cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electroconvulsive Seizures Inhibit Amygdala Kindling: Implications for Mechanisms of Action in Affective Illness

Amygdala kindling, the progressive development of seizures following repeated electrical stimulation, has been used as a model of epileptogenesis, neural memory, and the development of behavioral alterations. In an attempt to interfere with the kindling process, electroconvulsive seizures (ECS) were administered 6 h prior to or immediately after once-daily amygdala stimulation. ECS compared with sham ECS 6 h prior to kindling profoundly inhibited the development of amygdala-kindled seizures, while ECS immediately after the afterdischarge (AD) were not effective. In a second study, seven daily ECS, but not a single ECS followed by a 6-day delay, markedly suppressed established amygdala-kindled seizures compared with sham ECS controls. The generalized seizures of ECS thus appear to be paradoxically anticonvulsant to limbic seizures. Carbamazepine, a potent anticonvulsant for temporal lobe and limbic seizures in animals and man, inhibits amygdala-kindled seizures and is effective in the treatment of manic-depressive illness. The current findings suggest the possibility that the efficacy of ECS in affective illness may be, in part, related to its limbic antikindling and anticonvulsant effects.
Giving Back to the Web: Social Filtering of World Wide Web Resources in High School Science

Can high school students become contributors as well as users on the World Wide Web? This research explores a new Web-based curriculum idea, that of having students write and publish critical “reviews” of scientific resources. Writing reviews can be a means of both practicing critical evaluation of Web resources, and of making an authentic value-added contribution to the Web. This paper presents content analyses of 41 source documents and 63 critical reviews published by 11th grade students in a project-based science class. The source documents are described as to their publishing source, use of organizational elements, and use of graphics. Two aspects of student-written critical evaluation are analyzed: evaluation of organization and evaluation of graphics. While evaluations of graphics were somewhat thin in these reviews, this was due mostly to the lack of good content representations in the source documents. The on-line review form did successfully prompt students to make conceptual connections between organizational structure and their own sense-making process. Reviews also sometimes showed students engaged in perspective-taking related to potential readers. The literature review of this paper examines critical evaluation models and current social filtering models for large, distributed databases. A section on future directions for Web reviews describes a review-publishing system developed for the University of Michigan Digital Library system.
Environmental Benefits of End-Around Taxiway Operations

*† ‡ Improving airfield design is one strategy that can be used to reduce aircraft emissions at airports. At high-traffic airports with parallel runways, end-around taxiways can reduce runway incursions as well as increase runway throughput. This study evaluates the environmental implications of these taxiways at a candidate airport, DFW (Dallas/FortWorth International Airport). The use of the end-around taxiway varies significantly on a daily basis. Since operations on the taxiway do not follow strict procedures, there is potential to develop procedures for the effective use of the end-around taxiway, in terms of taxi time and surface fuel burn reduction. While the end-around taxiway shows significant promise in terms of fuel burn and emissions reduction, these benefits depend on the manner of operation of the taxiway. Factors such as traffic conditions on adjacent runways, traffic flow direction, arrival time of aircraft, and the specific aircraft type play a major role in extracting environmental benefits from end-around taxiways. For example, the results show that the average fuel burn for aircraft using the end-around taxiway is less than the average fuel burn of aircraft using a conventional taxiway during a select portion of the day, specifically, between 5pm and 1am. Further, implementation of decision rules based on the results of this research show promise in terms of fuel burn reduction.
Mining Personal Image Collection for Social Group Suggestion

Popular photo-sharing sites have attracted millions of people and helped construct massive social networks in cyberspace. Different from traditional social relationship, users actively interact within groups where common interests are shared on certain types of events or topics captured by photos and videos. Contributing images to a group would greatly promote the interactions between users and expand their social networks. In this work, we intend to produce accurate predictions of suitable photo-sharing groups from a user's images by mining images both on the Web and in the user’s personal collection. To this end, we designed a new approach to cluster popular groups into categories by analyzing the similarity of groups via SimRank. Both visual content and its annotations are integrated to understand the events or topics depicted in the images. Experiments on real user images demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.
Using an audio interface to assist users Who are visually impaired with steering tasks

In this paper we describe the latest results in our on-going study of techniques to present relational graphs to users with visual impairments. Our work tests the effectiveness of the PLUMB software package, which uses audio feedback and the pen-based Tablet PC interface to relay graphs and diagrams to users with visual impairments. Our study included human trials with ten participants without usable vision, in which we evaluated the users' ability to perform steering tasks under varying conditions.
Enhanced sensitivity employing zwitterionic and pI balancing dyes (Z-CyDyes) optimized for 2D-gel electrophoresis based on side chain modifications of CyDye fluorophores. New tools for use in proteomics and diagnostics.

The CyDye family of fluorescent dyes is currently the overwhelming choice for applications in proteomic analysis, using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE). Protein labeling with CyDyes is hampered by protein precipitation and gel smearing when used above minimal labeling. The solubility of labeled protein may be improved by introducing water solubilizing groups on the dye such as cysteic acids. However, addition of a negatively charged functionality will have the undesired effect of shifting the pI in relation to the unlabeled protein. These limitations have been addressed through the synthesis of highly water-soluble and pI balancing zwitterionic CyDye fluorophores (Z-CyDyes). The new dyes feature a cysteic acid motif, a titratable amine functionality and a NHS activated ester group. In side by side 2D-DIGE comparisons of Z-CyDyes and CyDyes, the new dyes significantly enhanced protein spot volume and the number of spots that were detected. Z-CyDyes have the potential to enhance the...
Complete Series of Monohalogenated Isoreticular Metal–Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and the Importance of Activation Method

A series of four IRMOFs with -F, -Cl, -Br, and -I terephthalate linkers was synthesized and characterized with respect to crystal structure, surface area, and nitrogen gas sorption. The activation of these materials was systematically evaluated, using several solvent-exchange methods and supercritical CO2 drying. The results demonstrate a strong dependence of surface area on the activation method used. Materials with surface areas comparable to predicted values were achieved, considerably improving upon previously reported values for IRMOF-2 and its -I variant. Finally, ambient-temperature nitrogen adsorption isotherms were measured. These data clearly demonstrate that the adsorption of a weakly interacting gas can be improved by increasing linker polarizability, confirming previous speculation in the literature.
Fetal nonmuscular soft tissue: a prenatal assessment.

In this study, the fetal nonmuscular soft tissue is evaluated prenatally in 52 uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at 36 weeks of gestation or later. The means and standard deviations of the NMST at the midarm region and the ratio of NMST to HL are 6.0±1.0 mm and 0.08±0.02, respectively. No correlation was seen between the NMST and birth weight
Draft Genome Sequence of Vancomycin-Susceptible, Ampicillin-Intermediate Enterococcus faecium Strain D344RRF.

ABSTRACT Enterococcus faecium is an important nosocomial pathogen, causing a substantial health burden due to high resistance to antibiotics and its ability to colonize the gastrointestinal tract. Here, we present the draft genome of vancomycin-susceptible, ampicillin-intermediate strain D344RRF, a rifampicin/fusidic acid-resistant and commonly used laboratory strain, which is useful in studying the transfer of antibiotic resistance.
Interleukin-15 signals T84 colonic epithelial cells in the absence of the interleukin-2 receptor beta-chain

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) shares many biological functions with interleukin-2 (IL-2) due to common receptor components. IL-15 binds to the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) beta-chain and the common gamma-chain receptor in addition to one other IL-15 binding receptor protein (IL-15R alpha). Both IL-2R beta- and gamma-chains are required to promote cell growth in hematopoietic cells. The colonic cryptlike epithelial cell line T84 contains the common gamma-chain but lacks the IL-2R beta-chain. We report IL-15R alpha-chain mRNA in T84 cells with the use of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. T84 and normal colonic epithelial cells bind a FLAG-IL-15 fusion protein in immunoperoxidase and flow cytometric experiments. In addition, IL-15, but not IL-2, accelerates and enhances the development of transepithelial resistance across T84 monolayers in a dose-dependent fashion. We conclude that normal and T84 colonic epithelial cells express IL-15R alpha and are able to bind IL-15. IL-15 can deliver a nonproliferative functional signal in the absence of IL-2R beta-chain in T84 cells.
Causes of Antiepileptic Treatment Failure

The Veterans Administration Epilepsy Cooperative Study Group (Regional Epilepsy Center, VA Med Cntr, 4500 S Lancaster Rd, Dallas, TX) have evaluated monotherapy with carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, and primidone in a total of 622 patients with previously untreated partial seizures, with particular attention to seizure frequency, neurotoxicity, and systemic toxicity.
PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED MORTALITY IN NSTEMI PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED CKD

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains a significant independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, there is an insufficient amount of revascularization data in non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients with CKD, especially at advanced
Recent Advances in Our Understanding of the Epidemiology of Melanoma

This review discusses recent findings involving epidemiologic issues in melanoma, including incidence trends, potential risk factors, and recent studies of skin examination, whether by a physician or by a patient performing self-examination. Melanoma incidence rates have increased, although not in a uniform fashion throughout the population. Tanning beds have been affirmed as a risk factor for melanoma, while other potential risk factors, such as sildenafil, alcohol, and fruit juice, as well a potential protective effect of coffee, have some interesting preliminary data but have not been consistently demonstrated to be causally linked to melanoma. Further studies are needed. There are promising data from Germany that physician skin examination may have an impact, but the data are not completely clear. Skin self-examination rates are low; several authors have tried to identify methods of improving compliance. There have been many interesting and provocative papers regarding the epidemiology of melanoma to come out in recent years. While further work is needed to understand fully the issues raised by these studies, these efforts are important elements in the path towards improving our understanding of how to best combat this deadly disease.
CMOS-embedded lasers for advanced silicon photonic devices

Realizing CMOS-compatible integrated lasers on silicon is a crucial step towards cost-efficient, high-functional optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs). Here, we report on a concept to embed active optical devices based on a bonded III–V epitaxial layer stack between the FEOL and BEOL of a CMOS silicon photonics chip. Ultra-shallow laser devices are realized with this concept and optically-pumped lasing, coupled to silicon is demonstrated for the first time with such a concept.
College of American Pathologists Conference XXXII on Guidelines for Laboratory Evaluation and Use of Antinuclear Antibodies and Laboratory Diagnosis and Monitoring of Monoclonal Gammopathies

T College of American Pathologists, through its Diagnostic Immunology Resource Committee, initiated a process to develop guidelines for 2 significant test analytes. The topics were selected on the basis of clinical importance, fiscal impact, lack of existing guidelines, and the availability of sufficient data to allow formulation of guidelines. The conference planning committee consisted of Russell Tomar, MD (Chair); Rebecca Johnson, MD; David Keren, MD; Henry Homburger, MD; James Goeken, MD; and Thomas Fleisher, MD. The American Society of Hematology, the American College of Rheumatology, the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health, and the Clinical Immunology Society agreed to serve as scientific cosponsors for this project. The planning commit-
Poroelastic Plate and Shell Theories

Theories are developed for deformation of porous elastic plates and shells saturated with a viscous fluid. The formulations, which are based on consolidation theory, account for detailed variations in fluid pressure and flow across the thickness. First, a linear theory is discussed for general thin shells, with plates and spherical shells examined as special cases. Then, the theory is extended to poroelastic membranes of revolution undergoing large axisymmetric deformation. In both theories, the fluid and solid components are assumed to be incompressible. Results are given for a spherical poroelastic membrane of Blatz-Ko material with a time-varying internal pressure. For high loading rates at large strain, nonlinearities strongly influence the fluid-pressure distribution.
Attributable Human-Induced Changes in the Likelihood and Magnitude of the Observed Extreme Precipitation during Hurricane Harvey

Record rainfall amounts were recorded during Hurricane Harvey in the Houston, Texas, area, leading to widespread flooding. We analyze observed precipitation from the Global Historical Climatology Network with a covariate-based extreme value statistical analysis, accounting for both the external influence of global warming and the internal influence of El Nino–Southern Oscillation. We find that human-induced climate change likely increased the chances of the observed precipitation accumulations during Hurricane Harvey in the most affected areas of Houston by a factor of at least 3.5. Further, precipitation accumulations in these areas were likely increased by at least 18.8% (best estimate of 37.7%), which is larger than the 6–7% associated with an attributable warming of 1°C in the Gulf of Mexico and Clausius-Clapeyron scaling. In a Granger causality sense, these statements provide lower bounds on the impact of climate change and motivate further attribution studies using dynamical climate models.
Understanding structural adaptability: a reactant informatics approach to experiment design

The structural and electronic adaptability ranges of a [VO(SeO3)(HSeO3)] framework found in organically templated vanadium selenites were determined using a three step approach, informed by cheminformatics descriptors, involving (i) the extraction of the most important reaction parameters from historical reaction data, (ii) a fractional factorial design on those parameters to better explore chemical space and (iii) decision tree construction on organic molecular properties to determine the factors governing framework formation. This process enabled the elucidation of both the structural and electronic adaptability ranges and provided the context to extract chemical understanding from the structural features that give rise to these respective ranges. This work resulted in the synthesis and structural determination of five new compounds.
Deep learning for segmentation of brain tumors: Impact of cross-institutional training and testing.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are commonly used for segmentation of brain tumors. In this work, we assess the effect of cross-institutional training on the performance of CNNs. METHODS We selected 44 glioblastoma (GBM) patients from two institutions in The Cancer Imaging Archive dataset. The images were manually annotated by outlining each tumor component to form ground truth. To automatically segment the tumors in each patient, we trained three CNNs: (a) one using data for patients from the same institution as the test data, (b) one using data for the patients from the other institution and (c) one using data for the patients from both of the institutions. The performance of the trained models was evaluated using Dice similarity coefficients as well as Average Hausdorff Distance between the ground truth and automatic segmentations. The 10-fold cross-validation scheme was used to compare the performance of different approaches. RESULTS Performance of the model significantly decreased (P < 0.0001) when it was trained on data from a different institution (dice coefficients: 0.68 ± 0.19 and 0.59 ± 0.19) as compared to training with data from the same institution (dice coefficients: 0.72 ± 0.17 and 0.76 ± 0.12). This trend persisted for segmentation of the entire tumor as well as its individual components. CONCLUSIONS There is a very strong effect of selecting data for training on performance of CNNs in a multi-institutional setting. Determination of the reasons behind this effect requires additional comprehensive investigation.
A rare extra-axial midline tentorial adult medulloblastoma with dural-tail sign mimicking a meningioma

Medulloblastomas are categorized as the World Health Organization Grade IV neoplasms. Only 33 cases have been reported of extra-axial, mostly in the cerebellar pontine angle and lateral cerebellar hemisphere, medulloblastomas in the current literature. Our study showcases the first case of an extremely rare presentation of an extra-axial midline tentorial adult medulloblastoma with the dural-tail sign mimicking a meningioma. To achieve the best possible outcome, a high index of suspicion for medulloblastoma is critical especially in young patient with an atypical posterior fossa mass as treatment regimens drastically different between a medulloblastoma and a meningioma.
Biocatalysis in Supercritical Fluids

General industrial application of biocatalysis has long been hindered by the nearly exclusive use of water as a solvent, although it has been known for some time that biocatalysis can occur in nonaqueous environments. Recent interest in nonaqueous systems for biocatalysis has been kindled by the work of Klibanov and co-workers, 1–3 who showed that enzymatic catalysis can take place even in nearly anhydrous organics. Since the appearance of that work, many different solvent systems have been investigated as media for biocatalysis, and general rules for solvent selection have been proposed.4–7
Tactics to Evaluate the Evidence Base of a Nonbehavioral Intervention in an Expanded Consumer Area

The purpose of this article is to provide tactics for the behavior analyst to effectively evaluate the evidence base for an unfamiliar nonbehavioral intervention when expanding services. Just as behavior analysts must be aware of fad treatments in autism likely to be encountered, so, too, should practitioners become familiar with potential fad treatments in any expanded area of practice. The present article extends previous work by considering challenges surrounding contact with nonbehavioral literature in the context of an expanded consumer base. The article also considers ethical interactions with nonbehavioral professionals following appraisal of the intervention, and how adopting the strategies listed here can aid in establishing oneself as a resource. Associated barriers and solutions are presented around four tactics: (a) searching the literature, (b) recognizing and evaluating the common properties of fad treatments, (c) distinguishing quality of evidence, and (d) ascertaining behavioral mechanisms of action. Examples from gerontology will be provided to illustrate the use of the proposed tactics.
Lymphatic network remodeling after small bowel resection.

Abstract Background Short gut syndrome (SGS) following massive small bowel resection (SBR) is a major cause of pediatric mortality and morbidity secondary to nutritional deficiencies and the sequelae of chronic total parenteral nutrition use, including liver steatosis. Despite the importance of lymphatic vasculature in fat absorption, lymphatic response after SBR has not been studied. We hypothesize that lymphatic vessel integrity is compromised in SGS, potentially contributing to the development of impaired lipid transport leading to liver steatosis and metabolic disease. Methods Mice underwent 50% proximal SBR or sham operations. Imaging of lymphatic vasculature in the lamina propria and mesentery was compared between sham and SBR Prox1 ERCre-Rosa26LSLTdTomato mice. mRNA expression levels of lymphangiogenic markers were performed in C57BL/6J mice. Results Lymphatic vasculature was significantly altered after SBR. Mesenteric lymphatic collecting vessels developed new branching structures and lacked normal valves at branch points, while total mucosal lymphatic capillary area in the distal ileum decreased compared to both sham and intraoperative controls. Intestinal Vegfr3 expression also increased significantly in resected mice. Conclusions Intestinal lymphatics, in both the lamina propria and mesentery, dramatically remodel following SBR. This remodeling may affect lymphatic flow and function, potentially contributing to morbidities and nutritional deficiencies associated with SGS.
Displaying a taxidermy rhinoceros in a museum: the Lisbon conservation approach

The present problems around the public display of a full taxidermy mounted rhinoceros in Lisbon and the motifs for the replacement of its original horns are presented in this paper. The twentieth century specimen concerned belongs to the National Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Lisbon (MUHNA C). The several warnings of rhino horn thefts occurring in museums across Europe in the last two decades and the frequency of requests for loans of this specimen for exhibitions, raised an internal debate at the MUHNA C. In this paper, firstly, we present a short overview of the problems in terms of the international context and the vulnerability of these specimens at museums, followed by a brief overview of the history of the Lisbon specimen. Finally, we detail and discuss our conservation, methodology and ethical approach to the removal and replacement of the specimen’s original horns with replicas, based on Norfolk Museums Service’s (UK) protocol and experience. Received: 2018-10-7Revised: 2019-3-4Accepted: 2019-4-8Online: 2019-6-18Publication: 2020-3-13
Can Public Pensions Fulfill Their Promises? An Examination of PennsylvaniaS Two Largest Public Pensions

Despite having assets of more than $75 billion, Pennsylvania's two largest public pension plans may be underfunded by as much as $100 billion. In fact, given their current funding ratios and an assumed distribution of asset returns, a 100 percent probability exists that both plans have sufficient assets to pay benefits without any increase in contributions for only the next five years. After five years, the probability declines; by 2030, the likelihood that both plans will be able to meet their promised obligations falls to 31 percent in the public schools plan and to just 16 percent in the state employees' plan. Although recent reforms may enhance funding ratios, even if fully funded, these plans have roughly a 50?50 chance of being able to meet their obligations given the volatility in their investment portfolios. Furthermore, depending on the system reforms, the paper shows that the plans could accumulate too many assets, which could lead to pressure to increase benefits and further compound the problem.
The Other Invisible Hand: How Markets Can Propagate Valuation Errors

Markets are ubiquitous in modern society, a status often justified by their presumed ability to aggregate bits of incomplete information from many actors into a single, unbiased estimate of value. ...
Reverse Recovery of 50 V Silicon Charge Plasma PIN Diode

In this article, a novel approach is used for the first time to design a high-voltage PIN diode without any chemical doping process of cathode and anode region. This approach favors “p” and “n” plasma region formation through various metal contacts with appropriate work-functions for anode and cathode respectively. In this study, the forward and reverse characteristics, as well as the switching performance (reverse recovery) of this novel device, charge plasma (CP) PIN diode, were compared with the Schottky diode and the conventional PIN diode using TCAD simulation.
Symbiont-Mediated Insecticide Detoxification as an Emerging Problem in Insect Pests

Pesticide use is prevalent with applications from the backyard gardener to large-scale agriculture and combatting pests in homes and industrial settings. Alongside the need to control unwanted pests comes the selective pressure generated by sustained pesticide use has become a concern leading to environmental contamination, pest resistance, and, thus, reduced pesticide efficacy. Despite efforts to improve the environmental impact and reduce off-target effects, chemical pesticides are relied on and control failures are costly. Though pesticide resistance mechanisms vary, one pattern that has recently emerged is symbiont-mediated detoxification within insect pests. The localization within the insect host, the identity of the symbiotic partner, and the stability of the associations across different systems vary. The diversity of insects and ecological settings linked to this phenomenon are broad. In this mini-review, we summarize the recent trend of insecticide detoxification modulated by symbiotic associations between bacteria and insects, as well as highlight the implications for pesticide development, pest management strategies, and pesticide bioremediation.
Towards a Conceptualization of Debt-Credit Social Process

This a review essay of Debt to Society by Miranda Joseph.The essay connects Miranda Joseph's book Debt to Society to concerns within heterodox economics. It is suggested that it is most adequate to see debt as a process, and especially as a debt-credit process. The paper makes this argument in light of the development of economics into a mainstream and heterodox economics, and efforts to analyze "the social".
Disorders in the neonatal period

Abstract Tremendous physiological changes occur with the birthing process. These include transformative changes in cardiovascular circulation, pulmonary function, and feeding, as the neonate must now perform gas exchange and obtain nutrients without the benefit of a placenta. Associated with these changes are remarkable increases in growth, skeletal development, and continued maturity of cardiovascular, hepatic, gastrointestinal, renal, hematopoietic, and nervous systems. When either prematurity or disease entities are present, normal development can be altered. Because neonatology is an enormous field, this chapter only discusses major biochemical and physiologic challenges that neonates face. There remain a great number of controversial issues within the field of neonatology, and the reader is encouraged to consult an excellent review in this area [M.R. Uhing, R.M. Kliegman (Eds.), Current Controversies in Perinatal Medicine, V. Clinics in Perinatology, WB Saunders, Philadelphia, PA, 2009, pp. 214].
Neglected wardens: T lymphocyte ryanodine receptors

Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are intracellular Ca2+ release channels ubiquitously expressed in various cell types. RyRs were extensively studied in striated muscle cells due to their crucial role in muscle contraction. In contrast, the role of RyRs in Ca2+ signalling and functions in non-excitable cells, such as T lymphocytes, remains poorly understood. Expression of different isoforms of RyRs was shown in primary T cells and T cell lines. In T cells, RyRs co-localize with the plasmalemmal store-operated Ca2+ channels of the Orai family and endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ sensing Stim family proteins and are activated by store-operated Ca2+ entry and pyridine nucleotide metabolites, the intracellular second messengers generated upon stimulation of T cell receptors. Experimental data indicate that together with d-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors, RyRs regulate intercellular Ca2+ dynamics by controlling Ca2+ concentration within the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum and, consequently, store-operated Ca2+ entry. Gain-of-function mutations, genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of RyRs alters T cell Ca2+ signalling and effector functions. The picture emerging from the collective data shows that RyRs are the essential regulators of T cell Ca2+ signalling and can be potentially used as molecular targets for immunomodulation or T cell-based diagnostics of the disorders associated with RyRs dysregulation.
Parametric Yield Maximization

As indicated in the previous chapter, parametric yield is a function of the nominal values of the process controls and or the layout. Thus we can consider choosing a nominal design point that maximizes the number of circuits which meet a given performance specification. This approach to yield maximization is called design centering. Prior to 1977, Monte Carlo methods [48], [28], albeit crude and expensive, had been the technique primarily used for design centering. Bandler et al.. [6] then proposed a design centering procedure that was directly related to classical nonlinear programming methods [33]. This approach was based upon selecting for each individual problem, a scalar objective functional which when minimized, inscribed a hypercube in the “feasible region” R of the n-dimensional parameter space.2 However, the nonlinear programming approach does not attempt to approximate the boundary of the feasible region, but only determines points on this boundary. As will be seen below, an explicit approximation of the boundary of the feasible region is useful for solving a variety of other statistical design problems [89, 121, 16] as well as allowing one to obtain a Monte Carlo estimate of the yield at a reduced computational cost.
The Number-Intensity Distribution for Extragalactic X-Ray Sources

Since the discovery of the isotropic X-ray background in 1962 by Giacconi et al. (1962), the obvious question regarding its origin has been whether this is due entirely to the superposition of unresolved sources or if there is a truly diffuse component as well. For example, hot gas as suggested by Silk (1973), or Field and Perrenod (1977) or Compton scattering of the u-wave photons by relativistic electrons as suggested by’Felton and Morrison (1966).
Trace Anomaly in Geometric Discretization

I develop the simplest geometric-discretized analogue of two dimensional scalar field theory, which qualitatively reproduces the trace anomaly of the continuous theory. The discrete analogue provides an interpretation of the trace anomaly in terms of a non-trivial transformation of electric-magnetic duality-invariant modes of resistor networks that accommodate both electric and magnetic charge currents.
Pathophysiology of acute kidney injury: roles of potential inhibitors of inflammation

The pathogenesis of acute kidney injury (AKI) is complex and varies to some extent based on the particular cause. Inflammation contributes to this pathophysiology in a variety of contexts. Inflammation can result in reduction in local blood flow to the outer medulla with adverse consequences on tubule function and viability. Both the innate and adaptive immune responses are important contributors. With ischemia/reperfusion endothelial cells upregulate a number of adhesion molecules which have counterreceptors on leukocytes. A number of vasoactive mediators that are released with injury, such as nitric oxide, may also affect leukocyte- endothelial interactions. Tubule epithelial cells generate proinflammatory and chemotactic cytokines. We and others have found that injection of mesenchymal stem (stromal) cells is protective against renal injury as assessed by serum creatinine measured 24 h after ischemia. The mechanism of such protection may be through intrarenal paracrine effects to decrease inflammation or by systemic immune modulation. Resolvins (Rv) and protectins (PD) have been identified as two newly identified families of naturally occurring n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid metabolites. In collaboration with Serhan et al. we recently reported that, in response to bilateral ischemia/reperfusion injury, mouse kidneys produce D series resolvins (RvDs) and PD1 [J Immunol 2006;177:5902-5911]. Administration of RvDs or PD1 to mice prior to, or subsequent to, ischemia resulted in a reduction in functional and morphological kidney injury. Understanding how these anti-inflammatory processes are regulated may provide insight into how we might intervene to facilitate and enhance them so that we might prevent or mitigate the devastating consequences of AKI.
Dynamic behavior of venous collapsibility and central venous pressure during standardized crystalloid bolus: A prospective, observational, pilot study.

Introduction: Measurement of intravascular volume status is an ongoing challenge for physicians in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Most surrogates for volume status, including central venous pressure (CVP) and pulmonary artery wedge pressure, require invasive lines associated with a number of potential complications. Sonographic assessment of the collapsibility of the inferior vena cava (IVC) has been described as a noninvasive method for determining volume status. The purpose of this study was to analyze the dynamic response in IVC collapsibility index (IVC-CI) to changes in CVP in SICU patients receiving fluid boluses for volume resuscitation. Materials and Methods: A prospective pilot study was conducted on a sample of SICU patients who met clinical indications for intravenous (IV) fluid bolus and who had preexisting central venous access. Boluses were standardized to crystalloid administration of either 500 mL over 30 min or 1,000 mL over 60 min, as clinically indicated. Concurrent measurements of venous CI (VCI) and CVP were conducted right before initiation of IV bolus (i.e. time 0) and then at 30 and 60 min (as applicable) after bolus initiation. Patient demographics, ventilatory parameters, and vital sign assessments were recorded, with descriptive outcomes reported due to the limited sample size. Results: Twenty patients received a total of 24 IV fluid boluses. There were five recorded 500 mL boluses given over 30 min and 19 recorded 1,000 mL boluses given over 60 min. Mean (median) CVP measured at 0, 30, and 60 minutes post-bolus were 6.04 ± 3.32 (6.5), 9.00 ± 3.41 (8.0), and 11.1 ± 3.91 (12.0) mmHg, respectively. Mean (median) IVC-CI values at 0, 30, and 60 min were 44.4 ± 25.2 (36.5), 26.5 ± 22.8 (15.6), and 25.2 ± 21.2 (14.8), respectively. Conclusions: Observable changes in both VCI and CVP are apparent during an infusion of a standardized fluid bolus. Dynamic changes in VCI as a measurement of responsiveness to fluid bolus are inversely related to changes seen in CVP. Moreover, an IV bolus tends to produce an early response in VCI, while the CVP response is more gradual. Given the noninvasive nature of the measurement technique, VCI shows promise as a method of dynamically measuring patient response to fluid resuscitation. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted.
Limiting layer concentration for thin-film or narrow base devices

Charge control theory has been applied to the determination of relationships between surface charge, carrier density and space-charge widening phenomena at PN junctions. This has brought to light a very useful relationship. It appears that a variety of thin-layer semi-conductor and even tunneling devices are limited by the onset of avalanche breakdown at the edge of the layer when the total fixed charge within the space-charge depletion region is of the order of 1012carriers/cm2. The detailed results are applied to a number of materials and devices. Limits for the design of field effect and avalanche devices of minimum extrinsic layer thickness, including varactor diodes and intrinsic barrier transistors, have been derived. One conclusion is that any silicon NPN transistor which does not punch through before avalanching occurs should have an intrinsic base sheet resistance less than 6000 ohms per square. Conversely, a field effect depletion type transistor must have a P channel exceeding this resistance to avoid avalanche limitations. Metal-base transistors also should have more than 1012effective carriers per square centimeter provided by the base layer in order to operate over an adequate voltage range. Other applications will be presented, relating to limits of doping or trap densities of the layers in a variety of thick or thin-film solid state devices.
The second great wall of China: evolution of a successful policy of population control.

Since the 1949 revolution, Chinese population policy has undergone many shifts that have alternated with general political trends. However, in the past two decades the policy has grown increasingly antinatalist as a response to slower-than-desired economic development and rapid population growth. The remarkable declines of fertility during this period have been made possible by effective contraceptive technology, efficient administration, tight political organization down to grass-roots levels, and by linking national goals of population control to patriotism. Recent minor reverses in policy and in fertility suggests that there are practical limits to such policies, but other countries have much to learn from the Chinese experience.
27—THE NORMAL FORCE BETWEEN TWISTED FILAMENTS: PART II: EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION

In a previous paper, the importance of lateral pressure in the tension and bending behaviour of yarns was discussed; a theoretical model, which included the effects of bending and torsional rigidities as well as the tensile, shear, and frictional forces, was proposed, and expressions for the lateral pressures were derived. In this sequel, the experimental verification of the previously derived expressions has been carried out on a very simple twisted structure, consisting of two rubber strands. The results obtained support the theoretical predictions of the lateral pressure for the experimental model and lead to the conclusion that, for filaments with significant torsional and bending rigidities, lateral pressures are obtained in the yarn even when there is no significant tension on the individual filaments. An approximate scheme for estimating the lateral pressures in an idealized, close-packed, multilayered continuous-filament yarn is proposed as an extension of the above results.
Energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation studies of 1,10-phenanthroline complexes of the late first-row divalent transition metal cations: determination of the third sequential binding energies.

The third sequential binding energies of the late first-row divalent transition metal cations to 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) are determined by energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation (CID) techniques using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer. Five late first-row transition metal cations in their +2 oxidation states are examined including: Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+. The kinetic energy dependent CID cross sections for loss of an intact Phen ligand from the M2+(Phen)3 complexes are modeled to obtain 0 and 298 K bond dissociation energies (BDEs) after accounting for the effects of the internal energy of the complexes, multiple ion–neutral collisions, and unimolecular decay rates. Electronic structure theory calculations at the B3LYP, BHandHLYP, and M06 levels of theory are employed to determine the structures and theoretical estimates for the first, second, and third sequential BDEs of the M2+(Phen)x complexes. B3LYP was found to deliver results that are most consistent with the measured v...
Experimental occlusion of the retinal vein

We used a pars plana approach to experimentally induce retinal vein occlusions (RVO) in cats by the application of electric energy near the veins at the optic nerve head. This experimental model was utilized to study the natural evolution of thrombosis in the cilioretinal veins, which are located near the lamina cribrosa in the cat. We observed that occlusion of the retinal veins occurs by the formation of a thrombus and that with time there is associated endothelial cell proliferation and recanalization in each instance.
Mutation of the arginine finger in the active site of Escherichia coli DbpA abolishes ATPase and helicase activity and confers a dominant slow growth phenotype

Escherichia coli DEAD-box protein A (DbpA) is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase with specificity for 23S ribosomal RNA. Although DbpA has been extensively characterized biochemically, its biological function remains unknown. Previous work has shown that a DbpA deletion strain is viable with little or no effect on growth rate. In attempt to elucidate a phenotype for DbpA, point mutations were made at eleven conserved residues in the ATPase active site, which have exhibited dominant-negative phenotypes in other DExD/H proteins. Biochemical analysis of these DbpA mutants shows the expected decrease in RNA-dependent ATPase activity and helix unwinding activity. Only the least biochemically active mutation, R331A, produces small colony phenotype and a reduced growth rate. This dominant slow growth mutant will be valuable to determine the cellular function of DbpA.
Closing the marketing loop in aggregate production planning

Abstract The standard linear programming approach to aggregate production planning is augmented to include advertising and pricing policies. These policies can be fine-tuned, if desired, to product group levels or even product levels with the inclusion of more variables.
Safety and Efficacy of Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty for Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis

Background and Purpose Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PCTA) is increasingly used to treat extracerebral arterial stenosis. The present study evaluates the safety and efficacy of PCTA treatment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. Methods A series of 22 vessels in 17 patients were treated with PCTA. All patients had recurrent neurological symptoms referable to the stenotic vessel despite optimal medical therapy. Critical (>70%) arterial stenosis was confirmed by angiogram, and angioplasty was performed with a 3.0- to 3.5-mm Stealth balloon. Results The average preangioplasty stenosis (North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial criteria) was 72±8% (mean±SD), with a significant improvement seen after angioplasty; the best angiographic stenosis (after healing of intimal injury, if any) was 43±24% ( P <.001). Overall PCTA was successful in 82% of the vessels. There were two strokes during angioplasty for a 30-day morbidity rate of 9.1% per treated vessel and 11.7% per case. The other 15 patients were clinically evaluated at 3 and 6 months; all cases were without further events. Restenosis was evaluated in 8 patients (12 vessels) with an angiogram at 6 months showing further improvement compared with the initial post-PCTA stenosis (51±10% versus 37±21% [ P =.05]). Conclusions PCTA may be a beneficial therapy in selected cases of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. Further study using a randomized trial is needed.
Optimization of a stagewise biochemical reactor system with product feedback

A consecutive, first-order, irreversible, biochemical reaction, , taking place in a series of N reactors with product recycle is considered. A discrete version of the maximum principle is used to derive general equations necessary for maximizing the production of (1) the final product, C, by choosing the temperature or the pH value in each reactor, and (2) the intermediate product, B, by choosing the reactor volume. A numerical computation for a series of three reactors with recycle is illustrated. The effects of varying the recycle rates on the optimal state and decision variables are also presented.
Assessing partisan bias in voting technology: The case of the 2004 New Hampshire recount

Abstract Following allegations that Accuvote optical scan machines used in New Hampshire during the 2004 presidential election produced unusually low vote totals for Democratic candidate John Kerry, third party candidate Ralph Nader requested and funded a hand recount of ballots cast in eleven New Hampshire precincts. Using statistical methods well-suited for identifying election irregularities, we find no evidence of systematic biases among New Hampshire's Accuvote machines. Nor do we find evidence of other technology-related tabulation problems in the state. Our findings explain why the New Hampshire presidential recount did not substantiate alleged Accuvote discrepancies, and indeed it recovered more votes for George W. Bush than it did for Kerry. More generally, our analysis demonstrates methods that can help avoid false allegations about vote fraud while enabling concerned citizens, election administrators, and researchers to find and remedy real election irregularities.
Underwater source localization based on energy measurement with randomly distributed sensor array

ABSTRACT In this paper, four underwater source location algorithms based on energy measurement using a randomlydistributed sensor array are proposed. First, closed for m of least squares (LS), total least squares (TLS) andconstraintleastsquares(CLS) formulationfor single sourcelocationare derivedfrom the denition ofenergy ratiobetween dierent sensor readings. Then, the maximum like lihood estimation for multipl e sources is presented andthe alternating projection-multiresolution (APMR) algorithm is proposed to locate multiple sources. Simulationresults show that our localization algorithms achieve good performance with high computational eciency.Keywords: underwater, diver localization, energy measurement, closed form, least squares 1. INTRODUCTION Acoustical methods of underwater source localization using sensor arrays have been developed for decades 1234 .Passive sonar systems have been extensively applied on localization of underwater targets. Much of localizationwork done is based on the time delay of arrival (TDOA) at dierent hydrophones.