or background, all children are supposedly given an equal opportunity to learn and thereby advance into a share of the good life. In this longitudinal study of a group of black children attending a de facto segregated urban school, Ray C. Rist demonstrates that this cherished belief is unfortunately another myth that desperately needs to be reevaluated. The study on which the report is based was conducted over a three-year period in one of the St. Louis public schools. Beginning with the initial kindergarten experience of the children, it follows them with day-to-day observations through the middle of second grade. The subtle (and not-so-subtle) "sorting mechanisms," which begin with the children's table assignments the first week of kindergarten, are traced from year to year, teacher to teacher, until they have become, as Dr. Rist observes, an almost immutable caste system. Though these classifications are ostensibly formed according to the intellectual ability of the children, Dr. Rist points out how the teachers (all of whom are black) use such cues as social class, dress, speech, and social behavior to sort the children into groups. That the children quickly learn to use the same cues in their own interactions is also demonstrated. Much of the report contains actual dialogue between the teachers and the children which vividly captures the flavor of the classroom situation. Dr. Rist writes with warmth and compassion for the children caught in a society that values superficialities they are too young to control and with sympathy for the teachers who must cope with overcrowding, constant interruptions, and petty bureaucracy before they can begin to teach. The reality of his observations will be apparent to anyone who has ever taught (or been taught) in a public school; their implications are a sobering critique of the reinforcement of socioeconomic inequality.
Oceanic anoxic events and plankton evolution: Biotic response to tectonic forcing during the mid-Cretaceous

[1] Mid-Cretaceous (Barremian-Turonian) plankton preserved in deep-sea marl, organic-rich shale, and pelagic carbonate hold an important record of how the marine biosphere responded to short- and long-term changes in the ocean-climate system. Oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) were short-lived episodes of organic carbon burial that are distinguished by their widespread distribution as discrete beds of black shale and/or pronounced carbon isotopic excursions. OAE1a in the early Aptian (∼120.5 Ma) and OAE2 at the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary (∼93.5 Ma) were global in their distribution and associated with heightened marine productivity. OAE1b spans the Aptian/Albian boundary (∼113–109 Ma) and represents a protracted interval of dysoxia with multiple discrete black shales across parts of Tethys (including Mexico), while OAE1d developed across eastern and western Tethys and in other locales during the latest Albian (∼99.5 Ma). Mineralized plankton experienced accelerated rates of speciation and extinction at or near the major Cretaceous OAEs, and strontium isotopic evidence suggests a possible link to times of rapid oceanic plateau formation and/or increased rates of ridge crest volcanism. Elevated levels of trace metals in OAE1a and OAE2 strata suggest that marine productivity may have been facilitated by increased availability of dissolved iron. The association of plankton turnover and carbon isotopic excursions with each of the major OAEs, despite the variable geographic distribution of black shale accumulation, points to widespread changes in the ocean-climate system. Ocean crust production and hydrothermal activity increased in the late Aptian. Faster spreading rates [and/or increased ridge length] drove a long-term (Albian–early Turonian) rise in sea level and CO2-induced global warming. Changes in ocean circulation, water column stratification, and nutrient partitioning lead to a reorganization of plankton community structure and widespread carbonate (chalk) deposition during the Late Cretaceous. We conclude that there were important linkages between submarine volcanism, plankton evolution, and the cycling of carbon through the marine biosphere.
LASER-DRIVEN FLAT PLATE IMPACTS TO 100 GPA WITH SUB-NANOSECOND PULSE DURATION AND RESOLUTION FOR MATERIAL PROPERTY STUDIES

Miniature laser-driven flat plates (<1-mm diam {times} 0.5--10{mu}m thick, typical) of aluminum, cooper, tungsten, and other materials are accelerated to {le}5 km/s. These miniature plates are used to generate one-dimensional shock waves in solids, liquids, and crystals. Dynamic measurements of spall strength at strain rates {le}10{sup 7} s{sup {minus}1}, elastic-plastic shock wave profiles in 10-{mu}m-thick targets, shocked free-surface acceleration of 10{sup 12} m/s{sup 2}, and laser-driven plate launch accelerations of 10{sup 10} m/s{sup 2} are routinely obtained. The small size of the sample of and projectile mass permits recovery of targets without additional unintended damage or energy deposited into the test specimen. These miniature plates can be launched with conventional 1-J laboratory lasers. 10 refs., 5 figs.
Autoimmune Encephalitis Following Bone Marrow Transplantation

Abstract Background Neurological complications, especially encephalopathy and seizures, are commonly seen in bone marrow transplant patients. Infections, chemotoxicity, graft versus host disease, or secondary central nervous system malignancies are the most common underlying etiologies. There is increased awareness that autoimmune encephalitis may cause neurological dysfunction in immunocompetent children. The potential role of such a mechanism in children undergoing bone marrow transplantation is unknown. Methods We report a boy who developed autoimmune encephalitis with voltage-gated potassium channel–associated and thyroid autoantibodies subsequent to transplantation. Results A 7-year-old boy presented with a change in behavior, poor attention, cognitive deficits, and abnormal movements 15 months after undergoing transplantation for idiopathic aplastic anemia. He had clinical and subclinical seizures and brain magnetic resonance imaging hyperintensities bilaterally in the uncal regions. His evaluation revealed high titers of voltage-gated potassium channel, leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 protein, and thyroglobulin antibodies suggestive of autoimmune limbic encephalitis. He showed significant improvement in behavior and neuropsychological testing and has remained seizure-free on levetiracetam after immunotherapy with corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin. Conclusion Systemic autoimmune manifestations in bone marrow transplant patients have been well-documented, but autoimmune encephalitis after transplantation has yet to be described in children.
Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of the Thalamus in Patients with Chronic Neuropathic Pain after Spinal Cord Injury

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in a number of consequences; one of the most difficult to manage is chronic neuropathic pain. Thus, defining the potential neural and biochemical changes associated with chronic pain after SCI is important because this may lead to development of new treatment strategies. Prior studies have looked at the thalamus, because it is a major sensory relay station. The purpose of our study was to define alterations in metabolites due to injury-induced functional changes in thalamic nuclei by using single-voxel stimulated echo acquisition mode MR spectroscopy. METHODS: Twenty-six men were recruited: 16 patients with SCI and paraplegia (seven with pain, nine without pain) and 10 healthy control subjects. Pain was evaluated in an interview, which included the collection of information concerning the location, quality, and intensity of pain, carefully identifing the dysesthetic neuropathic pain often seen in SCI. Localized single-voxel (8-cm3 volume) proton spectra were acquired from the left and right thalami. RESULTS: The concentration of N -acetyl (NA) was negatively correlated with pain intensity ( r = −0.678), and the t test showed that NA was significantly different between patients with pain and patients without pain ( P = .006). Myo -inositol was positively correlated with pain intensity ( r = 0.520); difference between patients with pain and those without pain was almost significant ( P = .06). CONCLUSION: The observed differences in metabolites in SCI patients with and pain and in those without pain suggest anatomic, functional, and biochemical changes in the thalamic region.
GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS OF MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM AND GROUP III NONPHOTOCHROMOGENIC MYCOBACTERIA IN HELA CELLS

Brosbe, Edwin A. (Veterans Administration Hospital, Long Beach, Calif.), Paul T. Sugihara, and C. Richard Smith. Growth characteristics of Mycobacterium avium (avian) to group III nonphotochromogenic mycobacteria in HeLa cells. J. Bacteriol. 84: 1282–1286. 1962.—The close relationship of Mycobacterium avium (avian) to group III nonphotochromogenic (Battey) strains of mycobacteria stimulated interest in their behavior in HeLa cells. In general, the avian strains grew more slowly than the Battey strains; 10 of 17 avian and 3 of 12 Battey strains required more than 7 days to exhibit abundant intracellular growth. Branching filaments were observed with variable frequency in all of the strains studied. Branching occurred at right angles, and was seen more often with the Battey strains and the avian strains isolated from swine. These observations indicate that the growth rate and growth pattern of avian and Battey mycobacteria in HeLa cells are not sufficiently specific to facilitate distinguishing the two species from each other. Images
1989 Inter-American Convention on International Carriage of Goods by Road

On July 15, 1989, the Organization of American States (OAS), Fourth Inter-American Specialized Conference on Private International Law (CIDIP-IV), adopted the Inter-American Convention on International Carriage of Goods by Road. The Convention governs all international carriage by road among states that are parties to the convention. It establishes a bill of lading which has the option of being negotiable or non-negotiable. Carriage under the bill of lading will be subject to a liability regime, with liability limited to the value of the goods. Clearly Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico and other Latin-American countries were the moving parties behind the road convention negotiations. They view international road transportation as essential for their future economic development and integration. They also believe that a uniform truck bill of lading regime is essential for future development of Inter-American carriage by road.' Since the United States has a large amount of foreign trade, it has participated actively in the establishment of
Reply to comment by M. Bodeau on “Charging of mirror surfaces in space”

Abstract : Sputtering can slowly remove material from the surface of a spacecraft mirror, and even at low rates, will shorten the useful life of mirrors. Sputtering will only cause gradual degradation to solar cells, not the sudden stepwise degradation that sudden discharges can cause. These conclusions are not in disagreement with the comment of M. Bodeau. Future Boeing 702 series satellites will he equipped with conventional solar arrays, rather than mirrors. The main point in the Lai article is emphasized: the low photoemission of mirrors may cause differential charging if the space plasma is hot enough, as other parts of the satellite emit photoelectrons and the mirrors emit few photoelectrons.
Kinetics of Shrinkage of Mushrooms during Blanching

Kinetics of shrinkage of mushroom tissue and whole mushrooms was investigated. Shrinkage of tissue was found to be described by three apparent first order reactions, consisting of an initial slow phase, a second rapid phase, and a third slow phase. The duration of each phase depended on temperature. The major part of the shrinkage took place during the rapid shrinkage period. Activation energies during this phase were 18.25 Kcal mole−1 and 16.80 Kcal mole−1 for mass and volume shrinkage, respectively. Results for whole mushrooms were consistent with those for tissue.
Characterization of mutations in the penicillinase operon of Staphylococcus aureus

Mutant penicillinase plasmids, in which penicillinase synthesis is not inducible by penicillin or a penicillin analogue, were examined by biochemical and genetic analyses. In five of the six mutants tested, penicillinase synthesis could be induced by growth in the presence of 5-methyltryptophan. It is known that the tryptophan analogue 5-methyltryptophan is readily incorporated into protein by S. aureus and that staphylococcal penicillinase lacks tryptophan. 5-methyltryptophan seems to induce penicillinase synthesis in wild-type plasmids by becoming incorporated into the repressor and thereby inactivating the operator binding function of the penicillinase repressor. Therefore, induction of penicillinase synthesis in the mutant plasmids by 5-methyltryptophan strongly suggests that the noninducible phenotype of these five plasmids is due to a mutation that inactivates the effector binding site of the penicillinase repressor (i.e., the five mutant plasmids carry an is genotype for the penicillinase repressor). This conclusion was supported by heterodiploid analysis. The mutant plasmid that did not respond to 5-methyltryptophan either produces an exceedingly low basal level of penicillinase or does not produce active enzyme. This plasmid seems to carry a mutation in the penicillinase structural gene or in the promoter for the structural gene. Thus, a genetic characterization of many mutations in the penicillinase operon can be accomplished easily and rapidly by biochemical analysis.
A constructive algorithm for sensitivity optimization of Periodic systems

In a recent paper (A. Feintuch, P. P. Khargonekar and A. Tannenbaum, On the sensitivity minimization problem for linear time-varying periodic systems, this Journal, 24 (1986), pp. 1076–1085), the problem of weighted sensitivity optimization was considered for linear, discrete-time, periodic time-varying systems. Here we present a constructive algorithm for solving this problem.
Local tissue oxygenation by statistically distributed sources.

Abstract The effect of red blood cell separation on tissue oxygenation was analyzed using a previously developed model which accounts for the particulate nature of blood at the capillary level. Results show that an empirically based RBC pattern yields the same levels of oxygenation at 20% hematocrit as an even spacing pattern. Introduction of an empirically based RBC spacing pattern during hemodilution, where capillary hematocrit is reduced by half with concomitant doubling of velocity, results in a reduction of average tissue p O 2 by 23% and volume of oxygenated tissue by 28%, whereas axial delivery of oxygen along the length of the capillary was unchanged. Tissue oxygenation levels are optimized with even RBC spacing pattern but with an empirical pattern because the tissue does not effectively use the oxygen delivered by unevenly spaced RBCs despite an equivalent time-averaged flux. Model predictions for tissue oxygenation for statistically distributed spacing under normal and hemodilution conditions show trends consistent with previously obtained results using even spacing, namely, increased axial distance and volume oxygenated, with decreased average tissue p O 2 . During hemodilution, the volume of tissue oxygenated, above 2 mm Hg decreased to 84%, while the volume above 1 mm Hg increased to 131% relative to control. This finding suggests a redistribution of oxygen within tissue during hemodilution, casuing a greater amount of tissue to be exposed, but at a lower p O 2 .
Quinolinic acid lesion of nucleus accumbens reduces D1 but not D2 dopamine receptors: An autoradiographic study

Information concerning the cellular localization of dopamine receptor subtypes in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) was obtained using receptor autoradiographic analysis. Unilateral, stereotaxic injection of the axon-sparing neurotoxin, quinolinic acid, into the NAcc resulted in a prominent loss of dopamine D1 receptors (as labeled by [3H]SCH 23390). Contrarily, no appreciable decrement in D2 receptors (labeled by [3H]raclopride) could be identified within the same region of the NAcc. The findings support the view that accumbens D1 receptors are located postsynaptically on neurons or their processes, while D2 receptors within this nucleus are primarily located on afferent terminals.
Return to Philology and Hypertext in and around Petrarch’s Rvf

This article examines the theoretical premises and consequences of the renewed attention to the intersection between philology, hermeneutics, and criticism in humanist studies in general and in Petrarch studies in particular. The most recent philological achievements–from the new facsimile of Rerum vulgarium fragmenta: Codex Vat. Lat. 3195 ( Rvf ), edited by Belloni, Brugnolo, Storey, and Zamponi to the new critical edition of Petrarch’s masterpiece by Giuseppe Savoca–are presented and discussed as introduction to reflections on the role that a hypertext project, such as the Oregon Petrarch Open Book initiated at the University of Oregon, may play in the return to philology as necessary tool of textual criticism and hermeneutics.
Synthesis of Planar Compliant Mechanisms

This paper introduces a compliant mechanism design method that guarantees structural connectivity and planarity of the resulting design. The structural connectivity is ensured by a path-representation, while a coin-optimization process is introduced to verify the planarity of the design. A non-planar design can be “planarized” by a coin-repair process, thus all non-planar designs can be effectively excluded from the solution space. The discrete topology optimization problem is incorporated in a genetic algorithm. The resulting topology is further processed through size and shape optimization for improved stress distribution. The results from two benchmarking design examples showed that the proposed method is capable of producing planar mechanisms in a reasonable amount of computing time. The presented design method will be incorporated into an on-going research in the design of biomimetic wings for Micro-Aerial Vehicles (MAVs).Copyright © 2007 by ASME
On the electrophilicity of hydroxyl radical : A laser flash photolysis and computational study

The rate coefficients for reactions of hydroxyl radical with aromatic hydrocarbons were measured in acetonitrile using a novel laser flash photolysis method. Comparison of kinetic data obtained in acetonitrile with those obtained in aqueous solution demonstrates an unexpected solvent effect on the reactivity of hydroxyl radical. In particular, reactions of hydroxyl radical with benzene were faster in water than in acetonitrile, and by a significant factor of 65. Computational studies, at the B3LYP and CBS-QB3 levels, have confirmed the rate enhancement of hydroxyl radical addition to benzene via calculation of the transition states in the presence of explicit solvent molecules as well as a continuum dielectric field. The origin of the rate enhancement lies entirely in the structures of the transition states and not in the pre-reactive complexes. The calculations reveal that the hydroxyl radical moiety becomes more anionic in the transition state and, therefore, looks more like hydroxide anion. In the tran...
Shape change analysis of confocal microscope images using variational techniques

A technique for modeling shape changes in microscopic images is described. The technique consists of first segmenting the image to locate the specimen and the parametrizing the specimen in the initial image with an orthogonal material coordinate system. The deformation of the material coordinate system caused by the motion of the specimen is then solved for by minimizing an energy functional which is derived here. Results from both synthetic and real two-dimensional images are presented. The foundations of a three-dimensional implementation are given. A two-dimensional implementation is demonstrated while keeping sufficient generality for an application to three-dimensional dynamic confocal microscope images.
Rebound Testing of Intersil Bipolar and BiCMOS Parts

We report the results of high temperature accelerated aging ('rebound') testing of the Intersil ISL75051SRH low dropout regulator and the Intersil ISL70417SRH quad operational amplifier. These post-irradiation anneals were performed at 100oC under bias for a total of 168 hours, after biased and unbiased high dose rate 60Co irradiation. The product types were selected as representative samples of a power management BiCMOS and a complementary bipolar SOI process, respectively. We also include a brief discussion of the parts' electrical specifications and wafer fabrication process.
MultiView: spatially faithful group video conferencing

MultiView is a new video conferencing system that supports collaboration between remote groups of people. MultiView accomplishes this by being spatially faithful. As a result, MultiView preserves a myriad of nonverbal cues, includ-ing gaze and gesture, in a way that should improve com-munication. Previous systems fail to support many of these cues because a single camera perspective warps spatial char-acteristics in group-to-group meetings. In this paper, we present a formal definition of spatial faithfulness. We then apply a metaphor-based design methodology to help us spec-ify and evaluate MultiView's support of spatial faithfulness. We then present results from a low-level user study to mea-sure MultiView's effectiveness at conveying gaze and ges-ture perception. MultiView is the first practical solution to spatially faithful group-to-group conferencing, one of the most common applications of video conferencing.
An experimental study of colony-founding in pine saplings by queens of the arboreal ant, Crematogaster ashmeadi

Newly mated queens of the arboreal ant Crematogaster ashmeadi initiate colonies in old beetle galleries in the dead branches of longleaf pine trees. In a study by Hahn (1996), a number of tree characteristics were correlated with the number of newly-mated queens in those trees, with branch length the best indicator of queen presence. Three of these characteristics, tree height, dead branch length, and the number of dead branches were tested in an experiment to see which, if any, the queens were using to choose a tree. Both tree height and the number of dead branches significantly influenced queen choice: shorter trees (4-5 m) had more queens than tall ones (7-9 m), and trees with 8 branches had significantly more queens than trees with 2 branches. Branch length had no effect on the number of queens. These findings suggest that newly mated Crematogaster ashmeadi queens search for founding trees on the basis of the height of a sapling and its number of dead branches. Modes of searching are discussed.
The colony stimulating factor-1 receptor associates with and activates phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase

COLONY stimulating f actor-1 (CSF-1) is a lineage-specific growth factor required for proliferation and survival of mononuclear phagocytes and their precursors. The CSF-1 receptor belongs to a family of ligand-activated protein-tyrosine kinases. Activation of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor, but not the CSF-1 receptor, leads to an increase in phospholipase C activity and a subsequent elevation in intracellular calcium. Recent studies have shown that a novel phosphoinositol (Ptdlns) kinase, termed Ptdlns-3 kinase, is stimulated by the platelet-derived growth factor receptor and certain oncogenes in the protein-tyrosine kinase family. PtdIns-3 kinase phosphorylates the D-3 hydroxyl position of the inositol ring of Ptdlns, and its products do not participate in the generation of the second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(l,4,5)P3). Here we report that addition of CSF-1 is followed by activation of PtdIns-3 kinase in a macrophage cell line (P388 Dl), which contains CSF-1 receptors, and in BALB/c fibro-blasts made to express the human CSF-1 receptor. Furthermore, we show that activation of the CSF-1 receptor results in the accumulation in intact cells of polyphosphoinositides phosphory-lated at the D-3 position of the inositol ring. Thus activation of the CSF-1 receptor stimulates PtdIns-3 kinase activity, indicating a novel pathway for CSF-1 receptor-mediated signal transduction.
Stimulation of porphyrin accumulation in chick embryo liver cell cultures by partially purified erythroprotein

Abstract Step III and Step IV erythropoieten derived from sheep plasma stimulated the accumulation of porphyrins in cultured chick embryo liver cells. Increased porphyrin accumulation occurred within hepatocytes. It was not accompanied by increased hemoglobin formation. Stimulation of porphyrin accumulation was inhibited by hematin but was unimpaired by heating erythropoietin to 60°C for 10 min or preincubating it with trypsin. A more highly purified preparation of erythropoietin from human urine had no effect on porphyrin accumulation. The data indicate that a component in partially purified sheep erythropoietin can increase levels of a heme precursor in non-erythroid tissue. The participation of such a component should be considered when interpreting biochemical effects observed with crude erythropoietin preparations, other than 59 Fe incorporation into red cells or heme.
Wavelet estimation of a base-line signal from repeated noisy measurements by vertical block shrinkage

In this paper a new wavelet shrinkage technique is proposed and investigated. When data consist of a multiplicity of related noisy signals, we propose a wavelet-based shrinkage estimation procedure to summarize all data components into a single regularized and representative signal ("base-line"). This fusion of information from different runs is done via Stein-type shrinkage rule resulting from an empirical Bayes argument. The proposed shrinkage estimators maximize the predictive density under appropriate model assumptions on the wavelet coefficients. Features of this model-induced shrinkage are that it is "block-vertical" and local in time.The method, called VERTISHRINK, is evaluated on a battery of test signals under various signal-to-noise ratios and various number of vector components. An application in estimating the base-line signal in an experiment in tumor physiology is provided as well.
Compliance with evidence-based guidelines in children with isolated spleen or liver injury: a prospective study.

Abstract Purpose: This prospective study is designed to disseminate and apply 5 previously defined, evidence-based guidelines in children with isolated spleen or liver injuries. The desired outcomes are to standardize treatment, promote consensus, and utilize resources in a safe and efficient manner. Methods: Guidelines on intensive care unit (ICU) stay, hospital stay, imaging, and physical activity restriction for children with isolated spleen or liver injuries were defined by retrospective analysis of 832 children treated nonoperatively at 32 centers from 1995 to 1997. The guidelines were based on severity of injury by computed tomography (CT) grade. These guidelines were applied prospectively in 312 children treated nonoperatively at 16 centers from 1998 to 2000. Compliance was analyzed for age, gender, organ injured, and CT grade. All patients underwent follow-up for 4 months. In addition, the authors compared ICU stay, hospital stay, follow-up imaging, and interval of activity restriction in the retrospective historical group (1995 through 1997) with the current prospective group (1998 through 2000). Results: Specific guideline compliance was 81% for ICU stay, 82% for hospital stay, 87% for follow-up imaging, and 78% for interval of activity restriction. There was a significant improvement in compliance from year 1 to year 2 for ICU stay (77% v 88%; P [lt ] .02) and interval of activity restriction (73% v 87%; P [lt ] .01). Compliance with proposed intervals for activity restriction was greater for those with less severe injuries (87% in grades I and II v 72% in grades III and IV; P [lt ] .01). There were no differences in compliance by age, gender, or organ injured. Deviation from guidelines was surgeon's choice in 90% and patient related in 10%. Six (1.9%) patients were readmitted, although none required operation. Compared with the previously studied 832 patients, the 312 patients who had prospective application of the proposed guidelines had a significant reduction in ICU stay ( P [lt ] .0001), hospital stay ( P [lt ] .0006), follow-up imaging ( P [lt ] .0001), and interval of physical activity restriction ( P [lt ] .05) within each grade of injury. Conclusions: Prospective application of specific treatment guidelines based on injury severity has resulted in conformity in patient management, improved utilization of resources, and validation of guideline safety. Significant reduction of ICU stay, hospital stay, follow-up imaging, and length of activity restriction has been achieved without adverse sequelae when compared with our retrospective database.
CONTINUOUS INFUSION OF MIVACURIUM IN CHILDREN

Mivacurium is a new short-acting competitive neuromuscular blocking agent. Infusion requirements for the maintenance of a stable 90–99% muscle twitch depression were determined in 28 children anaesthetized with nitrous oxide and 1% halothane (inspired) in oxygen or nitrous oxide in oxygen and opioid. Neuromuscular block was assessed by monitoring the force of contraction of the adductor of the thumb during train-of-four (TOF) stimulation at 0.1 Hz. Infusion rate and twitch depression were analysed from 15 to 75 min and from 75 to 135 min after the start of the infusion. In the first period of evaluation, the mean infusion requirement was 10.4 (SEM 0.92) μg kg −1 min −1 during the halothane anaesthesia and 13 (1.4) μg kg −1 min −1 during the opioid anaesthesia ( P 90% depression of the first twitch (T1) of the TOF and plasma cholinesterase concentrations. Regardless of the anaesthetic regimen, children recovered rapidly after discontinuing the infusion. The recovery index (25–75 % recovery of T1) for all patients was 5.4 (0.57) min with no significant differences between the groups.
Analysis of interfacial slip in cross-wedge rolling: a numerical and phenomenological investigation

Abstract Friction and slip between the workpiece and the tool in metal forming processes are important issues in tool design and product development. This paper characterizes the tool–workpiece interfacial slip in a flat-wedge cross-wedge rolling process (CWR) using an explicit dynamic finite element method. An experimentally validated finite-element model of CWR is used to investigate the effects of the friction coefficient, the forming angle, and the area reduction on the tool–workpiece interfacial slip. A total of 14 rolling conditions are analyzed. An analytical CWR model for the workpiece rotational condition, which predicts the onset of rotation, is derived. Using this model, the critical area reduction and friction coefficient are compared with the failure conditions that occurred in the finite-element modeling and the prototype experiments. The variation of interfacial slip with CWR design parameters is found to provide insight regarding the CWR process design.
Central Bank Independence and the Conduct of Monetary Policy in the United Kingdom

The U.K. monetary policy framework, which combines inflation targeting with operational independence, provides a suitable arrangement for focused and credible monetary policy. However, potential weaknesses could result from features that have not yet been fully tested: the credibility and transparency of the inflation forecasts, which form the core of policy decisions, have diminished as a result of independence; and the framework could encourage excessive activism and frequent changes in interest rates. Although policy coordination could also suffer from independence, the new partly rules-based fiscal and monetary regimes will promote overall macroeconomic stability.
Correlation between the mechanical behavior and relaxation processes in the plastically deformed polycarbonate

The low-temperature β relaxation has been studied via thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSD) method for polycarbonate that had been cold-rolled and subsequently undergone the α′ relaxation at 70°C as a function of time. It has been found that the intensity of the β process increased as the annealing at 70°C increased. The analysis of the activation energy spectrum associated with the β relaxation indicated that the enhancement in the β intensity was due to the liberation of local dipoles from their aligned orientation as a result of undergoing the α′ relaxation process. Tensile flow curves have also been determined for the same set of specimens. Similar enhancement was also observed in the yield stress behavior. In view of the good correlation between the mechanical property and the structural change revealed by the relaxation study, it was concluded that the variation of the yield stress and the work-hardening in the rolled polymer was primarily associated with those parts of the chain that had been disoriented from their frozen-in conformations.
8:45-90:00. The Influence of a High Fat Meal Compared to an Olestra Meal on Coronary Artery Endothelial Dysfunction by Rubidium (Rb)-82 Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and on Post Prandial Serum Triglycerides.

Background: Cellular changes lead to coronary artery endothelial dysfunction (ED) and precede plaque formation. Clinical events, such as unstable angina and acute coronary syndromes, are common consequences of ED. Coronary artery ED, as characterized by Rb-82 PE, is a perfusion abnormality at rest, which improves following stress. In risk factor modification studies, particularly in cholesterol-lowering trials, coronary artery ED has been demonstrated to be reversible. Other studies have correlated low fat diet modification with improvement in coronary artery disease. Purpose: This study evaluates changes in myocardial perfusion following meals with low versus high TG content, and its influence on post prandial serum TG. Methods: With a randomized, double blind placebo controlled, cross over design, we investigated 19 patients (10 with ED and 9 with normal perfusion) with Rb-82 PET for myocardial blood flow at rest and with adenosine stress. PET images and serum triglycerides were obtained before and after an olestra (OA) meal (2.7g TG, 44g olestra) and a high-fat meal (46.7g TG). Meals were matched for carbohydrate, protein, and cholesterol content. Results: Myocardial perfusion (uCi/cc) increased 11 – 12% following the OA meal compared to the high-fat meal in patients with ED. For all patients combined, serum TG increased significantly (p < 0.01) in the non-OA group with the median change from baseline to 170.0 mg/dl, compared to 21.5 mg/dl in the OA group during the 6 hours following the meal. Conclusions: A single olestra meal significantly diminishes post prandial serum TG levels and improves myocardial perfusion in patients with endothelial disease.
Measurement of pressure-induced shifts of infrared lines with a tunable diode laser

Abstract A simple technique for measuring pressure-induced shifts of infrared (i.r.) spectral lines using a tunable diode laser is described. The technique, which works best when lines belonging to different molecules are separated by only a few multiples of the free spectral range of the etalon used, has been employed to determine the shifts of lines in the ν4-fundamental bands of 12CH4 and 13CH4 and in the ν1-fundamental band of 14N2 16O at 295 K.
Physical Activity Levels and Prompts in Young Children at Recess: A Two-Year Study of a Bi-Ethnic Sample

We investigated physical activity and encouragement for activity in a bi-ethnic cohort during recess. Activity and associated interactions of 287 children were recorded at preschool and again 2.2 years later. Children expended nearly twice as much energy at preschool recess than at elementary recess. Activity levels declined as recess time elapsed. At preschool, European-American children engaged in more moderate to vigorous activity than Mexican-Americans. As participants moved to elementary school, teachers' prompts to be active decreased and prompts from peers increased. Boys and girls received similar amounts of activity prompts at preschool, but prompts to boys increased over time. The findings suggest that school environments could be altered to promote healthful physical activity among young children.
The Intrusion of Clonal Growth Patterns on Plant Breeding Systems

As clonal plants get larger, individual flowers become more surrounded by other flowers borne on the same clone. With very restricted movement of pollen reported for both animal- and wind-pollinated species, the breeding system may change as a consequence of a clonal plant covering greater amounts of space. In Carex platyphylla, a wind-pollinated, self-compatible sedge, the absolute and relative amount of endogenous pollen per flowering culm increases sharply as a plant grows from one to about 10 culms, then increases at a slower rate, given a constant rain of exogenous pollen. In Trifolium repens, a bee-pollinated, self-incompatible, stoloniferous clover, a model based on known patterns of flower placement and stolon growth patterns, coupled with estimates of pollen-deposition and floret-visitation patterns by bees, suggests that the number and length of stolon internodes affect successful pollination. Also, the distribution of seeds among inflorescences is affected by clonal growth patterns and bee beha...
Lymphangioma Circumscriptum: Review and Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide Laser Vaporization

Three cases of the classical form of lymphangioma circumscriptum are described to illustrate the varied clinical manifestations of these lesions. The anatomy and physiology of cutaneous lymphangiomas are reviewed and their classification is clarified as a guide to their management. Treatment was sought by these patients in order to alleviate complaints of copious transudate of lymphatic fluid and chronic relapsing cellulitis. All three were treated with carbon dioxide laser vaporization with good to excellent cosmetic results and complete resolution of their symptoms. Carbon dioxide laser vaporization may be a useful alternative to frequently unsuccessful traditional surgical forms of therapy for selective cases of classical lymphangioma circumscriptum.
The collagen of chick embryonic notochord.

Abstract Notochords, isolated from 2 1 2 day chick embryos, were cultured in the presence of 3H proline and the labeled proteins co-purified with chick skin carrier collagen. The purified material, most of which eluted from CM-cellulose as a single peak in the region of the carrier collagen α1 chain, contained 41% of the incorporated proline as hydroxyproline and from gel filtration measurements had a molecular weight of approximately 100,000 daltons. When the material was chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose with carrier α1 chains from both skin [α1 (I)] and cartilage [α1 (II)], it eluted predominantly with the cartilage chains.
Polythiophene-block-polyfluorene and Polythiophene-block-poly(fluorene-co-benzothiadiazole): Insights into the Self-Assembly of All-Conjugated Block Copolymers

All-conjugated block copolymers have significant potential for solution-processed optoelectronic applications, in particular those relying on a p/n junction. Herein, we report the synthesis and structure of all-conjugated diblock copolymers poly(3-hexylthiophene)-block-poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) and poly(3-hexylthiophene)-block-poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole) in thin films and in the bulk. The diblock copolymers are prepared using a combination of Grignard metathesis polymerization and Suzuki polycondensation and characterized with NMR spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography, multiangle laser light scattering, and UV/vis spectroscopy. Structure in thin films and in the bulk is characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, small-angle X-ray scattering, and atomic force microscopy. Diblock copolymer thin films self-assemble into a crystalline nanostructure with some long-range order after extended solvent annealing, and X-ray scattering measurements show that pow...