cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vitro and in vivo biologic effects of Interleukin-3 (IL-3) in follicular Low-Grade lymphoma

Interleukin-3 (IL-3) is a pleiotropic cytokine which has stimulatory effects on a broad range of hematopoietic progenitor cells. These effects have led to the use of IL-3 in clinical trials for the treatment of aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome as well as to stimulate bone marrow recovery in patients who have received high-dose therapy and bone marrow/stem cell transplantation. However, because one study suggested that IL-3 may also stimulate the growth of follicular small cleaved cell lymphoma (FSCCL) cells in vitro, it was concerning that the use of IL-3 after bone marrow transplantation in patients with FSCCL may stimulate the growth of undetectable minimal residual tumor cells resulting in early relapsed disease. In contrast to these observations, our own in vitro studies demonstrated that 1L-3 inhibited FSCCL cells in short-term culture in a dose-dependent manner. Subsequently, we conducted a phase II clinical trial using single agent IL-3 for the treatment of patients with follicular low ...
Global Image Denoising

Most existing state-of-the-art image denoising algorithms are based on exploiting similarity between a relatively modest number of patches. These patch-based methods are strictly dependent on patch matching, and their performance is hamstrung by the ability to reliably find sufficiently similar patches. As the number of patches grows, a point of diminishing returns is reached where the performance improvement due to more patches is offset by the lower likelihood of finding sufficiently close matches. The net effect is that while patch-based methods, such as BM3D, are excellent overall, they are ultimately limited in how well they can do on (larger) images with increasing complexity. In this paper, we address these shortcomings by developing a paradigm for truly global filtering where each pixel is estimated from all pixels in the image. Our objectives in this paper are two-fold. First, we give a statistical analysis of our proposed global filter, based on a spectral decomposition of its corresponding operator, and we study the effect of truncation of this spectral decomposition. Second, we derive an approximation to the spectral (principal) components using the Nystrom extension. Using these, we demonstrate that this global filter can be implemented efficiently by sampling a fairly small percentage of the pixels in the image. Experiments illustrate that our strategy can effectively globalize any existing denoising filters to estimate each pixel using all pixels in the image, hence improving upon the best patch-based methods.
Controlled phase diffuser for a laser communication link

Laser beam propagation through atmospheric turbulence may result in strong intensity fluctuations at the receiver plane of a free-space communication link. To minimize intensity fluctuations, we consider an approach based on the use of a dynamic random phase diffuser placed in the transmitter plane. To create a phase diffuser having controlled statistical properties, a nonlinear optical system with 2D feedback (artificial optical turbulence generator) is used. This system can provide real-time laser beam spatial coherence control for a laser transmitter in order to optimize laser communication link performance.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Facilitating action research: a study of coaches, their experiences, and their reflections on leading teachers in the process of practitioner inquiry

Despite the profound impact of action research coaches on teachers’ experiences of the inquiry process, little research exists in the field regarding the coach’s role. In this exploratory study, two groups of action research coaches – one novice and one experienced – share their experiences of coaching inquiry during the 2009/10 school year. Out of the focus group interviews conducted with each group of coaches, four challenges arose that spanned across the coaching of both groups, despite the level of experience: time, coaching wondering development, coaching data analysis and administration. Implications and future research directions based on this work are discussed.
Evaluation of Surveillance Bias and the Validity of the Venous Thromboembolism Quality Measure

mportance Postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) rates are widely reported quality metrics soon to be used in pay-for-performance programs. Surveillance bias occurs when some clinicians use imaging studies to detect VTE more frequently than other clinicians. Because they look more, they find more VTE events, paradoxically worsening their hospital�s VTE quality measure performance. A surveillance bias may influence VTE measurement if (1) greater hospital VTE prophylaxis adherence fails to result in lower measured VTE rates, (2) hospitals with characteristics suggestive of higher quality (eg, more accreditations) have greater VTE prophylaxis adherence rates but worse VTE event rates, and (3) higher hospital VTE imaging utilization use rates are associated with higher measured VTE event rates. Objective To examine whether a surveillance bias influences the validity of reported VTE rates. Design, Setting, and Participants 2010 Hospital Compare and American Hospital Association data from 2838 hospitals were merged. Next, 2009-2010 Medicare claims data for 954?926 surgical patient discharges from 2786 hospitals who were undergoing 1 of 11 major operations were used to calculate VTE imaging (duplex ultrasonography, chest computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, and ventilation-perfusion scans) and VTE event rates. Main Outcomes and Measures The association between hospital VTE prophylaxis adherence and risk-adjusted VTE event rates was examined. The relationship between a summary score of hospital structural characteristics reflecting quality (hospital size, numbers of accreditations/quality initiatives) and performance on VTE prophylaxis and risk-adjusted VTE measures was examined. Hospital-level VTE event rates were compared across VTE diagnostic imaging rate quartiles and with a quantile regression. Results Greater hospital VTE prophylaxis adherence rates were weakly associated with worse risk-adjusted VTE event rates (r2?=?4.2%; P?=?.03). Hospitals with increasing structural quality scores had higher VTE prophylaxis adherence rates (93.3% vs 95.5%, lowest vs highest quality quartile; P?<?.001) but worse risk-adjusted VTE rates (4.8 vs 6.4 per 1000, lowest vs highest quality quartile; P?<?.001). Mean VTE diagnostic imaging rates ranged from 32 studies per 1000 in the lowest imaging use quartile to 167 per 1000 in the highest quartile (P?<?.001). Risk-adjusted VTE rates increased significantly with VTE imaging use rates in a stepwise fashion, from 5.0 per 1000 in the lowest quartile to 13.5 per 1000 in the highest quartile (P?<?.001). Conclusions and Relevance Hospitals with higher quality scores had higher VTE prophylaxis rates but worse risk-adjusted VTE rates. Increased hospital VTE event rates were associated with increasing hospital VTE imaging use rates. Surveillance bias limits the usefulness of the VTE quality measure for hospitals working to improve quality and patients seeking to identify a high-quality hospital.
Right Ventricular Function in Cardiovascular Disease, Part I Anatomy, Physiology, Aging, and Functional Assessment of the Right Ventricle

In 1616, Sir William Harvey was the first to describe the importance of right ventricular (RV) function in his seminal treatise, De Motu Cordis : “Thus the right ventricle may be said to be made for the sake of transmitting blood through the lungs, not for nourishing them.”1,2 For many years that followed, emphasis in cardiology was placed on left ventricular (LV) physiology, overshadowing the study of the RV. In the first half of the 20th century, the study of RV function was limited to a small group of investigators who were intrigued by the hypothesis that human circulation could function adequately without RV contractile function.3 Their studies, however, were based on an open pericardial dog model, which failed to take into account the complex nature of ventricular interaction. In the early 1950s through the 1970s, cardiac surgeons recognized the importance of right-sided function as they evaluated procedures to palliate right-heart hypoplasia. Since then, the importance of RV function has been recognized in heart failure, RV myocardial infarction, congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. More recently, advances in echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging have created new opportunities for the study of RV anatomy and physiology. The goal of the present review is to offer a clinical perspective on RV structure and function. In the first part, we discuss the anatomy, physiology, aging, and assessment of the RV. In the second part, we discuss the pathophysiology, clinical importance, and management of RV failure. ### Macroscopic Anatomy of the RV In the normal heart, the RV is the most anteriorly situated cardiac chamber and lies immediately behind the sternum. In the absence of transposition of great arteries, the RV is delimited by the annulus of the tricuspid valve and by the pulmonary valve. As suggested by Goor and Lillehi,4 the RV can be described in …
Computational Biology Resources Lack Persistence and Usability

Innovation in computational biology research is predicated on the availability of published methods and computational resources. These resources facilitate the generation of new hypotheses and observations both on the part of the creators and the scientists who use them. These methods and resources include Web servers, databases, and software, both complex and simple, that implement a specific procedure or algorithm. Usually, a resource is maintained by the laboratory in which it was initially developed. We would assert that there is a growing level of frustration among scientists who attempt to use many of these resources and find that they no longer exist or are not properly maintained.
The Momentum of Ions Leaving a Region of Ionization

The momentum carried by ions starting from rest in an ionized region and falling freely to an electrode differs from the electrostatic force on the collector not only by the electron pressure but by an additional term which depends upon geometrical configuration, being zero in the plane parallel case. Expressions for the ion momentum are derived for the cases: cylinder, sphere, and cylindrical and spherical shell. The additional momentum is less than, but of the same order of magnitude as corresponds to the electrostatic force and may be either positive or negative. The comparison has been worked out in two simple cases.
Advances in compact wire-array Z-pinch X-ray sources and Z-pinch diagnostics

Summary form only given. The Z facility at Sandia National Laboratories is a 100-ns, 20-MA pulsed power driver for plasma radiation sources. Experiments with tungsten wire-array Z pinches on the Z facility can produce >200 TW and 1.8 MJ of soft X rays in the 100-10,000 eV range. The best performance from tungsten wire arrays on the Z facility was originally obtained with 40-mm diameter arrays. As part of a concentrated multi-year campaign studying both single and nested (concentric) wire arrays, we have experimentally demonstrated comparable results using 20-mm diameter arrays, a feat that was not obviously achievable even a few years ago. The use of compact X-ray sources is critical to designs for double-ended, Z-pinch driven hohlraum inertial confinement fusion (ICF) concept. Concurrent with our compact X-ray source research, we have also actively pursued the development of advanced diagnostics for studying Z pinches, such as monochromatic X-ray backlighting/imaging and grazing incidence cameras. Monochromatic X-ray backlighting has played a critical role in confirming models for wire ablation physics and also in verifying the role of rapid current transfer and ablation of the inner wire array in a nested array implosion. These observations helped us develop methods for controlling the radiation pulse shapes attainable from nested wire-array implosions, allowing us to experimentally demonstrate radiation pulse shapes equivalent to those required for fusion capsule implosions. Recent experiments studying single-array implosions have demonstrated high coupling efficiency between the pulsed power and the X-ray pulses from short-implosion-time arrays that appears to be the result of contributions from non-kinetic sources of energy, a result consistent with array-on-rod tests. These diagnostics and experiments have provided us with a wealth of new data on Z-pinch dynamics that is being used to constrain models for wire-array Z pinches
Is hypnotic suggestibility a stable trait

The present study examined the trait-like nature of hypnotic suggestibility by examining the stability of hypnotic responsiveness in a test-retest design in which the procedures were administered either live or by audiotape. Contrary to the idea that hypnotizability is a largely immutable, stable trait, scores on the scale of hypnotic responsiveness decreased significantly at the second session. Measures of subjective experiences and expectancies accounted for a sizable portion of the variance in hypnotic responding, both at initial test and at retest. Participants became disengaged with the hypnotic procedures at retest. Participants who received the hypnotic induction by audiotape did not differ from participants who received it live. The results are consistent with sociocognitive and altered state theories of hypnosis, and underline the important role of subjective experiences in hypnotic responding.
The uniqueness of changes: characteristics and applications

Changes in software development come in many forms. Some changes are frequent, idiomatic, or repetitive (e.g. Adding checks for nulls or logging important values) while others are unique. We hypothesize that unique changes are different from the more common similar (or non-unique) changes in important ways, they may require more expertise or represent code that is more complex or prone to mistakes. As such, these unique changes are worthy of study. In this paper, we present a definition of unique changes and provide a method for identifying them in software project history. Based on the results of applying our technique on the Linux kernel and two large projects at Microsoft, we present an empirical study of unique changes. We explore how prevalent unique changes are and investigate where they occur along the architecture of the project. We further investigate developers' contribution towards uniqueness of changes. We also describe potential applications of leveraging the uniqueness of change and implement two of those applications, evaluating the risk of changes based on uniqueness and providing change recommendations for non-unique changes.
Angular scattering from optical interference coatings: scalar scattering predictions and measurements

A scalar scattering theory is developed that predicts the angular distribution of light scattered and the total integrated scatter from a randomly rough or inhomogeneous optical interference coating. Three types of random variation are considered: uncorrelated roughness, additive roughness, and uncorrelated index inhomogeneity. The scattering calculations are formulated so that the output of any conventional thin film analysis program along with a coating's surface or index statistics could be used to calculate the scattering distribution of a coating. The scattering calculations are compared to experimental measurements from a sixteen-layer high reflector coating with small additive roughness sigma = 2.4 A and large correlated roughness sigma = 93 A.
Small Cities Matter, Too: The Impacts of an Airport and Local Infrastructure on Housing Prices in a Small Urban City

Cities with small populations tend not to receive as much attention in housing hedonic studies as do large metropolitan areas despite their similar economic development goals (quality of life improvements for their citizens, etc.). However, small cities, with their relatively smaller number of amenities and features, tend to have fewer numbers of variables that operate to determine house prices. Therefore, hedonic prices can be estimated adequately for a single neighborhood in a small city with publicly available data, particularly for local officials who do not have the time or financial resources to complete detailed studies of their cities. In this study, a general model is estimated that uncovers the impacts of airport-related noise, local recreational amenities, public transportation services, and schools on housing prices in a small city in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The implications and usefulness of this approach to local economic developers and city planners will be discussed.
Global operators for delta functions - Extension to scattering states and the inclusion of spin

The paper presents an extension of the identities of Hiller, Sucher, and Feinberg for the evaluation of bound-state matrix elements of delta function operators, to scattering states. Attention is given to the technical difficulties encountered in the application of the scattering-state identities and how they can be overcome, including infrared singularities which arise if Coulomb forces are present and the velocity of the incident particle is small. In addition, both the scattering and bound-state identities are generalized to include spin-dependent contact interactions and spin-dependent Hamiltonians. Finally, it is stressed that the identities can be used to improve the accuracy of calculations of interest for diverse physical phenomena, ranging from positron annihilation to hyperfine structure.
The management of superficial bladder cancer.

From review of the currently available trial evidence, several clinical recommendations for bladder tumor management become apparent. Transurethral resection should be done, but this procedure is prone to both overestimating and underestimating staging. Restaging transurethral resection for patients with T1 tumors should, therefore, be performed. Data support the immediate postoperative instillation of a chemotherapeutic agent for patients with solitary, low-grade papillary tumors, whereas patients with multiple lesions might benefit from a more intensive adjuvant regimen. Although the use of intravesical immunotherapy for reducing tumor progression or as maintenance therapy is controversial, bacillus Calmette-Guerin has demonstrated significant benefit for tumor prophylaxis when no obvious residual disease is present. Early radical cystectomy can be beneficial and should be performed in patients with refractory T1 tumors or carcinoma in situ before progression to muscle invasion. In this Review I present an overview of the management of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer. The most common intravesical chemotherapeutic agents are described as well as the impact of chemotherapy on the recurrence and progression of tumors. The effect of intravesical immunotherapy in bladder cancer is explored as well as the role of early cystectomy.
Maintenance of adult cardiac function requires the chromatin factor Asxl2

Abstract During development and differentiation, cell type-specific chromatin configurations are set up to facilitate cell type-specific gene expression. Defects in the establishment or the maintenance of the correct chromatin configuration have been associated with diseases ranging from leukemia to muscular dystrophy. The heart expresses many chromatin factors, and we are only beginning to understand their roles in heart development and function. We have previously shown that the chromatin regulator Asxl2 is highly expressed in the murine heart both during development and adulthood. In the absence of Asxl2, there is a significant reduction in trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27), a histone mark associated with lineage-specific silencing of developmental genes. Here we present evidence that Asxl2 is required for the long-term maintenance of ventricular function and for the maintenance of normal cardiac gene expression. Asxl2 −/− hearts displayed progressive deterioration of ventricular function. By 10 months of age, there was ~ 37% reduction in fractional shortening in Asxl2 −/− hearts compared to wild-type. Analysis of the expression of myofibril proteins suggests that Asxl2 is required for the repression of β-MHC. Asxl2 −/− hearts did not exhibit hypertrophy, suggesting that the de-repression of β-MHC was not the result of hypertrophic response. Instead, Asxl2 and the histone methyltansferase Ezh2 co-localize to β-MHC promoter, suggesting that Asxl2 directly represses β-MHC. Interrogation of the CardioGenomics database revealed that ASXL2 is down-regulated in the hearts of patients with ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. We propose that chromatin factors like Asxl2 function in the adult heart to regulate cell type- and stage-specific patterns of gene expression, and the disruption of such regulation may be involved in the etiology and/or development of certain forms of human heart disease.
Acid-Base and Aggregation Behavior of Water Soluble N-confused Porphyrin

The acid-base and aggregation behavior of water soluble meso-tetrakis(p-sulfonato-phenyl)N-confused porphyrin was explored using UV-visible spectroscopy. Stepwise protonation events were observed in acidic media with pK4 = 5.8 and pK3 = 7.7, and spectroscopic evidence suggests the formation of polymeric aggregates at low pH. meso-tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)N-confused porphyrin was found to obey Beer's Law in dimethylformamide and methanol over the concentration range of 10-4 to 10-6 M and at low concentration in water. Deviations in water at higher concentration were analyzed to determine KD values for aggregate formation in the presence and absence of salt and buffer.
An Exploration of Family Problem-Solving and Affective Involvement as Moderators Between Disease Severity and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Little is known about how family functioning relates to psychosocial functioning of youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The study aim was to examine family problem solving and affective involvement as moderators between adolescent disease severity and depressive symptoms. Participants were 122 adolescents with IBD and their parents. Measures included self-reported and parent-reported adolescent depressive symptoms, parent-reported family functioning, and physician-completed measures of disease severity. Disease severity was a significant predictor of adolescent-reported depressive symptoms, but not parent-reported adolescent depressive symptoms. Family affective involvement significantly predicted parent-reported adolescent depressive symptoms, while family problem-solving significantly predicted adolescent self-report of depressive symptoms. Neither affective involvement nor problem-solving served as moderators. Family affective involvement may play an important role in adolescent emotional functioning but may not moderate the effect of disease severity on depressive symptoms. Research should continue to examine effects of family functioning on youth emotional functioning and include a sample with a wider range of disease severity to determine if interventions aimed to enhance family functioning are warranted.
Studies on the alkaline phosphatase rise following colon ischemia.

The elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) that develops in the dog after 24 hours of colon ischemia was studied to determine its tissue origin. Portal, hepatic, and aortic blood were sampled but no difference in ALP level among these sites was found. In sera shown to have a significant rise in ALP, other tests of liver function were unchanged from normal, suggesting the ALP did not originate from the liver. On electrophoresis the “ischemic ALP” migrated faster than a known liver ALP standard but more slowly than an intestinal ALP sample.
MOLECULAR EVENTS IN REPLICATION OF NUCLEI.

Abstract The use of synchronized cultures permits the study of molecular events which take place sequentially in the replication of the mammalian cell nucleus. The results of our experiments illustrate that cells which have become “triggered” for nuclear replication, (i.e. cells are able to initiate DNA synthesis), still require the synthesis of both new RNA and new protein in order to make competent and insure the replication of the late-labeling sites of DNA in the chromosomes. The synthesis of a complete complement of DNA is required before mitosis will take place. However, the mitotic process and cytokinesis in the HeLa cell also requires the synthesis of some new RNA and protein. If the protein is made with p -fluoro-phenylalanine, mitosis fails to occur. Accordingly, nuclear replication appears to involve the sequential expression of information for the synthesis of specific macromolecules at these two points. The further identification of these products and their role in DNA synthesis and mitosis is the subject of current study. It is expected that knowledge of the conditions underlying the induction and repression of these specific syntheses will be of value in the regulation of cell reproduction in health and disease, in normal and malignant growth.
Group velocity dispersion in asymmetric slab guides

Calcul de la dispersion de la vitesse de groupe dans les guides d'onde multicouches asymetriques a fort guidage
Xenotransplantation in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

For nearly a century, xenotransplantation has been seen as a potential curative approach to replacing the function of diseased or damaged organs. Until recently, however, the application of xenotransplantation has seemed only a remote possibility. Genetic engineering of large animals has allowed the ability to add genes and remove genes from lines of animals, which could provide an enduring source of tissues and organs for clinical application. Genetic engineering could address the immunologic, physiologic, and infectious barriers to xenotransplantation, and could expand the utility of xenotransplantation to provide a source of cells with defined expression of exogenous genes for treatment of human disease. Keywords: Accommodation; Acute Vascular Rejection; Genetic Engineering; Humoral Immunity; Hyperacute Rejection; Xenotransplantation; Zoonosis
Reading up books: Artificial intelligence and expert systems: Academic guidelines and suggested reading in the field of artificial intelligence and its industrial arm — Expert systems

“Intelligence … is the faculty of making artificial objects, especially tools, to make tools.” (Henri Bergson, 1859–1941.) What, exactly, is meant by the term “artificial intelligence” (AI)? Dr. Patrick H. Winston, Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, defines AI as “the study of ideas which enable computers to do the things that make people seem intelligent. The central goals of AI are to make computers more useful and to understand the principles which make intelligence possible.”
Variability in ultrasonic measurements of arterial stiffness in the atherosclerosis risk in communities study

Arterial stiffness is emerging as an important risk marker for cardiovascular disease. Ultrasound-based measurements of arterial stiffness are in use by several large epidemiological studies. The reliability of ultrasonic measurements of arterial stiffness was assessed as part of one of these, the Atherosclerosis Risk in communities (ARIC) study. ARIC, a prospective, four-center epidemiological study, used B-mode ultrasound with an electronic tracking device to measure arterial stiffness of the carotid artery. Oscillometric blood pressure measures were obtained before and after the arterial wall tracking. Measurement variability was estimated in 36 volunteers who were scanned at three visits conducted at 7- to 14-day intervals. Between- and within-person components of variation were estimated for arterial diameter and blood-pressure measurements. The correlation (R) between repeated measurements for pulse pressure, the percent change in arterial diameter (strain), and the percent and absolute change in the arterial area were 0.69, 0.67, 0.66 and 0.81, respectively. The R for the stress-strain elastic modulus (Ep), arterial distensibility, and arterial compliance were 0.66, 0.67, and 0.77, respectively. The R for the pressure-adjusted diameter change (i.e., diameter change adjusted for diastolic and pulse pressures) was 0.75. In summary, the ultrasonic measurements of arterial stiffness employed in the ARIC study demonstrate excellent short-term repeatability, demonstrating their utility in field settings.
End-stage renal disease in young black males in a black-white population: longitudinal analysis of the Bogalusa Heart Study

Risk factors in childhood create a life-long burden important in the development of cardiovascular (CV) disease in adulthood. Many risk factors for CV disease (e.g., hypertension) also increase the risk of renal disease. However, the importance of childhood risk factors on the development of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is not well characterized. The current observations include data from Bogalusa Heart Study participants who were examined multiple times as children between 1973 and 1988. Through 2006, fifteen study participants subsequently developed ESRD in adulthood; seven with no known overt cause. Although the Bogalusa Heart Study population is 63% white and 37% black and 51% male and 49% female, all seven ESRD cases with no known overt cause were black males (p < 0.001). Mean age-adjusted systolic and diastolic blood pressure in childhood was higher among the ESRD cases (114.5 mmHg and 70.1 mmHg, respectively) compared to black (103.0 mmHg and 62.3 mmHg, respectively) and white (mean = 103.3 mmHg and 62.3 mmHg, respectively) boys who didn't develop ESRD. The mean age-adjusted body mass index in childhood was 23.5 kg/m2 among ESRD cases and 18.6 kg/m2 and 18.9 kg/m2 among black and white boys who didn't develop ESRD, respectively. Plasma glucose in childhood was not significantly associated with ESRD. These data suggest black males have an increased risk of ESRD in young adulthood. Elevated body mass index and blood pressure in childhood may increase the risk for developing ESRD as young adults.
Computational Model for Internal Relative Humidity Distributions in Concrete

A computational model is developed for predicting nonuniform internal relative humidity distribution in concrete. Internal relative humidity distribution is known to have a direct effect on the nonuniform drying shrinkage strains. These nonuniform drying shrinkage strains result in the buildup of internal stresses, which may lead to cracking of concrete. This may be particularly true at early ages of concrete since the concrete is relatively weak while the difference in internal relative humidity is probably high. The results obtained from this model can be used by structural and construction engineers to predict critical drying shrinkage stresses induced due to differential internal humidity distribution. The model uses finite elment-finite difference numerical methods. The finite element is used to space discretization while the finite difference is used to obtain transient solutions of the model. The numerical formulations are then programmed in Matlab. The numerical results were compared with experimental results found in the literature and demonstrated very good agreement.
Heat transfer correlations for small, uniformly heated liquid pools

Abstract Heat transfer data of numerous investigators for uniformly-heated liquid pools of water, ethanol, methanol, Dowtherm-A, R-11 and R-113 in small cylindrical enclosures were compiled, sorted, and correlated in the following heat transfer regimes: (a) natural convection; (b) nucleate boiling; and (c) combined convection. In the combined convection, where both natural convection and nucleate boiling contribute to the heat transfer, the data were correlated by superimposing the natural convection and nucleate boiling heat transfer correlations using a power law approach as: Nu CC =(Nu 4 NC +Nu 4 NB ) 0.25 All correlations were within ±15% of most experimental data. The data covered a wide range of pool diameters (6–37 mm), heated pool heights (50–800 mm), working fluid filling ratios (0.1–3.25), and wall heat fluxes (0.7–383 kW m-2).
Reduced provirus burden and enhanced humoral immune function in AZT-treated SCID-feline mice inoculated with feline immunodeficiency virus.

The lack of a safe, economical murine lentivirus model for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection of humans has hampered the preclinical evaluation of potential antiviral compounds, vaccines, and biological response modifiers. A small animal model that does not employ HIV-1 is needed to minimize risk of accidental human exposure, enhance efficient use of scarce experimental compounds, and reduce laboratory space necessary to conduct statistically significant in vivo trials. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), an immunosuppressive lentivirus of domestic cats, has been used extensively as an animal model for the pathogenesis and therapy of human HIV-1 infection. Cats, however, are not amenable to large-scale efficacy trials because of their relatively large size, high cost, and limited degree of physiologic characterization, particularly with regard to drug metabolism. To adapt the feline immune system to a small laboratory animal host, severe combined immunodeficient mice (SCID mice) were engrafted with feline lymphoid tissues (forming the SCID-fe mouse) and inoculated with FIV. Two quantitative parameters, the incidence of provirus detection in feline tissue grafts and the level of feline IgG in plasma, were used to demonstrate the antiviral efficacy of 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine (AZT, azidothymidine, Retrovir®, zidovudine) in the SCID-fe system. Of 17 SCID-fe mice inoculated with 7 × 106 peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from an FIV-infected cat, eight had detectable FIV provirus in both the feline thymus and feline lymph node implants, as measured by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/Southern blot analysis. Treatment of these mice with AZT at a dose of 125 mg kg−1 day−1 in drinking water beginning 1 day prior to FIV inoculation and continuing throughout the study interval prevented the dual detection of provirus in feline lymph node and thymus grafts of all mice tested. In a separate experiment, the level of spontaneous feline IgG production was quantified by ELISA 2 weeks after FIV inoculation with and without AZT treatment. Mean plasma feline IgG level of five SCID-fe mice inoculated with 103 TCID50 cell-free FIV was 2.23 mg ml−1. Mean feline IgG level of five mice inoculated with the same quantity of FIV and treated with AZT beginning 1 day prior to virus inoculation and continuing for 2 weeks thereafter was 14.98 mg ml−1. AZT significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced feline humoral immune function at a virus inoculum titer of 103 TCID50. These data indicate that a 4 week preclinical study using the FIV-infected SCID-fe model can generate quantitative indicators of provirus burden and immunologic function following treatment with an efficacious human antiretroviral compound.
The potential of hormones and selective oestrogen receptor modulators in preventing voiding dysfunction in rats

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether oestrogen, selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), and growth hormone (GH) can prevent the development of voiding dysfunction in a postpartum postmenopausal rat model of voiding dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS Immediately after spontaneous delivery, nine primiparous Sprague-Dawley rats served as uninjured controls (sham group) and 54 underwent intravaginal balloon dilation. On day 7, the 54 subject rats underwent bilateral ovariectomy. A week later, six treatment groups of nine rats were randomized to receive: normal saline (injured control group), 17β-oestradiol (E2), raloxifene, levormeloxifene, GH, or GH + E2. The treatment groups received daily subcutaneous injections for 3 weeks. The effects of hormone treatment were examined by conscious cystometry at the end of the study. Voiding dysfunction was defined to include overactive bladder and sphincter deficiency. RESULTS The sham rats had a mean (sd) voiding frequency of 3 (0.87) times in 10 min and a bladder capacity of 0.43 (0.13) mL with smooth cystometry curves. The number of rats in each treatment group (each group contained nine rats) that had voiding dysfunction was as follows: E2, three; raloxifene, six; levormeloxifene, four; and controls, four (P > 0.05 among the groups). Only one rat in the GH-treated group and no rats in the GH + E2-treated group had voiding dysfunction, which was significantly less in the GH + E2-treated group than in the controls (P = 0.041). CONCLUSION This functional data suggest that the development of voiding dysfunction can be prevented by short-term administration of GH and GH + E2 in our rat model. SERMs and E2 alone seem to have no therapeutic effect.
The Fenchel duality theorem in Fréchet spaees

We generalize the Fenchel duality and inf-convolution theorems from convex optimization to Frechet spaces. Our approach is simple and direct, and is to first prove a more general theorem in which we consider only one function and replace the product of spaces by an arbitrary Frechet space. These results extend those obtained recently by Attouch and Brezis. Applications of our Generalizations are given.
Magneto-optical and magnetic study of amorphous U-As, U-As-Cu, and U-As-Ti films.

Magneto-optical and magnetic properties are presented in sputtered amorphous thin films of U-As, U-As-Cu, and U-As-Ti. Included are magnetization, Hall effect, resistivity, and polar Kerr-rotation measurements. The U-As films show maximum magnetization and Curie-temperature values at x≃57 at. % U concentration. The largest Kerr rotation of -2.7 o is measured in U 61 As 39 at 1.1 eV. The Kerr response in the U-As-Cu films is much smaller reaching -1.05 o at 1.05 eV in U 43 As 28 Cu 29
Raf-1 and squamous cell carcinoma: Rok-ing the boat.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of nonmelanoma skin cancer. In this issue of Cancer Cell , Ehrenreiter et al. unveil a critical role for the Raf-1/Rok-α interaction in the pathogenesis of SCCs, thus paving the way for the development of therapeutic modalities to treat this malignancy.
Cockpit development in the crew integration and automation testbed advanced technology development program

The US Army has been evolving advanced cockpit designs for future ground combat vehicles through a series of technology development programs that began in the early 1990s. The current effort, the Crew-integration & Automation Testbed (CAT) program, is focused on providing direct transition to the next generation of Army vehicles. This paper describes the cockpit concept, its evolution, and the experimentation plan.
Barotropic-Baroclinic Time Splitting for Ocean Circulation Modeling

Numerical models of ocean circulation admit motions varying on a wide range of time scales. These motions include fast external gravity waves, which are approximately independent of depth, and slower internal motions which are fully three-dimensional. Explicit time discretizations are impractical for these systems, due to the short timesteps dictated by the fast waves. A commonly used alternative is to confine the fast waves to a two-dimensional system, via vertical averaging, and then to compute the remaining motions explicitly with a long time step. However, this procedure can lead to numerical instability if the latter system admits sufficiently large residual fast motions due to an inexact splitting. In this paper we modify a method developed by R. Bleck and L. T. Smith (J. Geophys. Res. C95,3273, 1990) in order to obtain a more precise splitting into fast and slow subsystems. In the vertically averaged momentum equation, we use the exact vertical average of the horizontal pressure gradient in place of the approximation used inop cit.We then apply natural time discretizations and show that the modified splitting produces considerable improvements in stability.
Microstructural Formation During Wire Arc Spraying of Alloy 625 on Wrought Alloy 625 Substrate

In the present study, important microstructural features of the wire-arc-sprayed nickel-based superalloy 625 were investigated. A combination of optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), image analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to evaluate the microstructural characteristics of the as-sprayed wire arc-sprayed coating. The apparent density of the coating was determined by the water displacement method, while its theoretical density was calculated from information obtained from XRD analysis. The porosity of the coatings was less than 7 pct from image analysis. The chromium oxide phase, identified by EDS analysis, was distributed throughout the microstructure. Image analysis showed approximately 15 pct of the oxide in the microstructures of the coatings. XRD analysis and the matrix flushing technique indicated the formation of approximately 12 wt pct oxide in the coating microstructure. The lattice parameter of the main fcc Ni alloy phase was found to be 3.5978 A. SEM images of etched cross sections of coatings revealed areas within the fcc phase regions which were more deeply etched. EDS analysis indicated that these areas had lower concentrations of Mo and Nb than the more lightly etched areas, suggesting the presence of two fcc alloy phases in these coatings. TEM study indicated that the microstructure consisted of Ni-rich regions with Cr2O3. The lattice parameter for the Ni grain was found to be 3.46 A from the high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM).
Wind turbines for electric utilities: Development status and economics

The technology and economics of the large, horizontal-axis wind turbines currently in the Federal Wind Energy Program are presented. Wind turbine technology advancements made in the last several years are discussed. It is shown that, based on current projections of the costs of these machines when produced in quantity, they should be attractive for utility application. The cost of electricity (COE) produced at the busbar is shown to be a strong function of the mean wind speed at the installation site. The breakeven COE as a fuel saver is discussed and the COE range that would be generally attractive to utilities is indicated.
Striking a balance between freedom and safety on a pediatric bone marrow transplant unit

BACKGROUND: The pediatric bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit at this university medical center is a 16-bed inpatient unit. From January 1 through March 19, 2004, 12 cases of adenovirus infection were identified on this unit. Ten of the 12 isolates were a single strain, suggesting nosocomial spread of the organism. METHODS: Cases were identified as patients with signs and symptoms of clinical illness and a positive culture for adenovirus. Medical records of all cases were reviewed. Infection control rounds, unit observations, and staff interviews were performed, and a multidisciplinary outbreak team was convened in order to identify potential factors contributing to the cluster of infections. RESULTS: Potential contributing factors identified included patient use of the unit's lounge/playroom, patient/family use of the unit's washing machine, and suboptimal adherence to isolation and hand hygiene protocols. Prior to control of the outbreak, all patients (including neutropenic patients or those on isolation) were allowed to visit the lounge/playroom to foster psychological well-being. Control measures were implemented. Hand hygiene and isolation precautions were emphasized in staff and parent meetings. No patients were allowed in the lounge/playroom until the outbreak was controlled. Droplet and contact precautions were required for all case patients, and hospital gowns or scrubs were required when patients were out of their rooms. Weekly surveillance cultures were used to identify asymptomatic patients colonized with adenovirus. Pre-BMT screening (nasal and rectal) was initiated for all patients. The outbreak ceased following these interventions. One year later, the policy of barring patients on isolation precautions from the lounge/playroom continues, as does routine screening of pre-BMT patients for adenovirus. LESSONS LEARNED: On the pediatric BMT Unit, direct interactions and contact between patients may have compromised their safety. While fostering the psychological well-being of patients is important, it should not put patients at increased risk of acquiring a potentially fatal infection. Since March 2004, there have been no new clusters of adenovirus identified on this unit. Implementation of restrictions on patient congregation at our facility likely helped control this outbreak. It is important to remember that practices that may impact disease transmission among susceptible patients must be closely reviewed by infection control.
A decoupled non-SSA global register allocation using bipartite liveness graphs

Register allocation is an essential optimization for all compilers. A number of sophisticated register allocation algorithms have been developed over the years. The two fundamental classes of register allocation algorithms used in modern compilers are based on Graph Coloring (GC) and Linear Scan (LS). However, these two algorithms have fundamental limitations in terms of precision. For example, the key data structure used in GC-based algorithms, the interference graph, lacks information on the program points at which two variables may interfere. The LS-based algorithms make local decisions regarding spilling, and thereby trade off global optimization for reduced compile-time and space overheads. Recently, researchers have proposed Static Single Assignment (SSA)-based decoupled register allocation algorithms that exploit the live-range split points of the SSA representation to optimally solve the spilling problem. However, SSA-based register allocation often requires extra complexity in repairing register assignments during SSA elimination and in addressing architectural constraints such as aliasing and ABI encoding; this extra overhead can be prohibitively expensive in dynamic compilation contexts. This article proposes a decoupled non-SSA--based global register allocation algorithm for dynamic compilation. It addresses the limitations in current algorithms by introducing a Bipartite Liveness Graph (BLG)-based register allocation algorithm that models the spilling phase as an optimization problem on the BLG itself and the assignment phase as a separate optimization problem. Advanced register allocation optimizations such as move coalescing, live-range splitting, and register class handling are also performed along with the spilling and assignment phases. In the presence of register classes, we propose a bucket-based greedy heuristic for assignment that strikes a balance between spill-cost and register class constraints. We present experimental evaluation of our BLG-based register allocation algorithm and compare it with production-quality register allocators in Jikes RVM and LLVM.