cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spiral Problems For An Electronic Computer

A set of parameter equations is developed to define any highway or bridge spiral offering a transition between a tangent and a circle or between two circles of different radii. These equations are then used in sets of procedures to help solve intersections of spirals with straight, circular, or spiral lines. Such procedures are also available for projecting a point on a spiral or drawing a line tangent to a spiral and passing through an external point. These are applicable not only to main spirals but also to parallel or offset spirals (spirals equidistant from a main spiral). The procedures may be programmed in machine language such as FORTRAN or COGO for use in electronic computers.
Folktales from Iraq

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: C. G. Campbell Year: 2005 Pages: 246 Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press ISBN: 0812219139 Prices: $15.95 US / £10.50(soft cover).
Localization and Classification of Repetitive Structures in Electron Tomograms of Paracrystalline Assemblies

Electron tomography offers opportunities to study structures that are not amenable to 3D imaging by any of the classical methods, such as singleparticle reconstruction (Frank, 1996), helical reconstruction (Egelman, 2000; DeRosier and Moore, 1970) or electron crystallography (Glaeser, 1999) that require either a repetitive structure, or multiple copies of identical structures. Since electron tomography can produce a 3D image of a single copy of a structure, it is finding wide application in cell biology and material science. Paracrystalline specimens constitute another class of structure for which electron tomography can be particularly useful for obtaining detailed 3D images (Taylor et al., 1997). Paracrystals (para—Greek prefix meaning faulty) are arrays with various kinds of intrinsic disorder. Spatial averaging of such specimens usually blurs or even erases the disordered component, which may eliminate the functionally interesting feature. For this chapter, we define a paracrystalline specimen as one with partial ordering such that one component of the specimen may be highly regular while another may be irregular due to either low occupancy, lattice irregularity or both.
Long-Lasting Enhancement of Glutamatergic Synaptic Transmission by Acetylcholine Contrasts with Response Adaptation after Exposure to Low-Level Nicotine

Attempts to mimic synaptic delivery of acetylcholine (ACh) with brief, repetitive pulses of high concentration ACh at synapses of medial habenula (MHN) and interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) neurons in vitro elicited temporally distinct facilitation and inhibition of glutamate secretion via nicotinic and muscarinic ACh receptor-mediated pathways, respectively. ACh-induced nicotinic facilitation was sustained for up to 2 hr, whereas muscarinic inhibition was transient. Prolonged exposure to nicotine inactivated nicotinic receptors selectively, thus decreasing the relative contribution of the facilitatory versus inhibitory influences of ACh. The net effect of ACh in modulating glutamatergic transmission at MHN–IPN synapses may be determined by pre-exposure to nicotine, because the drug appears to switch the balance between the facilitatory and inhibitory actions of ACh.
In Search of Subjugated Knowledge

(2000). In Search of Subjugated Knowledge. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy: Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 19-23.
A Novel Ras Inhibitor (MDC-1016) Reduces Human Pancreatic Tumor Growth in Mice

Pancreatic cancer has one of the poorest prognoses among all cancers partly because of its persistent resistance to chemotherapy. The currently limited treatment options for pancreatic cancer underscore the need for more efficient agents. Because activating Kras mutations initiate and maintain pancreatic cancer, inhibition of this pathway should have a major therapeutic impact. We synthesized phospho-farnesylthiosalicylic acid (PFTS; MDC-1016) and evaluated its efficacy, safety, and metabolism in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer. PFTS inhibited the growth of human pancreatic cancer cells in culture in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. In an MIA PaCa-2 xenograft mouse model, PFTS at a dose of 50 and 100 mg/kg significantly reduced tumor growth by 62% and 65% ( P vs vehicle control). Furthermore, PFTS prevented pancreatitis-accelerated acinar-to-ductal metaplasia in mice with activated Kras . PFTS appeared to be safe, with the animals showing no signs of toxicity during treatment. Following oral administration, PFTS was rapidly absorbed, metabolized to FTS and FTS glucuronide, and distributed through the blood to body organs. Mechanistically, PFTS inhibited Ras-GTP, the active form of Ras, both in vitro and in vivo , leading to the inhibition of downstream effector pathways c-RAF/mitogen-activated protein-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (MEK)/ERK1/2 kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT. In addition, PFTS proved to be a strong combination partner with phospho-valproic acid, a novel signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) inhibitor, displaying synergy in the inhibition of pancreatic cancer growth. In conclusion, PFTS, a direct Ras inhibitor, is an efficacious agent for the treatment of pancreatic cancer in preclinical models, deserving further evaluation.
"Compact ranges - Past, present, and future"

The compact range has been used for electromagnetic measurements since the early 1950's. Although the early attempts with such systems had some successes, they were not generally used until the middle of the 1970's. This recent interest was sparked by a commercially available system developed by Scientific-Atlanta. This system was specifically designed and tested for antenna applications, even though the earlier tests were made in terms of scattering measurements. Based on the recent interest in radar cross-section, the compact range has been re-examined in terms of its capabilities for measuring the scattering properties of large structures. The Ohio State University has been one of the pioneers in developing the proper use. capabilities; and modifications necessary to make the compact range one of the most accurate electromagnetic pattern measurement systems available. As a result, new systems have been designed using various electromagnetic analyses to guide this research effort. These changes include the reflector, feeds, target mount, instrumentation, absorber, target handling techniques, data processing, calibration methods, calibration targets, etc. In most cases, the theoretical solutions have been verified by experimental results, and in some cases, the new designs have been incorporated in Commericial products. The presentation will attempt to cover the latest and more interesting aspects of this challenging new area.
Amazing Untold Stories of Catalogues

At the 2008 TBA (Time-Based Art (TBA) Festival in Portland, Oregon, I saw two productions that put a serious crimp in my long-standing skepticism about “postdramatic theater.” One was a six-hour piece (originally from 1996) called Quizoola! by the British experimental theatre company Forced Entertainment, and the other was a new, fifty-minute work by that company’s artistic director, Tim Etchells, Sight is the Sense That Dying People Tend to Lose First, written for and performed by the New York actor Jim Fletcher.
Comparison between computational and experimental data for a hypersonic laser propelled vehicle

A 3-D axisymmetric hypersonic engine inlet was investigated using PARC2D, an ideal gas Computational Fluid Dynamics code. The code was used to predict the results of tests conducted in the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Hypersonic Shock Tunnel which measured surface and pitot pressures, and shock positions (through Schlieren photography) at freestream Mach numbers of 10, 13, and 15. A strong viscous/shock interaction was observed in both the experiment and the CFD results, due to the model's parabolic compression ramp. Good agreement was found between the experimental results and the CFD solution both for surface pressures and shock positions. Agreement between pitot pressures was less reliable.
Free Energy of Ionic Hydration

The hydration free energies of ions exhibit an approximately quadratic dependence on the ionic charge, as predicted by the Born model. We analyze this behavior using second-order perturbation theory. The average and the fluctuation of the electrostatic potential at charge sites appear as the first coefficients in a Taylor expansion of the free energy of charging. Combining the data from different charge states (e.g., charged and uncharged) allows calculation of free-energy profiles as a function of the ionic charge. The first two Taylor coefficients of the free-energy profiles can be computed accurately from equilibrium simulations, but they are affected by a strong system-size dependence. We apply corrections for these finite-size effects by using Ewald lattice summation and adding the self-interactions consistently. An analogous procedure is used for the reaction-field electrostatics. Results are presented for a model ion with methane-like Lennard-Jones parameters in simple point charge water. We find t...
Anhydrous PT phase relations of an Aleutian high-MgO basalt: an investigation of the role of olivine-liquid reaction in the generation of arc high-alumina basalts

We report results of anhydrous 1 atm and piston-cylinder experiments on ID16, an Aleutian high-magnesia basalt (HMB), designed to investigate potential petrogenetic links between arc high-alumina basalts (HABs) and less common HMBs. ID16 is multiply saturated with a plagioclase/spinel iherzolite mineral assemblage (olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, spinel) immediately beneath the 12 kbar liquidus. Derivative liquids produced at high temperatures in the 10–20 kbar melting interval of ID16 have compositions resembling those published of many moderate-CaO HABs, although lower-temperature liquids are poorer in CaO and richer in alkalies than are typical HABs. Isomolar pseudoternary projections and numerical mass-balance modeling suggest that derivative melts of ID16 enter into a complex reaction relationship with olivine at 10 kbar and 1,200° C–1,150° C. We sought to test such a mechanism to explain the lack of liquidus olivine in anhydrous experiments on mafic high-alumina basalts such as SSS. 1.4 (Johnston 1986). These derivative liquids, however, do not resemble typical arc high-alumina basalts, suggesting that olivine-liquid reaction does not account for Johnston's (1986) observations. Instead, we suggest that olivine can be brought onto the liquidus of such compositions only through the involvement of H2O, which will affect the influence of bulk CaO, MgO, and Al2O3 contents on the identity of HAB liquidus phases (olivine or plagioclase) at pressures less than ∼12 kbar.
A simple derivation of the formula to calculate synthetic long‐period seismograms in a heterogeneous earth by normal mode summation

Summary. A simple modification of Gilbert's formula to account for slight lateral heterogeneity of the Earth by the first-order Born approximation leads to a convenient formula to calculate synthetic long-period seismograms. Partial derivatives are easily calculated, thus the formula is suitable for direct inversion of seismograms for lateral heterogeneity of the Earth. The derivation is much simpler but is equivalent to the one derived by Woodhouse, who obtained it by working in the time domain.
Quantifying nonequilibrium behavior with varying quenching rates

Abstract We investigate the approach to thermal equilibrium of (1+1)-dimensional stochastic Ginzburg–Landau models at varying cooling rates. The nonequilibrium dynamics is modeled by coupling the field to an external heat bath with damping rate η . We argue that the departure from thermal equilibrium can be measured from the absolute value of the rate of change of the momentum-integrated structure function, Δ( t ). If the field equilibration time-scale is faster than the cooling (or quench) time-scale τ q , then Δ( t )→0. Otherwise, Δ( t ) displays a peak which scales as τ q n , with 1/3≤ n ≤1/2 as η is varied from the underdamped to the overdamped limit. Furthermore, we show that the amplitude of the peak in Δ( t ) measures the departure from equilibrium and scales as τ q −6/5 , independent of η .
The Effects of Forced Exercise on Collagen Type II Fragments, Lysyl Oxidase Concentrations, and Total Protein Concentrations in Sera and Synovial Fluid of Lambs

Abstract Excessive exercise may induce osteoarthritis, which is a leading cause of lameness and decreased use in horses. The purpose of this study was to utilize a sheep model to determine the effects of circular and linear exercise on biochemical markers in serum and synovial fluid (SF). Twenty lambs (5 months) were assigned to three groups: circular exercise (C, 8.5 m diameter; n=8), straight-line exercise (S, treadmill; n=8) and nonexercised control (CON, n=4). Lambs (C and S) were exercised up to 8 weeks at 1.3 m/s for up to 30 minutes, 6 days per week. Serum and SF from a metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint was collected. Serum total protein ( P = .66), Collagen Type II cleavage [3/4] fragments concentrations ( P = .44) and lysyl oxidase (LOX) ( P = .15) activity were not different among treatment groups throughout the study. There was a polynomial response to serum LOX over time ( R 2 = 0.7464). There were no differences in SF total protein ( P = .94, right MCP; P = .68, left MCP) or SF LOX specific activities ( P = .9, right MCP; P = .93, left MCP) among groups throughout the study. However, SF LOX specific activity did increase over time ( P = .001) for all treatment groups. These results indicated that the biochemical markers utilized in this study were unable to detect differences between groups with respect to exercise protocols. However, the LOX activity did increase over time possibly as a result of growth.
Internal control audits: Judges' perceptions of the credibility of the financial reporting process and likely auditor liability

Abstract This paper reports the results of a study in which fifty-seven sitting United States judges participated in a behavioral experiment to assess the perceived credibility of the financial reporting process and the legal risk auditors bear under conditions where they provide an internal control audit report (vs. no report) under two corporate governance environments. We find that participating judges believe internal control audits provide enhanced assurance that intentional misstatements do not exist and also serve to provide elevated protection to the public, but only under conditions of a strong corporate governance environment beyond current regulatory requirements. We also find that, after being informed of an undetected material fraud, judges who currently have high expectations of the auditing profession find auditors more liable when an internal control audit report has been issued (as compared to when no such report has been issued).
Iron-rich lherzolitic xenoliths from Oahu: origin and implications for Hawaiian magma sources

Abstract Petrographic studies and mineral chemical analyses support the hypothesis that garnet lherzolites and websterites from Oahu, Hawaii were produced by mechanical disintegration (stoping), chemical alteration (metasomatism) and mechanical mixing of spinel lherzolite wall rock (i.e., lithosphere) with intrusive clinopyroxenite veins. This conclusion is inconsistent with two prevalent hypotheses concerning the origin of these rocks, one of which proposes that the garnet lherzolites represent the upper mantle source for Hawaiian tholeiitic magmas, and the other that invokes origin of these xenolith lithologies by high-pressure crystallization of Hawaiian alkalic magmas. Although the undepleted mantle source of Hawaiian tholeiitic magmas may be chemically similar to some of the garnet lherzolite xenoliths, it is physically impossible for these xenoliths to represent actual source rocks.
Some simple surface reactions in laminar boundary layers

Abstract A previously developed analysis for the characteristics of the laminar boundary layer with surface catalysis is extended to a simple, two-step chemical reaction: M 1 → M 2 → M 3 . It is shown that an exact numerical solution of the appropriate integral equations may be obtained. Solutions involving discontinuous surface activities may also be systematically treated. In addition with certain further approximations the integral equations provide a convenient basis for solution by series methods. The same techniques may be applied to other simple reactions, e.g. M 1 → M 2 and M 1 + M 2 → M 3 .
Determinants of the Use of Relational and Nonrelational Information Sources

Although it has been argued that knowledge is an important organizational resource, little research has investigated where individuals go to search for information or knowledge. Prior work has investigated sources in isolation, but in an organizational setting, sources are encountered as an open portfolio instead of in isolation. It is important to understand how individuals perceive the wide array of sources available to them and how those perceptions affect their use of different types of sources. Building on prior work, this research looks at factors underlying the selection of sources that require direct interpersonal contact (relational sources) and those that do not (nonrelational sources) and explores factors that differentially affect the use of these types of sources. A sample of 204 working professionals recruited from graduate business studies was used to test hypotheses regarding the effects of accessibility and quality, as well as comparisons and trade-offs between relational and nonrelational sources. Consistent with prior work, source accessibility and quality significantly affect usage of a source. This relationship, however, is moderated by the type of source with accessibility having less effect on the use of relational sources. Furthermore, use of each type of source was also affected by the perceived accessibility and quality of alternative types of sources. Together these results highlight the importance of simultaneously considering the relational and nonrelational sources available to individuals. These results also have implications for the design and implementation of systems for managing information and knowledge assets.
Aggressive endoscopic resection of inverted papilloma: an update.

Abstract Objective: Endoscopic resection has been proposed for sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP). Our objective was to determine the efficacy of aggressive endoscopic resection of IP. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on patients undergoing endoscopic resection of IP at the University of Virginia between 1990 and 1996. Total ethmoidectomies, wide maxillary antrostomies, frontal recess explorations, sphenoidotomies, and turbinate resection were performed as required. Once all visible papilloma was removed, residual mucosa was removed by using a diamond burr to polish bone at the site of origin. Results: Twenty-one patients were treated with endoscopic resection of IP. Only 1 of 21 patients had an adjunctive external procedure (an osteoplastic flap without obliteration). Average follow-up was 41.9 months after initial aggressive endoscopic resection at the ureterovesical angle. Recurrences occurred in 19% (4/21) of patients. One of the 4 had two recurrences. Recurrences occurred in 16 months or less, except for one noted at 35 months and another at 56 months. Conclusions: Aggressive endoscopic resection of IP by experienced rhinologists is an acceptable treatment. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2001;125:49-53.)
A discontinuous headful packaging model for packaging less than headful length DNA molecules by bacteriophage T4.

Abstract Bacteriophage T4 and other double-stranded DNA-containing bacteriophages package DNA by the classical headful packaging mechanism. In this mechanism, the packaging machinery cuts a DNA concatemer and packages a single unit length genome within the viral capsid. The length of the packaged DNA molecule is determined by the size of the viral capsid. Surprisingly, during large DNA cloning experiments, we observed that the in vitro phage T4 packaging system can package and transduce DNA molecules that are much smaller than the T4 headful size. We analyzed this phenomenon by using defined plasmid DNAs as substrates for in vitro packaging. The data showed that phage T4 can successfully package and transduce 4 to 29 kb plasmid DNA molecules. When two plasmid DNAs with different antibiotic markers were added to the packaging reaction mixture, transductants that are resistant to both the antibiotics were obtained, suggesting that both the plasmid DNAs are packaged within the same head. Analysis of the transducing particles by equilibrium CsCl density-gradient centrifugation showed that the particles have the same density as the wild-type phage. That the less than headful length molecules were not converted to T4 headful length prior to packaging was established by a number of independent approaches. Finally, unit length plasmid DNA molecules of appropriate size were isolated from the in vitro packaged particles. Based on these data, we propose a discontinuous headful packaging model for packaging less than headful length molecules. In this model, the packaging machinery packages the first available less than headful length DNA molecule and generates a partially full head. The partially full head then reinitiates packaging on a second DNA molecule. This process continues until the head is filled with DNA.
Comorbid anxiety disorder in late life depression: association with memory decline over four years.

Objective In elderly persons with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), coexisting Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) or Panic Disorder (PD) is associated with more severe symptoms and poorer short-term treatment outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether comorbid GAD or PD was associated with poorer long-term outcomes of late-life MDD, in terms of symptoms, functional disability, and cognitive status. Methods Seventy-nine older subjects with major depressive disorder who had responded to initial treatment in clinical trials were followed at yearly intervals for up to four years with assessment of their symptoms, cognitive status, and functional disability. For this analysis, subjects were divided into two groups, anxious and non-anxious, based on presence (n = 37) or absence (n = 42) of a lifetime diagnosis of GAD and/or PD. Results The anxious group showed a greater decline in memory, but not in other cognitive measures or measures of functional status. Depression recurrence was similar in the anxious and non-anxious groups. Among those in the anxious group, a later age of onset (> 55) of the anxiety disorder was associated with worse overall cognition at baseline, but a similar rate of decline in cognition over time, compared with early-onset anxiety disorder. Conclusion We found evidence that comorbid GAD or PD is associated with a greater decline in memory in late-life MDD. The data also suggest that anxiety disorders with an onset later in life may be associated with cognitive impairment, although further study is needed to confirm this finding. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ACUTE, EARLY AND INTERMEDIATE EFFECTS OF A NOVEL 8 MM DIAMETER DOUBLE OPPOSED HELICAL BIODEGRADABLE STENT IN PORCINE ARTERIES

Double opposed helical (DH) biodegradable stents (BDS) enable manufacturing to diameters applicable to congenital heart disease. The primary objective is to evaluate delivery and deployment of 6 and 8mm diameter DH BDS in a porcine animal model. Secondary objectives are to evaluate patency,
The macroeconomics of commercial policy and the trade balance: A policy perspective

Is commercial policy a viable tool for correcting trade imbalances? Using the macroeconomic identity where the trade deficit is equal to net national savings, the theoretical channels through which commercial policy could impact the trade balance are investigated. Although there are numerous possible channels, there is presently little theoretical consensus or empirical evidence to suggest that commercial policy can have a permanent and significant impact on national savings or the trade balance. In macroeconomic models with unemployment, commercial policy has more potential in this regard; however, the practical policy relevance of this finding is of limited importance. The desirability of correcting a trade imbalance considering the alternatives and consequences is discussed.
A reduced order PBM–ANN model of a multi-scale PBM–DEM description of a wet granulation process

Abstract Wet granulation is a particle design process, often used in the pharmaceutical, consumer product, food, and fertilizer industries. A better process understanding is needed to improve process design, control, and optimization. Predominantly, two modeling frameworks are implemented to simulate granulation processes: population balance modeling (PBM) and discrete element methods (DEM). While PBM simulates changes in the number of particles in each size class due to rate processes such as aggregation, DEM tracks each particle individually, with the abilities to simulate spatial variations and collect mechanistic data. In this bi-directional coupled approach, the computational expenditure of the full model is overwhelmed by the high-fidelity DEM algorithm that needs to solve a set of ODEs for each and every particle being handled in the system for very small time intervals. To mitigate this computational inefficiency, reduced order modeling (ROM) is used to replace the computationally expensive DEM step. An artificial neural network (ANN) was trained using DEM results to relate particle size, size distribution, and impeller speed to the collision frequency. Results showed a high correlation between the trained ANN predictions and DEM-generated data. The ANN was coupled with a PBM as a key component of the aggregation rate kernel. The coupled model showed a different development of average particle size and size distribution over time from that of a constant aggregation rate kernel. In addition, the coupled model demonstrated sensitivity to the impeller speed via the ANN rate kernel. When compared with the fully coupled PBM–DEM model for accuracy and computation time savings, the hybrid PBM–ANN model demonstrated excellent agreement with DEM simulations at fractions of the original computational time.
Starter Nitrogen and Growth Habit Effects on Late-Planted Soybean

In the Gulf Coast region of the southeastern USA, soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is often planted in a double-cropped system following corn (Zea mays L.). In this system, soybean planting date is delayed from the optimal range (mid-May to mid-June) to late July, causing a substantial yield reduction. Potential grain yield response has led to increased interest in indeterminate growth habit and N application for late-planted, double-cropped soybean systems. Our objective was to determine the interactive effects of growth habit (determinate and indeterminate stem termination types) and starter N (0 and 50 kg ha -1 ) on soybean growth and yield when planted following corn in a double-crop system. Three Maturity Group VIII soybean genotypes [the near-isolines Au86-23971 (Dt 1 Dt 1 , indeterminate) and Au86-2397D (dt 1 dt 1 , determinate) and a determinate check cultivar, Cook] were planted in late July in seven Alabama environments during 1995 and 1996. Starter N Increased R1 dry matter for both Au86-2397D and Au86-2397I by 0.50 Mg ha -1 , Au86-2397I had 1 cm greater average plant height at the R1 developmental stage and 14 cm greater height at R8 than Au86-2397D. Au86-2397I yielded 0.16 Mg ha -1 more than its determinate near-isoline. Application of starter N decreased the number of nodules per root, but increased plant N concentration and dry matter yield. Grain yield was increased on average by 0.15 Mg ha -1 with addition of starter N. In this study, an indeterminate genotype soybean coupled with application of starter N promoted greater soybean growth and yield in a late-planted, double-cropped system.
Orbital compartment syndrome in burn patients.

PURPOSE To identify clinical characteristics of burn patients requiring emergent orbital decompression for vision-threatening orbital compartment syndrome. METHODS A retrospective review of 28 burn patients at a trauma center provided data regarding demographics, physical examination findings, and resuscitation fluid volumes. Patients requiring orbital decompression were compared with those who did not, using t tests and Fisher exact test. Linear regression was used to test for an association between peak intraocular pressure and fluid volume. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between need for orbital decompression and fluid volume. RESULTS Eight of 28 patients required emergent orbital decompression, which immediately reduced intraocular pressure from 59.4 +/- 15.9 mm Hg to 28.6 +/- 8.2 mm Hg (p or =8.6 ml/kg/% total body surface area burned in the first 24 hours was 4.4 (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Risk factors for vision-threatening orbital compartment syndrome include fluid volume and periocular burns. Signs of vision-threatening orbital compartment syndrome should be addressed early with orbital decompression.
Y-lib: a user level library to increase the performance of MPI-IO in a lustre file system environment

It is widely known that MPI-IO performs poorly in a Lustre file system environment, although the reasons for such performance are currently not well understood. The research presented in this paper strongly supports our hypothesis that MPI-IO performs poorly in this environment because of the fundamental assumptions upon which most parallel I/O optimizations are based. In particular, it is almost universally believed that parallel I/O performance is optimized when aggregator processes perform large, contiguous I/O operations in parallel. Our research shows that this approach generally provides the worst performance in a Lustre environment, and that the best performance is often obtained when the aggregator processes perform a large number of small, non-contiguous I/O operations.In this paper, we first demonstrate and explain these non-intuitive results. We then present a user-level library, termed Y-lib, which redistributes data in a way that conforms much more closely with the Lustre storage architecture than does the data redistribution pattern employed by MPI-IO. We then provide experimental results showing that Y-lib can increase performance between 300% and 1000% depending on the number of aggregator processes and file size. Finally, we cause MPI-IO itself to use our data redistribution scheme, and show that doing so results in an increase in performance of a similar magnitude when compared to the current MPI-IO data redistribution algorithms.
Congestion control in interconnected LANs

The reasons why congestion control is more difficult in interconnected local area networks (LANs) than in conventional packet nets are examined. The flow and congestion control mechanisms that can be used in an interconnected LAN environment are reviewed. The focus is on congestion control (that is, prevention of internal congestion); however some of the proposed schemes require the interaction of flow and congestion control. The schemes considered are dropping packets; input buffer limit, i.e. a limit on the number of input packets (i.e. packets from local hosts) that can be buffered in the packet switch; the use of choke packets, in which, whenever a bridge or router experiences congestion, it returns to the source a choke packet containing the header of the packet traveling in the congested direction and the source, on receiving the choke packet, declares the destination congested, and slows (or stops altogether, for a period of time) traffic to that destination; backpressure, which is the regulation of flow along a virtual connection; and congestion prevention, whereby a voice or video connection is accepted only if there is enough bandwidth (in a statistical sense) in the network to support it. >
Endocrine Function Following Acute SAH

Disruption of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axes may occur after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, resulting in hypopituitarism. An electronic literature search was conducted to identify articles with English-language abstracts published between 1980 and March 2011, which addressed hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis insufficiency and hormone replacement. A total of 18 observational and prospective, randomized studies were selected for this review. Limited data are available, evaluating pituitary effects during the acute stage after subarachnoid hemorrhage, with inconsistent results being reported. Overall, after acute subarachnoid hemorrhage, cortisol levels may initially be supranormal, decreasing toward normal levels over time. During the months to years after subarachnoid hemorrhage, pituitary deficiency may occur in one out of three patients. Limited data suggest modest outcome benefits with fludrocortisone and no benefit or harm from corticosteroids.
The Emerging Role of the Consumer in Pharmaceutical Pricing Decisions

The absence of government regulation in the US has left pharmaceutical companies free to set their own prices based on a number of market considerations. Historically, these have included not only ingredient, research and development costs, but also advertising, the drug’s marginal effectiveness, competition, and market size. However, within the last two decades, two parallel trends have combined to bring a new consideration into the pricing decision: consumer price tolerance, or willingness to pay. The costs of prescriptions have increased markedly and patients have been increasingly organized into large groups based on insurance companies or defining characteristics such as the American Association of Retired Persons and AIDS groups. Consumers have found a voice for their concern over the high price of pharmaceuticals in these organizations, and together they have forged several avenues to effect price reductions. Consumer groups may apply indirect pressure by lobbying insurance companies to expand coverage or by invoking the threat of government regulation. Furthermore, direct pressure may be applied through letter-writing campaigns and public protests. Pharmaceutical companies are not only responding but also attempting to pre-empt these measures by eliciting consumer input in the early stages. This is being achieved through the creation of consumer advisory board positions and the conduct of willingness-to-pay analyses prior to bringing a drug to market.
Locomotor benefits of being a slender and slick sand swimmer

Squamates classified as ‘subarenaceous’ possess the ability to move long distances within dry sand; body elongation among sand and soil burrowers has been hypothesized to enhance subsurface performance. Using X-ray imaging, we performed the first kinematic investigation of the subsurface locomotion of the long, slender shovel-nosed snake ( Chionactis occipitalis ) and compared its biomechanics with those of the shorter, limbed sandfish lizard ( Scincus scincus ). The sandfish was previously shown to maximize swimming speed and minimize the mechanical cost of transport during burial. Our measurements revealed that the snake also swims through sand by propagating traveling waves down the body, head to tail. Unlike the sandfish, the snake nearly followed its own tracks, thus swimming in an approximate tube of self-fluidized granular media. We measured deviations from tube movement by introducing a parameter, the local slip angle, β s , which measures the angle between the direction of movement of each segment and body orientation. The average β s was smaller for the snake than for the sandfish; granular resistive force theory (RFT) revealed that the curvature utilized by each animal optimized its performance. The snake benefits from its slender body shape (and increased vertebral number), which allows propagation of a higher number of optimal curvature body undulations. The snake9s low skin friction also increases performance. The agreement between experiment and RFT combined with the relatively simple properties of the granular ‘frictional fluid’ make subarenaceous swimming an attractive system to study functional morphology and bauplan evolution.
Peripheral t cell lymphoma presenting as hypereosinophilia with vasculitis. Clinical, pathologic, and immunologic features

Peripheral T cell lymphoma developed in two patients several years after an initial clinical presentation of eosinophilia, pruritic skin rash, and vasculitis with lymphocytic infiltrates. Despite treatment with combination chemotherapy, the patients survived less than six months after the malignant lymphoma emerged. Immunologic characterization of tumor cells demonstrated features characteristic of peripheral T cell lymphoma. T lymphocytes from one patient had the uncommon phenotype of T3-negative, T4-positive, T8-negative. Extensive functional studies of this patient's lymphocytes revealed a poor proliferative response as well as an inability to help in immunoglobulin production, despite the preponderance of T4 lymphocytes. It is hypothesized that this syndrome is a consequence of the activity of products elaborated by neoplastic T cells.
LIS1 Converts Dynein to a Persistent-force State: A Molecular Model to Explain Lissencephaly

Cytoplasmic dynein is involved in diverse tasks such as cargo transport along microtubules, cell division and nuclear migration. We have used biochemical and biophysical tools to examine the regulatory roles of two proteins which are crucial parts of the dynein pathway: NudE and LIS1. LIS1 is the causative gene for the developmental brain disease, lissencephaly, which is associated with dynein-dependent defects in cell migration and division. NudE is a dynein- LIS1-interacting protein also implicated in brain development and mitosis. Using laser trapping of beads coated with dynein and its associated factors at the single-molecule limit we find that NudE reduces the frequency of motor-microtubule binding events and inhibits motor travel. In contrast, LIS1 dramatically extends dynein's force generating state. LIS1 alone binds transiently to dynein, but NudE recruits LIS1 to form a stable ternary complex with persistent force-generating activity. These results have important biological implications. LIS1 is known to participate in dynein functions that involve transport of very high loads, such as nuclear movement through the embryonic brain (Tsai, Bremner, Vallee, 2007, Nat. Neurosci. 10:970). Our results strongly suggest that it is this aspect of LIS1 function that makes the developing brain uniquely sensitive to decreased LIS1 expression in human lissencephaly. Supp. by grants GM47434, HD40182, and GM070676.
Using Cooperative Learning to Enhance the Academic and Social Experiences of Freshman Student Athletes

One hundred seven freshman student athletes in 17 different women's and men's intercollegiate sports were required to attend evening study sessions. The student athletes completed academic assignments and studied for tests primarily in cooperative learning groups. As gauges of the program's impact on the participants, 3 questionnaires were administered to a sample of 50 (25 women and 25 men). The respondents reported that (a) they worked cooperatively on academic assignments, (b) the program staff provided both academic and personal support while structuring and facilitating cooperative learning groups, and (c) they themselves were highly task oriented, confident of their academic ability, and involved in positive and supportive relationships with their fellow participants.
Examining classroom learning preferences among elementary school students

The aim in this study was to further determine the classroom learning preferences of elementary school students. A measure of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning preferences (The Social Interdependence Scales; Johnson, & Norem-Hebeisen, 1979), was administered to 138 5th and 6th graders (66 African American and 72 White) attending a school in a low-income community. Results indicated that overall, participants preferred cooperative learning to competitive and individualistic learning. However, African American students reported significantly higher preferences for cooperative learning than did their White counterparts, while the reverse was true for individualistic and competitive learning. Implications and relevance for classroom practices are discussed. It is also argued that future researchers should include repeated testing of learning preferences and expansion of the work across a wide age range.
Y10W β(1–40) fluorescence reflects epitope exposure in conformers of Alzheimer’s β-peptide

Abstract The Alzheimer’s β-peptide in neutral aqueous solution is characterized variously as a random coil or a heterogeneous mixture of conformers. Under conditions of lowered pH characteristic of intracellular compartments such as endosomes or lysosomes, a different conformation is favored, which is reflected in the biophysical and biological properties of the peptide. The reactivity of the epitope of the monoclonal antibody 6F/3D, encompassing residues 9–14, is drastically reduced. The fluorescence of human sequence β(1–40) with the tyrosine at position 10 substituted with tryptophan (Y10W β(1–40)) is quenched nearly 50% when the peptide is shifted to pH 4.6. The exposure of the 6F/3D epitope parallels Y10W β(1–40) fluorescence changes induced by a variety of perturbations. The linkage of the sensitivity of immunological detection with the potential for monitoring rapid changes by fluorescence offers convergence of biology and biophysics in the study of β-amyloid peptide conformation.
Existence theorems for optimization problems concerning linear, hyperbolic partial differential equations without convexity conditions

Integral representations are obtained for solutions of a Darboux problem in a rectangle and used to prove Neustadt-type existence theorems for optimal control problems with trajectories satisfying linear, hyperbolic partial differential equations with Darboux-type boundary data. The proof bears on the fact that, in this situation, for each generalized solution, there is a usual solution where the functional takes the same value.
Illustrating surface shape in volume data via principal direction-driven 3D line integral convolution

The three-dimensional shape and relative depth of a smoothly curving layered transparent surface may be communicated particularly effectively when the surface is artistically enhanced with sparsely distributed opaque detail. This paper describes how the set of principal directions and principal curvatures specified by local geometric operators can be understood to define a natural 'flow' over the surface of an object, and can be used to guide the placement of the lines of a stroke texture that seeks to represent 3D shape information in a perceptually intuitive way. The driving application for this work is the visualization of layered isovalue surfaces in volume data, where the particular identity of an individual surface is not generally known a priori and observers will typically wish to view a variety of different level surfaces from the same distribution, superimposed over underlying opaque structures. By advecting an evenly distributed set of tiny opaque particles, and the empty space between them, via 3D line integral convolution through the vector field defined by the principal directions and principal curvatures of the level surfaces passing through each gridpoint of a 3D volume, it is possible to generate a single scan-converted solid stroke texture that may intuitively represent the essential shape information of any level surface in the volume. To generate longer strokes over more highly curved areas, where the directional information is both most stable and most relevant, and to simultaneously downplay the visual impact of directional information in the flatter regions, one may dynamically redefine the length of the filter kernel according to the magnitude of the maximum principal curvature of the level surface at the point around which it is applied.
Novel coupling modulator design using ring-resonator-based light drop structure

Coupling modulation using microring-based light drop structure which removes the pattern dependence problem is proposed. Extinction ratio improvement from 3 dB to >30 dB in 40 Gb/s NRZ signal is obtained with 25X smaller drive voltage.
Prolactin's effects on lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity and on LPL mRNA levels in cultured mouse mammary gland explants.

AbstractThe in vitro effects of prolactin (PRL) on lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity and on LPL mRNA levels were studied in cultured mammary tissues derived from mid-pregnant mice. Mouse mammary gland tissues were initially incubated for 24 hr in M199 media containing 1 μg/ml insulin and 10−7M cortisol. A subsequent treatment of the tissues with 1 μg/ml PRL caused a 76% increase in heparin-releasable LPL (hrLPL) activity after 24 hr. A significant increase in LPL activity was detected 16 hr after PRL addition, but not at earlier times. PRL at 100 ng/ml elicited a maximum stimulation of LPL activity. When Northern hybridization techniques were employed, PRL was also found to increase the tissue content of LPL mRNA; this effect was initially detected after a 6-hr PRL treatment employing PRL concentrations of 50 ng/ml and above. Specificity studies revealed that only lactogenic hormones stimulated LPL activity and LPL mRNA accumulation in cultured mammary tissues. PRL also expressed a small (25% increase), b...
A collection of privacy design patterns

The growth in computing power has enabled the storage and analysis of large volumes of data. Monitoring the Internet access profiles of millions of users has become feasible and also economically lucrative. The interesting thing here is that it is not only the crooks who are interested in privacy intrusion, but government agencies also have vested interest in profiling the population mass. This paper describes 4 design patterns that can aide the decision making process for the designers of privacy protecting systems. These design patterns are applicable to the design of anonymity systems for various types of online communication, online data sharing, location monitoring, voting and electronic cash management.
Cloning of the human eHAND gene, a bHLH transcription factor potentially vital to human cardiac development. • 136

Cloning of the human eHAND gene, a bHLH transcription factor potentially vital to human cardiac development. • 136
Microsomal enzyme induction by methadone and its implications on tolerance to methadone lethality

MANY investigators have sought to explain narcotic tolerance as a result of increased metabolic inactivation of the drug. No evidence for disposition tolerance has yet been reported, however1–6. On the contrary, tolerance to most narcotic effects seems to be adaptive or cellular tolerance, that is a decrease in pharmacological effects even when enough drug is in contact with target cells in the brain to produce marked effects in naive animals7. We wish to report, however, that metabolic inactivation of methadone, a widely used synthetic narcotic, does increase, with a resulting tolerance to its toxic properties.