cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Young Cluster IC 348

CCD photometry in BVRI was obtained for about 260 stars in and around IC 348, and multiobject spectroscopy for 80 of these. A somewhat larger region was surveyed for stars having Hα in emission; over 110 emission-line stars brighter than about R = 19 were discovered. Because Hα emission could be detected to a limit near W = 3 A, division into weak-line (WTTSs) and classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) was possible on purely spectroscopic grounds. There is a steep rise in the number of emission-line stars below W(Hα) = 10 A; the proportion of WTTSs to CTTSs in the area surveyed is 58:51. ROSAT detected only about 58% of the spectroscopic WTTSs and about 65% of the CTTSs, although these numbers are sensitive to the survey thresholds. The bulk of the ages of about 100 stars, read off the theoretical tracks of D'Antona & Mazzitelli, range between about 0.7 and 12 Myr, but the emission-line stars, which are most likely to be members of IC 348, have a mean age of 1.3 Myr. Allowance for unresolved binaries would increase this somewhat, but there is a firm upper limit at 2.95 Myr. There is no indication that the ages of the emission-line stars depend upon W(Hα): the IC 348 WTTSs as a population are not systematically older than the CTTSs, but there is a tendency for the WTTSs to be concentrated toward the center of IC 348, while the CTTSs are more widely distributed. There is a scattering of emission-Hα stars over the entire area surveyed. There are too many to be explained as low-mass members of an earlier generation of star formation in Per OB2 or as foreground dMe stars. The mass frequency function, based on some 125 stars fitted to theoretical tracks, rises from 1.5 M☉ to about 0.2 M☉, with a slope very much like that of the Scalo initial mass function. The optical cluster IC 348 radius is about 40, or 0.37 pc. The total mass of optically detectable stars in this volume is 57 M☉, while the mean space density is about 520 stars pc-3. The amount of interstellar material remaining within the cluster is small in comparison. Star formation in the Per OB2/IC 348 region cannot be characterized by one unique age; it appears that stars have been forming in the region now occupied by the association for 10-20 Myr.
Laparoscopic placement of hepatic artery infusion pumps: technical considerations and early results.

Laparoscopic hepatic artery infusion pump (LHAIP) placement is a novel treatment option for patients with colorectal liver metastases. This study investigates technical difficulties with regard to variant hepatic arteries and the preliminary outcomes for patients treated with LHAIP placement. Between March 1998 and January 2003, 38 patients with colorectal metastases confined to the liver, 35 (92%) of who had prior systemic chemotherapy that failed, were treated with LHAIP. Twelve patients (32%) had LHAIP placement only, and 26 (68%) had pump placement combined with laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation (LRFA; 24 patients) and/or liver resection (2 patients). Variant hepatic arterial (HA) anatomy was present in 18 patients (47%). The presence of a variant HA did not increase pump complications, operative time, or blood loss (P ≥ .20) or decrease the functional time of pump use (P = .91) in comparison with normal anatomy. In all patients with a variant HA, laparoscopic ligation of the variant vessel and/or cannulation of nongastroduodenal artery resulted in complete hepatic perfusion. Three misperfusions identified intraoperatively with use of methylene blue injection were corrected by laparoscopic ligation (two) or postoperative angioembolization (one). Postoperative pump radionuclide flow studies confirmed isolated hepatic artery infusion in all cases. There was a 13% pump-related complication rate. During a median follow-up of 11 months (0.5 to 35.5 months), the actuarial rate of overall survival was 47% and the estimated median survival time was 17.5 months. LHAIP placement is technically feasible, and variant HA is not associated with increased pump complications or decreased pump functional time.
Topological crystalline insulators in transition metal oxides.

Topological crystalline insulators possess electronic states protected by crystal symmetries, rather than time-reversal symmetry. We show that the transition metal oxides with heavy transition metals are able to support nontrivial band topology resulting from mirror symmetry of the lattice. As an example, we consider pyrochlore oxides of the form ${A}_{2}{M}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$. As a function of spin-orbit coupling strength, we find two ${Z}_{2}$ topological insulator phases can be distinguished from each other by their mirror Chern numbers, indicating a different topological crystalline insulators. We also derive an effective $\mathbf{k}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\mathbf{p}$ Hamiltonian, similar to the model introduced for ${\mathrm{Pb}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sn}}_{x}\mathrm{Te}$, and discuss the effect of an on-site Hubbard interaction on the topological crystalline insulator phase using slave-rotor mean-field theory, which predicts new classes of topological quantum spin liquids.
An air filter pressure loss model for fan energy calculation in air handling units

Air filters consume a significant part of the fan power in air handling systems. Due to lack of suitable models, the fan energy associated with the filter pressure drop is often estimated based on average airflow and average pressure drop across the filter. Since the pressure drop varies nonlinearly with airflow and the filter resistance varies with dirt build-up, current methods often produce erroneous results. This paper presents a new air filter pressure loss model that has been developed and verified using experimental data. The model projects the pressure losses across the filter for both constant and variable airflows. The inputs to the model are the airflow rate, the time of use, the initial design and final pressure losses at the design flow rate, and the coefficient of a power law regression of pressure loss as a function of airflow rate. The air filter pressure loss model may be implemented in hourly building energy simulation programs that perform hourly simulation at the air handling unit level. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chronic diseases and individual risk for workplace injury.

Among adults in the USA, the prevalence of obesity is approximately 36%, diabetes or prediabetes 11% and asthma 8%.1–3 Globally, deaths from non-communicable diseases, including cancer, ischaemic heart disease and stroke, accounted for two of every three deaths in 2010.4 Based on the prevalence of these illnesses, along with the estimated high medical costs to treat them, chronic diseases are considered the major public health challenge of the 21st century.5 At the same time, fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries also exact a significant toll on society. In 2011, nearly 4700 workers were killed on the job and another three million non-fatal injuries and illness were reported by private industry employers in the USA.6 ,7 Around the world, road traffic injuries, including those that occur during work, are also a leading cause of death.5 While chronic diseases and injury tend to be studied and addressed in separate domains, the nexus of these areas is …
Acular as a single agent for use as an antimiotic and anti-inflammatory in cataract surgery.

Abstract Purpose To assess the safety and effectiveness of ketorolac tromethamine 0.5% (Acular®) as a cost-efficient single agent to prevent intraoperative miosis and postoperative inflammation in cataract surgery. Methods Both eyes of 26 patients were randomized to receive Acular preoperatively and postoperatively or flurbiprofen sodium (Ocufen®) preoperatively and prednisolone acetate 1% (Pred Forte®) postoperatively. Time scheduled between procedures was from 2 weeks to 1 month. Pupil dilation was measured preoperatively, intraoperatively, and at the end of surgery. Cell and flare were measured 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month postoperatively. Results A comparison of the Acular and the Ocufen/Pred Forte groups (n=22) showed no statistically significant differences in dilation (preoperative versus postpostoperative) or cell and flare postoperatively. Conclusion Using Acular as a single agent was as effective as the combination of preoperative Ocufen and postoperative Pred Forte in preventing intraoperative miosis and postoperative inflammation in cataract surgery. The use of Acular as a single agent could save the expense of using separate anti-inflammatory and antimiotic preparations preoperatively and postoperatively, enhancing convenience for the surgeon and surgical facility.
Opportunities for Coordinated Observations of CO2 with the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) and Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT)

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) and the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) are the first two satellites designed to make global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) with the precision and sampling needed identify and monitor surface sources and sinks of this important greenhouse gas. Because the operational phases of the OCO and GOSAT missions overlap in time, there are numerous opportunities for comparing and combining the data from these two satellites to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that control the atmospheric CO2 and its variability over time. Opportunities for cross-calibration, cross-validation, and coordinated observations that are currently under consideration are summarized here.
Disparate Levels of Stress in Police and Correctional Officers: Preliminary Evidence from a Pilot Study on Domestic Violence

New data from a prevention curriculum project on officer-involved domestic violence reveals significant differences in the reported job stress of Florida's correctional officers when compared to police officers who took the same surveys. The significantly higher reported levels of organizational stress in particular—especially those related to staff and resource shortages and attitudes about leadership—raise concerns about the relationship between organizational stress and the reported drastic budget cuts, hiring freezes, and layoffs experienced by the Department of Corrections in 2009. The surprising disparity has significant implications for policy makers, who should be aware of the high cost of stress in officer health and well-being when making budgetary decisions about the state's rapidly increasing inmate population.
Paclitaxel in the multimodality treatment for inflammatory breast carcinoma

BACKGROUND Inflammatory breast carcinoma (IBC) is a rare but aggressive form of breast carcinoma. Anthracycline-based regimens represent the standard of treatment for IBC. Reports of significant clinical activity of paclitaxel in metastatic breast carcinoma led the authors to investigate the role of this drug in the management of IBC. METHODS Forty-four patients with IBC were enrolled between February 1994 and January 1998. The treatment plan consisted of induction chemotherapy (IC), mastectomy, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Forty-two patients received IC with four cycles of fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide. If the clinical response was less than partial, patients were “crossed over” to paclitaxel before mastectomy. All patients received adjuvant paclitaxel. Patients unresectable after paclitaxel were offered high-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell support. RESULTS Thirty-four patients (81%) achieved an objective clinical remission; 3 patients (7%) achieved a clinical complete remission, 31 (74%) a partial remission. Six patients (14%) achieved pathologic complete remission. Sixteen patients were treated with paclitaxel, 7 of them (44%) were able to undergo mastectomy. Median time to progression (TTP) was 22 months. Median overall survival (OS) was 46 months. Concordance between clinical and pathologic response was documented in only 8 patients (24%). No differences in TTP and OS compared with a historical group of 178 IBC patients treated with anthracycline-based regimens. CONCLUSIONS Paclitaxel improves tumor resectability in anthracycline-refractory IBC. The impact of paclitaxel on the prognosis of IBC needs to be better evaluated in future trials using more dose-intensive schedules of administration. New imaging modalities may contribute to improve assessment of response to IC. Cancer 2001;92:1775–82. © 2001 American Cancer Society.
Mike Fuller Receives 2012 John Adam Fleming Medal: Response

Thank you, Chris and Subir, for nominating me for the Fleming Medal and for your very kind comments on my research. In looking back over the medalists since 1962, it is hard to believe that I could be lucky enough to join such distinguished company. Yet, I have been very lucky through life. First, I was lucky to go to Christ's Hospital and Cambridge University. Second, my Aunt Marjorie married a physicist, Johnnie Clegg, who was an excellent teacher and inspiration for me. Third, to be born in England in the mid-1930s was to be a member of a fortunate generation of scientists. Providing one safely negotiated World War II, one joined the academic world at a time of great excitement, of expansion, and support for science.
Cohorts, overlapping generations and consanguinity estimates

SummaryA number of problems in human population genetics involve determining the effects of non-random mating due to cultural or geographic factors, and therefore requires determination of expectations based on random mating. These expectations are usually taken to be the arithmetic mean of the contributions of all possible pairs drawn from a subpopulation of individuals of mating age during a specified period. This cohort approach in effect treats the subpopulation as a discrete generation. In real populations, however, the pool of potential mates with whom any individual may be paired is continually changing, and not all pairs are eligible, on demographic grounds, to mate for equal lengths of time. A simple means of avoiding problems due to this discrepancy between method and reality is suggested and applied to data from an isolated Caribbean population in order to determine whether treating cohorts as discrete generations introduces serious bias into estimates of expected consanguinity. The results sug...
LineageProfiler: Automated Classification and Visualization of Cell Type Identity for Mammalian Transcriptomes

Both microarray and next generation RNA sequencing methods have vastly improved our ability to detect transcript variation underlying organism development and disease. While many tools exist to assess gene and transcript variation, there is a paucity of methods to evaluate cell type identity relative to the hundreds of known adult and progenitor cell types. Such methods are sorely needed to understand which cell types are present within a biological sample, particularly during lineage restricted in vitro stem cell differentiation. We have developed LineageProfiler as a component of the AltAnalyze analysis package (http://www.altanalyze.org), to analyze and visualize transcriptome correlations to a large compendium of tissues, isolated cell types or progenitor states. Unlike related methods, LineageProfiler can utilize gene or exon expression profiles from either microarray or next generation sequencing data to derive correlations. Associated Z scores are automatically visualized along a comprehensive lineage network or as a clustered heatmap. Through integration with the tool GO-Elite (http://www.genmapp.org/go_elite), underlying biomarkers are used to evaluate enrichment of cell types between conditions and samples. This approach has been successful at accurately identifying known populations of differentiating cells in vitro from RNA-Seq, measuring the relative abundance of cell types from mixed tissue experiments and identifying contamination due to inconsistent tissue dissection.
Unplanned transfers to the intensive care unit: the role of the shock index.

BACKGROUND Unplanned (unexpected) transfers to the intensive care unit (ICU) are typically preceded by physiologic instability. However, trends toward instability may be subtle and not accurately reflected by changes in vital signs. The shock index (SI) (heart rate/systolic blood pressure as an indicator of left ventricular function, reference value of 0.54) may be a simple alternative means to predict clinical deterioration. OBJECTIVE To assess the association of the SI with unplanned ICU transfers. DESIGN Retrospective case-control study. SETTING Academic medical center. PATIENTS Fifty consecutive general medical patients with unplanned ICU transfers between 2003 and 2004 and 50 matched controls admitted to the same general medical unit between 2002 and 2004. MEASUREMENTS Demographic data and vital signs abstracted from chart review. RESULTS The SI was associated with unplanned ICU transfer at values of 0.85 or greater (P < 0.02; odds ratio, 3.0) and there was a significant difference between the median of worst shock indices of cases and controls (0.87 vs. 0.72; P < 0.005). There was no significant difference in age, race, admission ward, or Charlson Comorbidity Index, but hospital stay for cases was significantly longer (mean [standard deviation, SD], 14.8 [9.7] days vs. 5.7 [6.3] days; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS SI is associated with unplanned transfers to the ICU from general medical units at values of 0.85 or greater. Future studies will determine whether SI is more accurate than simple vital signs as an indicator of clinical decline. If so, it may be a useful trigger to activate medical emergency or rapid response teams (RRTs).
Elder suicide: a selective guide to resources

Elder suicide is a major problem, particularly in the USA, that accounts for 15.9 in 100,000 deaths, or an average of one death every 95 minutes. The rate of elder suicide is higher than that of any other age group. Unlike teens, or younger age groups, the elderly attempting suicide are largely successful. This selective literature guide includes materials on elder suicide that deal with all aspects of the topic, including identification of those at risk, prevention, and survivors, as well as resources addressing alternative views of suicide, such as assisted, rational, and pre‐emptive suicide.
Conceptual Issues of Ecosystem Management

Summary This paper examines the premise, goals, and concepts of ecosystem management. Evidence and philosophy of traditional forestry do not support the premise that it (forestry) is environmentally destructive. The goals of ecosystem management-to maintain and enhance the quality of the environment on the global scale, and to meet current and future needs of an increasing human population-are highly desirable. It is doubtful, however, that they can be satisfied simultaneously. The absence of well-defined boundaries of ecosystems is another obstacle to their management. One of the primary objectives of ecosystem management is maintaining and increasing biodiversity. Besides technical problems, there is a conceptual difficulty: we still do not know what biodiversity is. Equating biodiversity with everything is enlightening, but not too helpful since it is not clear how to manage everything. Operationally both concepts (ecosystem and biodiversity) are meaningless. Even if we manage to define biodiversity an...
Prenatal and perinatal predictors of blood pressure at school age in former preterm, low birth weight infants.

Objective—To investigate prenatal and perinatal determinants of school age blood pressure (BP) in former preterm, low birth weight infants Study Design—We studied 694 participants in the Infant Health and Development Program, an 8-center longitudinal study of children born ≤37 weeks and ≤2500 grams. We obtained information about prenatal and perinatal factors by interview and medical record review and measured BP 3 times at age 6.5 years. Result—Adjusting for sex, age, sociodemographic variables, and height z-score, for each z-score birth weight for gestational age – which represents fetal growth – systolic BP at 6.5 years was 0.7 mmHg higher (95% CI −0.1, 1.6). Maternal age, pre-pregnancy weight, gestational weight gain, smoking, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes; and child gestational age and neonatal complications were also not associated with BP. Conclusion—In contrast to full term infants, slower fetal growth was not associated with higher BP in former preterm, low birth weight infants.
Optimal hydrocarbon indicators

Summary The best combination of rock properties as hydrocarbon indicators is currently under debate. For many rocks, the increase in saturated bulk modulus is approximately linearly related to the fluid modulus (∆K = G(φ) * Kf). This ∆K can be extracted form seismic data and therefore serve to indicate fluids. For sandstones and clay-rich sandstones, the difference of the bulk and shear modulus (K-µ) may prove best. Combinations of Lame’s constant (λ), shear modulus, and density (ρ), have also been proposed. However, many of these extracted moduli combinations are basically similar in sensitivity to hydrocarbon saturation. Starting with normal reflectivity and slope (A-B) plots, the indicators can be tuned to the properties of the contained pore fluids.
Can We Determine the Significance of Key-Event Effects on a Recruitment Time Series?—A Power Study of Superposed Epoch Analysis

Abstract A persistent question in fishery research is whether extreme environmental events, such as climatic perturbations or discharges of toxic substances, influence recruitment. Superposed epoch analysis has been proposed as a statistical test to address such questions. In a superposed epoch analysis of recruitment, a test statistic is computed from the differences between recruitments in years with extreme environmental events (“key years”) and recruitments in immediately surrounding years; the significance of the test statistic can be determined either parametrically or nonparametrically. Here we examine the power of two parametric and four nonparametric test statistics to detect, in a variety of simulated data sets analyzed by the superposed epoch method, associations between key events and unusual values of recruitment. The statistical significance of the nonparametric test statistics is determined by randomization, the significance of the parametric statistics by consulting tabled distributions. U...
Anatomic distribution of fluorodeoxyglucose-avid para-aortic lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer.

Purpose Conformal treatment of para-aortic lymph nodes (PAN) in cervical cancer allows dose escalation and reduces normal tissue toxicity. Currently, data documenting the precise location of involved PAN are lacking. We define the spatial distribution of this high-risk nodal volume by analyzing fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-avid lymph nodes (LNs) on positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans in patients with cervical cancer. Methods and Materials We identified 72 PANs on pretreatment PET/CT of 30 patients with newly diagnosed stage IB-IVA cervical cancer treated with definitive chemoradiation. LNs were classified as left-lateral para-aortic (LPA), aortocaval (AC), or right paracaval (RPC). Distances from the LN center to the closest vessel and adjacent vertebral body were calculated. Using deformable image registration, nodes were mapped to a template computed tomogram to provide a visual impression of nodal frequencies and anatomic distribution. Results We identified 72 PET-positive para-aortic lymph nodes (37 LPA, 32 AC, 3 RPC). All RPC lymph nodes were in the inferior third of the para-aortic region. The mean distance from aorta for all lymph nodes was 8.3 mm (range, 3-17 mm), and from the inferior vena cava was 5.6 mm (range, 2-10 mm). Of the 72 lymph nodes, 60% were in the inferior third, 36% were in the middle third, and 4% were in the upper third of the para-aortic region. In all, 29 of 30 patients also had FDG-avid pelvic lymph nodes. Conclusions A total of 96% of PET positive nodes were adjacent to the aorta; PET positive nodes to the right of the IVC were rare and were all located distally, within 3 cm of the aortic bifurcation. Our findings suggest that circumferential margins around the vessels do not accurately define the nodal region at risk. Instead, the anatomical extent of the nodal basin should be contoured on each axial image to provide optimal coverage of the para-aortic nodal compartment.
Biocompatibility Comparison of Stainless Steel, Gold-Coated, and Heat-Treated Gold-Coated Endovascular Stents

Endovascular stents can be altered to improve radioopacity by applying a gold coating. We examined the vascular response in porcine coronary arteries to implantation of 9 mm NIR® stents that were either left intact, gold-coated, or heat-treated following gold coating. Our results show that while gold coating exacerbates neointimal hyperplasia and the inflammatory response, heat treatment removes this negative effect. Heat treatment was shown to increase the diffusion at the gold-steel interface and reduce the surface roughness.
Maternal and Neonatal Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke Targets Pro-Inflammatory Genes in Neonatal Arteries

Maternal mainstream tobacco smoking is known to have adverse outcomes on fetal respiratory function; however, no data is currently available on the effects of passive exposure to tobacco smoking and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on fetal systemic arterial structure and function. Eight pregnant rhesus macaque monkeys were studied at the California Regional Primate Research Center breeding colony. The estimated gestational age for each dam was established by sonography performed before gestational day 40. Two inhalation chambers were used, each with an air capacity of 3.5 m3, and each housed two dams. Aged and diluted sidestream smoke was used as a surrogate for ETS. Exposure to ETS (1 mg/m3) occurred for 6 h/day, 5 days/week, beginning on gestational day 100. All dams were allowed to give birth spontaneously and then ETS exposure continued 70–80 days postnatally with the chamber containing both the mother and infant. Carotid arteries from four control (C) and four ETS-treated newborns were analyzed for mRNA by gene macroarray and for protein by Western blotting. A total of 588 cardiovascular genes were studied. Four genes were upregulated by ETS compared to C, and nine genes were downregulated (≥2-fold change). Three genes were selected for further study. Following ETS exposure, neonatal carotid arteries of non-human primates manifested evidence of inflammation with increased gene and protein expression of LFA-1 and RANTES, proteins that are recognized to be important in vascular adhesion and inflammation, and downregulation of expression for the receptor for VEGF, which has a key role in angiogenesis. Prenatal and postnatal exposure to ETS increases expression of pro-inflammatory genes and may be responsible for early arterial vascular remodeling that is predisposing to a subsequent vascular disease.
Complexity reduction for SOPC-based H.264/AVC coder via sum of absolute difference

There exist a number of complex encoding techniques which make H.264 video coding much more efficient, such as the adoption of variable block sizes, multiple reference frames, and the consideration of rate-distortion optimization (RDO). However, these techniques come with a price, i.e. considerable increase of complexity due to the introduction of motion estimation (ME) and mode decision in the design of H.264. In this paper, we have proposed a cost-effective complexity reducing coding algorithm for removing H.264 ME redundancy in SOPC-based embedded systems. The loosely coupled accelerators for Avalon switch fabric compliant topology reveal that the potential coder design can achieve the advantages of flexibility and performance in circuit design without incurring much of the design risk.
Translation of CGA codon repeats in yeast involves quality control components and ribosomal protein L1

Translation of CGA codon repeats in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is inefficient, resulting in dose-dependent reduction in expression and in production of an mRNA cleavage product, indicative of a stalled ribosome. Here, we use genetics and translation inhibitors to understand how ribosomes respond to CGA repeats. We find that CGA codon repeats result in a truncated polypeptide that is targeted for degradation by Ltn1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in nonstop decay, although deletion of LTN1 does not improve expression downstream from CGA repeats. Expression downstream from CGA codons at residue 318, but not at residue 4, is improved by deletion of either ASC1 or HEL2, previously implicated in inhibition of translation by polybasic sequences. Thus, translation of CGA repeats likely causes ribosomes to stall and exploits known quality control systems. Expression downstream from CGA repeats at amino acid 4 is improved by paromomycin, an aminoglycoside that relaxes decoding specificity. Paromomycin has no effect if native tRNAArg(ICG) is highly expressed, consistent with the idea that failure to efficiently decode CGA codons might occur in part due to rejection of the cognate tRNAArg(ICG). Furthermore, expression downstream from CGA repeats is improved by inactivation of RPL1B, one of two genes encoding the universally conserved ribosomal protein L1. The effects of rpl1b-Δ and of either paromomycin or tRNAArg(ICG) on CGA decoding are additive, suggesting that the rpl1b-Δ mutant suppresses CGA inhibition by means other than increased acceptance of tRNAArg(ICG). Thus, inefficient decoding of CGA likely involves at least two independent defects in translation.
Effect of capacitive coupling between split-ring resonators

There is much interest in metamaterials for the microwave and optical applications because their electromagnetic properties are vastly different from ordinary materials. The split ring resonator (SRR) is the canonical metamaterial structure that has a magnetic response without magnetic materials. Magnetic properties of the SRR are considered as the substrate of the microstrip patch antenna instead of high permittivity materials because we can, not only reduce the size of the patch, but also improve the bandwidth of the antenna using high permeability materials for substrates of microstrip patch antennas. We also can design multi-band antennas using various kinds of microstructure in substrates.
Counter (Mapping) Actions: Mapping as Militant Research

We, the Counter Cartographies Collective (3Cs), propose a specific form of counter-mapping, autonomous cartography, to understand and intervene in the processes at our university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As autonomous, militant research, this mapping aims to foster cooperation among researchers and participants to practically intervene in real problems without attempting to marshal state or administrative power. Our experience shows that autonomous cartography helps produce new, alternative practices, knowledges and subjects at our university and others. Even as we draw on critical cartography and other cases of counter-mapping, autonomous cartography constitutes a distinct form of counter-mapping through our combination of autonomous theory, militant research and mapping. In this paper, we explore constitutive influences on 3Cs and our own militant countermapping experiences. We begin with a review of the theoretical basis of autonomous cartography as a form of critical cartography and counter-mapping. Next, we introduce the key concepts and practices of autonomous politics and militant research through the examples of Colectivo Situaciones, Precarias a la Deriva and Hackitectura. In the second half of the paper, we review 3Cs’ founding conditions and two of our maps. Finally, we conclude by examining the methods and impacts of our mappings.
Inhibition of phosphodiesterase-4 decreases ethanol intake in mice

Rationale Cyclic AMP (cAMP)–protein kinase A signaling has been implicated in the regulation of ethanol consumption. Phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) specifically hydrolyzes cAMP and plays a critical role in controlling intracellular cAMP levels in the brain. However, the role of PDE4 in ethanol consumption remains unknown. Objective The objective of this study is to examine whether PDE4 was involved in regulating ethanol intake. Methods The two-bottle choice paradigm was used to assess intake of ethanol, sucrose, and quinine in C57BL/ 6J mice treated with the selective PDE4 inhibitor rolipram or Ro 20-1724; locomotor activity was also monitored using the open-field test in mice treated with rolipram. Results Administration (i.p.) of either rolipram (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg) or Ro 20-1724 (10 mg/kg) reduced ethanol intake and preference by 60–80%, but did not alter total fluid intake. In contrast, rolipram even at the higher dose of 0.5 mg/kg was not able to affect intake of sucrose or quinine, alcohol-induced sedation, or blood ethanol elimination. At 0.5 mg/kg, rolipram did decrease locomotor activity, but the effect only lasted for approximately 40 min, which did not likely affect behavior of ethanol drinking. Conclusions These results suggest that PDE4 is a novel target for drugs that reduce ethanol intake; PDE4 inhibitors may be used for treatment of alcohol dependence.
Diminished mTOR signaling: a common mode of action for endocrine longevity factors

Since the initial observation that a calorie-restricted (CR) diet can extend rodent lifespan, many genetic and pharmaceutical interventions that also extend lifespan in mammals have been discovered. The mechanism by which CR and these other interventions extend lifespan is the subject of significant debate and research. One proposed mechanism is that CR promotes longevity by increasing insulin sensitivity, but recent findings that dissociate longevity and insulin sensitivity cast doubt on this hypothesis. These findings can be reconciled if longevity is promoted not via increased insulin sensitivity, but instead via decreased PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway signaling. This review presents a unifying hypothesis that explains the lifespan-extending effects of a variety of genetic mutations and pharmaceutical interventions and points towards new molecular pathways which may also be leveraged to promote healthy aging.
Does the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 Case Rule Apply in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer?: Comparison With the Symptom Checklist-90

OBJECTIVE Screening for psychological distress is an important tool for improving survivors' access to psychosocial care. The Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) has been widely used to identify psychological distress in cancer survivors, but few studies have reported on its validity. This study evaluated validity of the BSI-18 by comparing it to the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). METHODS Concordance of cases identified by the BSI-18 and SCL-90 was examined in a sample of 193 adult survivors of childhood cancer. RESULTS Receiver operating characteristics analysis showed strong diagnostic utility of the BSI-18 (area under curve = 0.922). However, the standard BSI-18 case-rule demonstrated low sensitivity (45.2%) against the SCL-90. An alternative case-rule showed better results; sensitivity (87.10%), specificity (83.33%). CONCLUSIONS The BSI-18 is a useful measure for evaluating distress in adult survivors of childhood cancers; however, the standard BSI-18 case-rule has not been validated for this population, and an alternative case rule should be considered.
The Yeast v-SNARE Vti1p Mediates Two Vesicle Transport Pathways through Interactions with the t-SNAREs Sed5p and Pep12p

Membrane traffic in eukaryotic cells requires that specific v-SNAREs on transport vesicles interact with specific t-SNAREs on target membranes. We identified a novel Saccharomyces cerevisiae v-SNARE (Vti1p) encoded by the essential gene, VTI1. Vti1p interacts with the prevacuolar t-SNARE Pep12p to direct Golgi to prevacuolar traffic. vti1-1 mutant cells missorted and secreted the soluble vacuolar hydrolase carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) rapidly and reversibly when vti1-1 cells were shifted to the restrictive temperature. However, overexpression of Pep12p suppressed the CPY secretion defect exhibited by vti1-1 cells at 36 degrees C. Characterization of a second vti1 mutant, vti1-11, revealed that Vti1p also plays a role in membrane traffic at a cis-Golgi stage. vti1-11 mutant cells displayed a growth defect and accumulated the ER and early Golgi forms of both CPY and the secreted protein invertase at the nonpermissive temperature. Overexpression of the yeast cis-Golgi t-SNARE Sed5p suppressed the accumulation of the ER form of CPY but did not lead to CPY transport to the vacuole in vti1-11 cells. Overexpression of Sed5p allowed growth in the absence of Vti1p. In vitro binding and coimmunoprecipitation studies revealed that Vti1p interacts directly with the two t-SNAREs, Sed5p and Pep12p. These data suggest that Vti1p plays a role in cis-Golgi membrane traffic, which is essential for yeast viability, and a nonessential role in the fusion of Golgi-derived vesicles with the prevacuolar compartment. Therefore, a single v-SNARE can interact functionally with two different t-SNAREs in directing membrane traffic in yeast.
“The Spice of the Department Store”: The “Consumers' Republic,” Imported Knock-Offs from Latin America, and the Invention of International Development, 1936–1941

Major recent work in US history has credited the New Deal with a dubious double legacy. One group of historians has shown how Roosevelt's domestic policies subsidized the consolidation of a political economy and culture of mass consumption, while another has described how his foreign policies generated the strategies and institutions of neoimperialism. Scholars have analyzed these developments in isolation, but this essay demonstrates that they were linked and synergistic. Working from the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to the nascent program for multilateral international development, it argues that an integrated complex of New Deal domestic and foreign policies harnessed the rise of the United States as a “consumers' republic” to the forms of imperialism refined in Latin America in the thirties and forties and deployed globally after the war. This policy complex rationalized the global production of US mass-consumer prosperity, displaced the costs of the Keynesian rehabilitation of US capitalism abroad, and evolved to regulate the metabolism between domestic mass consumerism and international hegemony after 1945.
Changes in plasma lipoproteins accompanying diet therapy in obese diabetics.

Abstract Plasma lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured in 24 obese not-insulin dependent Pima Indian diabetics and 9 obese nondiabetic controls before and after 1–8 months on a 500 calorie diet. The diabetics were divided into 3 groups — severe, recent onset (n = 10), severe long-term (n = 6), and borderline (n = 8). The diet regimen resulted in weight loss and improved glucose tolerance in all of the diabetics, and insulin secretion increased in the 2 groups of severe diabetics. After the period of weight loss, total plasma cholesterol had declined greater than 20%, and LDL cholesterol decreased 25% in all diabetic groups and in the controls. In all diabetic groups, HDL cholesterol did not decline; therefore the ratio of HDL/LDL cholesterol after diet therapy was significantly increased. In the controls HDL cholesterol declined with weight loss, and the distribution of HDL/LDL cholesterol remained constant. Plasma and VLDL triglyceride levels decreased in all groups in those with initial triglyceride levels >150 mg/dl. The results indicate that weight loss in not-insulin dependent diabetics not only improves glucose tolerance, but also lowers plasma lipids and reverses the dyslipoproteinemia often associated with this disorder. This may influence the risk of arteriosclerotic heart disease in these individuals.
Myofibrillar myopathy caused by novel dominant negative αB-crystallin mutations

We here report the second and third mutations in αB-crystallin causing myofibrillar myopathy. Two patients had adult-onset muscle weakness. Patient 1 had cervical, limb girdle, and respiratory muscle weakness and died of respiratory failure. Patient 2 had proximal and distal leg muscle weakness. Both had myopathic electromyogram with abnormal electrical irritability and muscle biopsy findings of myofibrillar myopathy and mild denervation. Myofibrillar disintegration begins at the Z-disk and results in abnormal local expression of desmin, αB-crystallin, dystrophin, neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), and CDC2 kinase. Seven to 8% of nuclei display early apoptotic changes. Both patients carry a truncating mutation in the C-terminal region of αB-crystallin (464delCT in Patient 1 and Q151X in Patient 2) which is crucial for the solubilization and chaperone functions of the molecule. cDNA analysis shows the same mutations and no alternatively spliced transcripts. Immunoblots of muscle demonstrate increased expression of wild-type and reduced expression of the mutant protein. Immunoblots under nondenaturing conditions show that the mutant protein forms lower than normal molecular weight multimeric complexes with wild type. We conclude that (1) despite its reduced expression, the mutant protein exerts a dominant negative effect; (2) mutations in αB-crystallin are an infrequent cause of myofibrillar myopathy; (3) αB-crystallin–related myopathies display phenotypic heterogeneity. Ann Neurol 2003;54:804–810
Therapeutic treatment plan optimization with probability density-based dose prescription.

The dose optimization in inverse planning is realized under the guidance of an objective function. The prescription doses in a conventional approach are usually rigid values, defining in most instances an ill-conditioned optimization problem. In this work, we propose a more general dose optimization scheme based on a statistical formalism [Xing et al., Med. Phys. 21, 2348–2358 (1999)]. Instead of a rigid dose, the prescription to a structure is specified by a preference function, which describes the user’s preference over other doses in case the most desired dose is not attainable. The variation range of the prescription dose and the shape of the preference function are predesigned by the user based on prior clinical experience. Consequently, during the iterative optimization process, the prescription dose is allowed to deviate, with a certain preference level, from the most desired dose. By not restricting the prescription dose to a fixed value, the optimization problem becomes less ill-defined. The conventional inverse planning algorithm represents a special case of the new formalism. An iterative dose optimization algorithm is used to optimize the system. The performance of the proposed technique is systematically studied using a hypothetical C-shaped tumor with an abutting circular critical structure and a prostate case. It is shown that the final dose distribution can be manipulated flexibly by tuning the shape of the preference function and that using a preference function can lead to optimized dose distributions in accordance with the planner’s specification. The proposed framework offers an effective mechanism to formalize the planner’s priorities over different possible clinical scenarios and incorporate them into dose optimization. The enhanced control over the final plan may greatly facilitate the IMRTtreatment planning process.
Concentrated electrolytes: decrypting electrolyte properties and reassessing Al corrosion mechanisms

Highly concentrated electrolytes containing carbonate solvents with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) have been investigated to determine the influence of eliminating bulk solvent (i.e., uncoordinated to a Li+ cation) on electrolyte properties. The phase behavior of ethylene carbonate (EC)–LiTFSI mixtures indicates that two crystalline solvates form—(EC)3:LiTFSI and (EC)1:LiTFSI. Crystal structures for these were determined to obtain insight into the ion and solvent coordination. Between these compositions, however, a crystallinity gap exists. A Raman spectroscopic analysis of the EC solvent bands for the 3–1 and 2–1 EC–LiTFSI liquid electrolytes indicates that ∼86 and 95%, respectively, of the solvent is coordinated to the Li+ cations. This extensive coordination results in significantly improved anodic oxidation and thermal stabilities as compared with more dilute (i.e., 1 M) electrolytes. Further, while dilute EC–LiTFSI electrolytes extensively corrode the Al current collector at high potential, the concentrated electrolytes do not. A new mechanism for electrolyte corrosion of Al in Li-ion batteries is proposed to explain this. Although the ionic conductivity of concentrated EC–LiTFSI electrolytes is somewhat low relative to the current state-of-the-art electrolyte formulations used in commercial Li-ion batteries, using an EC–diethyl carbonate (DEC) mixed solvent instead of pure EC markedly improves the conductivity.
Evidence-Based Medicine in Health Care Reform

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 mandates a national comparative outcomes research project agenda. Comparative effectiveness research includes both clinical trials and observational studies and is facilitated by electronic health records. A national network of electronic health records will create a vast electronic data "warehouse" with exponential growth of observational data. High-quality associations will identify research topics for pragmatic clinical trials, and systematic reviews of clinical trials will provide optimal evidence-based medicine. Evidence-based medicine is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. Thus, health care reform will provide a robust environment for comparative effectiveness research, systematic reviews, and evidence-based medicine, and implementation of evidence-based medicine should lead to improved quality of care.
Bayesian Correlation Score: A Utilitarian Measure of Forecast Skill

Abstract From the theory of sufficient comparisons of experiments, a measure of skill is derived for categorical forecasts of continuous predictands. Called Bayesian correlation wore (BCS), the measure is specified in terms of three parameters of a normal-linear statistical model that combines information from two sources: a prior (climatological) record of the predictand and a verification record of forecasts. Three properties characterize the BCS: (i) It is meaningful for comparing alternative forecasts of the same predictand, as well as forecasts of different predictands, though in a limited sense; (ii) it is interpretable as correlation between the forecast and the predictand; and, most significantly, (iii) it orders alternative forecast systems consistently with their ex ante economic values to rational users (those who make decisions by maximizing the expected utility of outcomes under the posterior distribution of the predictand). Thus, by maximizing the BCS, forecasters can assure a utilitarian so...
An offline planning approach to game plotline adaptation

Role-playing games, and other types of contemporary video games, usually contain a main storyline consisting of several causally related quests. As players have different motivations, tastes and preferences, it can be beneficial to customize game plotlines. In this paper, we present an offline algorithm for adapting human-authored game plotlines for computer role-playing games to suit the unique needs of individual players, thereby customizing gaming experiences and enhancing replayability. Our approach uses an plan refinement technique based on partial-order planning to (a) optimize the global structure of the plotline according to input from a player model, (b) maintain plotline coherence, and (c) facilitate authorial intent by preserving as much of the original plotline as possible. A theoretical analysis of the authorial leverage and a user study suggest the benefits of this approach.