cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Utility of CD10 in Benign and Malignant Extrahepatic Bile Duct Lesions

CD10, a cell surface enzyme with neutral metalloendopeptidase activity, is a marker for intestinal epithelial brush border. It is also present in normal bile ducts and gallbladder epithelia but is absent in cholangiocarcinomas. However, the expression profile of CD10 in benign and malignant extrahepatic biliary lesions has not been studied. In this study, 69 biopsies, 9 resections, and 9 cell blocks prepared from fine-needle aspirations of the extrahepatic bile ducts from 86 patients were studied immunohistochemically for CD10 expression. The majority of cases contained normal biliary epithelium (NL, n=64), along with foci of benign or malignant lesions in various combinations. Benign lesions included reactive atypia (n=35), low-grade dysplasia of unknown significance (n=21), and bile duct adenoma (BDA, n=1). Malignant lesions included high-grade dysplasia (HGD, n=45) and invasive adenocarcinoma (IC, n=30). As expected, the NL showed strong continuous staining at the apical surface in all cases. Benign lesions were also CD10 positive in all but 3 cases; however, the staining pattern was discontinuous, with positive cells varying from 20% to 80%. None of the malignant lesions showed CD10 immunoreactivity, except for 2 HGD cases and 1 IC case, which exhibited focal staining. The Pearson χ2 and Fisher exact tests showed significant statistical difference in CD10 expression among the study groups (P<0.001). Our findings suggest that absence of CD10 expression in strips of atypical biliary epithelial cells may be a phenotype associated with malignant transformation and may serve as a useful marker to aid in the evaluation of bile duct biopsies, in which distinction between benign and malignant lesions on biopsies or cytology specimens can be extremely challenging because of limited sampling, crush artifact, and frequent inflammatory/reactive changes.
Geometry of N=2 strings

We study various aspects of N = 2 critical strings. The most important aspect of these theories is that they provide a consistent quantum theory of self-dual gravity in four dimensions. We discuss the geometrical aspects of the vacua and their relation to twistor space, W∞, harmonic superspace and the superstring world-sheet. We find many indications that suggest that many of the results valid for physics in two dimensions have analogs in the effective four-dimensional theory of N = 2 strings.
The 1,7-cyclohexenonorbornadiene system

Abstract 2,3-Dimethylene-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane, available by reduction and dehydration of the furan-fumaroyl chloride Diels-Alder adduct, undergoes ready dibromocyclopropanation at one of its exocyclic double bonds. The corresponding carbenoid, generated by reaction of the dibromide wilh 4 equiv of an organolithium reagent, undergoes the Skattebol rearrangement to provide a fused cyclopentadiene ring which is immediately deprotonated. This anion fragments to a fulvene alkoxide to which the organolithium reagent subsequently adds. The resulting anion, namely 9, provides fulvenes of type 3 on workup. The use of 3 as a diene in Diels-Alder cycloadditions is demonstrated by the condensation of methyl derivative 3a with dimethyl acctylenedicarboxylate and (E)-1,2-bis(phenylsulfonyl)ethylene. The question of face selectivity is raised. For the bissulfone adducts 21 and 22, reductive desulfonylation with 1–2% sodium amalgam delivers hydrocarbon 23, the first known member of the 1,7-cycloalkenonorbornadiene class of molecules. 13C-NMR measurements show that 23 is as polarized as its simple non-annulated prototype and is unstrained.
Problem-Based Learning in Fluency and Stuttering

Abstract Problem Based Learning is a student oriented educational approach designed to help students develop critical thinking. Its use in a graduate course on fluency and stuttering is discussed. ...
Notes on the Future (and Past) of Spanish and Latin-American Media Studies

AbstractThis article offers some reflections on the development of Spanish and Latin-American media studies, especially in English-speaking countries, over the last twenty years focusing on the research of its author. It takes the following fields as its main foci of discussion: journalism, film form, theory, industry, television, institution, internet, Spain/Mexico, crisis, affect and Hispanism. The article ends by suggesting that the future of the discipline lies between the humanities and social sciences in a more sophisticated discussion of fiction content and media form than has hitherto been possible within Hispanism.
Stationary states and fluctuations

Abstract The phase space distributions of a number of stationary states: equilibrium, near equilibrium and far from equilibrium and the equations describing the fluctuations around these states are discussed.
Relation between toxic inputs and dioxin and furan outputs for municipal-waste incinerators (MWIs)

Abstract Using our simplified model for dioxin and furan production in MWIs, we have estimated the required changes in toxic inputs to produce n -fold increases in the outputs of toxic equivalents (TEs). Since waste inputs generally reside on the furnace grates for about 30 min, TE output-variations should be considered for time periods equal to or longer than about 30 min. With these long averaging times, the amounts of toxic-input augmentations required for 10-fold output increases in full-scale MWIs become unreasonably large, except for the deliberate use of MWIs as toxic-waste burners. With very clean MWIs, substantial toxic-waste incineration may be combined with burning of municipal wastes on a controlled basis.
Research report: learning styles of biomedical engineering students.

Examining students’ learning styles can yield information useful to the design of learning activities, courses, and curricula. A variety of measures have been used to characterize learning styles, but the literature contains little information specific to biomedical engineering (BMEN) students. We, therefore, utilized Felder’s Index of Learning Styles to investigate the learning style preferences of BMEN students at Tulane University. Tulane BMEN students preferred to receive information visually (preferred by 88% of the student sample) rather than verbally, focus on sensory information (55%) instead of intuitive information, process information actively (66%) instead of reflectively, and understand information globally (59%) rather than sequentially. These preferences varied between cohorts (freshman, sophomore, etc.) and a significantly higher percentage of female students preferred active and sensing learning styles. Compared to other engineering student populations, our sample of Tulane BMEN students contained the highest percentage of students preferring the global learning style. Whether this is a general trend for all BMEN students or a trait specific to Tulane engineers requires further investigation. Regardless, this study confirms the existence of a range of learning styles within biomedical engineering students, and provides motivation for instructors to consider how well their teaching style engages multiple learning styles. © 2002 Biomedical Engineering Society.
Club drug use among delinquent youth.

The availability and use of club drugs have increased in the last decade. Media and researchers have responded with increased coverage and a variety of studies. Despite the increased attention, some of these drugs and the rave/club scene in which they seemingly gained popularity are relatively new. Questions remain about the people who use club drugs, how best to go about preventing or dealing with the use of these substances, and the social contexts, subcultures, and manner in which club drugs are used. Complicating matters, the use and users of club drugs seem to be continually evolving. Club drugs are reportedly now available and used in a wide variety of locations, and the users are changing demographically. Members of racial/ethnic groups who previously avoided club drugs are beginning to use these substances, and the average age of onset appears to be decreasing. Additional research on the epidemiology of club drug use among samples that are demographically and geographically diverse is needed. This...
Role of Transcriptional Repressor ICER in Cyclic AMP-mediated Attenuation of Cytokine Gene Expression in Human Thymocytes

Proliferating human medullary thymocytes can exhibit characteristic T helper cell type 1 cytokine responses exemplified by the immediate early expression of interleukin-2, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and lymphotoxin-β. Here we report that cAMP-mediated attenuation of the transcription of T helper-1-specific cytokine genes in human medullary thymocytes correlates with the induction of the cAMP-mediated transcriptional repressor ICER (inducible cAMP early repressor). We show that ICER binds specifically to several NFAT/AP-1 (nuclear factor of activated T cells/activating protein-1) composite DNA sites essential for the activation of the interleukin (IL)-2 promoter as well as to a homologous DNA motif present in the proximal segment of the interferon-γ promoter. In the presence of the minimal NFAT DNA-binding domain, which is sufficient for both DNA binding and AP-1 complex formation, ICER and NFAT form NFAT/ICER ternary complexes on several NFAT/AP-1 DNA composite sites previously identified as essential for the expression of the immunoregulatory cytokines such as IL-2, IL-4, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and tumor necrosis factor-α. In extracts prepared from human medullary thymocytes treated with forskolin and ionomycin, these composite sites bind endogenously expressed ICER either singly or in complexes. Moreover, in Jurkat cells, ectopically expressed ICER represses transcription from NFAT-mediated, phorbol ester/ionophore-activated IL-2, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and tumor necrosis factor-α promoters. We present evidence that ICER interactions with NFAT/AP-1 composite DNA sites correlate with its ability to repress transcription. These findings provide further insight into the mechanisms involved in cAMP-mediated transcriptional attenuation of cytokine expression.
$\SL_3(\F_2)$-Extensions of $\Q$ and Arithmetic Cohomology Modulo 2

We generate extensions of Q with Galois group SL3(F2) giving rise to three-dimensional mod 2 Galois representations with sufficiently low level to allow the computational testing of a conjecture of Ash, Doud, Pollack, and Sinnott relating such representations to mod 2 arithmetic cohomology. We test the conjecture for these examples and offer a refinement of the conjecture that resolves ambiguities in the predicted weight.
Measurement of diffusive and surface transport resistances for deuterium in palladium-coated zirconium membranes

Abstract Palladium-coated zirconium membranes are attractive choices for low pressure, high temperature hydrogen and hydrogen isotope extractions, e.g. from fission and fusion coolant fluids. Oxidizing the exiting hydrogen to water (oxidative extraction) is a good way of providing very low downstream hydrogen pressures that are sometimes needed to drive the extraction. We present here experimental data and a theoretical treatment of deuterium transport through Zr-Pd membranes at temperatures of 600–700 K and upstream deuterium pressures of 2.7 × 10 −2 to 6.7 × 10 −4 Pa. We also present a new technique for analyzing experimental flux measurements for calculating the effective permeation and sticking coefficients during such experiments. At very low pressures, transport is limited by molecular adsorption on the palladium surface; the sticking coefficient for this adsorption is log σ = −0.676 − 0.0021( T − 273). At higher upstream pressures, permeability in zirconium limits transport; P Zr = 2.00 × 10 −6 exp (59/T) ± 40% mol/msPa 1 2 . These permeability values are slightly higher than predicted. We find no evidence for additional transport resistance caused by zirconium surface oxidation, or from Zr-Pd interface effects. Membranes were used for several months without showing signs of deterioration.
Phytotoxins produced by Tubakia dryina

Tubakia dryina, the causal agent of red oak (Quercus rubra) leaf spot, produced the phytotoxins isosclerone, 3-hydroxyisosclerone, 6-hydroxyisosclerone and 6-hydroxymellein in liquid culture. All toxins caused large necrosis when placed on leaves of red oak. Necrosis was also caused on white oak and eight different weed species. All toxins were non-specific phytotoxins.
Electron Affinities - Theoretical

A brief description is given of the conceptual background and formalism of the various ab-initio and semi-ab-initio quantum computational techniques for calculating atomic and molecular electron affinities: Hartree-Fock-Roothaan SCF, configuration interaction (CI), multiconfiguration SCF (MC-SCF), Bethe-Goldstone, superposition of configurations (SOC), ab-initio effective core model potentials, X?-MS, plus other less comnon methods. Illustrative and comparative examples of electron affinities calculated by these various methods are presented.
Multichannel cochlear nucleus stimulation.

Abstract Stimulation of the cochlear nucleus (CN) has been used on a limited basis for rehabilitation of a select group of patients with bilateral acoustic neuromas. These patients were implanted with an electrode placed on the surface of the CN after resection of their tumors. Animal studies have demonstrated greater efficiency of a penetrating CN electrode in activating the central auditory system than a surface electrode. The objective of this work was to study the electrically evoked middle latency response generated by stimulation through a penetrating multichannel CN electrode in an animal model. Six pigmented guinea pigs underwent implantation with a penetrating multichannel CN electrode. Threshold, latency, and input-output functions of electrically evoked middle latency responses with different stimulation pads were studied. There were systematic differences in the latency and amplitude of the input-output functions depending on the site of stimulation within the CN. The results support the hypothesis that discrete activation of neuronal subpopulations within the CN is possible with a penetrating multichannel microelectrode. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1999;121:169-75.)
Mechanism of autodegradation of cell-surface macromolecules shed by human melanoma cells☆

The mechanism of autodegradation of cell-surface macromolecules shed by human melanoma cells was studied by incubating radio-iodinated shed macromolecules with unlabeled sister cells and measuring the appearance of acid-soluble radioactivity. After a preliminary latent period of 1-3 h, degradation continually increased up to 24 h and was concentration-dependent. By contrast, binding to cells was very rapid reaching half-maximal value within 15 min. Autodegradation was markedly reduced (44-82%) by pharmacological agents which interfere with endocytosis or lysosomal enzyme activity, including drugs which inhibit receptor migration into coated pits (dansylcadaverine), endocytosis and intracellular transport (colchicine, cytochalasin B, and monensin), and the activity of lysosomal enzymes (chloroquine, ammonium chloride, leupeptin). Degradation was almost totally suppressed (95%) at 4 degrees C. These data suggest that surface macromolecules shed by melanoma cells are autodegraded in part by re-uptake into melanoma cells followed by degradation in lysosomes.
A new combined power and desalination system driven by low grade heat for concentrated brine

Abstract A new combined power and desalination system is proposed. This system is driven by low grade heat sources such as solar energy, geothermal or waste heat. This system combines a supercritical organic Rankine cycle (SORC), an ejector and a multi-effect distillation (MED) desalination system, which could be used for seawater or concentrated brine such as frac flowback water produced during natural gas mining. A theoretical model is presented and partially validated based on experimental results from the literature. The thermal performance of the proposed system is analyzed using the model and a parametric sensitivity analysis is carried out to quantify the performance of this combined power and water system. The combined system has an overall exergy efficiency close to 40% for salt concentration of 35 g/kg using a low temperature heat source at 150 °C The proposed system could treat concentrated brine up to 55 g/kg salt concentration with no additional energy input except heat supplied to the power cycle.
Computer-aided techniques for aligning interleaved sets of nonidentical medical images

We have developed an X-window based, interactive manual technique for aligning medical images of the brain. Our methods were designed to allow easy correction of artifacts that resulted from motion during the acquisition of interleaved sets of MR images. Real-time feedback about the alignment of the data volume proved helpful to the user in obtaining a satisfactory correction. This feedback was possible by focussing on a limited number of slices at one time. Contrary to intuition, the observed motion artifact was primarily found to occur in one direction. Elimination of said artifact, however, required sub-pixel translation of images. We also did some preliminary work on automated extensions of our manual alignment technique. These automated algorithms utilized mathematical morphology for segmenting the brain and a 2-dimensional implementation of the Principal Axes technique for re-alignment of the segmented images.
Calculated Absorption and Scattering Properties of Gold Nanoparticles of Different Size, Shape, and Composition: Applications in Biological Imaging and Biomedicine

The selection of nanoparticles for achieving efficient contrast for biological and cell imaging applications, as well as for photothermal therapeutic applications, is based on the optical properties of the nanoparticles. We use Mie theory and discrete dipole approximation method to calculate absorption and scattering efficiencies and optical resonance wavelengths for three commonly used classes of nanoparticles: gold nanospheres, silica−gold nanoshells, and gold nanorods. The calculated spectra clearly reflect the well-known dependence of nanoparticle optical properties viz. the resonance wavelength, the extinction cross-section, and the ratio of scattering to absorption, on the nanoparticle dimensions. A systematic quantitative study of the various trends is presented. By increasing the size of gold nanospheres from 20 to 80 nm, the magnitude of extinction as well as the relative contribution of scattering to the extinction rapidly increases. Gold nanospheres in the size range commonly employed (∼40 nm)...
Suppression of methane oxidation in aerobic soil by nitrogen fertilizers, nitrification inhibitors, and urease inhibitors.

Concentrations of CH4, a potent greenhouse gas, have been increasing in the atmosphere at the rate of 1% per year. The objective of these laboratory studies was to measure the effect of different forms of inorganic N and various N-transformation inhibitors on CH4 oxidation in soil. NH 4 + oxidation was also measured in the presence of the inhibitors to determine whether they had differential activity with respect to CH4 and NH 4 + oxidation. The addition of NH4Cl at 25 μg N g-1 soil strongly inhibited (78–89%) CH4 oxidation in the surface layer (0–15 cm) of a fine sandy loam and a sandy clay loam (native shortgrass prairie soils). The nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin (5 μg g-1 soil) inhibited CH4 oxidation as effectively as did NH4Cl in the fine sandy loam (82–89%), but less effectively in the sandy clay loam (52–66%). Acetylene (5 μmol mol-1 in soil headspace) had a strong (76–100%) inhibitory effect on CH4 consumption in both soils. The phosphoroamide (urease inhibitor) N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) showed strong inhibition of CH4 consumption at 25 μg g-1 soil in the fine sandy loam (83%) in the sandy clay loam (60%), but NH 4 + oxidation inhibition was weak in both soils (13–17%). The discovery that the urease inhibitor NBPT inhibits CH4 oxidation was unexpected, and the mechanism involved is unknown.
In vivo measurement of the redox state.

As part of an aerobic life, we oxidize a large pool of biomolecules to obtain chemical energy. During this process, several intermediates are formed; some are chemically unstable and are referred to as free radicals (FR). FR tend to react quickly with their surrounding biological environment; depending on the nature of the molecule attacked, different reactions can occur, i.e., lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, or DNA oxidation products. As aerobic life has evolved, antioxidant defense systems against FR have developed. When an imbalance between production of FR (oxidants) and defese systems against them (antioxidants) happens, a situation of oxidative stress occurs. This can lead to irreversible biochemical changes, with subsequent tissue damage and disease. Establishing the involvement of FR in the pathogenesis of a disease has been difficult because of the lack of sensitie and specific methodology to detect them. No ideal biomarkers for in vivo FR-induced damage are available as yet. However, some reliable indices of FR formation are now available, and in some pathologic conditions, evidence is accumulating to show that FR damage might play a functional role. The task for the near future will be to try to simplify the analytical methodology and elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation, disposition, and kinetics of FR marker molecules.
An adult man presenting with hemoptysis caused by mature teratoma with rupture into the bronchus and pericardium and complicated by Haemophilus influenzae infection.

DISCUSSION This case is reported to highlight the possibility of erosion and pseudoaneurysm formation after implantation of the FloWatch-PAB adjustable PA banding system. As far as we are aware, this is the second such complication with this device. The previous reported case had a similar complication, with pseudoaneurysm formation 7 weeks after the insertion. Doubts have been raised about the technical aspect of insertion being the cause for the pseudoaneurysm formation. In our case no intraoperative difficulty was reported. We therefore would like to highlight this specific occurrence of a pseudoaneurysm of the PA as a possible complication of
Arginine metabolism in insects: Properties of insect fat body arginase

Abstract 1. 1. The arginase activity present in the fat body tissue of three species of insects has been characterized. The three species were: the silkmoths Hyalophora gloveri and Antheraea polyphemus and the cockroach Blaberus cranifera. Observations on certain properties of the pupal and adult enzymes of H. gloveri and A. polyphemus indicate that these properties do not change during development. 2. 2. Insect arginase shows most of the properties characteristic of arginases from other animal and plant species. Both differences and similarities exist between it and the arginase present in uricotelic vertebrates.
Thermal modeling of cometary nuclei

A model of the sublimation of volatile ices from a cometary nucleus is presented which includes the effects of (1) diurnal heating and cooling, (2) rotation period and pole orientation, (3) the thermal properties of the ice and subsurface layers, and (4) the contributions from coma opacity, scattering and thermal emission where the properties of the coma are derived from the integrated rate of volatile production by the nucleus. In applying the model to the case of the 1986 apparition of Halley's comet, it is found that the generation of a cometary dust coma increases the total energy reaching the Halley nucleus due to the greater geometrical cross-section of the coma as compared with the bare nucleus. The calculated coma opacity of Halley is about 0.2 at 1 AU from the sun and 1.2 at perihelion. Possible consequences of the results obtained for the generation of nongravitational forces, volatile production rates for comets and cometary lifetimes against sublimation are discussed.
Impact of a Catastrophic Natural Disturbance on Fluctuating Asymmetry (FA) in a Wolf Spider

Abstract: Animals subject to environmental stress often exhibit higher levels of developmental instability, frequently measured as Fluctuating Asymmetry (FA), small, random deviations from perfect left-right symmetry in bilaterally symmetrical animals. We used FA measurement as a means of determining the impact of a catastrophic ecosystem disturbance (a major Class F3 tornado) on populations of Schizocosa ocreata, a common forest-dwelling wolf spider. As FA in sexually selected ornamental traits in males has been shown in some (but not all) species studied to be a sensitive indicator of environmental stress, we measured FA of foreleg tufts in male S. ocreata. Spiders from the first post-disturbance generation were collected by pitfall trapping in the spring of 2000, and preserved specimens were photographed and measured using digital imaging. Spiders from disturbed and undisturbed areas within the forest did not differ significantly in body size parameters, although body condition varied significantly bet...
ON GUAIACOL SOLUTIONS I. THE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY OF SODIUM AND POTASSIUM GUAIACOLATES IN GUAIACOL

1. Measurements on the densities, viscosities, dielectric constants, and specific conductances of pure anhydrous and water-saturated guaiacol at 25°C. are reported. 2. The solubility of water in guaiacol at 25°C., and its effect on the electrical conductivity of a sodium guaiacolate solution is given. 3. Electrical conductivity measurements are reported on solutions of sodium and potassium guaiacolates in water-saturated guaiacol at 25°C. 4. The decrease of electrical conductivity with increasing concentration for these salts is explained on the basis of an ionic equilibrium combined with the interionic attraction theory of Debye and Huckel. 5. The limiting equivalent conductances of sodium and potassium guaiacolates in water-saturated guaiacol at 25°C., the corresponding limiting ionic mobilities, and the dissociation constants are computed from the conductivity measurements. The salts are found to be weak electrolytes with dissociation constants of the order of 5 x 10–6.
The Impact of Biofuels on Commodity Food Prices: Assessment of Findings

For years, agriculture has provided most of the fuel for vehicular transportation. Concerns about availability of fuels, balance of trade, and climate change led to the introduction of biofuel programs in the United States, Brazil,EuropeanUnion(EU),andothercountries. The impacts of these programs and the relationship between the food and fuel markets have become major topics of economic research. This paper summarizes the main findings of alternative lines of research on the relationship between the food and fuel markets and identifies gaps and quandaries that warrant further research. This is not meant to be a complete survey, and it emphasizes several of our studies within the broader literature. The paper distinguishes between two bodies of literature: one on the relationship between food and fuel prices and another on the impact of the introduction of biofuel on commodity food prices. While biofuel prices do not seem to affect food-commodity prices, we explain why the introduction of biofuel does. Moreover,biofuelshavenotbeenthemostdominant contributor to the recent food-price inflation and different biofuels have different impacts.
Antihistamine Toxicity in Children

Five instances of antihistamine toxicity in children, one resulting in death, are reported here. Three cases were caused by accidental ingestions and two were caused by physician-prescribed overdoses. Initial symptoms and clinical course are far from constant. Control of toxic central-nervous-system symptoms by sedation or anticonvulsive drugs is a cardinal part of treatment. Stimulants or even mechanical respiratory devices may be needed later for management of postconvulsive depressive states.
Simultaneous strategies for data reconciliation and gross error detection of nonlinear systems

Abstract Process measurements are taken in chemical plants for the purpose of evaluating process control or process performance. As a result of random and possibly gross errors, these measurements do not generally satisfy the process constraints. Thus they need to be reconciled. In the data reconciliation process, the data are adjusted to satisfy the process constraints while minimizing the error in the least squares sense, and the unmeasured variables are estimated whenever possible. In this study, we instead minimize an objective function that is constructed using maximum likelihood principle to construct a new distribution function, which takes into account both contributions from random and gross errors. The advantages of minimizing this objective function are that it gives unbiased estimates in the presence of gross errors and that simultaneously a gross-error detection test can be constructed based on their distribution functions without the assumption on the linearity of the constraints. Furthermore, the structure of this objective function can be exploited under certain conditions. Thus, efficient nonlinear programming strategies, similar to the hybrid SQP method introduced by Tjoa and Biegler in 1991 for least squares objective functions, can also be developed. The effectiveness of this strategy is demonstrated on nonlinear example problems.
Structural forms of single crystal semiconductor nanoribbons for high-performance stretchable electronics

This feature article reviews some concepts for forming single-crystalline semiconductor nanoribbons in ‘stretchable’ geometrical configurations with emphasis on the materials and surface chemistries used in their fabrication and the mechanics of their response to applied strains. As implemented with ribbons that have periodic or aperiodic sinusoidal ‘wavy’ or ‘buckled’ shapes and are surface chemically bonded to elastomeric poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) supports, these concepts enable levels of mechanical stretchability (and compressibility) that exceed, by orders of magnitude, the intrinsic fracture strains in the ribbon materials themselves. These results, in combination with active functional device elements that can be formed on the surfaces of these ‘wavy’ or ‘buckled’ ribbons, represent a class of potentially valuable building blocks for stretchable electronics, with application possibilities in personal or structural health monitors, sensory skins, spherically curved focal plane arrays and other systems that cannot be achieved easily with other approaches.
The Political Business Cycle: How Significant?

This article provides evidence that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate conforms to a four-year political business cycle such as the one hypothesized by Nordhaus (1976) but only when the incumbent party wins the presidential election. The unemployment rate, however, is only reduced by a cumulative effect of .3 to .6 percentage points in the two years preceding a presidential victory.
Nanofluidic Diodes Based on Nanotube Heterojunctions

The mechanism of tuning charge transport in electronic devices has recently been implemented into the nanofluidic field for the active control of ion transport in nanoscale channels/pores. Here we report the first synthesis of longitudinal heterostructured SiO2/Al2O3 nanotubes. The ionic transport through these nanotube heterojunctions exhibits clear current rectification, a signature of ionic diode behavior. Such nanofluidic diodes could find applications in ion separation and energy conversion.
Nondissipative and energy-stable high-order finite-difference interface schemes for 2-D patch-refined grids

A class of finite-difference interface schemes suitable for two-dimensional cell-centered grids with patch-refinement and step-changes in resolution is presented. Grids of this type are generated by adaptive mesh refinement methods according to resolution needs dictated by the physics of the problem being modeled. For these grids, coarse and fine nodes are not aligned at the mesh interfaces, resulting in hanging nodes. Three distinct geometries are identified at the interfaces of a domain with interior patch-refinement: edges, concave corners and convex corners. Asymptotic stability in time of the numerical scheme is achieved by imposing a summation-by-parts condition on the interface closure, which is thus also nondissipative. Interface stencils corresponding to an explicit fourth-order finite-difference scheme are presented for each geometry. To preserve stability, a reduction in local accuracy is required at the corner geometries. It is also found that no second-order accurate solution exists that satisfies the summation-by-parts condition. Tests using the 2-D scalar advection equation and an inviscid compressible vortex support the stability and accuracy of these stencils for both linear and nonlinear problems.
A Connectionist Expert System that Actually Works

The Space Environment Laboratory in Boulder has collaborated with the University of Colorado to construct a small expert system for solar flare forecasting, called THEO. It performed as well as a skilled human forecaster. We have constructed TheoNet, a three-layer back-propagation connectionist network that learns to forecast flares as well as THEO does. TheoNet's success suggests that a connectionist network can perform the task of knowledge engineering automatically. A study of the internal representations constructed by the network may give insights to the "microstructure" of reasoning processes in the human brain.
On the characterization of left ventricular function with acoustic radiation force impulse imaging

Extensive research has been dedicated to investigating the assessment of left ventricular (LV) function via myocardial elasticity. Previous research has demonstrated acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging to be capable of visualizing variations in myocardial stiffness through the entire cardiac cycle. Accordingly, ARFI imaging across multiple heartbeats may be able to provide additional insight into the beat-to-beat changes in myocardial performance and left ventricular (LV) function.
Primer on the Metabolic Bone Diseases and Disorders of Mineral Metabolism. 5th ed.

Murray J. Favus, editor. Washington, DC: American Society for Bone and Mineral Research; 2003. 567 pages. $49.95. Like its predecessors, the latest edition of this now-classic reference book provides a comprehensive overview of bone diseases and of disorders of mineral metabolism in a single volume. The title is something of a misnomer as it does not fully describe the content of the book. Rather than being restricted to pathology, as implied by the title, the book also provides an excellent background in the biology of normal bone. This edition has been expanded to 567 pages, which is sixty-five pages more than the fourth edition, published in 1999. In general, the content and the successful organization of the previous edition have been retained. The book has been formatted into ninety-one brief chapters that average six …
Proactively Investigating “Limits of use” with Medical Device Manufacturers – An Example Case: Robotic Surgery☆

Abstract This paper presents an exploration of strategies undertaken by a consortium of clinical teams and manufacturers to proactively prepare and support use of new categories of medical devices. Potential avenues of exploration include leveraging other domains, such as the US Space program, providing innovative methods of training and research and development in known areas of concern such as systems integration. By a commitment to creating a safer system, we are committing to providing safer care to patients. We believe incorporating the ‘lessons learned’ from the largest possible set of real-world scenarios, into the design and use of medical devices, will accelerate success.
Study of the Dissolution of Refractory PuO2 in Nitric-Hydrofluoric Acid Dissolvents at 100°C

AbstractThe dissolution of refractory PuO2 in HNO3-HF-H2O dissolvents was studied. Results showed that increasing either the HNO3 or the HF concentration increases the dissolution rate, and that formation of a Pu(IV) fluoride complex decreases the rate. It was also found that oxidation of dissolved Pu(IV) helps maintain the presence of a fluoride ion as a catalyst and is thus highly beneficial to PuO2 dissolution.
Anatomical Factors Influencing Selective Vestibular Neurectomy: A Comparison of Posterior Fossa Approaches.

Objectives To identify measurable anatomical factors that may guide the surgical approach for posterior fossa selective vestibular neurectomy (SVN) and predict identification of the vestibulocochlear cleavage (VCC) plane. Study Design Dissection of fixed cadaveric heads through retrolabyrinthine and retrosigmoid-internal auditory canal (RSG-IAC) approaches with measurement of landmarks. Setting Cadaveric dissection model. Main Outcome Measures Area of the Trautmann triangle (TT) and the distance from the posterior semicircular canal to the anterior border of the sigmoid along the posterior Donaldson line (pDL). VCC planes from each approach were calculated and compared. Results Overall mean pDL was 8.53 mm (range: 5-11.5 mm); mean TT area was 124 mm(2) (range: 95-237 mm(2)). The VCC was identified in 63% of ears through the retrolabyrinthine (RVN) approach alone, whereas 37% of ears required the RSG-IAC approach. In ears requiring IAC dissection, the VCC was found within 1 to 2 mm distal to the porus. The pDL (p < 0.05) and area of TT (p < 0.05) were significantly larger in the RVN group compared with the RSG-IAC group. Conclusion Ears amenable to the RVN approach had a greater pDL and TT area. These anatomical measurements may have a role in surgical planning and the choice of approach for SVN.
Plasma volume, bleeding and clotting time on hypothermic dogs.

SummaryAn attempt has been made to show some changes under hypothermia with control studies on two factors, repeated plasma volume determination and hyperventilation. A moderate amount of blood seemed to be trapped away from circulation at lowered body temperature (4-6). Since blood clotting involves the action of enzymes it might be expected that coagulation would be retarded by lowered temperature. Increases in bleeding and clotting times at 23‡-25°C were highly singnificant.
Effect of Lifestyle Behaviors on Blood Pressure in Chinese Adults from 9 Provinces

Objective To investigate the independent and joint effect of 4 kinds of lifestyle behaviors including diet,physical activity(PA),smoking,alcohol consumption on blood pressure.Methed Diet and PA were stratified assessed using DASH score and Metabolic Equivalent·min respectioely in participants(18 years and older) of China Health and Nutrition Surveys in 2006.Participants were Stvatifiedaccording to diet,PA,smoking and alcohol consumption,respectively.Result Blood pressure decreased with increase of DASH score and PA quartiles,but increased with smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.Compared with participants who had no high-risk behaviors,those who had all 4 high-risk behaviors experienced additional 5(male) or 10(female) mmHg of systolic blood pressure,and increased risk of high blood pressure(OR=2.38 for male and 2.02 for female).Condusion Unhealthy diets,sedentary behavior,smoking and excessive alcohol consumption were associated with increasing risk of high blood pressure.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Childhood

In addition to proctocolectomy, new surgical techniques for treating ulcerative colitis include the Kock internal ileal reservoir and endorectal pullthrough of the ileum. In children three forms of Crohn's disease requiring operation have been identified. Ileocecal disease may be treated with resection and anastomosis; colorectal disease is best managed by primary proctocolectomy cutaneous ileostomy; and Crohn's disease of the small bowel should be managed by medical therapy in most cases.
Modification of a Strain of Mouse-adapted Scrapie by Passage through Rats

Summary A mouse-adapted strain of scrapie which had been passaged 5 times through rats produced modified clinical signs and histological lesions in the brain when inoculated back into mice. Alterations in the clinical signs included the occurrence of scratching at the base of the neck and over the shoulders in a proportion of mice, and a distinct tendency for the animals to become fat and hypersensitive as the disease progressed. The histological modification consisted of disappearance of the extracellular vacuolation in the cerebellum that was constantly present before passage of the strain through rats. These clinical and histological modifications have persisted, to date, through 4 mouse passages of the strain.
Prenatal Cerebral Dysgenesis and Cerebral Palsy

The MRIs of 70 cerebral palsy patients, aged 2-16 years, performed between 1989 and 1993 at Kansai Medical University Otokoyama Hospital, were analysed to evaluate the causative roles of pre-, peri-, and postnatal events.
Silencing Huntington’s Disease Gene with RNAi

Huntington’s disease (HD), a hereditary condition afflicting 30,000 Americans, cannot be treated by existing therapies and it is universally fatal. It is characterized by movement disorder (Huntington’s chorea), emotional distress, and dementia. HD is caused by a highly penetrant, autosomal-dominant mutation in the HD gene at chromosomal locus 4p16.3. Expansion of the CAG repeat at the 5′-end of this gene increases the number of tandem glutamine residues in the encoded protein (huntingtin) from under 30 to 36–100 (or more). Most HD patients are heterozygotes, carrying one allele for the polyQ-expanded mutant huntingtin and one for the wild-type protein. The former protein is harmful, particularly to striatal neurons, whereas the latter is essential to neuronal survival. Experiments using RNAi are expanding our understanding of the functions of wild-type huntingtin. Using this technique, RNAi-based therapies for HD are being developed. Biotechnologies using both allele-specific and allele-nonspecific RNAi have proven effective at countering disease progression in multiple transgenic animal models for HD. RNAi against the transgene (mutant human HD transcript) decreases expression of the pathogenic protein and slows neurodegeneration. RNAi can be directed at a polymorphism linked to the polyQ-expansion mutation in HD. Consequently, the mutant allele is silenced while the wild-type one remains expressed. Such allele-specific silencing has been achieved in fibroblasts from HD patients. Technical improvements in local and systemic delivery combined with chemical modifications to the RNAi should improve efficiency and specificity thereby making RNAi-based therapy a successful treatment for HD.
MIRAGE: A Framework for Data-Driven Collaborative High-Resolution Simulation

Information about how human populations shift in response to various stimuli is limited because no single model is capable of addressing these stimuli simultaneously, and integration of the best existing models has been challenging because of the vast disparity among constituent model purposes, architectures, scales, and execution environments. To demonstrate a potential model coupling for approaching this problem, three major model components are integrated into a fully coupled system that executes a worldwide infection-infected routine where a human population requires a food source for sustenance and an infected population can spread an infection when it is in contact with the remaining healthy population. To enable high-resolution data-driven model federation and an ability to capture dynamics and behaviors of billions of humans, a high-performance computing agent-based framework has been created and is demonstrated in this chapter.
Paradoxes and Resolutions

Unless carefully restricted, the informal naive set theory that we have so far been using can produce certain contradictions, known as set theoretic paradoxes. These contradictions generally result from consideration of certain very large sets whose existence can be derived from the unrestricted comprehension principle. This chapter discusses three such classical paradoxes due to Burali-Forti, Cantor, G.Cantor, and Russell, B.Russell, which showed the untenability of naive set theory and the need for more careful formalizations. The two earliest responses to the paradoxes, namely Russell’s theory of types and Zermelo, E.Zermelo’s axiomatization of set theory, are discussed.
Medical Words with Intriguing Origins

Many medical terms come to us from curious sources: from celestial influence, the length of the forearm, an unnamed artery, and a disease your friends diagnose. Words with intriguing origins include names of diseases, drugs, microorganisms, and antimicrobials. There are also medical euphemisms, terms introduced to avoid saying words like feces and gonorrhea. More recent additions to our lexicon are medical acronyms for syndromes such as PANDAS and for research study titles such as the ALaCaRT or the PROGRESS study.
The Downside of Requiring Additional Experiential Courses in Law School

In recent years, the bar has expressed dissatisfaction with what is considered by some to be inadequate preparation of law students to begin practicing law immediately after graduation. There are several reasons why this has become a matter of concern for the legal profession. The ABA, state bars and law schools have responded by adopting graduation requirements that force students to take a certain number of experiential courses. The contention of this article is that the imposition of additional, required experiential courses will have a negative effect on the adequacy of a student's preparation to practice law because it contributes to a reduction in the student's exposure to a range of doctrinal courses (especially core courses) and to the skills that those courses develop. Indeed, the article contends that the current proliferation of clinical and other experiential courses, together with the increase in the number of other course offerings, has resulted in a sizeable percentage of graduating students being ill-prepared to practice law as soon after graduation as law firms would like. In considering whether to adopt course requirements for admission to a state's bar, those consequences should be taken into account.