cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pelagic sedimentation on an inactive gullied slope, Northwest Providence Channel, Bahamas

Abstract The southern flank of Little Bahama Bank is a deep-water carbonate slope into which a series of closely spaced canyons 10–200 m deep have been cut. It is similar in morphology to many other slopes in the Bahamas, and these slopes are generally considered to be created by the erosion of downslope sediment gravity flows. However, little evidence for downslope sediment movement or associated erosion were found in the Holocene or latest Pleistocene sediments of the slope reported on here. The sediments from water depths below 260 m consist of a uniform pelagic drape covering both the gullies and inter-gully ridge tops. High-resolution seismic reflectors are not truncated along individual gully walls. And the fine-scale stratigraphy of the sediments recorded in glacial/interglacial changes in the aragonite/calcite ratio of the sediments is preserved in sediments from gullies and ridge tops. It appears that for the last two to three glacial cycles there has been only minor downslope transport of sediment. Despite the gullied morphology erosion is not presently occurring on the slope.
Nightmare on Westwood Avenue: product development laboratory: success, failure, both, neither???

Traditionally, computer software development courses have produced projects with small numbers of homogeneous users requiring limited maintenance and which run on a single platform as opposed to products which are distributed to large numbers of diverse users, run on multiple platforms, and which are upgraded and re-released many times. The NSF/ILI-IG grant with the university match provided funding to establish a software product development laboratory in an effort to provide students with the product development experience that many will need upon graduation.This paper discusses the concept for, the goals and subgoals of, and the first year's evaluation of the Product Development Laboratory.
Candidate Motivation: A Synthesis of Alternative Theories

A formal model of electoral behavior is developed under the assumption that candidates have policy preferences as well as an interest in winning per se. This model is shown to have an equilibrium in a k-issue space when there are two candidates. The implications of this model are compared to the implications of the Downsian-type model where candidates are interested only in winning. Testable propositions are derived via the use of comparative statics. The results of recent studies are shown to coincide with the synthesis model but not the pure Downsian model.The theoretical model bridges the gap between formal theory and empirical research and unifies a variety of seemingly unrelated studies.
Mixed Ligand Chelate Extraction of Lanthanides with 5, 7-Dibromo-8-quinolinol and 4, 4′-(5-Nonyl)-2, 2′-dipyridylamine Systems

The equilibrium extraction behavior of a series of representative tervalent lanthanide ion, Pr, Eu and Yb, using 5, 7-dibromo-8-quinolinol (DBQ) as a chelating extractant, either alone or in combination with 4, 4′-(5-nonyl)-2, 2′-dipyridylamine (NDPA) as an adductant has been studied. The stoichiometry, extraction constants, and separation factors were determined. The results demonstrate that lanthanides are extracted as simple chelates, LnQ3, at lower HQ concentrations, or as self-adduct chelates, LnQ3•HQ, at higher HQ concentrations. In the presence of NDPA, mixed ligand chelates of either the type LnQ3•NDPA or LnQ2(HA)•NDPA (were HA- is the hydrogensuccinate ion) have been observed.
Patterns of Intermarriages and Cross-Generational In-Marriages among Native-Born Asian Americans

This article examines patterns of post-1965 native-born Asian Americans’ intermarriages and cross-generational in-marriages using a combined sample of the 2001–2006 American Community Surveys from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. The analysis focuses on ethnic and gender differences in intermarriage and cross-generational in-marriage rates and patterns. About 55 percent of native-born Asian Americans are found to be intermarried while another 23 percent are married to 1.5-generation or first-generation co-ethnic immigrants. Thus only 22 percent of native-born Asian Americans are married to co-ethnic native-born Asian Americans. As expected, there are significant ethnic and gender differences in intermarriage and cross-generational in-marriage rates and patterns. This study is significant because it is the first study that has examined intermarriage patterns among post-1965 native-born Asian Americans, the majority of whom are likely to be children of post-1965 Asian immigrants, using the most recent Census data available. It is also significant for studies of the new second generation in general in that it is the first study to show patterns of cross-generational in-marriage among members of the new second generation.
From Backlash to Bingo: Ronald Reagan and Federal Indian Policy

Ronald Reagan9s contribution to federal Indian policy proved mixed. Remarks by members of his administration recalled the heyday of termination, and Reagan9s budget cuts fell hard on Native Americans. Reagan also played to non-Indian backlash by supporting legislation that restricted tribal rights to file claims on land disputes. Still, the administration continued the policy of tribal self-determination, begun under Richard M. Nixon. Reagan signed legislation to restore the Klamaths to federal trust responsibility, to help tribes ““contract out”” to run many federal services themselves, and to recognize and regulate gaming on Indian reservations. Most importantly, Reagan affirmed ““government to government”” relationships between the federal government, states, and tribes. Federal Indian policy mirrored other aspects of U.S. politics in the 1980s, including reductions in domestic spending, white reaction against minority civil rights gains, and the extolling of entrepreneurship. But the administration9s ability, and even its willingness, to reverse the trend toward tribal self-determination proved limited.
Effect of low velocity impact responses on durability of conventional and nanophased CFRP composites exposed to seawater

The effect of nanoclay on the degradation of low velocity impact responses of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites manufactured by the vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process is experimentally investigated with and without exposure to seawater for marine applications. Nanoclay was dispersed into the matrix by using magnetic stirring. Samples (100 mm by 100 mm) exposed to seawater for 0, 6, and 12 months in laboratory conditions were impacted at 20, 30, and 40 J energy levels using a Dynatup8210. The damage sustained by the samples was evaluated by a thermographic imaging technique. Comparisons between conventional and nanophased CFRP composites both in conditioned and unconditioned cases were made in terms of peak force, absorbed energy, deflection, delamination area, and specific delamination energy. Water absorption was observed to be reduced due to nanoclay infusion. After 12 months of exposure to seawater 2% nanophased samples absorbed 0.39% moisture whereas control samples absorbed 0.67% moisture. Impact strength, toughness, and energy absorption decreased with increasing conditioning time by weakening the bond between the fiber and matrix and softening the matrix materials. However, reduction in properties is significantly extenuated by the incorporation of nanoclay in the matrix. Specific delamination energy (SDE) is observed to be higher in the nanophased CFRP compared to that of the conventional one at different aging periods indicating enhanced fracture toughness in the nanophased composites. The larger and stronger interfacial area produced by the nanoclay inclusion has been found to facilitate more energy absorption in the nanophased sample compared to the conventional one. Furthermore, nanoclay reduced the development of delamination by arresting the crack propagation path or by toughening the matrix. It is concluded that the excellent barrier capacity, higher surface area, and high aspect ratio of nanoclay are responsible for the superior performance of CFRP composites, which in turn, enhances the durability of composites.
Stepwise engineering of heterodimeric single domain camelid VHH antibodies that passively protect mice from ricin toxin.

In an effort to engineer countermeasures for the category B toxin ricin, we produced and characterized a collection of epitopic tagged, heavy chain-only antibody VH domains (VHHs) specific for the ricin enzymatic (RTA) and binding (RTB) subunits. Among the 20 unique ricin-specific VHHs we identified, six had toxin-neutralizing activity: five specific for RTA and one specific for RTB. Three neutralizing RTA-specific VHHs were each linked via a short peptide spacer to the sole neutralizing anti-RTB VHH to create VHH “heterodimers.” As compared with equimolar concentrations of their respective monovalent monomers, all three VHH heterodimers had higher affinities for ricin and, in the case of heterodimer D10/B7, a 6-fold increase in in vitro toxin-neutralizing activity. When passively administered to mice at a 4:1 heterodimer:toxin ratio, D10/B7 conferred 100% survival in response to a 10 × LD50 ricin challenge, whereas a 2:1 heterodimer:toxin ratio conferred 20% survival. However, complete survival was achievable when the low dose of D10/B7 was combined with an IgG1 anti-epitopic tag monoclonal antibody, possibly because decorating the toxin with up to four IgGs promoted serum clearance. The two additional ricin-specific heterodimers, when tested in vivo, provided equal or greater passive protection than D10/B7, thereby warranting further investigation of all three heterodimers as possible therapeutics.
Shadowing of lightly doped drain implants due to gate etch profiles and implanter configurations

Shadowing of lightly doped drain (LDD) implants at the gate edge can cause shifts in effective electrical channel length (Leff), drive current (Ids) and transistor asymmetry. Process integration of gate etch and LDD implant processing and equipment in Motorola has led to the discovery of a unique type of implant shadowing. The increased vertical profile of the gate etch on modern single wafer etch systems obviously increases the potential to shadow implants and some amount of shadowing is not detrimental to the devices. In LDD processes which both the N-type and P-type LDD implants are masked separately, the gate etch profile and implant angle and rotation will determine the amount of shadowing for each transistor orientation. In processes that use a blanket N-LDD and a masked P-LDD adjusted to compensate for the N-dopant in the P-channel devices, an interaction between different implanter rotations has been shown to drastically increase the shadowing affects and leave uncompensated N-LDD dopant. It is necessary to carefully match the implant angles and rotations for proper performance of these LDD structures.
Quality Inspection of Flip Chip Solder Bumps Using Integrated Analytical, Numerical, and Experimental Modal Analyses

Solder bump inspection of surface mount packages has been a crucial process in the electronics manufacturing industry. A solder bump inspection system has been developed using laser ultrasound and interferometric techniques. In this research, modal analysis is important to correlate the defects with dynamic responses of packaged electronic devices under pulsed laser loading. The effect of solder bump defects on the mode frequencies and mode shapes is reported in this paper. The objective is to develop a modal analysis approach, which integrates analytical, numerical, and experimental methods. In particular, this paper discusses the analytical modeling, numerical modeling, and transient out-of-plane displacement measurements for a 6.35 × 6.35 × 0.6 mm 3 PB18 flip chip mounted on a FR4 board.
Translating basic psychopathology research to preventive interventions: a tribute to john R. Z. Abela.

This article highlights how the many important contributions of John R. Z. Abela's research program can inform the development and implementation of interventions for preventing depression in youth. Abela provided evidence of multiple vulnerabilities to depression including cognitive (e.g., inferential style, dysfunctional attitudes, ruminative response style), interpersonal (e.g., reassurance seeking, attachment, dependency), personality (e.g., neuroticism, self-criticism), and contextual (e.g., stress, parental depression). He introduced important methodological advances to the study of the hopelessness model of depression, especially in children, including the “weakest link” approach, cognitive priming, and idiographic measurement of stress. We briefly review what is currently known about the prevention of depression regarding intervention targets, content, outcomes, effect sizes, moderators, mediators, specificity, and durability. Next, we summarize several of Abela's contributions that are most relev...
A cannabinoid 2 receptor agonist attenuates bone cancer-induced pain and bone loss

Abstract Aims Cannabinoid CB 2 agonists have been shown to alleviate behavioral signs of inflammatory and neuropathic pain in animal models. AM1241, a CB 2 agonist, does not demonstrate central nervous system side effects seen with CB 1 agonists such as hypothermia and catalepsy. Metastatic bone cancer causes severe pain in patients and is treated with analgesics such as opiates. Recent reports suggest that sustained opiates can produce paradoxical hyperalgesic actions and enhance bone destruction in a murine model of bone cancer. In contrast, CB 2 selective agonists have been shown to reduce bone loss associated with a model of osteoporosis. Here we tested whether a CB 2 agonist administered over a 7 day period inhibits bone cancer-induced pain as well as attenuates cancer-induced bone degradation. Main methods A murine bone cancer model was used in which osteolytic sarcoma cells were injected into the intramedullary space of the distal end of the femur. Behavioral and radiographic image analysis was performed at days 7, 10 and 14 after injection of tumor cells into the femur. Key findings Osteolytic sarcoma within the femur produced spontaneous and touch evoked behavioral signs of pain within the tumor-bearing limb. The systemic administration of AM1241 acutely or for 7 days significantly attenuated spontaneous and evoked pain in the inoculated limb. Sustained AM1241 significantly reduced bone loss and decreased the incidence of cancer-induced bone fractures. Significance These findings suggest a novel therapy for cancer-induced bone pain, bone loss and bone fracture while lacking many unwanted side effects seen with current treatments for bone cancer pain.
Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation, Followed by Liver Transplantation, for Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma at 12 US Centers

Background & Aims Excellent single-center outcomes of neoadjuvant chemoradiation and liver transplantation for unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma caused the United Network of Organ Sharing to offer a standardized model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) exception for this disease. We analyzed data from multiple centers to determine the effectiveness of this treatment and the appropriateness of the MELD exception. Methods We collected and analyzed data from 12 large-volume transplant centers in the United States. These centers met the inclusion criteria of treating 3 or more patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma using neoadjuvant therapy, followed by liver transplantation, from 1993 to 2010 (n = 287 total patients). Center-specific protocols and medical charts were reviewed on-site. Results The patients completed external radiation (99%), brachytherapy (75%), radiosensitizing therapy (98%), and/or maintenance chemotherapy (65%). Seventy-one patients dropped out before liver transplantation (rate, 11.5% in 3 months). Intent-to-treat survival rates were 68% and 53%, 2 and 5 years after therapy, respectively; post-transplant, recurrence-free survival rates were 78% and 65%, respectively. Patients outside the United Network of Organ Sharing criteria (those with tumor mass >3 cm, transperitoneal tumor biopsy, or metastatic disease) or with a prior malignancy had significantly shorter survival times (P Conclusions Patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma who were treated with neoadjuvant therapy followed up by liver transplantation at 12 US centers had a 65% rate of recurrence-free survival after 5 years, showing this therapy to be highly effective. An 11.5% drop-out rate after 3.5 months of therapy indicates the appropriateness of the MELD exception. Rigorous selection is important for the continued success of this treatment.
The Role of Nitric Oxide Synthase Uncoupling in Tumor Progression

Here, evidence suggests that nitric oxide synthases (NOS) of tumor cells, in contrast with normal tissues, synthesize predominantly superoxide and peroxynitrite. Based on high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, the underlying mechanism for this uncoupling is a reduced tetrahydrobiopterin:dihydrobiopterin ratio (BH4:BH2) found in breast, colorectal, epidermoid, and head and neck tumors compared with normal tissues. Increasing BH4:BH2 and reconstitution of coupled NOS activity in breast cancer cells with the BH4 salvage pathway precursor, sepiapterin, causes significant shifts in downstream signaling, including increased cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) activity, decreased β-catenin expression, and TCF4 promoter activity, and reduced NF-κB promoter activity. Sepiapterin inhibited breast tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo as measured by a clonogenic assay, Ki67 staining, and 2[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose–deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). In summary, using diverse tumor types, it is demonstrated that the BH4:BH2 ratio is lower in tumor tissues and, as a consequence, NOS activity generates more peroxynitrite and superoxide anion than nitric oxide, resulting in important tumor growth–promoting and antiapoptotic signaling properties. Implications: The synthetic BH4, Kuvan, is used to elevate BH4:BH2 in some phenylketonuria patients and to treat diseases associated with endothelial dysfunction, suggesting a novel, testable approach for correcting an abnormality of tumor metabolism to control tumor growth. Mol Cancer Res; 13(6); 1034–43. ©2015 AACR . This article is featured in Highlights of This Issue, [p. 955][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/13/955?iss=6
How much time do nurses spend teaching cancer patients

As patients live longer and hospital stays grow shorter the demand for nurses to teach effectively and efficiently increases. Given the current nursing shortage, nurses have less time available to do teaching. As a result, hospitals will have to be creative in providing quality education in a cost-effective manner. A descriptive study was undertaken to establish a baseline on how much time nurses actually spend teaching. Seven to ten consecutive admissions on each inpatient unit for a total of one hundred twenty-one patients were enrolled into the study during a seven-day period. All patient/family teaching was documented until the patient was discharged or transferred. Data were collected on a total of 825 days of patient hospitalization. The average teaching time per patient per day (pppd) was 16.6 min. This teaching time amounts to 128 h a day and costs the center $2355 in nurses hourly wages each day or $859,657 per year. This study has established that nurses spend a significant amount of time teaching and has estimated its cost. It provides a baseline for making comparisons in teaching methodologies. Patient Education closed circuit television (CCTV) may be an alternative to one-on-one teaching and decrease the amount of time the nurse spends in repetitive teaching.
Controlling P element insertional mutagenesis

Abstract Two new methods for insertional mutagenesis in Drosophila are now available. They are based on the ability to control experimentally the number of stable P element insertions per mutagenized strain. One method produces about 10 insertions per genome and has the potential to replace hybrid dysgenesis as a means for cloning genes by transposon tagging. The other mobilizes elements less frequently, producing strains containing a single P element that can be correlated with any resulting mutant phenotype. A library of single-element strains is currently being assembled and will be a valuable resource for Drosophila molecular genetics.
Repackaging the Library: What Do Faculty Think?

ABSTRACT Ithaka S+R's Faculty Survey 2009, the 4th iteration since 2000 of this survey of faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States, offers insights into how faculty attitudes about electronic media and technology have evolved over the last decade. In this article, the authors focus on the aspects of the survey that most directly relate to the work of research libraries, including commentary on information discovery and use, the evolving role of the library, and changing attitudes toward access and preservation of journal current issues and backfiles. The responses to this survey point to some of the more valuable services libraries offer (or could offer), as well as highlighting the many challenges facing libraries and putting an exclamation point on the widely shared view that the libraries cannot rely on what have been their traditional strengths.
A rendering framework for multiscale views of 3D models

Images that seamlessly combine views at different levels of detail are appealing. However, creating such multiscale images is not a trivial task, and most such illustrations are handcrafted by skilled artists. This paper presents a framework for direct multiscale rendering of geometric and volumetric models. The basis of our approach is a set of non-linearly bent camera rays that smoothly cast through multiple scales. We show that by properly setting up a sequence of conventional pinhole cameras to capture features of interest at different scales, along with image masks specifying the regions of interest for each scale on the projection plane, our rendering framework can generate non-linear sampling rays that smoothly project objects in a scene at multiple levels of detail onto a single image. We address two important issues with non-linear camera projection. First, our streamline-based ray generation algorithm avoids undesired camera ray intersections, which often result in unexpected images. Second, in order to maintain camera ray coherence and preserve aesthetic quality, we create an interpolated 3D field that defines the contribution of each pinhole camera for determining ray orientations. The resulting multiscale camera has three main applications: (1) presenting hierarchical structure in a compact and continuous manner, (2) achieving focus+context visualization, and (3) creating fascinating and artistic images.
A heterogeneous compute solution for optimized genomic selection analysis

This paper presents a heterogeneous computing solution for an optimized genetic selection analysis tool, GenSel. GenSel can be used to efficiently infer the effects of genetic markers on a desired trait or to determine the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) of genotyped individuals. To predict which genetic markers are informational, GenSel performs Bayesian inference using Gibbs sampling, a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm. Parallelizing this algorithm proves to be a technically challenging problem because there exists a loop carried dependence between each iteration of the Markov chain. The approach presented in this paper exploits both task-level parallelism (TLP) and data-level parallelism (DLP) that exists within each iteration of the Markov chain. More specifically, a combination of CPU threads using OpenMP and GPU threads using NVIDIA's CUDA paradigm is implemented to speed up the sampling of each genetic marker used in creating the model. Performance speedup will allow this algorithm to accommodate the expected increase in observations on animals and genetic markers per observation. The current implementation executes 1.84 times faster than the optimized CPU implementation.
Polyoma virus: old findings and new challenges.

Abstract The accidental discovery of the mouse polyoma virus nearly 50 years ago opened up an experimental system unique in opportunities for investigating virus–host interactions leading to the development of tumors. Extensive studies of the virus in tissue culture have provided a detailed understanding of its genetics and molecular biology. Knowledge of the virus as a transforming agent in culture can now be tested in the animal where multiple cell types are targets for tumorigenic conversion and where a variety of host factors, both immunological and nonimmunological, come into play. Studies in the animal using well-characterized wild-type and mutant virus strains have led to some unexpected findings. Some of these run counter to certain widely held beliefs in cancer biology. This minireview focuses on these surprising findings and the challenges they raise.
The partial exclusion of electrolytes from the pores of silica gel

Abstract The exclusion of twelve nitrates in aqueous solution from part of the pore volume of a commercial high surface area silica gel was studied over a wide concentration range. The per cent of pore volume available varies from 24% to 100%. Electrolyte exclusion in general increases with increasing tendency of the cation to hydrate. It is suggested that some cation hydrates are large compared with water molecules, thus causing a decrease in solute concentration near a surface, and that there may also be complete exclusion from the smallest pores. The aluminum ion reacts with the surface, releasing between two and three protons per pore aluminum ion at ∼0.1 M aluminum. Reacted and unreacted aluminum are apparently about the same size.
Affine manifolds with nilpotent holonomy

An affine manifold is a differentiable manifold together with an atlas of coordinate charts whose coordinate changes extend to affine automorphisms of Euclidean space. These charts are called atline coordinates. A map between affine manifolds is called affine it its expression in affine coordinates is the restriction of an aftine map between vector spaces. Thus we form the category of affine manifolds and affine m_nps. Let M be a connected affine manifold of dimension n-> 1, locally isomorphic to the vector space E. Its universal covering/~/ inheri ts a unique affine structure for which the covering projection/~/--~ M is an aifine immersion. The group ~r of deck transformations acts on /V/by afline automorphisms. It is well known that there is an affine immersion D :/~5/--~ E, called the developing map. This follows, for example, from Chevalley's Monodromy Theorem; a proof is outlined in Section 2. Such an immersion is unique up to composition with an atiine automorphism of E. Thus for every g ~ "n" there is a unique affine automorphism a(g) of E such that D o g =ct(g)oD. The resulting homomorphism a : ~r --~ Aft (E) from 7r into the group of affine automorphisms of E is called the affine holonomy representation. It is unique up to inner automorphisms of Aft (E). The composition A : 7r ~ G L (E) is called the linear holonomy representation. The affine structure on M is completely determined by the pair (D, a) . M is called complete when D is a homeomorphism. This is equivalent to geodesic completeness of the connection on M (in which parallel transport is locally defined by affine charts as ordinary parallel transport in E). It is notorious that compactness does not imply completeness. The main results of this paper are about aftine manifolds whose affine holonomy groups a(Tr) are nilpotent. An important class of such manifolds are the affine nilmanifolds 7r\G. Here 7r is a discrete subgroup of a simply connected nilpoint Lie group G. It is assumed that G has a left-invariant afline structure; the space of right cosets of r then inherits an affine structure.
Digital simulation of an automotive multiplexing wiring system

A digital simulator for an automotive multiplexing system has been developed and tested. The basic architecture and logical flow and block diagrams are described. Some results of the simulation are given. The contention scheme was found to work successfully in the simulator, and the outputs were found to be ordered in the same manner as expected by the requirements of the protocol. The network traffic and its effect on the latency index has also been studied. The simulator has provisions to incorporate alternate message retrial schemes and to test alternative strategies of the tasks. It is flexible enough so that the effects of noise and other nonideal phenomena can be incorporated. It is concluded that this simulator is a useful design/development tool due to its flexibility in testing alternative design strategies. >
Utility of short-term tests for genetic toxicity in the aftermath of the NTP's analysis of 73 chemicals.

This manuscript has been reviewed by the Health Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
The measure of wear in N-vinyl pyrrolidinone (NVP) modifed glass-ionomer cements†

Glass-ionomer cements (GICs) are very useful and important as a dental restorative material because of their unique properties, such as adhesion to moist tooth structure and base metals, long-term fluoride release that inhibits recurrent caries, thermal expansion coefficient that closely matches tooth structure, biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity. Poor mechanical properties, however, have prevented wider clinical use of these materials. Recent advances have shown that the use of NVP as a co-monomer in the glass-ionomer polyacid can improve mechanical properties. This work will focus on the synthesis of four NVP modified polyacids and the evaluation of their mechanical properties and wear properties. There is no significant difference between the wear of a commercial glass-ionomer (Fuji IX) and the four experimental materials. However, the attrition component of wear appears to correlate well with the measured mechanical properties. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PRISMATIC case: bienvenidos a mi tierra de soledad: from poetry to molecular biology in southern Ecuador.

San Vicente de1 Rio emerges in the high Andean mists, visible for more than a half-hour before arrival there over a trail that became a road cut precariously into the mountainside only a few years ago (Fig. 1). Our journey to San Vicente began when the authors first met in Quito, when A.R. went there in December 1988 to follow up several GH-treated patients he had been seeing in Florida. We were unaware of the adventure before us when we met and decided to work together. Six months later, in June 1989, we saw six adult women and a toddler from southern Ecuador with severe short stature, harbingers of a population that would eventually involve nearly one-third of the worlds known cases of Laron syndrome [GH insensitivity due to GH receptor deficiency (GHRD)]. On our first investigative trip south, in December 1989, we met the great-grandmother of three affected sisters (Fig. 2) and explained our mission while waiting for the rest of the family to return from market in a neighboring town. At the time, we did not know that we would be able to identify the genetic defect or provide specific therapy [recombinant insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I)]. We did know that we would be able to help them understand the condition and, after hearing of our interest, this 88-yr-old woman extended her hand and said, “Bienvenidos a mi tierra de soledad” (Welcome to my land of solitude). Not only did she acknowledge the sincerity of our mission, but she recognized the social circumstances that generated the problem. Thus did we come to San Vicente, home or origin of a dozen affected individuals. How did the people of San Vicente come there? There is no legend. They have always been there. The matriarch answers, “When I opened my eyes, it was here.” Those who have not been to school have no concept of what the name Spain means. Their voyage to San Vicente and the other foci of GHRD in the area 120 km in diameter in southern Ecuador that encompasses the origins of all affected individuals began with the cataclysmic events in Spain in 1492. On March 31 of that year, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella issued the Edict of Expulsion to the Jews,
Non-linear wave loads on large circular cylinders: a perturbation technique

Abstract The forces and overturning moments exerted by second order waves on large vertical circular cylinders are analysed. The mathematical equations governing the physical system are the three-dimensional Laplace's equation satisfied by the velocity potential ϕ ( x , y , z , t ) and the boundary conditions, namely the dynamic boundary condition which is obtained from the Bernoulli's equation, kinematic boundary condition, radiation condition, bottom boundary condition and the zero radial velocity condition on the surface of the cylinder. The non-linearity of the mathematical problem is evidenced in the free surface boundary conditions viz. dynamic and kinematic boundary conditions. Analytical solutions are obtained using the perturbation technique. These solutions are compared with various experimental data. The comparison shows favourable agreement between the theory and the experimental results.
Minimizing tolerance and withdrawal to prolonged pediatric sedation: case report and review of the literature.

Midazolam and fentanyl infusions are commonly used for prolonged sedation and analgesia in the pediatric intensive care setting. Tolerance and withdrawal are major concerns when these infusions are used for days or weeks. Here, we review the current approaches to prolonged pediatric sedation using midazolam and fentanyl and discuss newer strategies to avoid tolerance and withdrawal syndromes. We report the case of a pediatric burn patient who developed tolerance syndrome and a movement disorder in our institution. We also review the relevant literature and methods of minimizing tolerance and withdrawal. Prolonged sedation is often necessary in treating critically ill children, and tolerance and abstinence syndrome can complicate a successful recovery. Scoring systems can be used to minimize oversedation and to titrate effectively. “Drug cycling,” “wake-up protocols,” and weaning regimens, possibly combined with adjuvant drugs, are being implemented successfully. Such novel approaches may decrease the inci...
The bilingual L2 advantage in recognition memory

To better understand the mechanisms by which bilingual proficiency impacts memory processes, two recognition memory experiments were conducted with matched monolingual and bilingual samples. In Experiment 1, monolingual speakers of English and Spanish studied high- and low-frequency words under full attention or cognitive load conditions. In Experiment 2, Spanish–English bilingual participants studied high- and low-frequency words under full-attention conditions in each language. For both monolinguals and bilinguals, low-frequency words were better recognized than high-frequency words. The central new findings were that bilingual recognition was more accurate in the less fluent language (L2) than in the more fluent language (L1) and that bilingual L2 recognition was more accurate than monolingual recognition. The bilingual L2 advantage parallels word frequency effects in recognition and is attributed to the greater episodic distinctiveness of L2 words, relative to L1 words.
Endometrial thickness after misoprostol use for early pregnancy failure

Objectives: To assess if there was any potential relationship between endometrial thickness and final treatment outcome in women successfully treated with misoprostol for a first trimester anembryonic gestation, embryonic demise or fetal demise. Methods: Eighty women were treated with up to two doses of misoprostol 800 μg vaginally for early pregnancy failure. Subjects were scheduled to return 2 (range 1-4), 7 (range 5-9) and 14 (range 12-17) days after treatment. Transvaginal ultrasonography was performed at each follow-up visit. Results: The median endometrial thickness at each of the follow-up visits for women who had expelled the gestational sac was 14 mm, 10 mm, and 7 mm, respectively. The endometrial thickness at the first follow-up visit exceeded 15 mm in 20 subjects (36%) and 30 mm in four subjects (7%). Only three women had a suction aspiration for bleeding after documented expulsion. The endometrial thickness for these women was 11, 13, and 14 mm at the first follow-up visit. Conclusions: There is no obvious relationship between increasing endometrial thickness and the need for surgical intervention in women treated with misoprostol for early pregnancy failure.
Malignant tumors of the penis.

BACKGROUNDAlthough penile cancer is rare in developed countries, it occurs more frequently in other parts of the world and causes significant morbidity and mortality.OBJECTIVETo review the current literature on the pathogenesis, risk factors, clinical presentation, staging, and treatment of premalig
Sequential logic synthesis using symbolic bi-decomposition

This paper uses under-approximation of unreachable states of a design to derive incomplete specification of combinational logic. The resulting incompletely-specified functions are decomposed to enhance the quality of technology-dependent synthesis. The decomposition choices are computed implicitly using novel formulation of symbolic bi-decomposition that is applied recursively to decompose logic in terms of simple primitives. The ability of BDDs to represent compactly certain exponentially large combinatorial sets helps us to implicitly enumerate and explore variety of decomposition choices improving quality of synthesized circuits. Benefits of the symbolic technique are demonstrated in sequential synthesis of publicly available benchmarks as well as on the realistic industrial designs.
CAD challenges for leading-edge multimedia designs

Multimedia designs are among the most complex leading-edge integrated circuits that are made today. In this session, CAD architects for three industry-leading multimedia products will discuss new challenges that arise across the CAD flow — from system and architecture level through physical implementation - as we approach billion-transistor devices. The first talk will focus on system-level specification and codesign of embedded software for a multimedia processor. The second talk will discuss new time and space challenges for verification methodologies, which must be met to address the requirements of graphics processor time-to-market pressures. The third talk will discuss CAD challenges unique to a pioneering high-speed, multi-core processing engine for gaming and entertainment platforms.
Signaling Versus the Balance of Power and Interests An Empirical Test of a Crisis Bargaining Model

Conventional wisdom holds that in international disputes, a state's military threast are more likely to work the more the state is favored by the balance of power or the balance of interests. Analy...
Run-time adaptation in river

We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of run-time adaptation within the River dataflow programming environment. The goal of the River system is to provide adaptive mechanisms that allow database query-processing applications to cope with performance variations that are common in cluster platforms. We describe the system and its basic mechanisms, and carefully evaluate those mechanisms and their effectiveness. In our analysis, we answer four previously unanswered and important questions. Are the core run-time adaptive mechanisms effective, especially as compared to the ideal? What are the keys to making them work well? Can applications easily use these primitives? And finally, are there situations in which run-time adaptation is not sufficient? In performing our study, we utilize a three-pronged approach, comparing results from idealized models of system behavior, targeted simulations, and a prototype implementation. As well as providing insight on the positives and negatives of run-time adaptation both specifically in River and in a broader context, we also comment on the interplay of modeling, simulation, and implementation in system design.
On the suitability of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) charging infrastructures based on wind and solar energy

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are recently being widely touted as a viable alternative to conventional vehicles due to their environment friendly and energy-wise features. Assuming that moving into the future, a large number of PHEV users will exist, the overall influence of charging the on-board ESS is non-negligible. Instead of charging from grid, renewable energy, such as wind energy and solar energy, is a potential alternative. In this paper, a review of wind energy for PHEV is provided. Also, based on the photovoltaic potential of certain locations in Canada, the sizing of the PV panel, required for charging a PHEV, for operating in an all-electric mode for 40 miles daily, is discussed, as a case study. More importantly, scenario-based case studies based on different vehicle structures are carried out to evaluate the possibilities of reducing the costs. Finally, a comprehensive comparison is carried out to summarize the advantages from different points of view.
Analyzing basidiocarp motion due to naturally occurring forces by performing FEM on a portabella mushroom

Finite element analysis was used to analyze the motion of a portabella mushroom due to a single raindrop and 30 m/s wind. The resultant stresses are found to be concentrated at the top and bottom of the stipe. The pileus deviates a maximum of three degrees from horizontal orientation helping to optimize reproductive capability.
Consequence of cryptorchidism: relationship to etiology and treatment.

Summary Increased risk of infertility and testicular tumors after cryptorchidism is the basis for treatment. Over the past few decades the recommended age of therapy has become younger and younger, so that currently therapy is recommended before 2 years of age and as early as 6 months. Evidence indicates that treatment before 10 years of age reduces the incidence of testicular tumors among men who formerly had unilateral cryptorchidism to that of men without a history of cryptorchidism. However, the effect of the age of treatment among the bilateral group is unknown. Infertility after bilateral cryptorchidism is about six times greater than that of the general population, affecting about half of patients; it appears to be only two times greater among the unilateral group, affecting about 10% of patients. To date no effect of age of therapy has been demonstrated, although current studies have not been able to consider the underlying cause of the cryptorchidism. Data are not yet available to determine whether pretreatment testicular location or size is related to subsequent fertility. The current recommendation for treatment within the first 2 years of life is based on the progressive degeneration of germ cells within the persistently cryptorchid testis after the first year of life. This recommendation should stand, even though some testes may be i r r e t r i e v a b l y damaged before such early therapy, and others may suffer minimal or no detrimental effect after delayed treatment. Future information may identify specific causes of cryptorchidism and, hence, determination of which patients will benefit from early therapy.
The Application of Neural Network Based on Particle Swarm Optimization in Pattern Recognition of Flatness Signal

In order to improve the precision of flatness recognition of strip, a new pattern recognizing approach of flatness was proposed. A kind of hybrid optimization strategy was used to train the neural network. That is to say, the weights were initialized by particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, and optimized by back-propagation (BP) algorithm, and then the best result was obtained. Patterns of flatness were recognized by the above proposed algorithm. The membership grades relative to the six basic patterns of common flatness defect were obtained, and the corresponding flatness control strategy would base on them. The simulation of theory data and actual data from Benxi-Steel had been carried out. The results show that the approach can provide us with stronger anti-interference ability, and by the approach, the recognizing accuracy and speed are increased greatly.
PIF4, a phytochrome-interacting bHLH factor, functions as a negative regulator of phytochrome B signaling in Arabidopsis

Plants sense and respond to red and far-red light using the phytochrome (phy) family of photoreceptors. However, the mechanism of light signal transduction is not well defined. Here, we report the identification of a new mutant Arabidopsis locus, srl2 (short under red-light 2), which confers selective hypersensitivity to continuous red, but not far-red, light. This hypersensitivity is eliminated in srl2phyB, but not srl2phyA, double mutants, indicating that this locus functions selectively and negatively in phyB signaling. The SRL2 gene encodes a bHLH factor, designated PIF4 (phytochrome-interacting factor 4), which binds selectively to the biologically active Pfr form of phyB, but has little affinity for phyA. Despite its hypersensitive morphological phenotype, the srl2 mutant displays no perturbation of light-induced expression of marker genes for chloroplast development. These data suggest that PIF4 may function specifically in a branch of the phyB signaling network that regulates a subset of genes involved in cell expansion. Consistent with this proposal, PIF4 localizes to the nucleus and can bind to a G-box DNA sequence motif found in various light-regulated promoters.
Perspectives on Obesity and Its Treatment: Health Care Providers and the General Public in Rural West Virginia and Urban Baltimore

Objective. To determine and compare the perspectives of the general public and health care providers (HCPs) on obesity and its treatment in rural West Virginia (WV) and Baltimore, MD. Method. Surveys were completed in both locations by the general public (WV: n = 200; Baltimore: n = 171) and HCPs (WV: n = 25; Baltimore: n = 15). Results. BMI (body mass index) ≥ 30 (WV: n = 94; Baltimore: n = 58) was associated with a stronger belief in the heritability of obesity and with the ability to control obesity by controlling food cost, compared with those with normal BMI (WV: n = 42; Baltimore: n = 57). Those with a high school education (WV: n = 112; Baltimore: n = 113) were less likely to agree that obesity is a problem in the community and that proper diet and exercise are realistic expectations, compared with those with at least some higher education. Perspectives of HCPs differed significantly from the general public in both locations. Conclusion. Many differences in perspective on obesity exist between WV a...
A perforated diverticulum in Cushing's disease

We report a case of perforated colonic diverticulum in Cushing's disease. Although perforated diverticuli have been described in patients with Cushing's syndrome secondary to exogenous glucocorticoids, this complication has not been described in patients with Cushing's disease. Patients with hypercortisolism, from either exogenous or endogenous sources, should be monitored for diverticular perforation.