cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
3D Finite Element Analysis of Temperature‐Induced Stresses in Dowel Jointed Concrete Pavements

ABSTRACT A detailed 3D finite element (3DFE) model is developed to investigate the applicability of Westergaard's curling stress equations to doweled jointed concrete pavements. The model does not rely on any of Westergaard's assumptions and is capable of handling nonlinear and/or time-dependent temperature profiles. However, only linear gradient is applied to facilitate the comparison with Westergaard's results. The transverse stress calculated using Westergaard's formula was found to be within 10% of that computed using 3DFE. Westergaard's longitudinal stress equation required a correction. The 3DFE results confirm Westergaard's finding that the slab curling stresses are independent of slab length. Thus, curling stress does not explain the field-observed dependency of mid-slab cracking on the slab length. Through the examination of the mechanism of dowel-concrete interaction, it is shown that uniform temperature changes play the major role in mid-slab transverse cracking of relatively long slabs. Due to...
Estimating the spatial variation of earthquake ground motion from dense array recordings

Abstract A techniques for estimating and characterizing the spatial variation of earthquake ground motion based on recordings obtained from dense seismograph arrays is outlined. Critical steps in the estimation procedure are emphasized. Erroneous estimates may be obtained if special care is not taken in the estimation. The proposed estimation technique is validated by using it on simulated accelerograms whose spatial variability is known. Finally, the technique isused to estimate the parameters of a random field model of earthquake ground motion, for two far-field events recorded by the smart -1 seismograph array in Lotung, Taiwan.
“Committed to Institution Building”: James Turner and the History of Africana Studies at Cornell University, an Interview

James Turner has been at the center of the modern Black Studies Movement since its emergence in the 1960s, as an extension of the Black Power Movement. Since his days as a student activist at Northwestern University he has remained a consistent voice in the struggle to expand the discipline and re-write scholarship on the people of Africa and the African Diaspora. This detailed oral history interview chronicles the life of the initiator of the term "Africana Studies" and the founding director of Cornell University's Africana Studies and Research Center. Aside from addressing contemporary debates and interrogating his own writings in this area, the interview also draws parallels between Turner's unique career as a scholar-activist and the experiences of others working in African-American, African Diaspora and Africana Studies.
The relationship between pseudodrusen and choroidal thickness.

PURPOSE To determine the relationship between pseudodrusen as evidenced by the presence of subretinal drusenoid deposits and choroidal thickness using a multimodal imaging approach. METHODS Two sets of data were analyzed. The first set was composed of consecutive patients older than 60 years with either high myopia or pseudodrusen. Correlations were calculated between the subfoveal choroidal thickness and the presence of pseudodrusen. The second set of data was obtained from a previously published data examining 90 consecutive eyes with nonexudative age-related macular degeneration so that the relationship between pseudodrusen and subfoveal choroidal thickness could be analyzed. RESULTS There were 96 eyes of 53 patients in the first data set, 36 (67.9%) were female and 17 (32.1%) were male. There were 34 patients (61 eyes) in the High Myopia group and 19 patients (35 eyes) in the Primary Pseudodrusen group. The mean age of the Primary Pseudodrusen group was 83.7 years and that of the High Myopia group was 74.9 years, a difference that was significant (P < 0.001). Of the 61 eyes in the High Myopia group, only 3 (4.9%) had pseudodrusen and 0 had conventional drusen. In the Primary Pseudodrusen group, all had pseudodrusen by definition, but 28 (80%) also had conventional drusen. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 181.7 μm (median, 147; interquartile range, 65-225 μm) in the Primary Pseudodrusen group and 59 μm (median, 36; interquartile range, 21-90 μm) in the myopic group. Generalized estimating equation analysis showed that eyes with pseudodrusen had thicker subfoveal choroidal thickness than eyes without, a result driven by the High Myopia group. In the second set of data, while the absolute number of eyes with pseudodrusen had a choroidal thickness between 201 μm and 250 μm, the proportion with pseudodrusen was higher in eyes with thinner choroids, with a broad peak between 50 μm and 100 μm. CONCLUSION Our results are not consistent with a simple cause or consequence relationship between pseudodrusen and choroidal thinning, but rather with a third yet unknown factor impacting both the pseudodrusen appearance and the choroidal thinning in susceptible populations. The reasons for the relative lack of drusen and pseudodrusen formation in high myopes need to be ascertained.
Toxicity of novel sesquiterpenoids from the stressed sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)

Abstract Five three-substituted furans, recently isolated from stressed sweet potato root tissue, were injected into mice to obtain LD 50 values and to study the gross and microscopic pathology. All compounds produced temporary neurological effects followed by development of extensive necrosis in the liver. The LD 50 s varied from 184 to 266 mg/kg except for the most toxic compound, 6-myoporol, which had an LD 50 of 84 ± 10 mg/kg. The former values are comparable to those for ipomeamarone, usually the most abundant sesquiterpenoid found in stressed sweet potato tissue.
Reactions of oligodendrocyte precursor cells to alpha herpesvirus infection of the central nervous system

Adult animals harbor an abundant population of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) whose functions, other than providing a pool of precursors for oligodendrocytes, are unknown. Previous studies have demonstrated that these unusual glial cells, which can be identified by virtue of their expression of the NG2 chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, react to traumatic brain injury. To determine the generality of the ability of OPCs to react to neuropathological insults, we have examined the reactions of OPCs to infection of the brainstem with virulent and attenuated strains pseudorabies virus (PRV). When motor neurons within the dorsal vagal complex are infected with PRV, OPCs immediately adjacent to the infected neurons display dramatic reactive changes. These changes are characterized by (1) cell bodies that stain more heavily with antibodies against NG2 than do non-reactive OPCs, (2) an increased density of processes, and (3) the appearance of fine filopodia on the cell body and processes. The onset of these morphological changes was rapid, and they occurred simultaneously with the appearance of viral antigens in motor neurons. At late stages of infection, the soma of OPCs elaborated fewer processes. A small number of the reactive OPCs contain viral antigens. These findings extend the range of neuropathological situations to which OPCs react indicating that this cell population is extremely dynamic. They also suggest that the reaction of OPCs and the consequences of these reactions to brain function must be considered in any procedure, either experimental or clinical, in which viruses are introduced into the central nervous system.
CONSUMPTION EXTERNALITIES, PREFERENCE CHANGES AND THE ‘SAMARITAN'S DILEMMA’

: * This paper examines the desirability of an exogenously induced change in the preferences of individuals in an economy characterized by (i) asymmetrical, localized positive consumption externalities, (ii) private, non-market, negotiation-free transfers, and (iii) the ‘Samaritan's dilemma.’ A model is analysed in which a benefactor (individual 1) makes an unrestricted voluntary transfer to a beneficiary (individual 2) who ran use the transfer to increase 2's consumption of either a purely private good x or a good y that generates external benefits for 1. Once 1 makes a transfer to 2, 1 cannot control how 2 spends it. If 2 fails to take into account this externality, then good y is under consumed and a loss in social welfare results. When such externalities and their concomitant welfare losses arise, conventional solutions are frequently inappropriate, impractical or impossible. This power shows that exogenously inducing the adoption of new externality internalizing preferences by the benefactor and the beneficiary not only increases the benefactor's transfer and the beneficiary's consumption of good y but also produces a ‘socially superior’ state. The welfare improvement is measured in terms of a welfare criterion that is based on the initial and new preferences of each individual
Acceleration of human prostate cancer growth in vivo by factors produced by prostate and bone fibroblasts.

Prostate cancer, the most prevalent cancer affecting men, frequently metastasizes to the axial skeleton where it produces osteoblastic lesions with growth rates often exceeding that of the primary tumor. To evaluate the role of tumor cell-host stromal interaction and stromal specific growth factors (GFs) in prostate cancer growth and progression, we coinoculated athymic mice with human prostate cancer cells (LNCaP) and various nontumorigenic fibroblasts s.c. LNCaP tumor formation was most consistently induced by human bone (MS) fibroblasts (62%), followed by embryonic rat urogenital sinus mesenchymal (rUGM) cells (31%) and Noble rat prostatic fibroblasts (17%), but not by NIH-3T3, normal rat kidney, or human lung CCD16 fibroblasts. Carcinomas formed preferentially in male hosts, demonstrating in vivo androgen sensitivity. The human prostate component of these tumors was confirmed with immunohistochemical staining for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Northern analysis for PSA expression, and Southern analysis for human repetitive Alu sequences. Elevations in serum PSA paralleled the histomorphological and biochemical findings. LNCaP and fibroblast cell-conditioned media (CM) was used to determine whether autocrine and paracrine mitogenic pathways exist between LNCaP and fibroblast cells in vitro, and various defined GFs were tested to identify possible active factors. Mitogenic assays revealed a 200-300% bidirectional stimulation between LNCaP and bone or prostate fibroblast-derived CM. Lung, normal rat kidney, and 3T3 fibroblast CM were not mitogenic for LNCaP cells. Among the purified GFs tested basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was the most potent mitogen, stimulating LNCaP growth 180% in a concentration-dependent manner. Transforming growth factor alpha and epidermal growth factor were both minimally mitogenic. Coinoculation of LNCaP cells with a slowly absorbed matrix (Gelfoam) absorbed with bFGF or dialyzed and concentrated rUGM or MS CM was also capable of inducing LNCaP tumor formation in vivo. These observations illustrate that fibroblasts differentially modulate prostate cancer growth through the release of paracrine-mediated GFs, possibly including bFGF, and that tumor-stromal cell interactions play an important role in prostate cancer growth and progression.
Growth and Biochemical Characterization of Olive (Olea europaea L., cv. Raja) Callus Cultures Differing in Proliferation Pattern

Olive is the most diffused fruit crop in the Mediterranean region, and the improvement of its productivity by conventional and biotechnological approaches is currently required. In vitro cultures have been proven to be very useful for this purpose. In this work, callus cultures of olive ( Olea europaea L., cv. Raja) were established from basal tissues of nodal explants and subcultured on OM medium in a growth chamber at 25 °C with a 16h-light photoperiod. Cell clusters with different morphological aspect originated from culture, giving rise to two distinct callus lines that were isolated and long subcultured. Growth and biochemical analyses were then performed to characterize the different proliferation pattern of the two olive callus lines. Compact-type proliferating cultures showed lower growth ability, evaluated by relative growth rate (RGR), than friable-type ones. At biochemical level, differences in pigment, oxidative stress and antioxidative defense marker contents between the two callus lines were observed. In particular, higher chlorophyll and total carotenoid content, higher hydrogen peroxide content and antioxidative enzyme (ascorbate peroxidase, APX, EC 1.11.1.11; glutathione reductase, GR, EC 1.6.4.2; catalase, CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) activities were observed in compact-type proliferating cultures compared to friable ones. On the contrary, at polyamine (PA) level, a higher putrescine (Put) content was detected in the friable-type proliferating cultures. Results evidenced that proliferation of olive callus cells can be characterized by different features involving morphological aspects and biochemical traits associated to cell oxidative condition.
The Lateral Organ Boundaries Gene Defines a Novel, Plant-Specific Gene Family

The LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES (LOB) gene in Arabidopsis defines a new conserved protein domain. LOB is expressed in a band of cells at the adaxial base of all lateral organs formed from the shoot apical meristem and at the base of lateral roots. LOB encodes a predicted protein that does not have recognizable functional motifs, but that contains a conserved domain (the LOB domain) that is present in 42 other Arabidopsis proteins and in proteins from a variety of other plant species. Proteins showing similarity to the LOB domain were not found outside of plant databases, indicating that this unique protein may play a role in plant-specific processes. Genes encoding LOB domain proteins are expressed in a variety of temporal- and tissue-specific patterns, suggesting that they may function in diverse processes. Loss-of-function LOB mutants have no detectable phenotype under standard growth conditions, suggesting that LOB is functionally redundant or required during growth under specific environmental conditions. Ectopic expression of LOB leads to alterations in the size and shape of leaves and floral organs and causes male and female sterility. The expression of LOB at the base of lateral organs suggests a potential role for LOB in lateral organ development.
Digging for data on harms in duloxetine trials

It’s time for policy makers to get serious about drug related harms The biomedical research enterprise devotes enormous amounts of time and money to determining how well a medicine works. By contrast, few resources focus on discovering the harms a given drug may cause. Undoubtedly, this is in part because we all—patients, doctors, even drug regulators—crave good news, and ascertaining an accurate profile of drug induced harm only threatens to bring bad news. Even the randomized trial, our so called gold standard, with all its potential for settling debates about drug efficacy, is notoriously poor at detecting serious drug related harms. Some reasons for this are well known: trials are usually too small, too short, or enroll participants who are “too healthy”—which collectively means that relatively uncommon, but none the less real and possibly serious side effects may not occur with sufficient frequency (or at all) during a clinical trial to demonstrate convincing evidence of harm. Despite their limitations, however, randomized trials remain a critical element in assessing potential harms, especially as randomization assures serious attention by researchers interested in the “causality” game. Although a single study may be underpowered to detect important harms, combining studies through meta-analysis may show important associations. But credible use of trial data requires confidence in the quality of the reporting …
Teaching the FFT using Matlab

An approach to teaching the fast Fourier transform (FFT) using specially designed exercises to be done on modern workstations is presented. The interactive programming, high-speed calculations, and versatile graphics of the software system, Matlab, have proven particularly effective. Example exercises are given and discussed. >
The Florida Community College System: An Analysis of Institutional Priorities.

This study examined institutional priorities among Florida's public community colleges as viewed by the presidents and local governing boards. The analysis sought to determine whether local priorities were in concordance with those of other community college leaders and whether there was agreement among the local leadership. The study also examined whether institutional setting was related to institutional priorities. Local leaders were asked to rank‐order 20 priorities presented in a study by the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC). Median rankings and rank correlation coefficients revealed a significant positive relationship between the Florida presidents and the leaders in the AACJC study. Both groups indicated a strong commitment to the role of teaching and the retention of top quality faculty. However, no significant correlation was found between the trustees and the AACJC group. Paired rankings from 1. colleges indicated that all but one pair of local leaders failed to rank...
Obesity and the human microbiome.

Purpose of review Obesity was once rare, but the last few decades have seen a rapid expansion of the proportion of obese individuals worldwide. Recent work has shown obesity to be associated with a shift in the representation of the dominant phyla of bacteria in the gut, both in humans and animal models. This review summarizes the latest research into the association between microbial ecology and host adiposity, and the mechanisms by which microbes in the gut may mediate host metabolism in the context of obesity. Recent findings Studies of the effect of excess body fat on the abundances of different bacteria taxa in the gut generally show alterations in the gastrointestinal microbiota, and changes during weight loss. The gastrointestinal microbiota have been shown to impact insulin resistance, inflammation, and adiposity via interactions with epithelial and endocrine cells. Summary Large-scale alterations of the gut microbiota and its microbiome (gene content) are associated with obesity and are responsive to weight loss. Gut microbes can impact host metabolism via signaling pathways in the gut, with effects on inflammation, insulin resistance, and deposition of energy in fat stores. Restoration of the gut microbiota to a healthy state may ameliorate the conditions associated with obesity and help maintain a healthy weight.
Neurocognitive correlates of recovery from schizophrenia.

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND. Evidence has mounted that some patients with schizophrenia experience remission of symptoms and restoration of social and vocational functioning. The purpose of this study was to identify neurocognitive variables associated with recovery from schizophrenia. METHOD Twenty-eight patients diagnosed with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and who met our operational definition of recovery from schizophrenia underwent a battery of neurocognitive tests. These subjects were matched with schizophrenia patients who did not meet recovery criteria ('non-recovered') and with normal controls. RESULTS On tests of executive functioning, verbal fluency and verbal working memory, recovered subjects performed significantly better than non-recovered subjects and were comparable to normal controls. Patient groups did not differ on a test that assessed early visual processing, but both groups performed significantly worse than normal controls. CONCLUSIONS Three measures of frontal lobe functioning appear to be neurocognitive domains associated with recovery from schizophrenia. These findings help narrow the search for targets for cognitive remediation that may have implications for improving community functioning.
African American Family Structure Are There Differences in Social, Psychological, and Economic Well-Being?

This study addresses the following research questions: (a) What are the various types of family structures that exist in urban African American households? and (b) to what extent do differences in family structure influence social, psychological, and economic well-being as reported by urban African American women? The authors present findings from 301 African American women who participated in a community-based nutrition prevention program in a large Midwestern urban center. This study's results indicate that family structure has more influence on African American women's economic well-being than do social and psycho-logical factors. Implications of these findings for intervention are presented.
Sleep fragmentation promotes NADPH oxidase 2-mediated adipose tissue inflammation leading to insulin resistance in mice

Short sleep has been implicated in higher risk of obesity in humans, and is associated with insulin resistance. However, the effects of fragmented sleep (SF) rather than curtailed sleep on glucose homeostasis are unknown. Wild-type and NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2) null male mice were subjected to SF or sleep control conditions for 3 days to 3 weeks. Systemic and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) insulin sensitivity tests, glucose tolerance test, fluorescence-activated cell sorting and immunohistochemistry for macrophages and its sub-types (M1 and M2), and Nox expression and activity were examined. Here we show that SF in the absence of sleep curtailment induces time-dependent insulin resistance, in vivo and also in vitro in VAT. Oxidative stress pathways were upregulated by SF in VAT, and were accompanied by M1 macrophage polarization. SF-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin resistance in VAT were completely abrogated in genetically altered mice lacking Nox2 activity. These studies imply that SF, a frequent occurrence in many disorders and more specifically in sleep apnea, is a potent inducer of insulin resistance via activation of oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways, thereby opening the way for therapeutic strategies.
The Rendezvous and Proximity Operations Program displays and controls capabilities as tools for situational awareness

The idea for the Rendezvous and Proximity Operations Program (RPOP) was conceived by a small group of engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC). RPOP was part of the tools and technologies implemented for the first Shuttle-Mir rendezvous and docking. Since that time RPOP was used on over 60 missions and became an essential tool for Shuttle rendezvous operations. RPOP serves three main functions: as guidance and navigation software, displays-and-controls mechanism, and situational-awareness tool. This document visits many of the on-orbit firsts for manned spaceflight that were demonstrated in RPOP, with particular focus on the displays and controls and situational awareness aspects. The underlying guidance and navigation algorithms are not exposed. Simultaneous comparison of sensor data from multiple sources, differentiation between multiple three-dimensional trajectories, at-a-glance determination of attitude and location via RPOP's 3D orbiter model, and near-real time updates of guided and unguided trajectory prediction constitute a subset of the RPOP functionality that is detailed. A discussion of the way that RPOP has influenced pilot-in-the-loop behavior for proximity operations, exemplified by the repeatability of mission-to-mission proximity operations trajectories, is presented. Furthermore, many of the concepts that have proven to work well in RPOP have become de facto standards for displays and controls for new manned programs. Astronauts have come to expect the same familiar and effective situational awareness displays to be made available in the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV); this expectation has driven the design of the next-generation of displays. For example, formal on-orbit handling-qualities assessments of MPCV have all included a RPOP-type display providing key information to the pilots. The lessons learned during the RPOP development and flight experience are not to be taken lightly, but rather ought to be fastidiously applied to future programs since they allow for reuse of proven guidance and navigation display concepts and flight techniques for on-orbit operations.
Multiple Source Location-A Digital Approach

Algorithms for locating multiple signal sources simultaneously with the aid of linear arrays and digital signal processing are presented. The approach basically consists of determining the eigenvalues/eigenvectors of a complex covariance matrix and solving a polynomial formed from the elements of eigenvectors. Computer simulations are performed to investigate the behavior of the algorithms in terms of their accuracy, convergence, and angular resolution. The performance of the algorithms with actual test data is reported.
Optimal server allocations for streaming multimedia applications on the internet

In this paper, we address the server selection problem for streaming applications on the Internet. The architecture we consider is similar to the content distribution networks consisting of geographically dispersed servers and user populations over an interconnected set of metropolitan areas. Server selection issues for Web-based applications in such an environment have been widely addressed; the selection is mostly based on proximity measured using packet delay. Such a greedy or heuristic approach to server selection will not address the capacity planning problem evident in multimedia applications. For such applications, admission control becomes an essential part of their design to maintain Quality of Service (QoS). Our objective in providing a solution to the server selection problem is threefold: first, to direct clients to the nearest server; second, to provide multiple sources to diffuse network load; third, to match server capacity to user demand so that optimal blocking performance can be expected. We accomplish all three objectives by using a special type of Linear Programming (LP) formulation called the Transportation Problem (TP). The objective function in the TP is to minimize the cost of serving a video request from user population x using server y as measured by network distance. The optimal allocation between servers and user populations from TP results in server clusters, the aggregated capacity of each cluster designed to meet the demands of its designated user population. Within a server cluster, we propose streaming protocols for request handling that will result in a balanced load. We implement threshold-based admission control in individual servers within a cluster to enforce the fair share of the server resource to its designated user population. The blocking performance is used as a trigger to find new optimal allocations when blocking rates become unacceptable due to change in user demands. We substantiate the analytical model with an extensive simulation for analyzing the performance of the proposed clustered architecture and the protocols. The simulation results show significant difference in overall blocking performance between optimal and sub-optimal allocations in as much as 15% at moderate to high workloads. We also show that the proposed cluster protocols result in lower packet loss and latencies by forcing path diversity from multiple sources for request delivery.
An EDF-based scheduling algorithm for multiprocessor soft real-time systems

In hard real-time systems, a significant disparity in schedulability exists between EDF-based scheduling algorithms and Pfair scheduling, which is the only known way of optimally scheduling recurrent real-time tasks on multiprocessors. This is unfortunate because EDF-based algorithms entail lower scheduling and task-migration overheads. In work on hard real-time systems, it has been shown that the disparity in schedulability can be lessened by placing caps on per-task utilizations. In this paper, we show that it can also be lessened by easing the requirement that all deadlines be met. Our main contribution is a new EDF-based scheme that ensures bounded deadline tardiness. In this scheme, per-task utilizations must be capped, but overall utilization need not be restricted. The required cap is quite liberal. Hence, our scheme should enable a wide range of soft real-time applications to be scheduled with no constraints on total utilization. We also propose techniques and heuristics that can be used to reduce tardiness.
The locus of decision making for severely impaired newborn infants.

Expert analysis is indispensable, especially in medical decision making, because it helps both physicians and patients in making rational decisions. In fact, medical expertise is the very reason pe...
Induced electric fields by magnetic stimulation in non-homogeneous conducting media

The electric fields and current densities induced by a magnetic field have been calculated using the concept of mutual inductance. The spatial derivative of the electrical field generated by a coil located below and parallel to a semi-infinite conducting medium has been evaluated along lines parallel to the coil. The results have been verified experimentally and are important for the understanding of the mechanisms of peripheral axonal excitation. >
Families of Smith form decompositions to simplify multidimensional filter bank design

Imposing structure on the Smith form of an (integer) periodicity matrix N=U/spl Lambda/V leads to efficient m-D DFT implementations. For resampling matrices, i.e. non-singular rational matrices, the authors introduce Smith form decomposition algorithms to generate /spl Lambda/ matrices whose diagonal elements exhibit minimum variance and U matrices with minimum norm. Such structure simplifies non-uniform m-D filter bank design. >
Lateral Acetabular Coverage Predicts the Size of the Hip Labrum

Background:Bony morphological abnormalities of the hip joint are often accompanied by adaptive soft tissue changes. These adaptive changes, if better understood and characterized, may serve to inform clinical decision making.Purpose:To investigate the correlation between the size of the hip labrum and lateral acetabular coverage in patients at our hip preservation clinic.Study Design:Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:A cohort of 236 patients seen at a dedicated hip preservation service between June 2013 and June 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were grouped according to the degree of acetabular coverage, as measured by the lateral center-edge angle (LCEA): normal acetabular coverage (25°-39.9°), acetabular overcoverage (≥40°), borderline dysplasia (20°-24.9°), and frank dysplasia (<20°). Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging was utilized to measure the length of the labrum at 3 locations: laterally, anteriorly, and anteroinferiorly.Results:Frankly dysplastic and borderline ...
Lionizing Lone Wolves: The Cultural Romantics of Literacy Workshops

ABSTRACTThe dominant methodology for teaching literacy advocated in teacher education programs today, the “workshop” approach, privileges the ways with words of the mainstream, mostly white middle class, by insisting that individual readers and writers should work as the sole proprietors of texts and pursue an ethic of rugged individualism in their work habits. The problematic nature of this approach for nonmainstream students is framed by the fictional portrait of Nancy Hartman, whose multiethnic urban middle-school students from working-class backgrounds “just aren't getting it.” Ethnographic studies, as well as an analysis of the sociocultural contexts of young adult novels, show that the oral and written communication practices of nonmainstream children are highly communal and contextualized when compared to the practices of mainstream children, who learn early in their lives to encode and decode meaning through words and/or text alone. Sharing sessions and writing conferences of workshop approaches a...
Large Alphabet Quantum Key Distribution

A large alphabet quantum cryptosystem will be presented. Instead of using qubits having two states we have generated secure keys having well over 100 states. This significantly increases information throughput without changing the transmission rate.
Optical Considerations for Excimer Projection Systems

Excimer laser projection systems are expected to become widely used photolithographic tools, capable of high throughputs at resolution well below 0.5 iffli. The design of practical devices must overcome several challenges which are specific to the short wavelength, the laser performance and the photoresist response of such systems. This paper addresses the issues of UV optical materials, the effects of laser bandwidth on optical design, and the interrelationship between resist response, resolution, and laser pulse-to-pulse stability. It is shown how the various parameters are interconnected, and directions for further technological improvements are outlined.
MS-21SUBEPENDYMOMAS DEMONSTRATE LINEAGE MARKERS SUGGESTING AN ORIGIN WITHIN MULTIPOTENTIAL PROGENITORS OF THE SUBVENTRICULAR ZONE

OBJECTIVE: Subependymomas are infrequent, low-grade gliomas associated with the ventricular system and the spinal cord. Little is known about the origin and natural history of these slow-growing lesions. METHODS: We identified all patients with pathologically proven subependymomas presenting to our institution between 1998 and 2013. We retrospectively reviewed clinical, radiographic, histological, and surgical outcomes data in all patients who underwent surgical resection. Immunohistochemical analyses for a number of cell lineage markers was performed. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients with pathologically proven subependymomas were identified. Of these, 7 asymptomatic lesions were discovered at autopsy and 17 symptomatic cases were treated surgically. There were 8 lateral ventricle tumors, 5 spinal tumors and 4 fourth ventricular tumors. Symptomatic intracranial lesions most commonly presented with headaches, changes in vision, and balance difficulty. Subependymomas had no distinguishing radiographic features that provided definitive pre-operative diagnosis. At last follow up, no patient treated surgically experienced recurrence, although one patient with histologically mixed subependymoma-ependymoma subsequently developed and was treated for a remote glioblastoma. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated mixed populations of cells that were variably positive for Olig2, NeuN, Sox2, and CD44. CONCLUSION: Subependymomas demonstrate a mixed population of cells expressing neuronal and glial lineage markers as well as putative stem cell markers, suggesting these tumors may arise from multipotential progenitors that reside in the subventricular zone. Definitive diagnosis requires surgical sampling. While the clinical course is usually benign following surgical resection, the rare association with glial malignancy and the potential for malignant progression merits further investigation.
Symplostatin 2: a dolastatin 13 analogue from the marine cyanobacterium Symploca hydnoides.

An analogue of dolastatin 13 (2) has been isolated from a marine cyanobacterium, Symploca hydnoides, collected near Guam. This new cyclic depsipeptide contains a l-methionine sulfoxide residue; however, the sulfoxide exists as both R- and S-forms, resulting in the doubling of several signals in the 1H and 13C NMR spectra. Structure elucidation required extensive application of 2-D NMR techniques such as COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and ROESY. The trivial name symplostatin 2 (1) has been assigned to the new metabolite and its isolation from S. hydnoides further supports the proposal that many compounds originally isolated from the sea hare Dolabella auricularia are most probably of cyanobacterial origin.
Rhabdomyolysis and phentermine: Coincidence, not causation

We respectfully disagree with Dr. Hendricks’s conclusion that phentermine had no role in this rhabdomyolysis event. Most importantly, we wish to give clarity to the matter of causality. We used the word associated in the title of the case report to convey a connection between phentermine and
Effects of Urinary Protease Inhibitor on Activated Leukocytes and Platelets during Extracorporeal Circulation

OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of high-dose ulinastatin on cytokines and platelet activation during and after extracorporeal circulation(ECC).METHODS 30 patients with coronary artery disease(CAD) undergoing coronary artery bypass graft(CABG) were randomly divided into two groups: U group(n=15) received a total dose of 1000000 U ulinastatin and C group(n=15) received placebo.Blood samples were withdrawn from the central vein to measure polymorphonuclear neutrophil elastase(PMNE),before induction,30 min following clamping(T2),reperfusion 3 h(T3),reperfusion 6 h(T4) and reperfusion 12 h(T5).Whole blood samples were taken for CD62p immediately before induction(as baseline),at the end of ECC(before protamine administration),1 h after heparin neutralization by protamine and 24 h after the operation. In addition,alveolo-arterial oxygen difference(A-aDO2) in pulmonary gas exchange function was calculated by obtaining arterial blood gas samples before and after ECC.RESULTS There were no differences in preoperative parameters between two groups.After ECC,the levels of PMNE increased in both groups over baseline values(P0.01).The levels of PMNE,in U group were significantly lower than those in C group(P0.05).No significant differences in CD62p expression between the 2 groups during ECC were found.AaDO2 in U group significantly decreased compared with C group(P0.05) and the duration of mechanical ventilation was shorter than C group(P0.05).CONCLUSION Results suggest that ulinastatin may inhibit PMNE release,reduce reperfusion lung injury and preserve pulmonary function but it fails to inhibit platelet activation and to prevent blood loss during ECC.
Aqueous extraction of pumpkin seed oil by salt effect and its physicochemical properties

The oil was extracted from pumpkin seed by the aqueous method with sodium carbonate solvent as the extractant which aimed to overcome severe emulsification and increases the oil yield. The concentration of sodium carbonate solution,stirring temperature,liquid-solid ratio and extraction time on oil yield of pumpkin seed were investigated and the optimal parameters were carried out by Box-Behnken experimental design.The results showed that the concentration of sodium carbonate solvent and liquid-solid ratio had significant effect on the oil yield. The optimal conditions were sodium carbonate concentration 1.8mol/L,liquid-solid ratio 6.8,extraction time 120.1min(120min in fact),temperature 80℃,the oil yield of pumpkin seeds could reach 70.6%.The acid value and peroxide value of oil were lower than the corresponding value of the national quality standards.It demonstrated that technology for aqueous extraction of pumpkin seed oil by salt effect was workable.
Inhibition of gastric acid secretion by brain peptides in the dog. Role of the autonomic nervous system and gastrin.

Abstract We have studied the effects of 30 peptides administered intracerebroventricularly on basal and pentagastrin-stimulated (8 μg/kg s.c.) gastric acid secretion in conscious dogs. None of the peptides significantly increased basal gastric acid secretion. Twelve peptides (2 nmol/kg) significantly (p
Hermes: Hands-Free Authentication in Physical Spaces

This paper presents Hermes, a hands-free authentication system that makes use of credentials stored on a users smartphone to authenticate them when they enter a physical space or the vicinity of a physical object. By combining Bluetooth LE and Kerberos, Hermes is a novel system that makes use of existing technology available in today’s internet-connected devices. This makes a system like Hermes suitable for widespread adoption for a number of applications in kiosks, shared printers and access control systems.
Real Analysis: The Space of Continuous Functions

The Weierstrass Theorem While we now know something about convergence in C ( X ), there are many more things that we would like to know about C ( X ). We will find the task unmanageable, however, unless we place some restrictions on the metric space X . If we focus our attention on the case when X is compact , for example, we will be afforded plenty of extra machinery: In this case, C ( X ) is not only a vector space, an algebra, and a lattice (where algebraic operations are defined pointwise), but also a complete normed space under the supnorm. With all of these tools to work with, we will be able to accomplish quite a bit. And at least a few of our results will apply equally well to the space C b ( X ) of bounded continuous functions on a general metric space X . For the remainder of this chapter, then, unless otherwise specified, X will denote a compact metric space . We will concentrate on two questions in particular, and each of these will lead to some interesting applications: Is C ( X ) separable? More importantly, are there any “useful” dense subspaces , or even dense subalgebras , or sublattices of C ( X )? What are the compact subsets of C ( X )? And are such sets “useful”? Either question is tough to answer in full generality, but the first one has a very satisfactory and easy to understand answer for C [ a, b ].
Vom Riechen und anderen Nasen-Künsten

Lange Zeit wurden die Sinnesfunktionen der Nase in ihrer Bedeutung fur Gesundheit und Lebensqualitat unterschatzt. Welch wichtige Rolle der Geruchssinn dafur spielt, ist zwar mittlerweile klar, aber seit einigen Jahren entdeckt die Forschung auch immer mehr Fakten, die das konventionelle Bild von unserem Riechorgan auf den Kopf stellen.
Optimized strained Si/strained Ge dual-channel heterostructures for high mobility P- and N-MOSFETs

Strained Si/strained Ge double heterostructures grown on relaxed Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ can be used to fabricate extremely high mobility P-MOSFETs. We present the first mobility results to date on N-MOSFETs fabricated on these heterostructures. By optimizing the layer thicknesses and strain, we have demonstrated hole and electron mobility enhancements of 10 and 1.8 times, respectively. Our work also shows that the electron mobility in these heterostructures cannot be increased by allowing electrons to populate the buried Ge.
Glial Changes and Evidence for Apoptosis in the Brain of Cats Infected by Cytauxzoon felis.

Summary Ischaemic neuropathological changes associated with Cytauxzoon felis infection in cats have been reported recently. This paper describes the associated glial changes and the evidence for apoptosis in the brain of cats infected naturally by C. felis. Sections of brain from eight affected cats and eight age- and sex-matched control cats were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein, CD18 and cleaved caspase-3. Vascular changes in the leptomeninges and parenchyma, the number of positive astrocytes and phagocytic cells (microglia or macrophages) and the average astrocytic cytoplasmic area and number and length of astrocytic processes were quantified, and a mean value for the grey and white matter in both groups was generated. Astrocytic hyperplasia (astrogliosis) and phagocytic cell hyperplasia were detected in all affected cats. Immunoexpression of cleaved caspase-3 was detected in intravascular and perivascular macrophages in the leptomeninges and, less often, in the grey and white matter in all affected cats. Four cats with encephalomalacia had additional cytoplasmic immunolabelling of phagocytic cells around the necrotic foci and macrophages and cell debris within the areas of necrosis. These results support the role of an extensive reaction of the brain tissue to hypoxia–ischaemia and a potential role of apoptosis in the neuropathogenesis of C. felis infection in cats.
Gemcitabine with nab-paclitaxel in neoadjuvant treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: GAIN-1 study.

TPS4136 Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains a deadly disease with a dismal prognosis. Only 15% of patients present with resectable disease with 5-year survival only 20% despite adjuvant t...
Evaluation of CD43 expression in non-hematopoietic malignancies.

Abstract Objectives CD43 is normally expressed only on the surface of leukocytes, and is considered a sensitive and specific marker for hematologic malignancies. As such, it may have diagnostic utility in confirming hematolymphoid lineage in cases that are negative for CD45. Aberrant CD43 expression has been described in non-hematopoietic tumors, although literature data on this topic is variable and sometimes contradictory. To clarify and expand on existing literature findings, we evaluated CD43 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in a large cohort (307) of non-hematopoietic neoplasms, including poorly differentiated malignancies. Methods 17 tissue microarrays and sections from 19 individual cases were stained with CD43 (clone DF-T1) monoclonal antibody. The proportion of positive cells, stain localization (nuclear, cytoplasmic or membranous), and intensity (compared to internal leukocyte controls) were recorded in all cases. Results There were 98/307 (32%) positive cases, that showed focal weak nuclear staining in 1–25% of cells, including 23/25 (92%) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas; 31/34 (91%) breast invasive ductal carcinomas; 13/15 (87%) papillary thyroid carcinomas; 3/4 (75%) follicular thyroid carcinomas; 6/15 (40%) renal cell carcinomas; 9/28 (32%) lung adenocarcinomas; 1/13 (8%) lung squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs); 2/8 (25%) prostate adenocarcinomas; 8/62 (13%) colon adenocarcinomas; and 2/21 (10%) neuroendocrine neoplasms. None of the positive cases demonstrated strong, membranous CD43 expression comparable to that seen in background mature lymphocytes or segmented neutrophils. Negative cases included 11 cervical SCCs, 12 cervical adenocarcinomas, 19 urothelial carcinomas, 10 lung small cell carcinomas, 11 sarcomas, and 19 poorly differentiated carcinomas from various tissue sites. Conclusions In our cohort, most non-hematopoietic neoplasms are negative for CD43 expression, with a subset showing focal, weak nuclear positivity. This data indicates that uniform and strong membranous staining appears to be specific to hematopoietic neoplasms.
Surgical Apgar score (SAS) predicts perioperative morbidity, mortality, and length of stay in patients undergoing esophagectomy at a high-volume center.

Background Esophagectomy carries considerable morbidity. Many studies have evaluated factors to predict patients at risk. This study aimed to determine whether the surgical Apgar score (SAS) predicts complications and length of stay (LOS) for patients undergoing esophagectomy. Study Design We evaluated 212 patients undergoing esophagectomy. Postoperative complications were graded using the Clavien-Dindo scale and the SAS was determined. Association of SAS with incidence of complications was evaluated using the Cochran-Armitage trend test between grouped SAS scores (0-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10) and each of the outcomes. Correlation of SAS with LOS was evaluated using competing risks proportional hazards regression. Results The average patient age was 63.5 years (range 31-86), and the average blood loss was 284 mL (range 50-4000). The median LOS was 10 days. There was a significant association between SAS and grade 2 or higher (P = 0.0002) and grade 3 or higher (P < 0.0001) complications. The perioperative mortality rate was 5.2% (n = 11) with lower SAS being associated with greater mortality. LOS was also associated with SAS (P < 0.0001). Conclusions We demonstrate that SAS is a significant predictor of complications and LOS for patients undergoing esophagectomy. SAS should be used to identify lower risk patients to prioritize use of critical care beds and hospital resources.