cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surfactant Protein-A Suppresses Eosinophil-Mediated Killing of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Allergic Lungs

Surfactant protein-A (SP-A) has well-established functions in reducing bacterial and viral infections but its role in chronic lung diseases such as asthma is unclear. Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) frequently colonizes the airways of chronic asthmatics and is thought to contribute to exacerbations of asthma. Our lab has previously reported that during Mp infection of non-allergic airways, SP-A aides in maintaining airway homeostasis by inhibiting an overzealous TNF-alpha mediated response and, in allergic mice, SP-A regulates eosinophilic infiltration and inflammation of the airway. In the current study, we used an in vivo model with wild type (WT) and SP-A−/− allergic mice challenged with the model antigen ovalbumin (Ova) that were concurrently infected with Mp (Ova+Mp) to test the hypothesis that SP-A ameliorates Mp-induced stimulation of eosinophils. Thus, SP-A could protect allergic airways from injury due to release of eosinophil inflammatory products. SP-A deficient mice exhibit significant increases in inflammatory cells, mucus production and lung damage during concurrent allergic airway disease and infection (Ova+Mp) as compared to the WT mice of the same treatment group. In contrast, SP-A deficient mice have significantly decreased Mp burden compared to WT mice. The eosinophil specific factor, eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), which has been implicated in pathogen killing and also in epithelial dysfunction due to oxidative damage of resident lung proteins, is enhanced in samples from allergic/infected SP-A−/− mice as compared to WT mice. In vitro experiments using purified eosinophils and human SP-A suggest that SP-A limits the release of EPO from Mp-stimulated eosinophils thereby reducing their killing capacity. These findings are the first to demonstrate that although SP-A interferes with eosinophil-mediated biologic clearance of Mp by mediating the interaction of Mp with eosinophils, SP-A simultaneously benefits the airway by limiting inflammation and damage.
Aqueous Leaching of Derivatized Amylose from Hydroxypropylated Common Corn Starch Granules

Aqueous leaching of hydroxypropylated common corn starches at different times and temperatures was conducted. Results indicated that the greater the modification the easier it was for the amylose to leach out and that the preference for leaching of derivatized amylose decreased as MS of the whole starch increased.
Conformational studies of the smallest structural motifs of DNA detectable via vibrational circular dichroism: cytidylyl-(3'-5')-guanosine and guanylyl-(3'-5')-cytidine

The infrared absorption and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of buffered aqueous solutions of cytidylyl-(3'-5')-guanosine (5'(CG)3') and guanylyl-(3'-5')-cytidine (5'(GC)3') are reported. Under low ionic strength conditions, these dinucleotides exhibit VCD features that can be predicted qualitatively from structural data of (CG)2 and (GC)2 sequences of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC), using the exciton model for infrared VCD intensities.
Retention of deuterium and tritium in Papyex graphite

Abstract The retention of 100 eV D-T ions in Papyex graphite over the temperature range 373 to 1573 K has been measured using both nuclear reaction analysis and tritium dissolution counting. Below 1000 K, the retention is characterized by saturation of the near surface region and atomic adsorption on internal porosity, both of which decrease with increasing temperature. Above 1000 K, a local maximum in the retention is seen near 1200 K due to intergranular diffusion and decoration of high energy traps.
The Poverty of Participation: Self-Interest, Student Loans, and Student Activism

Political scientists maintain that self-interest should motivate political participation; however, empirical verification of the self-interest motive for participating is rare. Self-interested activism among the less-affluent is shown to be even more uncommon. Results of the present study suggest that when lower-income college students have resources and increased self-interest motives to act, not only do they choose to participate, they do so at higher levels than their more affluent peers. Utilizing policy-motivated activism (defined as voting, contributing, and contacting officials) with respect to student loans, the analysis suggests that the probability of contacting increases among student borrowers as their income decreases. Results suggest that lower-income borrowers are more likely to participate out of concern for the program than their higher-income counterparts, and self-interest explains the behavior.
Synergistic interactions between sorafenib and everolimus in pancreatic cancer xenografts in mice

Purpose Molecular targeting of cellular signaling pathways is a promising approach in cancer therapy, but often fails to achieve sustained benefit because of the activation of collateral cancer cell survival and proliferation pathways. We tested the hypothesis that a combination of targeted agents that inhibit compensatory pathways would be more effective than single agents in controlling pancreatic cancer cell growth. We investigated whether everolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, and sorafenib, a multi-kinase inhibitor, would together inhibit growth of low-passage, patient-derived pancreatic cancer xenografts in mice more efficaciously than either agent alone.
The edit distance approach: an alternate method for assessing multi-observer agreement in process studies

Direct observation of complex health-care processes typically involves multi-observer recording of sequential process tasks. Inference, the key validity threat to multi-observer recording, is controlled with observer training and assessment for the degree of recording consistency across observers. The gold standard for assessing recording consistency is the Kappa statistic, which assumes an exact task sequence match among observers. This assumption, however, is often difficult to meet with health-care process observations where task speed and complexity can result in uneven task sequence recording among observers. The edit distance approach, derived from information string theory, is not predicated on an exact task sequence match and offers an alternative to the Kappa statistic for assessing multi-observer agreement. The paper uses simultaneously recorded process observations with uneven task sequences made by three observers to compare agreement results for the edit distance approach and Kappa statistic. Edit distance approach strengths and limitations are discussed.
Liquid crystals containing p-carborane

ABSTRACT Six new calamitic liquid crystals incorporating 1,12-dicarbadodecahydro-closo-decaborane (p-carborane) into the core have been synthesized. All materials exhibit nematic phases and two compounds are also smectic. Comparison with knownanalogues demonstrates that p-carborane can be an effective constituent of mesogens and also suggests that it suppresses smectic phase formation.Keywords: liquid crystal, carborane, nematic. I. INTRODUCTION The vast majority of liquid crystalline materials utilize 7t-aromatic (e.g. phenyl, pyridyl) andl or non-aromatic (cyclohcxvl, [2.2.2]bicyclooctane) constituents in their core regions. Recently we have been interested in incorporating a new kind ofmoiety based on closo-borane clusters into mesogenic molecules.1'2 The introduction of these 3-dimensional, -aroniatic structures into mesogens should result in materials with novel electronic and steric interactions. In this study we have chosenthe commercially available 1,l2-dicarbadodecahydro-c/oso-decaborane (p-carborane, see Figure 1) which can be readily di-substituted in the 1,12 (pseudo-para) positions to produce the extended rod-like structures typical for calamitic mesogens.
The Relationship between Defense Spending and Economic Growth in the United States

Recent increases in U.S. defense spending have renewed interest in the defense—growth nexus. The Feder-Ram—based models have traditionally been used in examining this relationship, but Dunn, Smith, and Willenbockel recommend the augmented Solow model because of several weaknesses inherent in the Feder-Ram model (including its static nature, simultaneity bias, and multicollinearity issues). The augmented Solow model addresses these issues, but it has weaknesses too. Thus, by employing both the Feder-Ram and augmented Solow models, the author tests the defense—growth nexus in the United States for 1954 through 2005. The results indicate that defense spending does not significantly affect the U.S. economy.
Differential Effects of Superoxide Dismutase Isoform Expression on Hydroperoxide-induced Apoptosis in PC-12 Cells

The current study examines the contribution of mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) intert-butyl-hydroperoxide (TBH)-induced apoptotic signaling using clones of undifferentiated pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cells that stably overexpress the human mitochondrial or cytoplasmic forms of superoxide dismutase (SOD) (viz. Mn-SOD or CuZn-SOD, respectively). Exposure of wild type cells to TBH caused an early generation of ROS (30 min) that resulted in cell apoptosis at 24 h. These responses were attenuated with N-acetylcysteine pretreatment; however, N-acetylcysteine was ineffective in cytoprotection when added after TBH-induced ROS formation. Stable overexpression of SOD isoforms caused a 2- and 3.5-fold elevation in CuZn-SOD and Mn-SOD activities in the cytoplasm and mitochondria, respectively, and 3-fold increases in cellular GSH content. Accordingly, the stable overexpression of Mn-SOD attenuated TBH-induced mitochondrial ROS generation and cell apoptosis. Whereas transient Mn-SOD expression similarly prevented PC-12 apoptosis, this was associated with increases in SOD activity but not GSH, indicating that cytoprotection by Mn-SOD overexpression is related to mitochondrial ROS elimination and not due to increases in cellular GSH content per se. Stable or transient CuZn-SOD overexpression exacerbated cell apoptosis in conjunction with accelerated caspase-3 activation, regardless of cell GSH levels. Collectively, our results support a role for mitochondrial ROS in TBH-induced PC-12 apoptosis that is attenuated by Mn-SOD overexpression and is independent of cellular GSH levelsper se.
Note on superconductivity of the excitonic insulator

Abstract A discussion is given of the superconductive properties of the excitonic insulator. The conclusion of Kohn and Sherrington that the excitonic insulator cannot superconduct is shown to be invalid.
Unraveling the Effects of Creative Personality on Unethical Behavior

Creativity has long been considered an important skill for employees to possess, however recent research has suggested a dark side associated with creative thinking (Gino & Ariely, 2012). In this study, we seek to extend previous research by integrating self-concept maintenance theory (Mazar, Amir, & Ariely, 2008) with trait activation theory (Tett & Burnett, 2003; Tett & Guterman, 2000) to explore link between creative personality and unethical behavior. Results of two laboratory studies support a mediated moderation model in which unethical justification mediates the interactive effects of creative personality and activation on unethical behavior. These results qualify and extend the literature and offer a number of practical and theoretical implications.
Control of mechanically activated polymersome fusion: Factors affecting fusion

Previously we have studied the mechanically-activated fusion of extruded (200 nm) polymer vesicles into giant polymersomes using agitation in the presence of salt. In this study we have investigated several factors contributing to this phenomenon, including the effects of (i) polymer vesicle concentration, (ii) agitation speed and duration, and iii) variation of the salt and its concentration. It was found that increasing the concentration of the polymer dramatically increases the production of giant vesicles through the increased collisions of polymersomes. Our investigations also found that increasing the frequency of agitation increased the efficiency of fusion, though ultimately limited the size of vesicle which could be produced due to the high shear involved. Finally it was determined that salt-mediation of the fusion process was not limited to NaCl, but is instead a general effect facilitated by the presence of solvated ionic compounds, albeit with different salts initiating fusion at different concentration.
DESIGNING PROPULSION RELIABILITY OF SPACE LAUNCH VEHICLES

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.] The propulsion reliability of a thrust-augmented single stage to orbit space launch vehicle depends on the number of solid boosters, the number of liquid engines, the reliability per solid booster, and..
Cost-Effectiveness Analyses in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine A Systematic Review

Background:As increasing attention is paid to the cost of health care delivered in the United States (US), cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) are gaining in popularity. Reviews of the CEA literature have been performed in other areas of medicine, including some subspecialties within orthopaedics. Demonstrating the value of medical procedures is of utmost importance, yet very little is known about the overall quality and findings of CEAs in sports medicine.Purpose:To identify and summarize CEA studies in orthopaedic sports medicine and to grade the quality of the available literature.Study Design:Systematic review.Methods:A systematic review of the literature was performed to compile findings and grade the methodological quality of US-based CEA studies in sports medicine. The Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) instrument and the checklist by the US Panel on Cost-effectiveness in Health and Medicine were used to assess study quality. One-sided Fisher exact testing was performed to analyze the predict...
Innate apoptotic immunity: the calming touch of death

Apoptotic cell death is an essential and highly ordered process that contributes to both the development and the homeostasis of multicellular organisms. It is associated with dramatic biochemical and cell biological events within the dying cell, including fragmentation of the nucleus and the redistribution of intracellular proteins and membrane lipids. It has long been apparent that phagocytic clearance of the cell corpse is an integral part of the apoptotic process; apoptotic clearance also may be essential in tissue homeostasis. During the cell death process, apoptotic cells acquire new cell surface determinants for specific recognition by responder phagocytes and suppression of immune responsiveness. Recent studies indicate that these determinants are well conserved throughout metazoan evolution; remarkably, their recognition shows no species-specific restriction. Professional and non-professional phagocytes recognize and respond to apoptotic cells similarly, notably with the immediate-early transcriptional repression of a variety of specific genes including those encoding inflammatory cytokines. Secondary responses following engulfment of the apoptotic corpse, utilizing several distinct mechanisms, enhance and sustain this apoptotic suppression. In this review, we highlight the central role of apoptotic cells in innate homeostatic regulation of immunity.
An energy denominator study of the phonon side band in isotopic mixed naphthalene crystals

Abstract The fluorescence phonon sidebands of C 10 H 8 and 1,4,5,8-C 10 D 4 H 4 guests in C 10 H 8 are studied and compared at 2 K. The mild differences are attributed to the increased delocalization of the C 10 D 4 H 4 1 B 2u electronic state. The relative importance of the diagonal (Franck-Condon) versus off-diagonal (Herzberg-Teller) electron-phonon coupling terms is discussed. We also demonstrate that the dispersion force coupling (and not the resonance force coupling) dominates the 1 B 2u (and 3 B 1u ) C 10 H 8 in C 10 D 8 phonon sideband structure, and is responsible for its intensity distribution (and the difference therein between fluorescence and phosphorescence).
PDGF initiates two distinct phases of protein kinase C activity that make unequal contributions to the G0 to S transition.

Abstract Background: Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) promotes cell-cycle progression by engaging signaling enzymes such as phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ). When activated, PLCγ cleaves phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate to produce inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP 3 ) and diacylglycerol (DAG). IP 3 stimulates the release of calcium from intracellular stores, which together with DAG activate some protein kinase C (PKC) family members. In this study we focused on putative downstream effectors of PLCγ PKC family members. We investigated whether, and when, DAG-responsive PKCs contribute to PDGF-dependent DNA synthesis. Results: In HepG2 cells expressing wild-type PDGF β receptors (βPDGFRs), PDGF activated at least one PKC family member (PKCϵ) at two distinct times — within 10 minutes after PDGF stimulation, and then for a longer duration between 5 and 9 hours. Blocking the early burst of PKC activity had no effect on PDGF-dependent DNA synthesis. In contrast, the DNA-synthesis response was reduced by 60–80% when the second phase of PKC activity was blocked. Similarly, DAG rescued PDGF-dependent DNA synthesis in the cells expressing a mitogenically incompetent mutant βPDGFR, but only when DAG was added at times corresponding to the late phase of PKC activity. Our studies also indicate that the late phase of PKCϵ activity can be induced by either phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent or DAG-dependent pathways in PDGF-stimulated HepG2 cells. Conclusions: We conclude that PDGF activates PKCs at two distinct times and that these two intervals of PKC activity make unequal contributions to the mitogenic response. The late phase of PKC activity is required for PDGF-dependent DNA synthesis, whereas the early phase of activity is dispensable.
Selective cytoplasmic and membrane changes induced by cisplatinum.

Cisplatinum (cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum II(NSC-119875)), proven to be of therapeutic value in a variety of solid tumors, is thought to have DNA as its major target. Priorin vitro studies have suggested that it also induces cell membrane and cytoplasmic changes. To better understand glial tumor cell sensitivity to cisplatinum and to design more effective adjuvant therapy, three cisplatinum sensitive human glioma-derived cell lines, SNB-1, SNB-3, SNB-4, were examined by transmission electron microscopy for cisplatinum induced changes. Tumor cells were exposed to 25, 50, and 100 µg/ml cisplatinum in medium for varying time periods (4–72 hours). Four changes were consistent: cell rounding and reduced nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, nuclear chromatin clumping, vesiculation and swelling of the golgi apparatus, and dilatation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. These morphologic changes are distinct for cisplatinum and unlike those induced by BCNU (plasma membrane blebbing) and AZQ (mitochondrial swelling and destruction) previously seen in our laboratory. The cellular events described here suggest that cytoplasmic, as well as nuclear, changes (occurring within the same time intervals) may both be relevant to the antitumor effects of cisplatinum.
Adaptive and Probabilistic Power Control Algorithms for RFID Reader Networks

In radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, the detection range and read rates will suffer from interference among high power reading devices. This problem grows severely and degrades system performance in dense RFID networks. Consequently, medium access protocols (MAC) protocols are needed for such networks to assess and provide access to the channel so that tags can be read accurately. In this paper, we investigate a suite of feasible power control schemes to ensure overall coverage area of the system while maintaining a desired read rate. The power control scheme and MAC protocol dynamically adjusts the RFID reader power output in response to the interference level seen during tag reading and acceptable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We present novel distributed adaptive power control (DAPC) and probabilistic power control (PPC) as two possible solutions. A suitable back off scheme is also added with DAPC to improve coverage. Both the methodology and implementation of the schemes are presented, simulated, compared, and discussed for further work.
The Influences of Type 1 El Niño and La Niña Events on Streamflows in the Pacific Southwest of the United States

Abstract Streamflows in the Pacific Southwest of the United States in relation to the tropical Type 1 El Nino-Southern Oscillation (T1ENSO) and La Nina events are examined using composite and harmonic analyses for each event during a 24-month evolution period. The hydroclimatic signals associated with either extreme phase of the Southern Oscillation (SO) are explored based on data from 50 streamflow stations in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. A significant level for the results is assessed by the use of a hypergeometric distribution. Highly significant, coherent signals are demonstrated to exist for both events, with opposite sign and almost identical timing. Pacific Southwest streamflow responses to the T1ENSO thermal forcing are characterized by a wet December-July season in the subsequent year of the event. Similarly, a dry February-July season is detected as a period at which the La Nina-streamflow relationship is strong and spatially coherent. An index time series is plotted to d...
Protecting Privacy Online: Is Self-Regulation Working?

Abstract The author assesses the extent to which 361 consumer-oriented commercial Web sites post disclosures that describe their information practices and whether these disclosures reflect fair information practices. Although approximately 67% of the sites sampled post a privacy disclosure, only 14% of these disclosures constitute a comprehensive privacy policy. The study was initiated by the private sector as a progress report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and is one in a series of efforts designed to assess whether consumer privacy can be protected through industry self-regulation or whether legislation is required. Although the FTC does not recommend legislation at this time, the study suggests that an effective self-regulatory regime for consumer privacy online has yet to emerge.
On the Green Function for a Complement of a Finite Number of RealIntervals

We give a new proof (and a generalization) of recent remarkable result by V. Totik concerning the smoothness properties of the equilibrium measure for compact subsets of the real line and the Green function for complement of these subsets taken with respect to the complex plane.
Tandem Queues with Dependent Service Times in Light Traffic

Light traffic results about delay in queue are obtained for r single-channel queues in tandem with Poisson arrivals where the r service times of the same customer at different stations have an arbitrary joint distribution. By light traffic, we mean asymptotic behavior as server utilization approaches zero. A detailed analysis of delay at the second station is presented for r = 2. An expression for expected delay is obtained for r = 3. Methods developed for these purposes may be used for arbitrary r > 3. For arbitrary r, an expression for expected delay is obtained in the special case where the r service times of the same customer are equal. For exponential service, a simple closed form expression is obtained. For r = 2, it is shown that when service times are positively quadrant dependent, expected delay is greater than when service times are independent. In some cases, the ratio between expected delays in the dependent and independent cases is very large, particularly when r is large. This agrees with and generalizes published results in several papers and conflicts with results in one paper. An explanation for this conflict is given.
An approach to evaluating school-to-work initiatives: post-secondary activities of high school graduates of work-based learning

Abstract This study examined effects of high school students' (n = 4050) participation in work-based learning programmes representing School-To- Work (STW) initiatives on their activities 1 year after graduation. Workbased learning offered some advantage to participants compared to nonparticipants. Specifically, students who participated in the Career and Technology Education (CTE) programme had higher state-reported total and quarterly earnings, and self-reported higher hourly wage, and greater relevance of high school curriculum to their post-secondary education, training and employment than non-participants. CTE participants rated themselves better prepared in what to expect at the job and knowing technical information about the job than non-participants. Unexpectedly, interns had lower state-reported total earnings and number of quarters worked than non-interns. Interns rated themselves as equally prepared as non-interns in general work skills. Observations made during the evaluation suggested areas f...
Hepatic and muscular effects of different dietary fat content in VLCAD deficient mice

Abstract Background Very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency is the most common long-chain fatty acid oxidation defect presenting with heterogeneous clinical phenotypes. Dietary fat plays a crucial role in disease pathogenesis and fat restriction is a common treatment measure. We here investigate the hepatic and muscular effects of a fat-enriched and a fat-restricted diet. Methods VLCAD knock-out (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice are subjected to a fat-rich (10.6%), a fat-reduced (2.6%) or a regular mouse diet (5.1%) for 5 weeks. Analyses are performed at rest and after one hour exercise on a treadmill. Acylcarnitines in muscle as well as lipid and glycogen content in muscle and liver are quantified. Expression of genes involved in lipogenesis is measured by Real-Time-PCR. Results At rest, VLCAD KO mice develop no clinical phenotype with all three diets, but importantly VLCAD KO mice cannot perform one hour exercise as compared to WT, this is especially apparent in mice with a fat-reduced diet. Moreover, changes in dietary fat content induce a significant increase in muscular long-chain acylcarnitines and hepatic lipid content in VLCAD KO mice after exercise. A fat-reduced diet up-regulates hepatic lipogenesis at rest. At the same time, muscular glycogen is significantly lower than in WT. Conclusions We here demonstrate that a fat-reduced and carbohydrate-enriched diet does not prevent the myopathic phenotype in VLCAD KO mice. An increase in dietary fat is safe at rest with respect to the muscle but results in a significant muscular acylcarnitine increase after exercise.
Designing Supply Contracts: Contract Type and Information Asymmetry

This paper studies the value to a supplier of obtaining better information about a buyer's cost structure, and of being able to offer more general contracts. We use the bilateral monopoly setting to analyze six scenarios: three increasingly general contracts (wholesale-pricing schemes, two-part linear schemes, and twopart nonlinear schemes), each under full and incomplete information about the buyer's cost structure. We allow both sides to refuse to trade by explicitly including reservation profit levels for both; for the supplier, this is implemented through a cutoff policy. We derive the supplier's optimal contracts and profits for all six scenarios and examine the value of information and of more general contracts. Our key findings are as follows: First, the value of information is higher under two-part contracts; second, the value of offering two-part contracts is higher under full information; and third, the proportion of buyers the supplier will choose to exclude can be substantial.
Expression of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) and Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Nuclear Translocator (ARNT) mRNA expression in human spermatozoa

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to determine if human spermatozoa express AHR (dioxin receptor) and ARNT and if mRNA levels for these transcription factors correlate with sperm concentration, motility or morphology. MATERIAL/METHODS This was a case-controlled cohort study in which AHR and ARNT mRNA levels in subjects with normal and abnormal semen analysis were compared. Semen analysis was performed by CASA. AHR/ARNT mRNA levels were determined by multiplex RT-PCR using Glyceryl aldehyde 3-phospho dehydrogenase (G3PDH) as an internal control. RESULTS Human sperm expresses abundant amounts of AHR and ARNT mRNA. There were no differences in AHR and ARNT mRNA levels in subjects with normal and abnormal semen analysis. AHR and ARNT levels did not correlate with sperm concentration, morphology or motility. There was a trend (p=0.07) for lower AHR mRNA expression in sperm of men with severe oligospermia. There was a significant negative correlation (r=-0.42, p<0.05) between sperm AHR and ARNT mRNA. CONCLUSIONS The presence of AHR in sperm provides a mechanism by which environmental dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polyhalogenated biphenyls could directly influence sperm function.
Improving a School's U.S. News and World Report Ranking

In this paper we analyze the 2002 U.S. News and World Report rankings of universities offering graduate programs in engineering. We show that a reasonably simple model, whose independent variables are derived from the intuitive causal relationships among the various performance sub-measures, can represent the data. The results can be used to quantify the choice of an efficient policy for improving a school's ranking.
Line Simplification, Geometric Distortion, and Positional Error

Line simplification is a generalization method that involves the selective elimination of vertices along a cartographic line. This procedure can introduce positional error by distorting line geometry. This study focuses on the quantification of this distortion with specific reference to the Douglas-Peucker line-simplification algorithm. Results based on US Geological Survey Digital Line Graph (DLG) data for streams and roads show that the algorithm is often suboptimal; that is, the amount of geometric distortion per eliminated vertex is generally not minimized. As the amount of simplification increases, the degree of suboptimality increases in absolute terms but declines in relative terms when compared to the entire distribution of possible distortion values. Significant differences in performance are observed for streams and roads, due to the higher error potential for roads as a function of their geometry.
Is the Predictive Ability of Positron Emission Tomography After Neoadjuvant Treatment for Esophageal Cancer Ready for Prime-Time?

Monjazeb et al performed a single-institution, retrospective study of 163 patients with histologically confirmed stage I to IVa esophageal cancer to assess the utility of positron-emission tomography (PET) in delineating which patients would most likely benefit from esophagectomy after induction chemoradiation therapy. They found that patients who achieve a PET complete response after definitive chemoradiation therapy had similar outcomes to patients treated with trimodal therapy and concluded that patients who achieve a PET complete response after induction therapy may not benefit from esophagectomy. Though their study is interesting, their results should be validated by a prospective trial before they are incorporated into clinical practice.
Experiments on a Crossflow Heat Exchanger With Tubes of Lenticular Shape

Measurements of pressure losses and heat transfer rates were made for an unconventional crossflow heat exchanger with tubes of lenticular cross section so spaced to reduce variation in the velocity of the fluid outside the tubes, thus reducing separation and drag. The results of these experiments are reported for various tube spacing and demonstrate that the performance of the lenticular tube heat exchanger is superior to that of conventional circular tubes by 20 percent at Reynolds numbers of 20,000 to 50,000.
Measured Laboratory and In-Use Fuel Economy Observed over Targeted Drive Cycles for Comparable Hybrid and Conventional Package Delivery Vehicles

In-use and laboratory-derived fuel economies were analyzed for a medium-duty hybrid electric drivetrain with 'engine off at idle' capability and a conventional drivetrain in a typical commercial package delivery application. Vehicles studied included eleven 2010 Freightliner P100H hybrids in service at a United Parcel Service facility in Minneapolis during the first half of 2010. The hybrids were evaluated for 18 months against eleven 2010 Freightliner P100D diesels at the same facility. Both vehicle groups use the same 2009 Cummins ISB 200-HP engine. In-use fuel economy was evaluated using UPS's fueling and mileage records, periodic ECM image downloads, and J1939 CAN bus recordings during the periods of duty cycle study. Analysis of the in-use fuel economy showed 13%-29% hybrid advantage depending on measurement method, and a delivery route assignment analysis showed 13%-26% hybrid advantage on the less kinetically intense original diesel route assignments and 20%-33% hybrid advantage on the more kinetically intense original hybrid route assignments. Three standardized laboratory drive cycles were selected that encompassed the range of real-world in-use data. The hybrid vehicle demonstrated improvements in ton-mi./gal fuel economy of 39%, 45%, and 21% on the NYC Comp, HTUF Class 4, and CARB HHDDT test cycles, respectively.
How acid rain can kill trees

For the first time, experiments have shown in detail how acid clouds can damage high-elevation forests in eastern North America. The study focused on the way that acidic clouds affect red spruce, a dominant species in some eastern forests. Devastated stands of coniferous trees atop Whiteface Mtn,. N.Y., Mount Mitchell, N.C., and Camel's Hump, Vt., have become highly visible reminders of the damage that can be caused by acid deposition, which results primarily from fossil fuel combustion.
Online reinforcement learning for multimedia buffer control

We formulate the multimedia buffer control problem as a Markov decision process. Because the application's rate-distortion-complexity behavior is unknown a priori, the optimal buffer control policy must be learned online. To this end, we adopt a low complexity reinforcement learning algorithm called Q-learning to learn the optimal control policy at run-time. We propose an accelerated Q-learning algorithm that exploits partial knowledge about the system's dynamics in order to dramatically improve the performance. In our experiments, we show that the proposed application-aware reinforcement learning algorithm performs significantly better than existing application-independent reinforcement learning algorithms.
Anticoagulation Therapy for Radiation-Induced Myelopathy

OBJECTIVE:To report the use of heparin and enoxaparin for radiation-induced myelopathy.CASE SUMMARY:A 46-year-old white woman with presumed metastatic lung cancer presented with worsening numbness and weakness of both legs. The neurooncology service was consulted and determined that the symptoms were consistent with radiation-induced myelopathy. The patient briefly responded to steroid treatment. A trial of intravenous heparin therapy was initiated by the primary team and managed by the clinical pharmacy services. Her symptoms improved when heparin was begun. She was able to walk and was subsequently discharged home on enoxaparin.DISCUSSION:Spinal cord injury is one of the known adverse effects of radiation. The onset of symptoms can be acute or delayed. The clinical signs and symptoms of delayed neurologic injury are related to the narrowing and occlusion of the vessel lumen, ischemia, edema, and cell death in the surrounding nervous tissue. Treatment often consists of corticosteroids and/or hyperbaric o...
Natural resource and environmental policy trade-offs: a CGE analysis of the regional impact of the Wetland Reserve Program

Abstract There are perceived fundamental conflicts between agriculture, in terms of land use, and the societal goals of sustained environmental quality improvements. Regulatory policy response is often criticized for having the potential of adversely affecting agricultural production and the economy. The Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) is intended to be an alternative approach, aiming to improve environmental quality without significantly impacting the agricultural production or the economic wellbeing of the concerned regions. Using a computable general equilibrium modeling approach, we examine the impact of the WRP on the regional economy of Louisiana. Results show no significant negative impact on the economy as a whole, but effects on particular sectors within the economy may differ significantly.
A20 takes on tumors: tumor suppression by an ubiquitin-editing enzyme.

Many B cell cancers are characterized in part by the dysregulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. A new study identifies somatic mutations in TNFAIP3, the gene encoding the NF-κB inhibitor A20, in Hodgkin lymphomas and primary mediastinal lymphomas. These data reveal the role of A20 as a tumor suppressor protein.
A quiet revolution: finding boys and girls who reason exceptionally well and/or verbally and helping them get the supplemental educational opportunities they need

The antecedents for the four regional annual talent searches for boys and girls who reason exceptionally well mathematically and/or verbally began in 1971 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, with the creation of the ‘Study of mathematically precocious youth’ under the direction of the author of this article, its originator. Here he traces the development and expansion that led to much experimentation during the 1970s and the formation in 1979 of what is now called the Center for Talented Youth and similar programs based at three other private universities in the United States. These cover the entire USA and cooperate with educators in a number of foreign countries, especially England, Ireland and Spain.
RESPONSE TO FIRE OF CEANOTHUS RODERICKII (RHAMNACEAE), A FEDERALLY ENDANGERED CALIFORNIA ENDEMIC SHRUB

ABSTRACT Experimental burns involving rare plants can provide important information for managers of those species. This study examined the response to prescribed fire of Ceanothus roderickii, a federally endangered chaparral species endemic to gabbro soils of the Pine Hill Formation in western El Dorado County, California. I conducted a laboratory study of germination cues, a field comparison of germination and survival on burned and unburned plots, and a comparison of seedling survival in burned plot subplots that were protected from vertebrate herbivores by wire exclosures. Seed germination was stimulated by heat (70° or 100° C) followed by a cold treatment. Burned plots contained 22-fold more seedlings than unburned plots, and seedling survival was significantly greater on burned plots. Exclosures significantly increased seedling survival on burned plots by 2 yr postfire. Plants on burned plots began to bloom and to branch layer (root at the nodes) by the sixth year postfire, with larger plants produci...
A Reconfigurable Processing Unit for Digital Circuit Testing using Built-In Self-Test Techniques

This paper introduces a novel architecture that is targeted for digital circuit testing application by means of Built-In Self-Test techniques. These applications consist of static configurable hardware designs that will execute the testing of the digital circuit in hardware, were previous literature has established It?s testing in software. Consequently introducing a hardware accelerator. In this paper we show the novel architecture to digital circuit testing in hardware on a reconfigurable processing unit for compile-time reconfiguration.
Epidemiology of Wheat Leaf and Stem Rust in the Central Great Plains of the USA.

▪ Abstract Wheat (Triticum aestivum L) is grown throughout the grasslands from southern Mexico into the prairie provinces of Canada, a distance of nearly 4200 km. The total area seeded to wheat varies considerably each year; however, from 28 to 32 million ha are planted in the Great Plains of the United States alone. Generally in the central Great Plains, an area from central Texas through central Nebraska, 15 million ha are seeded to winter wheat each year. A wide range of environmental conditions exist throughout this area that may affect the development and final severity of wheat leaf rust (caused by Puccinia triticina L), stripe rust (caused by P. striiformis), and stem rust (caused by P. graminis Pers. f. sp tritici) epidemics and the subsequent reduction in wheat yields. Variation in severity of rust epidemics in this area depends on differences in crop maturity at the time of infection by primary inoculum, host resistance used, and environmental conditions. The interrelationships among time, host,...
Nonparametric Tests of Differences in Medians: Comparison of the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney and Robust Rank-Order Tests

The nonparametric Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test is commonly used by experimental economists for detecting differences in central tendency between two samples. This test is only theoretically appropriate under certain assumptions concerning the population distributions from which the samples are drawn, and is often used in cases where it is unclear whether these assumptions hold, and even when they clearly do not hold. Fligner and Pollicello's (1981, Journal of the American Statistical Association. 76, 162–168) robust rank-order test is a modification of the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test, designed to be appropriate in more situations than Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney. This paper uses simulations to compare the performance of the two tests under a variety of distributional assumptions. The results are mixed. The robust rank-order test tends to yield too many false positive results for medium-sized samples, but this liberalness is relatively invariant across distributional assumptions, and seems to be due to a deficiency of the normal approximation to its test statistic's distribution, rather than the test itself. The performance of the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test varies hugely, depending on the distributional assumptions; in some cases, it is conservative, in others, extremely liberal. The tests have roughly similar power. Overall, the robust rank-order test performs better than Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney, though when critical values for the robust rank-order test are not available, so that the normal approximation must be used, their relative performance depends on the underlying distributions, the sample sizes, and the level of significance used.
Dormancy and growth of metastatic breast cancer cells in a bone-like microenvironment

Breast cancer can reoccur, often as bone metastasis, many years if not decades after the primary tumor has been treated. The factors that stimulate dormant metastases to grow are not known, but bone metastases are often associated with skeletal trauma. We used a dormancy model of MDA-MB-231BRMS1, a metastasis-suppressed human breast cancer cell line, co-cultured with MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts in a long term, three dimensional culture system to test the hypothesis that bone remodeling cytokines could stimulate dormant cells to grow. The cancer cells attached to the matrix produced by MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts but grew slowly or not at all until the addition of bone remodeling cytokines, TNFα and IL-β. Stimulation of cell proliferation by these cytokines was suppressed with indomethacin, an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase and of prostaglandin production, or a prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) receptor antagonist. Addition of PGE2 directly to the cultures also stimulated cell proliferation. MCF-7, non-metastatic breast cancer cells, remained dormant when co-cultured with normal human osteoblast and fibroblast growth factor. Similar to the MDA-MB-231BRMS1 cells, MCF-7 proliferation increased in response to TNFα and IL-β. These findings suggest that changes in the bone microenvironment due to inflammatory cytokines associated with bone repair or excess turnover may trigger the occurrence of latent bone metastasis.
Application of Endfire Arrays at Contemporary Glide-Slope Problem Sites

The application of the endfire-type, compatible instrument landing system (ILS) glide slope is discussed in the context of providing increased capability to install facilities without requirements for extensive terrain modification. Costs of preparing a site for glide-slope operation can be reduced many times by eliminating the requirement for the usual image-forming ground plane. An example is given where the first endfire glide slope has been installed at an airdrome on a mesa giving a high quality path in space in spite of the limited real estate. Recent flight data from this glide slope are presented.
Spatial programming using smart messages: design and implementation

Spatial programming (SP) is a space-aware programming model for outdoor distributed embedded systems. Central to SP are the concepts of space and spatial reference, which provide applications with a virtual resource naming in networks of embedded systems. A network resource is referenced using its expected physical location and properties. Together with other SP features, such as reference consistency and access timeout, they help programmers cope with highly dynamic network configurations in a network-transparent fashion. We present the SP design and its implementation using smart messages, a lightweight software architecture similar to mobile agents, that we developed for networks of embedded systems. We also describe the implementation and evaluation of a simple SP application over a testbed consisting of HP iPAQs running Linux and equipped with 802.11 cards for wireless communication. The experimental results indicate that SP is a viable programming model for outdoor distributed computing.
Clinical and surgical correlation of hip MR arthrographic findings in adolescents

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to analyze the utility of MRA-H in adolescents by comparing the results of imaging with surgical findings and/or clinical outcome. Material and methods After obtaining appropriate IRB approval, the Radiologic Information System database was queried for all patients 13–18 years of age who underwent MRA-H from 2004 through 2013. The electronic medical record was reviewed for clinical history, clinical examination findings, and operative notes. MRA-H images were reviewed for soft tissue abnormalities (labral tear, paralabral ganglion, articular cartilage loss, synovitis, ligament tears) and bony abnormalities (cam-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), pincer-type FAI, hip dysplasia). MRA-H findings were correlated with surgical findings and with clinical outcomes. Results Twenty-six patients with labral tears by MRA-H were included in study and grouped as follows: Group I) patients who underwent surgical management (n = 10); group II) patients managed non-surgically (medication, intra-articular injection, physical therapy) (n = 9); group III) patients lost to follow up after being advised to have surgery (n = 7). With regard to presenting symptomatology, 87.5% of patients with labral tear had groin pain. Of those patients who were diagnosed with a labral tear, 52% were categorized as idiopathic labral tears, 26% as secondary tears (secondary to abnormal bony morphology), and 22% as traumatic labral tears. The labral tears were found to be anterior in 61% and posterior in 22%. Associated articular cartilage lesions were found in 29% of patients. In group I (surgical patients), MRA-H labral findings were confirmed at surgery in 9/10. Seventy percent of labral tears in our study had some form of abnormal bony morphology. Nine of the 12 patients with bone abnormalities were derived from group I patients. Six out of 7 patients with cam-type FAI had a labral tear. Conclusion Labral tears diagnosed by MRA-H in the adolescent population correlated well with clinical examination and surgical findings. Also, MRA-H contributed by defining bony morphology that was directly applied to surgical management. Non-surgical management of labral tears diagnosed on MRA-H had a generally favorable outcome.