cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Virtual Synchrony Execution Model

The protocols of Chap. 12 represent a new kind of building block from which a wide variety of sophisticated systems can be constructed. Here, we do so, exploring the needed mechanisms that will let us take the step from a world of protocols that live in isolation to a full-fledged toolkit for implementing applications. When the properties of the model are combined with these primitives, we will say that a virtually synchronous execution environment results (see Birman and Joseph 1987a, 1987b; Birman and van Renesse 1994). Our treatment here is detailed but not fully formalized; a more mathematical treatment is provided in Appendix A.
Pluripotential stem cells as replacement therapy in degenerative diseases of the eye

Loss of vision has devastating effects on the quality of life of both individuals and their caregivers as well as causing a huge economic burden to families and society. It has been estimated that by 2020 there will be almost 200 million people worldwide losing sight because of dying photoreceptors in age related macular degeneration (AMD). Intense efforts are underway to develop therapies that can prevent or block photoreceptor loss in AMD. These efforts include lifestyle changes, nutritional supplements and neuroprotective agents, but to date they have had only marginal success. These approaches also do not help the growing numbers who have already lost photoreceptors. Another major line of research to help those patients, and the one reviewed thoroughly by Gagliardi et al ., (1) is to develop transplantable photoreceptors that can integrate into the retina, restore light sensitivity and, hopefully, restore vision.
Toxic Bodies: Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People

This chapter examines Indra Sinha’s fictionalized account of the 1984 toxic chemical spill in Bhopal, India, Animal’s People, to critique Dow Chemical’s evocation of humanity in its “The Human Element” ad campaign (2006–2012). When toxic chemicals enter the narrator’s body, his spine is twisted forward, and he adopts the name “Animal.” Walking on his hands and feet, Animal offers up an often-overlooked perspective on non-human relations as he empathically converses with dogs, trees, and others. Not only does Animal refuse to be recognized by western definitions of what constitutes the human, he also helps transform a community of local activists by broadening their coalition to include non-human subjects, the “people of the apocalypse.” I argue, therefore, that the neoliberal call to “be more human” by acquiring more human capital echoes nineteenth-century imperialist discourses, which called on colonized subjects to “be more civilized.”
Enriched environment exposure accelerates rodent driving skills.

Abstract Although rarely used, long-term behavioral training protocols provide opportunities to shape complex skills in rodent laboratory investigations that incorporate cognitive, motor, visuospatial and temporal functions to achieve desired goals. In the current study, following preliminary research establishing that rats could be taught to drive a rodent operated vehicle (ROV) in a forward direction, as well as steer in more complex navigational patterns, male rats housed in an enriched environment were exposed to the rodent driving regime. Compared to standard-housed rats, enriched-housed rats demonstrated more robust learning in driving performance and their interest in the ROV persisted through extinction trials. Dehydroepiandrosterone/corticosterone (DHEA/CORT) metabolite ratios in fecal samples increased in accordance with training in all animals, suggesting that driving training, regardless of housing group, enhanced markers of emotional resilience. These results confirm the importance of enriched environments in preparing animals to engage in complex behavioral tasks. Further, behavioral models that include trained motor skills enable researchers to assess subtle alterations in motivation and behavioral response patterns that are relevant for translational research related to neurodegenerative disease and psychiatric illness.
A 1.8-GHz Near-Field Dielectric Plethysmography Heart-Rate Sensor With Time-Based Edge Sampling

This article presents a near-field dielectric plethysmography (DPG) heart-rate sensor for low-power operation. By interrogating the contracting and expanding blood vessels with gigahertz-frequency fringing electric fields from the on-board coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line, pulsing heart-rate signals are detected using a phase-sensitive interface circuit through changing permittivity at the fingertip. Signal analysis, frequency response measurements, and variability studies are provided to demonstrate the robustness of DPG for heart-rate detection. The readout circuit employs a highly digital time-based edge sampling with the rail-to-rail signaling and double-integration chopper stabilization technique to maximize the electronics sensitivity and to minimize the flicker noise. Implemented in the 0.18- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS technology, the phase-sensitive readout circuit exhibits a limit of detection of 0.0033° and consumes 20.1 $\mu \text{W}$ under a sampling and duty-cycling rate of 100 Hz and 0.0256%, respectively. With the integration of CPW sensor in a low-cost FR-4 printed-circuit board (PCB), the 1.8-GHz DPG heart-rate sensor achieves an rms inaccuracy of 1.64 bpm.
Comparison of a portable balance board for measures of persistence in postural sway

Abstract Measuring postural sway is important for determining functional ability or risk of falling. Gathering postural sway measures outside of controlled environments is desirable for reaching populations with limited mobility. Previous studies have confirmed the accuracy of the magnitude of postural sway using the Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB). However, it is unclear if the WBB can accurately measure persistence of postural sway, i.e., the pattern of center-of-pressure fluctuations over time. The purpose of this study was to compare measures of persistence of postural sway (through detrended fluctuation analysis) using WBB and a force platform (FP). Seventeen healthy individuals performed three standing conditions: eyes open, eyes closed, and one-leg standing. The WBB (30 Hz) was placed on top on the FP (600 Hz) to collect data simultaneously, then the FP data were downsampled to 100 Hz and 30 Hz. The agreement between WBB and FP for measures of postural sway were influenced by the sampling rate and postural sway direction. Intraclass correlation coefficient was excellent (range: 0.953–0.998) for long-term scaling regions in the anterior-posterior direction, but lower (range: 0.352–0.877) and inconsistent for medial-lateral direction and short-term scaling regions. The three comparison groups (WBB at 30 Hz, FP at 30 Hz, and FP at 100 Hz) showed dissimilar abilities in detecting differences in persistence of postural sway. In summary, the WBB is accurate for quantifying persistence of postural sway measurements in long-term scaling regions in the AP direction, but has limitations for short-term scaling regions and the ML direction.
Test-retest of automated segmentation with different motion correction strategies: A comparison of prospective versus retrospective methods

Abstract Test-retest of automated image segmentation algorithms (FSL FAST, FSL FIRST, and FREESURFER) are computed on magnetic resonance images from 12 unsedated children aged 9.4±2.6 years ([min,max] ​= ​[6.5 years, 13.8 years]) using different approaches to motion correction (prospective versus retrospective). The prospective technique, PROMO MPRAGE, dynamically estimates motion using specially acquired navigator images and adjusts the remaining acquisition accordingly, whereas the retrospective technique, MPnRAGE, uses a self-navigation property to retrospectively estimate and account for motion during image reconstruction. To increase the likelihood and range of motions, participants heads were not stabilized with padding during repeated scans. When motion was negligible both techniques had similar performance. When motion was not negligible, the automated image segmentation and anatomical labeling software tools showed the most consistent performance with the retrospectively corrected MPnRAGE technique (≥80% volume overlaps for 15 of 16 regions for FIRST and FREESURFER, with greater than 90% volume overlaps for 12 regions with FIRST and 11 regions with FREESURFER). Prospectively corrected MPRAGE with linear view-ordering also demonstrated lower performance than MPnRAGE without retrospective motion correction.
Study of Internal Latchup Behaviors in Advanced Bulk FinFET Technology

In this paper, Internal Latchup (ILU) behaviors are studied in an advanced bulk FinFET technology. The methodology of the ILU development and characterization are introduced and the ILU characteristics of thin oxide (SG) and thick oxide (EG) victim devices are discussed comprehensively. Comparison between 7nm and 14nm Bulk FinFET technology has been made on ILU characteristics.
Biomarkers: Our Path Towards a Cure for Alzheimer Disease:

Over the last decade, biomarkers have significantly improved our understanding of the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease (AD) and provided valuable tools to examine different disease mechanisms and their progression over time. While several markers of amyloid, tau, neuronal, synaptic, and axonal injury, inflammation, and immune dysregulation in AD have been identified, there is a relative paucity of biomarkers which reflect other disease mechanisms such as oxidative stress, mitochondrial injury, vascular or endothelial injury, and calcium-mediated excitotoxicity. Importantly, there is an urgent need to standardize methods for biomarker assessments across different centers, and to identify dynamic biomarkers which can monitor disease progression over time and/or response to potential disease-modifying treatments. The updated research framework for AD, proposed by the National Institute of Aging- Alzheimer's Association (NIA-AA) Work Group, emphasizes the importance of incorporating biomarkers in AD research and defines AD as a biological construct consisting of amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration which spans pre-symptomatic and symptomatic stages. As results of clinical trials of AD therapeutics have been disappointing, it has become increasingly clear that the success of future AD trials will require the incorporation of biomarkers in participant selection, prognostication, monitoring disease progression, and assessing response to treatments. We here review the current state of fluid AD biomarkers, and discuss the advantages and limitations of the updated NIA-AA research framework. Importantly, the integration of biomarker data with clinical, cognitive, and imaging domains through a systems biology approach will be essential to adequately capture the molecular, genetic, and pathological heterogeneity of AD and its spatiotemporal evolution over time.
IL-36 cytokines and gut immunity

Interleukin 36 (IL-36) constitutes a group of cytokines that belong to the IL-1 superfamily. Emerging evidence has suggested a role of IL-36 in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory disorders. Intriguingly, in the gastrointestinal tract, IL-36 has a rather complex function. IL-36 receptor ligands are overexpressed in both animal colitis models and human IBD patients and may play both pathogenic and protective roles, depending on the context. IL-36 cytokines comprise three receptor agonists: IL-36α, IL-36β and IL-36γ, and two receptor antagonists: IL-36Ra and IL-38. All IL-36 receptor agonists bind to the IL-36R complex and exert pleiotropic effects during inflammatory settings. Here, we first briefly review the processing and secretion of IL-36 cytokines. We then focus on the current understanding of the immunology effects of IL-36 in gut immunity. In addition, we also discuss the ongoing trials that aim to blockage IL-36R signalling for treating chronic intestinal inflammation and present some unexplored questions regarding IL-36 research.
A 53-Year-Old Man Presents to the ED With Shortness of Breath, Cough, and Fever.

Case Presentation A 53-year-old man presented to the ED at a time of low severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, also known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), prevalence and reported 2 weeks of progressive shortness of breath, dry cough, headache, myalgias, diarrhea, and recurrent low-grade fevers to 39°C for 1 week with several days of recorded peripheral capillary oxygen saturation of 80% to 90% (room air) on home pulse oximeter. Five days earlier, he had visited an urgent care center where a routine respiratory viral panel was reportedly negative. A COVID-19 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test result was pending at the time of ED visit. He reported a past medical history of gastroesophageal reflux disease that was treated with famotidine. Travel history included an out-of-state trip 3 weeks earlier, but no recent international travel.
Explaining Versus Responding to Ethical Failures in Leadership

Why are there so many ethical failures in leadership? It is because leaders fail to see how the leadership context makes them particularly vulnerable to ethical failure. We can trace the main source of the vulnerability to our moral psychology. When the general human tendency for justification is let loose in the leadership context, we should expect an increase in the relative frequency of unethical behavior. Ethical failures in leadership therefore call for a cognitive response, whatever their explanation. The basic argument is this: even if the source of unethical behavior is self-interest, leaders are unlikely to think of their behavior in this way and much more likely to rationalize their exception making in terms of what is good for the group.
Autophagy and senescence: Insights from normal and cancer stem cells

Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process, which allows cells to adapt to metabolic stress through the degradation and recycling of intracellular components to generate macromolecular precursors and produce energy. Autophagy is also critical in maintaining cellular/tissue homeostasis, as well preserving immunity and preventing human disease. Deregulation of autophagic processes is associated with cancer, neurodegeneration, muscle and heart disease, infectious diseases and aging. Research on a variety of stem cell types establish that autophagy plays critical roles in normal and cancer stem cell quiescence, activation, differentiation, and self-renewal. Considering its critical function in regulating the metabolic state of stem cells, autophagy plays a dual role in the regulation of normal and cancer stem cell senescence, and cellular responses to various therapeutic strategies. The relationships between autophagy, senescence, dormancy and apoptosis frequently focus on responses to various forms of stress. These are interrelated processes that profoundly affect normal and abnormal human physiology that require further elucidation in cancer stem cells. This review provides a current perspective on autophagy and senescence in both normal and cancer stem cells.
Load-bearing performance of model GRS bridge abutments with different facing and reinforcement spacing configurations

Abstract The paper reports the construction and surcharge load-testing of three (3) large-scale (~2.50 m-tall) GRS bridge abutment models in an outdoor test station to investigate the influences that the facing type and reinforcement spacing could have on their load-bearing performance. The facing types examined included cored Concrete Masonry Units (CMU) in Model #1 and much larger solid concrete blocks in Models #2 and #3. Reinforcement spacing in the first two models was 0.20 m, whereas it was increased to 0.30 m in the third model. Results show that using large facing blocks in GRS abutments could lead to significant improvements in their load-deformation performance relative to those with the CMU facing alternative. This improvement was observed even in the case of model with increased reinforcement spacing. Therefore, use of larger facing blocks could also help reduce the cost of GRS abutments by reducing the need for tighter reinforcement.
Examining the Rates of Obesity and Bariatric Surgery in the United States.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the change in rate of increase of bariatric surgery performed compared to the growth of obesity and severe obesity in the United States (US). The number of primary adult bariatric procedures performed in the US between 2015 and 2018 was obtained from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation Quality and Improvement Project (MBSAQIP) database. The US Census database was used to derive age-adjusted obesity and severe obesity prevalence among adults. Prevalence of bariatric surgery, by year, was estimated as the ratio of the number of patients undergoing surgery and the projected number of eligible individuals for that year. There were 627,386 bariatric procedures performed for body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2, of which 73.3% (n = 459,800) were performed for BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2. Although the rate of obesity increased by 3.32% per year during this period (RR = 1.0332 per year increase; 95% CI = 1.0313, 1.0352), the rate of surgery per eligible population increased by only 2.47% (RR = 1.0247 per year increase; 95% CI = 1.0065, 1.0432). The prevalence of severe obesity increased from 7.70% (n = 17,494,910) in 2015 to 9.95% (n = 23,135,039) in 2018 while the prevalence of surgery decreased from 0.588 per 100 eligible population in 2015 to 0.566 per 100 eligible population in 2018. The rate of utilization has not kept up with the rate of increase in this disease, our costliest illness. There is a strong need to educate the public, healthcare professionals, insurance carriers, and legislators.
Cell substrates for biologics production: factors affecting acceptability.

At the present time, the viral vaccines licensed for use in humans in the United States are produced in cells derived from a wide variety of sources. Table 1 shows the specific cell system for each vaccine and the year in which the vaccine was licensed. To some degree the cell type used for a given vaccine reflects the available technology at the time of licensure, and the then current consensus on what constituted an acceptable cell source. The classic example, of course, is poliovirus vaccine. Primary rhesus monkey kidney cultures were used initially. With the discovery of SV-40 as a rhesus agent capable of contaminating the vaccine, primary African green monkey kidney cell culture became the substrate of choice. More recently, diploid cells of human origin have been used to produce poliovirus vaccine, thus introducing an alternate acceptable cell substrate for vaccine production. Because new data have been developed at a rapid rate over the past decade in the biological sciences, and because there has been a large experience with cells from a variety of sources in vaccine production, it is of interest to examine which criteria are of major importance in assessing the acceptability of cells. The purpose of this discussion is to review those major criteria of acceptability which have been applied to cells used in biologics production up to the present time, and to critically analyze the logic and reasonableness of those criteria in the context of the general knowlege that is currently available in the biological sciences as well as the general experience with vaccines produced in a variety of cell types. The focus will be on cell lines rather than on both cell lines and primary cultures, since the use of primary cultures will be covered in depth by Dr. Parks, and I am sure that during the course of this symposium there will be many opportunities for us to discuss the issues relating to primary cell cultures.
The Art of Assembly

Advances in delivering small interfering RNAs to specific tissues may bring these nucleotides closer to reality as therapeutic agents.
The service university movement in the US: Searching for momentum

While for much of the postwar period becoming a research intensive university has been the goal of most large American universities, in recent years many are reappraising their missions. This paper focuses on two institutions, Michigan State University and the University at Buffalo, that are seeking to combine a focus on a strong research mission that creates new knowledge with new initiatives to convey the practical implications of that knowledge to local clientele. These two institutions are seeking to serve their constituencies through both knowledge extension and instructional extension. In the process they face the challenge of sustaining the commitment of leaders, of altering long-standing structures, and of reforming financial procedures. Through focusing on two cases, the study seeks to identify some of the generic problems American institutions of higher education are encountering as they strive to strengthen their service function.
Aquinas’s Replication of the Acquired Moral Virtues : Rethinking the Standard Philosophical Interpretation of Moral Virtue in Aquinas

Aquinas is often presented as following Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics when treating moral virtue. Less often do philosophers consider that Aquinas's conception of the highest good and its relation to the functional character of human activity led him to break with Aristotle by replicating each of the acquired moral virtues on an infused level. The author suggests that we can discern reasons for this move by examining Aquinas's commentary on the Sententiae of Peter the Lombard and the Summa theologiae within their historical context. The author's thesis is that Dominican pastoral and intellectual concerns led Aquinas to argue that moral virtue must necessarily be ordered toward the highest good. Understanding this purpose helps to explain his presentation of moral virtue and its implications for standard philosophical interpretations of his work.
Whorf, Benjamin Lee

Benjamin Lee Whorf may justly be considered one of the major contributors to cognitive science in the twentieth century. Keywords: cognitive scientist; language structure; linguist; linguistic relativity
Fast channel estimation using maximum-length shift-register sequences

Least-square channel estimation techniques usually involve the large-dimensional matrix inversion, whose heavy computational complexity cannot be extendable for long channel filters. Maximum-Length Shift-Register (MLSR) sequences, or m-sequences, possess the well controlled second?order cyclic statistics and have been used as the training sequences for least-square channel estimators. In this paper, we analyse the statistical characteristics of m-sequences and design a corresponding highly computationally-efficient channel estimation algorithm. Two crucial measures, namely mean-square error and computational complexity, are evaluated thereupon. It can be justified that our proposed algorithm can achieve both efficiency and satisfactory performance for communication channel estimation.
Adrenocortical Carcinoma: Impact of Surgical Margin Status on Long-Term Outcomes.

Background The influence of surgical margin status on long-term outcomes of patients undergoing adrenal resection for ACC remains not well defined. We studied the impact of surgical tumor margin status on recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients undergoing resection for ACC.
Chapter 32 Toxic myopathies

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the clinical, electrophysiologic, and histopathologic manifestations of toxic myopathies that occur in humans. The evaluation of patients with suspected toxic myopathies should begin with a thorough general medical and focused neuromuscular assessment, followed by supportive laboratory and electrodiagnostic investigations. The identification of systemic manifestations—such as cardiomyopathy or skin rash—may help identify some toxic myopathies. Electrodiagnostic testing plays an important role in the evaluation of myopathies by confirming a clinically suspected process affecting muscles, determining the severity and distribution of a disease, and quantifying the degree of abnormality in some instances. However, electrodiagnostic studies also have limitations. Routinely performed studies are less sensitive in identifying myopathies, especially mild cases or those presenting early in the course, than in identifying neurogenic processes. In addition, electromyography (EMG) is limited in ability to determine the etiology of a myopathy because most electrophysiologic abnormalities occur in a wide variety of muscle diseases and are not unique to toxic myopathies.
The Lobotomy Letters: The Making of American Psychosurgery by Michal Raz

Michal Raz states that she was an 18-year-old medical student when she heard Walter Freeman discuss the “incredibly positive” results of lobotomy. She believed that he was lying about those results...
Acquired Substrate Preference for GAB1 Protein Bestows Transforming Activity to ERBB2 Kinase Lung Cancer Mutants

Activating mutations in the αC-β4 loop of the ERBB2 kinase domain, such as ERBB2YVMA and ERBB2G776VC, have been identified in human lung cancers and found to drive tumor formation. Here we observe that the docking protein GAB1 is hyper-phosphorylated in carcinomas from transgenic mice and in cell lines expressing these ERBB2 cancer mutants. Using dominant negative GAB1 mutants lacking canonical tyrosine residues for SHP2 and PI3K interactions or lentiviral shRNA that targets GAB1, we demonstrate that GAB1 phosphorylation is required for ERBB2 mutant-induced cell signaling, cell transformation, and tumorigenesis. An enzyme kinetic analysis comparing ERBB2YVMA to wild type using physiologically relevant peptide substrates reveals that ERBB2YVMA kinase adopts a striking preference for GAB1 phosphorylation sites as evidenced by ∼150-fold increases in the specificity constants (kcat/Km) for several GAB1 peptides, and this change in substrate selectivity was predominantly attributed to the peptide binding affinities as reflected by the apparent Km values. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ERBB2YVMA phosphorylates GAB1 protein ∼70-fold faster than wild type ERBB2 in vitro. Notably, the mutation does not significantly alter the Km for ATP or sensitivity to lapatinib, suggesting that, unlike EGFR lung cancer mutants, the ATP binding cleft of the kinase is not significantly changed. Taken together, our results indicate that the acquired substrate preference for GAB1 is critical for the ERBB2 mutant-induced oncogenesis. Background: Activating ERBB2 mutants drive tumor formation. Results: Oncogenic ERBB2 has a striking substrate preference for GAB1 in vitro, and GAB1 hyper-phosphorylation is required for mutant ERBB2-induced cell signaling and transformation. Conclusion: Acquired substrate preference for GAB1 is critical to the ERBB2 mutant-mediated oncogenesis. Significance: Understanding the activation mechanism of mutant ERBB2s may lead to the development of therapies targeted against these oncogenic kinases.
Principles & Practices of Point-of-Care Testing. Gerald J. Kost, ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2002, 672 pp., $95.00, cloth. ISBN: 0-7817-3156-9

This book is intended for laboratory personnel, practicing physicians, and nurses involved in point-of-care testing (POCT). It is organized into six parts, containing forty chapters. Each part, or chapter, can be used separately depending on the reader’s needs and expertise. Part I presents the guidelines by which laboratory tests can be performed outside of the laboratory by medical and nursing staff. It stresses that a coordinating committee for all POCT issues should be organized and explains how this can be achieved. The committee’s main purpose is to ensure that the quality of testing is not compromised, yet a rapid turn-around time of tests is accomplished by the non-laboratory personnel, whose main responsibility and concern is the care of patients. The transcription of test results into the patients’ records and the quality-control data performed on these tests is another issue that must be followed very closely by the committee. Part II covers optimized POCT settings in a …
Fractal dimension and vector quantization

We show that the performance of a vector quantizer for a self-similar data set is related to the intrinsic ("fractal") dimension of the data set. We derive a formula for predicting the error-rate, given the fractal dimension and discuss how we can use our result for evaluating the performance of vector quantizers quickly.
All-sky polarization imaging

We describe measurements of atmospheric polarization made with an all-sky imaging spectro-polarimeter in five 10- nm-wide bands from 450 to 700 nm. The instrument uses two liquid crystal variable retarders and a fixed linear polarizer to measure the Stokes vector in each pixel of a 1 Mpixel image that covers the entire sky dome. Degree of polarization and angle of polarization images are shown for clear, partly cloudy, and smoke-filled conditions. Aerosols and clouds generally reduce the degree of polarization observed throughout the image, even in clear portions of partly cloudy skies. Comparisons of measurements and calculations show that the single-scattering algorithm in the early polarized Modtran (Mod-P) radiative transfer code provide adequate prediction of sky polarization at red and near-infrared wavelengths for low aerosol optical depths (~≤ 0.2), but significantly under-predict the degree of polarization for short wavelengths, especially with higher optical depths and in the vicinity of clouds.
Democracy and Terrorism: What Roles for Universities?

In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the study of terrorism has become prominent as a function of the social sciences. The purpose of this article is to examine how terrorism studies relate to university engagement in an effort to reduce violence and terrorist acts across the globe. Illustrations will be explicated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, Tel Aviv University in Israel, and Al-Quds University in Jerusalem. The article concludes with correlating how these universities have not merely studied terrorism, but how these studies engage their students, faculty, and their communities in combating a phenomenon that is continually evident.
Counterclockwise Circulation in the Pacific Subantarctic Sector of the Southern Ocean

The distribution of isohalines in the upper 500 meters of Pacific subantarctic waters can be interpreted as evidence for an endemic counterclockwise circulation, the westward component of which is at 40 to 45 degrees south latitude. The distributions of a number of lanternfish species (family Myctophidae) lend support to such an interpretation.
Clinical evaluation and patterns of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Purpose To determine the pattern of change in peripheral nerve function (as measured by vision, hearing, deep tendon reflexes, vibratory sense, cutaneous sensation, gait and balance, muscle strength, and orthostatic blood pressure) occurring among individuals receiving cancer treatment with known neurotoxic agents. Data Sources A convenience sample of 16 participants with cancer who were receiving chemotherapy had their peripheral nerve function assessed at baseline and at 4 weeks and 12 weeks of treatment. Data were analyzed using plots and regression slopes to determine change over time in clinical measures of peripheral nerve function. Outcome variables were vision, hearing, deep tendon reflexes, vibratory sense, cutaneous sensation, gait and balance, muscle strength, and changes in orthostatic blood pressure. Conclusions This is the first prospective study to use comprehensive clinical measures of peripheral nerve and muscle changes resulting from combination chemotherapy or a biotherapy regimen. Alterations in vision, hearing, deep tendon reflexes, vibratory sense, cutaneous sensation, balance, muscle strength, and orthostatic blood pressure were noted, but gait remained unchanged. Implications for Practice This study provides beginning evidence of the need for careful, ongoing assessment of treatment-induced peripheral neuropathy. Standardized clinical practice procedures that incorporate patient evaluation for peripheral neuropathy must still be developed.In addition, we must educate our patients about the functional changes they may expect, and we must develop strategies to assist them in managing limitations that they experience as a result of peripheral neuropathy.
Clean indoor air: public demand for smoking bans

Purpose – Public smoking bans are becoming more prevalent, but not without controversy. Consumer attitudes about the effectiveness of service provider imposed smoking/nonsmoking separation have changed. Arguments against bans often center on the belief that patronage at restaurants and bars will decline, leading to declining entertainment sector revenue and the elimination of privately owned establishments by public policy. This paper aims to investigate consumers ' beliefs and behavioral intentions concerning a proposed smoking ban. Design/methodology/approach – The study presented involves a typical US city facing a vote by their city council for a public smoking ban (including restaurants and bars). In 2007 consumers ' beliefs and behavioral intentions concerning a proposed smoking ban were investigated. Current study findings were compared to a prior study about consumers ' beliefs that smoking/nonsmoking sections were effective at separation, and hence did not support public smoking bans. The authors...
Two-Dimensional Exact Model Matching With Application to Repetitive Control

This paper concerns matching a system with time-delayed feedback to a rational transfer function model and its application to repetitive controller design. Necessary and sufficient conditions on the order of the plant, reference model, and controller are obtained for the existence of causal and stabilizing exact model matching solutions. The results are applied to robust repetitive controller design, in which a delayed feedback is introduced in the repetitive controller for rejecting periodic disturbances while simultaneously achieving input-output model matching. Furthermore, the 2-D model matching method also renders computationally efficient solutions
An examination of tissue chimerism in the ACI to Lewis rat cardiac transplant model

Abstract While the existence of chimeric cells in host tissue following organ transplantation is well documented, its distribution, temporal evolution and relationship to allograft survival is less clear. To explore this phenomenon, Lewis recipients of ACI cardiac allografts representing a wide range of immunosuppressive protocols and graft survival times were examined for the presence of chimerism using a sensitive polymerase chain reaction assay. Four groups of animals were examined: untransplanted animals receiving donor specific transfusion (DST)/cyclosporine A (CsA); allograft recipients with no treatment; recipients treated with DST/CsA/supplementary immunosuppression with rejection at 21–183 days; and recipients sacrificed with functioning allografts, treated with DST/CsA/supplementary immunosuppression and surviving >200 days. To elucidate variations in the tissue distribution of chimeric cells, bone marrow, skin, liver, spleen, and thymus were examined in each animal. Untransplanted animals receiving DST/CsA displayed no evidence of chimerism. In animals receiving a cardiac allograft but no treatment, there was extensive evidence of chimerism in four of five animals. Chimerism was also detected in seven of nine animals with intermediate graft survival at the time of rejection. In animals with long-term graft survival, only four of eight displayed chimerism. These results suggest that, without immunosuppression, early chimerism does not lead to prolonged graft survival and that, even when graft survival is moderately prolonged, these cells are not sufficient to prevent rejection. In conclusion, chimerism appears to be a common phenomenon following transplantation, is not a result of DST, and may not be necessary for maintenance of long-term graft survival.
Temporal compression of mode-locked pulses for laser-fusion diagnostics

Regenerative compression of mode-locked laser pulses has been developed to provide a temporally short probe pulse for diagnosing laser-fusion plasmas. A single mode-locked pulse injected into a regenerative amplifier is compressed by an intracavity saturable dye. Analysis indicates the best operational mode and choice of experimental parameters. Experiments using Nd:YAG and Eastman A9740 dye demonstrate an eightfold compression from 120 to 15 ps with a shot-to-shot stability of ±4 percent. An oscillator/regenerative compressor system demonstrates a 15 ps probe pulse synchronized within ±5 ps to a 1000 ps target-heating pulse.
The mechanism of laser-assisted CVD of germanium

Previous workers have shown that germane does not decompose below 700 K on silica substrates. However, if the germane is irradiated with an ArF or KrF laser, germanium films will grow at temperatures down to 610 K. In the work reported here, the role of the laser in the growth process was explored. First, the species impinging on the substrate during ArF laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) were analyzed with a mass spectrometer. The analysis showed that when germane is irradiated with an ArF laser under growth conditions, digermane is formed in the gas phase. The digermane then impinges on the substrate and pyrolyses. Many other species have been reported previously to be formed transiently during the laser pulse. However, we were not able to detect any other species with a high enough flux onto the substrate to condense at an appreciable rate. Next, temperature programmed decomposition was used to see if photochemical decomposition of chemisorbed germane played an important role in film growth. It was found that a laser dose comparable to that needed for film growth did not produce an appreciable change in the decomposition spectra. Lastly, film growth studies were used to examine the role of the digermane formed by the laser in the film growth process. It was found that a mixture of germane and digermane will decompose on a silica substrate down to 580 K to produce a germanium film. The growth characteristics of the germane/digermane mixtures were virtually the same as those seen in LCVD. Thus, it appears that under the conditions used previously for LCVD, the main role of the ArF laser is to convert some of the germane source gas to digermane. It also has been found that under other conditions, one can grow germanium films down to at least 300 K via digermane photolysis.
TOWARDS MODELING THE EVOLUTION OF PRODUCT FAMILIES

A strategy successfully used by manufacturing companies is to develop product families so as to offer a variety of products with reduced development costs. This paper introduces our initial research on the representation of the evolution of product families and of the rationale of the changes involved. The information model representing product families is an extension of the NIST Core Product Model and consists of three submodels: Product Family, Family Evolution, and Evolution Rationale. In addition, a Unified Modeling Language (UML)-based representation and a prototype implementation of the conceptual model are introduced.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
A laser driven optofluidic device for high-speed and precise volume-controlled droplet generation on demand

We report on an ultra-fast, pulse laser-driven droplet generation (PLDG) mechanism that enables on-demand droplet generation up to 10,000 droplets/sec, and continuous tuning of injected droplet volume ranging from 1pL to 150pL with precise volume control (0.26% volume variation) in a microfluidic device. On-demand droplet generation in PLDG is realized by focusing intense laser pulses into water to induce rapid bubble expansion and perturbing an oil-water interface for droplet formation. Device reliability testing of continuous excitation for 3.6 million laser pulsing cycles is also achieved without any damages.
THE MANAGEMENT OF ULCERATIVE COLITIS

The treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) remains empiric because of undetermined etiology and pathogenesis and incomplete understanding of the underlying immunoinflammatory events. However, considerable progress has been made in the management of this disease with the availability and wider use of newer aminosalicylates and immunomodulating agents. The clinician confronted with a patient with chronic ulcerative colitis must weigh the advantages of continued medical therapy against the potential curability with improved surgical techniques. After a brief discussion of the current classes of medicines and their pathophysiological basis of action, we focus on standard approaches to the different clinical syndromes and their complications.
Hypoxia Inhibition of Adipocytogenesis in Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Requires Transforming Growth Factor-β/Smad3 Signaling *

Although hypoxia and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) inhibit differentiation of adipocytes from preadipocytes and bone marrow-derived cells in several species, the relationship between hypoxia and TGF-beta signaling in adipocytogenesis is unknown. In this study, we evaluated the mechanisms of inhibition of adipocyte differentiation by hypoxia and TGF-beta in human and murine marrow stromal cells (MSCs) and the role of TGF-beta/Smad signaling in the inhibition of adipocytogenesis by hypoxia. Both hypoxia-mimetic deferoxamine mesylate (DFO) and TGF-beta1 inhibited adipocyte differentiation (1.0% versus the control at 15 microm DFO and 1.4% versus the control at 1 ng/ml TGF-beta1) and adipocyte gene expression (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma2 and lipoprotein lipase) in human MSCs after 21 days of treatment. Hypoxia (2% O(2)) and DFO (but not TGF-beta1) increased hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha as shown by Western blotting. Macroarrays and Western and Northern blot analyses showed that hypoxia activated the TGF-beta/Smad signaling pathway and that both hypoxia and TGF-beta1 modulated adipocyte differentiation pathways such as the insulin-, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma-, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-, and MAPK-associated signaling pathways. Studies with mouse marrow stromal cell lines derived from Smad3(+/+) or Smad3(-/-) mice revealed that the TGF-beta type I receptor (ALK-5) and its intracellular signaling molecule Smad3 were necessary for the inhibition of adipocyte differentiation by both TGF-beta and hypoxia-mimetic DFO. Thus, the TGF-beta/Smad signaling pathway is required for hypoxia-mediated inhibition of adipocyte differentiation in MSCs.
Indirect covariance NMR spectroscopy of through-bond homo-nuclear correlations for quadrupolar nuclei in solids under high-resolution.

Indirect covariance NMR spectroscopy is demonstrated in solids, and we show that it can be used to obtain through-bond 2D homo-nuclear correlation spectra for quadrupolar nuclei under high-resolution. These spectra, generated with indirect covariance from a hetero-nuclear correlation spectrum, are equivalent to those recorded with the through-bond homo-nuclear hetero-nuclear single-quantum correlation (H-HSQC) method very recently proposed. However, the indirect covariance method can save a lot of experiment time, compared to the H-HSQC experiments, which allows introducing a high-resolution quadrupolar filter, thus providing a much better resolution, even on medium-field spectrometers. The covariance concept can be used to generate many different ‘indirectly-detected' high-resolution homo-nuclear correlation spectra with through-space or through-bond correlations for spin 1/2 or quadrupolar nuclei. We also propose a simple method that decreases the noise in all (direct or indirect) covariance methods.
New mechanism for methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus: clinical isolates that lack the PBP 2a gene and contain normal penicillin-binding proteins with modified penicillin-binding capacity.

Seventeen clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (from the United States and Europe) selected for low (borderline)-level methicillin resistance (MIC of methicillin, 2 to 4 micrograms/ml; MIC of oxacillin, 0.5 to 8 micrograms/ml) were examined for their mechanisms of resistance. Five strains were typical of heterogeneous S. aureus: they gave positive reactions with a DNA probe specific for mec and contained a small fraction (10(-6] of highly resistant cells (MIC, greater than 100 micrograms/ml). The rest of the 12 strains were homogeneous with respect to their methicillin resistance: the MIC of methicillin for all cells was 2 to 4 micrograms/ml, and no cells for which MICs were 50 micrograms/ml or higher were detectable (less than 10(-9]. None of these strains reacted with the mec-specific DNA probe. One representative strain of each group was characterized in more detail. Strain CDC-1, prototype of heterogeneous methicillin-resistant S. aureus, contained penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 2a; its DNA could transform a methicillin-susceptible and novobiocin-resistant recipient to methicillin resistance with ca. 35% linkage to Novr. Introduction of the "factor X" determinant (K. Murakami and A. Tomasz, J. Bacteriol. 171:874-879, 1989) converted strain CDC-1 to high, homogeneous resistance. Strain CDC-6, prototype of the second group of isolates, showed completely homogeneous MICs of methicillin, oxacillin, and cefotaxime. The strain contained modified "normal" PBPs: PBPs 1 and 2 showed low drug reactivity (and/or cellular amounts), and PBP 4 was present in elevated amounts. No PBP 2a could be detected. DNA isolated from strain CDC-6 could transform the methicillin-susceptible and novobiocin-resistant strain to methicillin resistance in a multistep fashion, but this resistance showed no genetic linkage to the Nov marker. We suggest that staphylococci with borderline resistance may contain at least three different classes of mechanism: heterogeneous, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, PBPs of modified drug reactivities, and the previously reported hyperproduction of beta-lactamase (L.K. McDougal and C. Thornsberry, J. Clin Microbiol. 23:832-839, 1986). Images
The overestimation of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and concomitant fibromyalgia.

Introduction: Several instruments are commonly used to evaluate disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28), the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey. These instruments directly or indirectly measure pain and function in RA patients. Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain disorder that appears to amplify pain originating from peripheral tissues. It has been reported to co-occur in 14% to 17% of patients with RA [1,2]. In addition to joint infl ammation, FM may represent an additional factor that impacts pain, physical, social, and emotional status of RA patients. For example, the presence of FM has been associated with signifi cantly increased HAQ scores in patients with RA [3]. DAS28 scores of FM patients are similar to those of patients with RA [4], and the presence of FM in patients with RA seems to result in lower SF-36 scores compared with patients with RA only [1]. Because the DAS is a widely used instrument to measure disease activity in patients with RA, it appears relevant to assess the effects of concomitant FM on DAS28 scores of RA patients.